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Shukra

Shukra, also known as Ushanas and Kavya, is a mythological sage as well as the presiding god of the planet Venus in Hinduism. In the Rigveda, however, Kavya Ushanas appears as a wise poet-priest associated with the gods, especially their king Indra, whom he helped defeat his enemies. The Brahmanas consistently portray him as the purohita (priest/advisor) of the asuras who ultimately deserts them to join the devas. In the post-Vedic period, particularly in the epics and the Puranic texts, Kavya Ushanas evolves into the figure of seer-sage Ushanas, better known by the epithet Shukracharya. He is first portrayed as the teacher of both the devas (gods) and the asuras (antigods) in earlier texts, before becoming established solely as the purohita of the asuras in later texts. He becomes associated with Venus and is most famous for possessing the Mṛtasañjīvanī—a magical skill that can bring the dead back to life. During the early medieval period, with the rise of anthropomorphic depictions of the Navagrahas of Hindu astrology, the planet Venus was personified with a distinctive iconography: he is shown as youthful man with a white complexion, riding a white horse, and holding a kamandalu. This iconographic form may or may not be identified with the sage Shukracharya.

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Shukra
Guru of the Asuras
God of Venus
Member of Navagraha
Shukra
Depiction of Shukra from the 1842 book The Complete Hindoo Pantheon by E. A. Rodrigues
Devanagariशुक्र
AffiliationAsuras, Daityas, Devas, Grahas
AbodePatala Loka
PlanetVenus
Mantra
  • ॐ द्रां द्रीं द्रौं सः शुक्राय नमः

Om drāṃ drīṃ drauṃ saḥ śukrāya namaḥa

  • ॐ शुं शुक्राय नमः
Om shuṃ śukrāya namaḥa
DayFriday
ColorWhite1
Number6 , 15 , 24
MountWhite Horse
Genealogy
Parents
ConsortJayanti, Urjjasvati, and Sataparva3
ChildrenDevayani, Arā, Shanda, Tvasthadhar, and Marka2

Shukra (/ˈʃuːkrə/ SHOO-krə;4 Sanskrit: शुक्र, IAST: Śukra) is a Sanskrit word that means "clear" or "bright". It also has other meanings, such as the name of a sage who was the preceptor of the asuras and taught them the Vedas.5 In mythology and Hindu astrology, the word refers to the planet Venus, one of the Navagrahas.6

Hinduism

Shukracharya advises his daughter Aruja to remain beside the lake near his hermitage while a dust storm devastates the accursed kingdom of Danda source ↗

In Hinduism, Shukra is one of the sons of Bhrigu, one of the Saptarshis. He was the guru of the asuras and is also referred to as Shukracharya or Asuracharya in various Hindu texts. In another account found in the Mahabharata, Shukra divided himself into two, one half became the fount of knowledge for the devas (gods) and the other half became the knowledge source of the asuras (demons).6 Shukra, in the Puranas, is blessed by Shiva with Sanjeevini Vidhya after performing tapas to propitiate Shiva. Sanjeevini Vidhya is the knowledge of raising the dead back to life, which he used from time to time to restore life to the asuras. Later, this knowledge was sought by the devas and was ultimately gained by them.6

Vamana, the dwarf avatar of Vishnu, requests the asura king Mahabali for three steps of land. Mahabali acceded to the request and as was the practice, took up the kamandalu to pour water to symbolically signify the donation to Vamana. When Shukra, the asuras' guru, had realised Vamana's true identity, he tried to prevent the flow of water from the kamandalu by blocking the spout, Vamana pierced the spout with a stick, blinded Shukra.7

Shukra's mother was Kavyamata, whilst Shukra's wives were the goddesses Urjasvati, Jayanti, and Sataparva. Sometimes, Urjjasvati and Jayanti are considered to be one goddess.8 With her, Shukra produced many children, including Queen Devayani.9 Sataparva was childless.

In the Mahabharata, Shukracharya is mentioned as one of the mentors of Bhishma, having taught him political science in his youth.10

Astrology

In classical Vedic astrology or Jyotisha, Shukra is considered to be among the Navagrahas (Nine planets) that influence the pattern of life on earth. Shukra represents women, beauty, wealth, luxury, and sex. According to classical astrological texts, a powerfully placed Shukra, aspected by benefic planets such as Jupiter, and in favourable signs and houses in the birth chart, ensures material well-being. Its beej mantra is "Om Draam Dreem Draum Sah Shukraya Namaha". It is associated with Friday, and the gem diamond. The classical shastras ordain that the best method to attain the blessings of Shukra is to respect the women in one’s life.

It is also popularly propitiated through Devi Aradhana or worshipping the goddess Lakshmi.

Planet

Shukra as a planet appears in various Hindu astronomical texts in Sanskrit, such as the 5th century Aryabhatiya by Aryabhatta, the 6th century Romaka by Latadeva and Panca Siddhantika by Varahamihira, the 7th century Khandakhadyaka by Brahmagupta and the 8th century Sisyadhivrddida by Lalla.1112 These texts present Shukra as one of the planets and estimate the characteristics of the respective planetary motion.11 Other texts such as Surya Siddhanta dated to have been complete sometime between the 5th century and 10th century present their chapters on various planets with deity mythologies.11

The manuscripts of these texts exist in slightly different versions, present Shukra's motion in the skies, but vary in their data, suggesting that the text were open and revised over their lives.131415

The 1st millennium CE Hindu scholars had estimated the time it took for sidereal revolutions of each planet including Shukra, from their astronomical studies, with slightly different results:16

The planet Venus source ↗
Sanskrit texts: How many days for Shukra (Venus) to complete its orbit?
Source Estimated time per sidereal revolution16
Surya Siddhanta 224 days, 16 hours, 45 minutes, 56.2 seconds
Siddhanta Shiromani 224 days, 16 hours, 45 minutes, 1.9 seconds
Ptolemy 224 days, 16 hours, 51 minutes, 56.8 seconds
20th century calculations 224 days, 16 hours, 49 minutes, 8.0 seconds

Calendar and zodiac

The weekday Shukravara in Hindu calendar, or Friday, has roots in Shukra (Venus). Shukravara is found in most Indian languages, and Shukra Graha is driven by the planet Venus in Hindu astrology. The word "Friday" in the Greco-Roman and other Indo-European calendars is also based on the planet Venus.

Shukra is a part of the Navagraha in the Hindu zodiac system. The Navagraha developed from early works of astrology over time. Deifying planetary bodies and their astrological significance occurred as early as the Vedic period and was recorded in the Vedas. The classical planets, including Venus, were referenced in the Atharvaveda around 1000 BCE. The planet Venus was deified and referred to as Shukra in various Puranas.

See also

See also

References

References

  1. Jordan, Michael (14 May 2014). Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses (2nd ed.). Infobase Publishing. p. 295. ISBN 978-1-4381-0985-5.
  2. "Shukra, Śukrā, Śukra: 39 definitions". 24 June 2012.
  3. Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic encyclopaedia : a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature. Robarts - University of Toronto. Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass. p. 760. ISBN 978-0-8426-0822-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  4. "Shukra". Google Dictionary. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  5. Charles Russell Coulter; Patricia Turner (2013). Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. Routledge. p. 108. ISBN 978-1-135-96390-3.
  6. Roshen Dalal (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books India. pp. 387–388. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
  7. https://web.archive.org/web/20050207221439/http://www.pichu.info/nav.htm, Suryanar Koil
  8. Dikshitar, V. R. Ramachandra (31 January 1996). The Purana Index. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. ISBN 978-81-208-1273-4.
  9. Dikshitar, V. R. Ramachandra (31 January 1996). The Purana Index. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. ISBN 978-81-208-1273-4.
  10. Subramaniam, Kamala (2007). "Adi Parva". The Mahabharata. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan India. ISBN 978-81-7276-405-0.
  11. Ebenezer Burgess (1989). P Ganguly, P Sengupta (ed.). Sûrya-Siddhânta: A Text-book of Hindu Astronomy. Motilal Banarsidass (Reprint), Original: Yale University Press, American Oriental Society. pp. vii–xi. ISBN 978-81-208-0612-2.
  12. Bina Chatterjee (1970). The Khandakhadyaka (an astronomical treatise) of Brahmagupta: with the commentary of Bhattotpala (in Sanskrit). Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 72–74, 40, 69. OCLC 463213346.
  13. Lionel D. Barnett (1994). Antiquities of India: An Account of the History and Culture of Ancient Hindustan. Asian Educational Services. pp. 190–192. ISBN 978-81-206-0530-5.
  14. Ebenezer Burgess (1989). P Ganguly, P Sengupta (ed.). Sûrya-Siddhânta: A Text-book of Hindu Astronomy. Motilal Banarsidass (Reprint), Original: Yale University Press, American Oriental Society. pp. ix–xi, xxix. ISBN 978-81-208-0612-2.
  15. J Fleet (1911). "Arbhatiya". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Cambridge University Press for the Royal Asiatic Society: 794–799.
  16. Ebenezer Burgess (1989). P Ganguly, P Sengupta (ed.). Sûrya-Siddhânta: A Text-book of Hindu Astronomy. Motilal Banarsidass (Reprint), Original: Yale University Press, American Oriental Society. pp. 26–27. ISBN 978-81-208-0612-2.
Further reading

Further reading

External links
  • Media related to Shukra at Wikimedia Commons