Navgrah Mantra – Beej Mantras of All Nine Planets

What the Navagraha are

Graha does not quite mean "planet". It comes from the root grah, "to seize", and names whatever takes hold of a person's life. That is why the nine include the Sun and the Moon, leave out the Earth, and count two points that are not bodies at all: Rahu and Ketu, the two nodes where the Moon's path crosses the Sun's, which are where eclipses happen. The other five, Mangal (Mars), Budh (Mercury), Brihaspati (Jupiter), Shukra (Venus) and Shani (Saturn), are the planets visible to the naked eye. In jyotish each graha rules a day of the week, a colour, a gem, a grain and certain areas of life, and each has its own set of mantras.

All nine beej mantras at a glance

The beej (also called tantrokta) mantra of every graha follows the same pattern: Om, three seed syllables built on one consonant, the closing seed sah, and the graha's name with namah. The counts are the totals traditionally prescribed for a full anushthan of each graha, completed over many days in sittings of 108.

Graha	Day	Beej mantra	Traditional count
Surya (Sun)	Sunday	Om Hram Hreem Hraum Sah Suryaya Namah	7,000
Chandra (Moon)	Monday	Om Shram Shreem Shraum Sah Chandramase Namah	11,000
Mangal (Mars)	Tuesday	Om Kram Kreem Kraum Sah Bhaumaya Namah	10,000
Budh (Mercury)	Wednesday	Om Bram Breem Braum Sah Budhaya Namah	9,000
Brihaspati (Jupiter)	Thursday	Om Gram Greem Graum Sah Gurave Namah	19,000
Shukra (Venus)	Friday	Om Dram Dreem Draum Sah Shukraya Namah	16,000
Shani (Saturn)	Saturday	Om Pram Preem Praum Sah Shanaishcharaya Namah	23,000
Rahu	Saturday	Om Bhram Bhreem Bhraum Sah Rahave Namah	18,000
Ketu	Tuesday or Saturday	Om Sram Sreem Sraum Sah Ketave Namah	17,000

These counts are the ones most jyotish manuals give, but books differ, and some astrologers multiply them by four for the Kali Yuga. If your family priest gives you a different number, follow that. Each planet's own page has its naam mantra, dhyana verse and full method.

Four kinds of graha mantra

• Naam mantra: the shortest form, one seed syllable and the name, such as Om Shum Shukraya Namah or Om Sham Shanaishcharaya Namah. It is the easiest to start with and is often what an astrologer means by "the Shukra mantra".
• Beej or tantrokta mantra: the three-syllable form in the table above, used for a counted anushthan.
• Gayatri mantra: each graha also has a prayer in the Gayatri metre ("may we know… may we meditate… may he inspire us"). These are listed below.
• Stotra verse: the nine verses of the Navagraha Stotra attributed to Vyasa, beginning Japakusuma sankasham, one for each graha. They praise the graha rather than invoking it with seed syllables, and many people prefer them for daily recitation.

Navagraha Gayatri mantras

Unlike the beej mantras, the graha Gayatris are not uniform across books: several have two or three versions in circulation. The forms below are those given on each planet's page, where the variants are also listed.

• Surya: Om Adityaya Vidmahe Prabhakaraya Dhimahi, Tannah Suryah Prachodayat
• Chandra: Om Kshiraputraya Vidmahe Amritatattvaya Dhimahi, Tannash Chandrah Prachodayat
• Mangal: Om Angarakaya Vidmahe Shaktihastaya Dhimahi, Tannah Bhaumah Prachodayat
• Budh: Om Chandraputraya Vidmahe Rohinipriyaya Dhimahi, Tanno Budhah Prachodayat
• Brihaspati: Om Angirasaya Vidmahe Dandayudhaya Dhimahi, Tannah Jivah Prachodayat
• Shukra: Om Bhriguputraya Vidmahe Vindeshaya Dhimahi, Tannah Shukrah Prachodayat
• Shani: Om Shanaishcharaya Vidmahe Suryaputraya Dhimahi, Tanno Mandah Prachodayat
• Rahu: Om Shirorupaya Vidmahe Amriteshaya Dhimahi, Tanno Rahuh Prachodayat
• Ketu: Om Gadahastaya Vidmahe Amriteshaya Dhimahi, Tannah Ketuh Prachodayat

Notice how the epithets carry each graha's story. Chandra is "son of the ocean of milk" because he rose from the churning. Brihaspati is "descendant of Angiras", his father. Shukra is "son of Bhrigu". Rahu is "the one who is only a head", since Vishnu's discus severed him as he drank the amrit, and Ketu, the body that was left, "holds the mace".

Which mantra should you chant?

• For one graha: if an astrologer has pointed to a particular planet, or you are in its dasha or under a well-known influence like Shani's sade sati, chant that graha's mantra on its day. One graha at a time is the usual practice; there is no need to chant all nine beej mantras every day.
• For all nine together: recite the one-verse Brahma Murari Tripurantakari shloka in the morning, or the full Navagraha Stotra. Both take a minute or two and are traditionally said for general graha shanti.
• Without astrology: many people simply chant the mantra of the weekday: Surya on Sunday, Chandra on Monday, and so on through the week. That is a perfectly good devotional practice in itself.

How to do graha japa

1. Begin on the graha's own weekday, ideally in the shukla paksha (waxing fortnight). The early morning is best for most grahas.
2. Bathe, sit facing east, light a lamp, and if you can, keep something of the graha's colour near you: red for Surya and Mangal, white for Chandra and Shukra, green for Budh, yellow for Brihaspati, and dark blue or black for Shani, Rahu and Ketu.
3. For a counted anushthan, take a short sankalp: your name, the graha, the total count and the number of days you will spread it over.
4. Chant the same number of malas at the same time each day until the total is complete. Rudraksha is commonly used for all the grahas; some traditions use coral for Mangal, pearl or crystal for Chandra and so on.
5. At the end, give daan connected with the graha, such as wheat and jaggery for Surya, rice and milk for Chandra, or black sesame and mustard oil for Shani.

A word of caution

Graha mantras are a devotional remedy, not a substitute for medical, financial or legal help. A beej mantra chanted with attention is not dangerous, but a large anushthan with a sankalp is a commitment, and most families have it done, or at least begun, with the help of a priest. If you are chanting because of a "dosha" someone has told you about, it is worth getting a second opinion on the chart before taking on a 23,000-count anushthan out of fear.

Frequently asked questions

What are the nine Navagraha beej mantras?

Surya: Om Hram Hreem Hraum Sah Suryaya Namah. Chandra: Om Shram Shreem Shraum Sah Chandramase Namah. Mangal: Om Kram Kreem Kraum Sah Bhaumaya Namah. Budh: Om Bram Breem Braum Sah Budhaya Namah. Guru: Om Gram Greem Graum Sah Gurave Namah. Shukra: Om Dram Dreem Draum Sah Shukraya Namah. Shani: Om Pram Preem Praum Sah Shanaishcharaya Namah. Rahu: Om Bhram Bhreem Bhraum Sah Rahave Namah. Ketu: Om Sram Sreem Sraum Sah Ketave Namah.

Can I chant all nine graha mantras every day?

You can, but it is not the usual practice. For all nine together, the Navagraha Stotra or the Brahma Murari shloka is the traditional choice; the beej mantras are normally chanted one graha at a time.

Why do Rahu and Ketu have no weekday of their own?

They are shadow grahas without a day in the seven-day week. Rahu is usually worshipped on Saturday, with Shani, and Ketu on Tuesday or Saturday.

Do I have to complete the full count like 23,000 for Shani?

Only if you have taken a sankalp for a full anushthan. Daily japa of one mala (108) is a complete practice in its own right.

What is the difference between the naam mantra and the beej mantra?

The naam mantra has one seed syllable, as in Om Shum Shukraya Namah. The beej (tantrokta) mantra has three plus "sah", as in Om Dram Dreem Draum Sah Shukraya Namah. The beej form is the one used for counted anushthans.

Is there one mantra for all nine planets?

Yes. The Brahma Murari Tripurantakari verse names all nine grahas along with Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and is recited for all of them together.

Which graha's mantra is best to start with?

If you have no astrological reason to choose, start with the mantra of the day you begin, or with Surya, whose worship at sunrise with arghya is the oldest and simplest of all graha practices.