The names of the week from Monday to Sunday are so common place for us that we completely ignore their importance. These names are however not given randomly and are a product of a civilization which at its peak was the epitome of learning and intellectual achievement.
Vedic astrology has always been an integral part of Indian way of life. No major event in India takes place without a sound astrological foundation. Whether it is the celebration of festivals or rituals connected to human life, astrology plays its role of a guide and mentor.
The Sanskrit names for day and night are Aho and Ratra. A complete cycle of Aho-Ratra constitutes a day. By combining the letters printed in bold font we get Hora which is the Sanskrit name for 24th part of a day. Latin term hora is thus a direct derivative of Hora of Vedic astrology. From Hora is derived the word horology which is a science of the study of time.
So what does Hora have to do with names of the weekdays? Plenty, as we shall shortly find out. Each Hora is named after a planet and is an important segment of time connected to the traits of that planet.
The sequence of planets that will rule successive Hora is also a highly ordered one and is based on their orbital speed round the Zodiac. Saturn being the slowest comes first and is followed by Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury and Moon. Each of these planets rules a Hora in the order given above.
We start with Sun who is the most important planet for earth and repository of all spiritual information. Remember there are 24 Hora or hours in a day. The first Hora is ruled by Sun, the next by Venus, followed by Mercury and Moon. Then the cycle repeats itself. Here is the order.
The 25th Hora is of Moon and so the next day is called Moon’s day or Monday. The same process is repeated and the last Hora on Monday will be of Moon herself. The 25th Hora will be of Mars and so the next is called Mars day or Mangalwar in India.In this way we get the names of the days of the week as Somwar, Mangalwar, Budhwar, Brihaspatiwar and so on.
Romans in their ignorance named the days after their own irrational and blunted intellect and added the names of their imagined gods. Please remember these people didn’t have any knowledge of mathematics at all. Roman numerals are a proof of that.
Hora is of special significance in Muhurta when we want to find the best time to begin something new. It could be anything from wearing new jewelry to invading a country. A new job will start best if joined in the Hora of the planet ruling the tenth house. A war or police action is best undertaken in the Hora of Mars. Intellectual pursuits will give best results in the Hora of Mercury etc.
When wearing new gemstone for the first time, we always wear them on the day connected to the gemstone. This is done on the first Hora of that day which is actually the hora of that planet. For example on a Sunday, the first hour after sunrise is the Hora of the Sun. If we are required to wear a Ruby, this is the best time to wear it. For added favorable results we choose a Sunday which falls with in five days of the full Moon day. This is done because Moon has a big enough size (Paksh Bal) to add its beneficial rays to the act of wearing the gem.
Have a lovely day today. Ponder over the greatness our fore fathers achieved and the legacy they left behind. It is a truly humbling experience.
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This article is copyrighted 2016. It cannot be used in part or as a whole without the written permission of the author Rajiv Sethi.
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