Page:South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses.djvu/259

 that a mystic diagram called the Surya-yantra is intimately connected with his worship as in the case of the Sakti goddesses. It is stated to be a circle bounded one after another, by a triangle, a circle, a square and two circles of eight and sixteen radii respectively.

The Moon is regarded as one of the Planets surrounding Other the Sun and going round and round the mountain Meru. He planets - is born of the Sea and of sage Atri and is supposed to be of the Vaisya caste. He is said to have only face and hands but no body. He turns towards the Sun, holds white lotuses in his two hands (or sometimes a club and the boon-confer- ring hand) and rides on a two-wheeled 1 chariot drawn by ten horses. Kuja (Mars) is a Kshatriya of AvantI, the son of the Earth and of sage Bharadvaja, wears red garments and a crown and has four arms in which are seen the weapons, club and sakti and the postures varada and abhaya. He faces the Sun and rides on a ram. Budha (Mercury), the son of the Moon, is a Vaisya of the Magadha country born in the lineage of Atri. He has four arms, a yellow body, and the lion vehicle. He shows in his hands the shield, club, varada and the sword and faces the Sun. Brihaspati (Jupiter) is a Brahmana, born of Angiras. He comes from the Sindhu country and has either four or two arms, holding, in the latter case, the book and the rosary. He also faces the Sun. Sukra (Venus), likewise, is a Brahmana born of Bhrigu and a native of Bhojakata. Accord- ing to Hemadri he is seated in a golden chariot drawn by eight horses or in a silver chariot yoked to ten horses. He has two hands in one of which he holds a nidhi " treasure " and, in the other, a book. According to other authorities he has four arms in which are seen the staff, rosary, water-pot and the varada. Sani or Sanaischara (Saturn) is a Sudra of the Saurashtra country, and a descendant of Kasyapa, also facing the Sun. He is supposed to be born of the Sun, to have blue garments and to ride on a vulture or in an iron chariot drawn by eight horses. He is represented with two or four hands and stands on a lotus pedestal, but is more often found seated with four hands, his weapons being the arrow, trident and the bow. Rahu and Ketu, the ascending and the descending nodes, are also represented as images (fig. 145). The former is described as a Sudra of Paithan with a fearful face, black clothes and four arms, holding the sword, trident and the shield. He rides on a black lion and faces the Sun. Ketu is

1 Some authorities say that the chariot is to be three- wheeled.