Chandra
Chandra is the Hindu deity who personifies the Moon, associated with night, nourishment, fertility, and the lunar cycle. He is also known as Soma.
Soma: A Vedic deity associated with a sacred ritual drink, the Moon, and divine vitality. Soma is Chandra’s alternate name and connects lunar divinity with Vedic ritual.
Daksha: A Vedic and Puranic patriarch associated with creation and the progenitors of beings. Daksha’s curse on Chandra explains the Moon’s waning and waxing.
Hindu astrology: A traditional Indian system that interprets celestial positions in relation to earthly events and human lives. It treats Chandra’s position as a major influence on calendars and astrological readings.
Chandra Namaskar: A sequence of yoga postures traditionally performed as a salutation to the Moon. The practice adapts lunar symbolism into a bodily ritual of calm and reverence.
Rigveda: The oldest surviving collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. Its hymns establish the early religious setting for Soma, later identified with Chandra.
Rohini: A Hindu goddess and lunar mansion, traditionally one of Chandra’s wives and his favorite. Chandra’s preference for Rohini provokes the curse that shapes the lunar cycle.
Nakshatra: A division of the ecliptic used in Indian astronomy and astrology, often called a lunar mansion. Chandra’s passage through the nakshatras structures his recurring celestial journey.
Karva Chauth: A Hindu festival in which many married women fast and pray for their husbands’ well-being. The Moon’s appearance and worship shape the festival’s evening observances.
Puranas: A large body of Hindu sacred literature containing mythology, cosmology, genealogies, and religious teachings. Puranic narratives develop Chandra’s genealogy, relationships, and lunar mythology.
Tara (Hindu goddess): A Hindu goddess who becomes the central figure in a myth involving Chandra and Brihaspati. Her story with Chandra leads to the birth of Budha and a conflict among the gods.