- Grahas
- Budh (Mercury)
One of the nine
Budh (Mercury)
Budh is your intellect and your speech — how you learn, reckon, write, trade and talk your way through the world. It is the prince among the grahas and a messenger: it takes on the colour of whatever joins it, good with benefics and hard with malefics, so its company matters as much as its rashi.
What it governs
- intelligence and quick learning
- speech and communication
- education
- writing, editing and publishing
- mathematics, accounts and audit
- trade and commerce
- maternal uncle
- younger siblings and friends
- astrology
- wit, humour, dance and drama
- diplomacy and planning
- short journeys
- computers
- land, in the Nadi reading
The body
- skin
- nervous system
- speech and the tongue
- lungs
- arms and hands
- navel
- left ear
- intestines
Relatives
- maternal uncle
- younger siblings
- cousins
- friends
- nephew
Work
- accountant and auditor
- mathematician and statistician
- teacher
- writer and novelist
- editor and journalist
- publisher, printer and bookseller
- merchant, trader and broker
- salesman and insurance agent
- public speaker
- postal and courier work
- clerk and secretary
- astrologer
- import and export
- computers and software
- ambassador and envoy
Places
- schools, libraries and places of study
- offices and markets
- printing presses and bookshops
- post offices
- sports grounds
- the homes of scholars
- the north
Strong
A strong Budh — in the lagna where it has dik bala, exalted in its own Virgo, in Gemini, or with benefics — gives a sharp, witty and versatile mind: you calculate well, write and speak with ease, learn without a teacher, and do well in trade, accounts, teaching or the written word. It keeps you quick on your feet and younger-looking than your age. Its results show from about 32 to 35.
Weak
An afflicted Budh — debilitated in Pisces, combust, or joined by malefics — shows as nervousness, scattered effort, projects left half done, careless words and paperwork, and friction with a maternal uncle or younger siblings. The areas to care for are the skin, the nerves, sleep and the lungs; see a doctor for anything persistent. Read or hear the Vishnu Sahasranama, keep your word on Wednesdays, and give green moong.