The traditional Indian astrology/astronomy is concerned about the following nine objects
# 1 Surya
# 2 Chandra
# 3 Mangala
# 4 Budha
# 5 Brihaspati
# 6 Shukra
# 7 Shani
# 8 Rahu
# 9 Ketu
In English, Surya is identified with the Sun, Chandra the Moon, Mangala Mars, Budha Mercury, Brihaspati Jupiter, Shukra Venus, Shani Saturn, and Rahu and Ketu the lunar nodes - the two points of intersection of the moon's orbit and the ecliptic (i.e., points of potential solar and lunar eclipses). Rahu is the ascending node (the point where the moon moves to the north of the ecliptic), and Ketu is the descending node (the point where the moon moves to the south of the ecliptic). Further reading here.
The interesting thing about this organization is how Rahu and Ketu are reified (Wiki: "Reification in thought occurs when an abstract concept describing a relationship or context is treated as a concrete "thing"").
There is a case to be made that Hindus reified virtually every concept. That may be the basis of murti puja ("idol worship"), the source of its "polytheism" and their sacred geography (scare quotes around concepts that make sense only in the context of the Abrahamic religions).
I dimly recall an astronomy symposium at which some semi-famous astronomer (Fred Hoyle, maybe?) argued that the identification of the lunar nodes was the basis of the "unseen God" who became central to the Abramaic religions. I can't recall how he became unitary rather than dual, but his power over the Sun and Moon supposedly made him the big heavenly cheese.
ReplyDeleteDo you know in what civilization the ascending and descending nodes were first identified? It's plausible that this happened many times, since I believe the Maya could predict eclipses.
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