बुध
budha

Sanskrit noun
loaned from Sanskrit

Last edited: 2026-02-26
Primary meaning Mercury
Literal translation Mercury
Edited by
Mercury planet

It refers to Planet Mercury.In Hindu astrology (Jyotisha), Budha is considered the deity of wisdom, intelligence iand is the son of Chandra (the Moon) and Tara. He is also called Somaya and Rohinaya, and he rules over the lunar mansions (nakshatras) of Āshleṣā, Jyeṣṭhā, and Revatī.

बुधास्फुजिद्भूमिजजीवसौराः संज्ञाभिरेण्ड क्रमशो निकर्षीत् । द्विर्द्विर्गृहेशाः प्रथितास्ततोऽमी ताराधिनाथस्य दिवाकरस्य ॥३३॥

budhāsphujidbhūmijajīvasaurāḥ saṃjñābhireṇḍa kramaśo nikarṣīt | dvirdvirgṛheśāḥ prathitāstato'mī tārādhināthasya divākarasya ||33||

‘Budha (Mercury), Śukra (Venus), Bhauma (Mars), Jīva (Jupiter), and Saura (Saturn) — these planets, named in this order, are each known as the lords of two zodiacal signs. They are planetary rulers of the Moon and sun’

— Yavanajātaka 1.32

Genre: astrological treatise
Provenance: India
Date: 4th-6th century CE

Pingree, David. The Yavanajātaka of Sphujidhvaja. Harvard Oriental Series, vol. 48. Cambridge: Harvard University Press

सूर्यस्य भागे दशमे तृतीये सोमस्य जीवस्य तु पंचमे स्यात् । सौरस्य विंशे त्वधिसप्तके च विन्द्याद् भृगोः पंचदशे बुधस्य ॥५९॥

sūryasya bhāge daśame tṛtīye somasya jīvasya tu paṃcame syāt | saurasya viṃśe tvadhisaptake ca vindyād bhṛgoḥ paṃcadaśe budhasya ||59||

‘The Sun, Moon, and Jupiter are in the 10th, 3rd, and 5th, degree respectively. However, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury in 20th, 27th, and 15th degree’

— Yavanajātaka 1.59

Genre: astrological treatise
Provenance: India
Date: 4th-6th century CE

Pingree, David. The Yavanajātaka of Sphujidhvaja. Harvard Oriental Series, vol. 48. Cambridge: Harvard University Press 54

Cite this entry
APA (7th)
Malhotra, P. (2026). बुध (Lemma #6371). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/6371/
Chicago (Author-Date)
Malhotra, P. (2026). बुध (Lemma #6371). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/6371/
MLA (9th)
Malhotra, P. (2026). बुध (Lemma #6371). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/6371/
Harvard
Malhotra, P. (2026) बुध (Lemma #6371), The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. Available at: https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/6371/ (Accessed: March 4, 2026).
BibTeX 
@misc{zodiac6371,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-03-04]},
	author = {Malhotra, Poorvaa},
	year = {2026},
	title = {बुध ({Lemma} #6371)},
	url = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/6371/},
	howpublished = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/6371/},
}