In Hindu mythology, every deity and their adornments hold a story. Sharing one such story about Chandra (Moon God) today!
Chandrasekara is a popular name for Lord Shiva. It means “The one who wears the moon as a crown”.
Take any Lord Shiva’s picture or representations. He will be seen wearing a Moon as a crown.
Lord Shiva got his name as Chandrasekara when he gave refuge to Chandra (Moon God) on his matted locks. Why did he have to give refuge to the Moon God?
The mythological story goes like this…
Prajapati Daksha (Lord of Creatures a.k.a Protector of Creations) had twenty seven daughters (the twenty seven nakshatras or stars). He had married all of them to the Moon God, as he ruled the sky. Rohini amongst them was very beautiful and Chandra loved her more than the others, leading to the rest of them complaining about him to their father. In a fit of rage, Daksha cursed Chandra that he lose his luster and wane away. Fearing his ending, Chandra sought refuge from Lord Shiva. Seeing his devotion and accepting his request, although Lord Shiva did not reverse the curse, he blessed Chandra and gave him refuge to have a seat on his head, allowing him to wax and wane in a controlled cycle than completely vanishing. Thus he earned the same Chandrasekara.
Even today, when the annual Panchang (Almanac) is written, today’s moon is known as the Crescent moon that looks exactly like the one on Lord Shiva. The Panchang refers to this hinting us to look at the Moon today.
When my mother reminded us to look at the moon today, my brother took a picture and shared.
It is amazing to see how predictions made in Panchang (Almanac) years in advance, can predict the exact shape and form of the moon on a specific day in any given year.
One of the songs that sings the praise of Lord Shiva as Shashank Shekara (a.k.a Chandrasekara) 🙏🏻
Mathematics, mythology, astronomy, and astrology seem to share a mysterious connection, where patterns and predictions intertwine and somehow find their way into reality.
Om Namah Shivaya 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻