Planets

The Meaning of the Mercury in Vedic Astrology

Mercury

Meaning of the Mercury

Mercury represents the following: Wednesday, intellect, discrimination, learning and knowledge, education, eloquence, proficiency in the arts, writing, nerves and the nervous system, sense of humor, proficiency in languages, communication, business acumen, the earth element, media, multi-media, internet, books, films, and television.

MERCURY, the Crown Prince

Mercury is the crown prince of the planetary cabinet and as such, represents the following: Wednesday, intellect, discrimination, learning and knowledge, education, eloquence, expertise in languages, the association of learned people, communication, proficiency in the arts and letters, writing, sense of humor, wit, and business acumen. 

Mercury is joyful, fun-loving, sporting, youthful, flexible, skilful, clever, and delicate. He signifies the respiratory system, nervous system, speech, asexuality or bisexuality, earth, emerald, aquamarine, peridot, the color green, and the northern direction. 

In Sanskrit, he is known as Budha, or one who possesses a keen intellect or buddhi. You may recognize a variation of this word in ‘buddha,’ the enlightened one. 

Mercury represents the neutral gender and is thereby changeable or easily influenced by others, that is, mercurial in nature. This is also evident by the fact that Mercury always travels close to the Sun in the sky, making him restless in nature, due to being singed by the Sun’s rays. He is often found to be retrograde or moving backwards through the sky which is also a symptom of his fickleness and inconstancy. Being highly adaptable and easily influenced due to having an airy (vata) temperament, he can be found moving in whatever direction the wind blows. 

If there is a planet whose birth or parentage is questionable, it would be Mercury since his mother, Tara (star), was married to Guru (Jupiter). Tara was seduced by the Moon god, Chandra, and from their union, Mercury was born. So Mercury also represents questionable parentage or illegitimate birth. 

An afflicted Mercury in the birth chart can result in dysentery, constipation, lung disease, asthma, restlessness, fear, neurosis and psychosis.

In Ayurvedic medicine, he rules vata or the physical constitution dominated by the elements of air/ether.

The god, Mercury, carries in his hands a book representing learning and the chakra or discus of Vishnu (God) for protection, signifying his devotion to God.