Remedies for Mercury (Budh)
Traditional remedies (upaya) for Mercury (Budh): its mantras, day, deity, charity, fasting, colour and devotional texts, with their sources.
Traditional devotional practice
These are traditional devotional practices (upaya) described in Jyotish and Dharmashastra texts. They are offered for faith and reflection, with no promise of any result, and they never replace medical, psychological, legal or financial advice. Chant and give within your means: no remedy needs anything to be bought.
Mantras
Nama-mantra Later / popular
ॐ बुधाय नमः
Om Budhāya Namaḥ
The graha's name with Om and namah; it needs no initiation. Commonly chanted 108 times (one mala) on the graha's day.
Beej mantra Later / popular
ॐ ब्रां ब्रीं ब्रौं सः बुधाय नमः
Om Brāṃ Brīṃ Brauṃ Saḥ Budhāya Namaḥ
The seed-syllable form of later mantra manuals. Many teachers advise learning its pronunciation from a guru.
Chant “Om Budhaya Namah” (ॐ बुधाय नमः) 108 times on Wednesdays.
Nama-mantra ("Om … namah" with the graha’s name in the dative): the simplest form of graha japa, needing no initiation, as commonly taught
Beej mantras of the Navagrahas: later Tantric and popular mantra manuals; not given in BPHS
Beej mantra of Mercury (Budh)
ॐoṃ ब्रांbrāṃ ब्रींbrīṃ ब्रौंbrauṃ सःsaḥ बुbuधाdhāयya नnaमःmaḥ
10 syllables, 17 matras · Underlined syllables are guru (long or heavy) and are held about twice as long as laghu (short) ones.
The voice is your device's synthetic speech. It is only approximate and may mispronounce Sanskrit (vowel length, visarga, conjuncts). Learn from a teacher or an authentic recording.
Day, worship, charity and fasting
- Day Classical
- Wednesday (Budhvar)
- Deity of the graha (adhidevata) Classical
- Vishnu
Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra ch. 3: the deities of the seven grahas from the Sun (Agni, the waters, Skanda, Vishnu, Indra, Shachi, Brahma)
- Deity worshipped Later / popular
- Vishnu or Ganesha
Worship Lord Vishnu on Wednesdays, for example by reciting the Vishnu Sahasranama.Deity commonly worshipped for each graha: popular practice; traditions vary by region and family
- Charity (dana) Classical
- On Wednesdays, give green gram (moong), green vegetables or books to students.
Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, the remedial (shanti) chapters on the dashas: propitiation by worship, japa and charity (dana); Yajnavalkya Smriti, Acharadhyaya, Graha-shanti prakarana (graha worship, samidh and dakshina)
- Fasting (vrat) Later / popular
- Budhvar (Wednesday) vrat.
Fast only if your health allows it; during pregnancy, illness or on medication, ask your doctor first.Weekday vratas: popular vrata-katha tradition, not a BPHS prescription
- Colour Classical
- green
Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra ch. 3: colours of the grahas
- Conduct Later / popular
- Keep learning, write things down, speak carefully and keep your accounts clean.
Texts to read or chant
- Budh Beej Mantra Beej mantra
- Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram Sahasranama
- Ganapati Atharvashirsha Stotra
- Navagraha Stotram Stotra
Navagraha Stotra attributed to Vyasa; Aditya Hridayam (Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda); other texts as listed in the Bhakti library with their own sources
Gemstone
The traditional gem of Mercury (Budh) is Emerald (Panna). Read the cautions before considering one: a gem is never a substitute for the remedies above.