Dikshitar's Navagraha Krithis and their scientific aspects-SriShukra Bhagavantham(VENUS)

                                            SriShukra Bhagavantham

rAga: pharaj                                                                         tAla: khaNDa aTa

Krithi:

shrIshukrabhagavantaM cintayAmi santataM sakalatattvajHnam

he shukrabhagavan mAm Ashu pAlaya vRSatulAdhIsha daityahitopadesham keshavakaTAkSaikanetraM kirITadharaM dhavalagAtram

viMshativatSaroDudashavibhAgam aSTavargaM kaviM kalatrakArakaM ravinirjaraguruvairiNaM navAMshahorAdrekkANAdivargottamavasarasamaye vakroccanIcasvakSetravarakendramUlatrikoNe trimshAMshasaSTyAMshairavatAMshaparijAtAMshagopurAMsharAjayogakArakaM rAjuapradaM guruguhamudam

Translation:

shrIshukrabhagavantaM cintayAmi santataM sakalatattvajHnam – I always meditate upon the Lord Shukra, who is the knower of all truths.

he shukrabhagavan mAm Ashu pAlaya vRSatulAdhIsha daityahitopadesham- O Shukra, the lord of Vrishabha and Tula Raashi, who is the counsellor of demons, rescue me!

viMshativatSaroDudashavibhAgam- One who bestows beneficial influence for a duration of 20 years, aSTavargaM kaviM kalatrakArakaM- One having 8 vargas, the poet, one who always confers material wealth,

ravinirjaraguruvairiNaM- One who is inimical to Sun and Guru, navAMshahorAdrekkANAdivargottamavasarasamaye vakroccanIcasvakSetravarakendramUlatrikoNe trimshAMshasaSTyAMshairavatAMshaparijAtAMshagopurAMsharAjayogakArakaM -  One who has a retrograde motion and who bestows Raja Yoga,these terms refers to the particular combination of Vargas

rAjuapradaM guruguhamudam – Who confers royalty and kingdom and delights Guruguha.

Scientific aspects of this Krithi:

DhavaLa Gaatram: White-colored body.

After  moon, Venus is the brightest coloured body in our planetary system, bright enough to cast shadows.

Vimshati VatsaroduDashaavibhaagaM: spread it’s effect for 20 years in one’s life.

Vakra: Retrograde motion of Venus. Astronomical evidences have proven that Venus rotates in the opposite direction from every other planet. If the clouds on Venus, Venusians would see the sun rise in the west and set in the east.

Venus’s axial tilt is 177.3 deg. The planet is almost upside. If we subtract 180-177.3 we get 2.7 deg. That means venus is upside down and has a tilt of 2.7 deg.

Navamsha,Hora, Drekana: Point of vernal equinox,where the sun passes from the south to the North of the celestial equator.  Astronomically, Venus is at it’s brightest best at the end of April.

Tilted just 3 degrees on its axis and with a small orbit around the sun, Venus seasons last just 55 to 58 days with just slight temperature variations.

This Navagraha krithi, not only describes physical features of Venus, but certain mathematical details with reference to it's angle of tilt is also elaborated.