Navagraha-Kosha: A Project of Navagraha-Kosha(Volume one)

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Vidyalankara Sastra-Chudamani, Sangita-Kalaratna Professor Saligrama Krishna Ramachandra Rao is a well-known scholar who combines traditional learningwith modern research.Well versed in Sanskrit, Pali, Ardhamagadhi and several modern Indian Languages and acquainted with Tobetan and some European languages, ghe has written extensively on Vedanta, Buddhism, Jainism, Indian culture, art and literature.

In his professional career, however, he was a Professor of psychology. He has headed the department of Clinical Pschology in the National institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, and the Department of Indian Culture in the Callison College Study Centre of the University of the Pacific (USA). At present, he is one the visiting Faculty of National Institute of advanced Studies ( Indian Institute of Science), Bangalore.

He has been Member of the Karnataka State Lalith Kala Academi and Sangit Nritya Academi: he has been member of the Karnataka StateLalith Kala Academi and SangitNritya Academi he has servedon the agama Board ( State Govverhment). He is President of Silpa-Kala Pratishthana. The State Government has honoured him with the 1986 Rajyotsava Award.

He has written more than fifty books in Kannada, a play in Sanskrit, and a Pali Commentary on a Buddhist classic. One of the Books on Iconography in Kannada has won the state saitya academi award, as also another of his books on the tirupati temple.

Among his unmerous English publication are three volumes of Encylopaedia of indianMediicine, ( Poplar Prakashan, Bombay), Tibetan Tantrik Tradition and Tibetan Meditation ( Arnold Heinemann, Delhi),m Consiciousness in Advaita, and a series of six books on Indian temples ( IBH Prakashana, Bangalore), Origins of Indian Thought (Bangalore University); Kalpatharu Research Academy has published his Pratima-Kosha in six volumes, Agama-kosha in twelve volumes, Art and Architecture of Indian Temples in three volumes.

He is also a musicologist, a sculptor and painter, and has held some one-man shows. He presided over the Music Conference of Gayana-Samaja in bangalore for the year 1990

Kalpatharu Research Academy, Bangalore, has entered into the Fifteenth year of its Research and Academic activities. Now it is bringing out another valuable encyclopaedic work bearing on the Nava-Grahas. The Nava-Grahas are of great significance not only to Astrological studies but to people in daily life. The Nava-Grahas are worshipped extensively in Temples and in Homes. It was thought desirable to undertake an elaborate Research and a series of comprehensive publications on the subject. The first volume gives all available details concerning the Nine Grahas in a methodical manner, while the second is intended to serve as a handbook and guide for the worship of the Nine Grahas.

The Academy has already published several Encyclopaedias, which have all been very well received by the public; besides the two important Koshas, Pratima- Kosha and Agama-kosha, several other Koshas like Lalitha-Kosha, Ganesha- Kosha and Oshadhi-Kosha have been brought out. The Academy is planning to undertake a big project on the Devata-Kosha in Ten volumes and Bharathiya-Samskrithi-Sarvasva-Kosha in several volumes. This would be a major contribution to the field of Indology.

As in the previous publications, we were fortunate to secure the co-operation of Vidyalankara, Sastra-Chudamani, Vedanta-Nidhi, Sangita-Kalaratna Prof. S.K. Ramachandra Rao, for this volume also. He has kindly agreed to prepare this volume, and the Academy is grateful to him for this. The Academy also express its deep gratitude to Sri. J.P. Sharma I.A.S., Principal Secretary to the Govt. of Karnataka, for his continuous encouragement and support.

We also sincerely thank all of our friends and well-wishers, who have made this Research programme possible and have generally helped us in our projects.

Our grateful thanks are due to Sri. H. Venkataramaiah and his staff of Mis Payonidhi Printers Pvt. Ltd., for having printed this book neatly and in time.

The ideology of the Nine Planetary-deities (The Nava-Grahas) is an important one in our country. All the rituals, daily and occasional, involve the propitiation cf these Grahas. It was therefore thought desirable that the Kalpatharu Research Academy should take up the study on Navagrahas and to bring out a 'Vishwa- Kosha' on these Grahas. When Daivajna Sri. K.N. Somayaji suggested that a Research Programme may be planned on the subject, and requested me to undertake its preparation, I readily agreed for this work, as it would be useful to many.

I thank him for the opportunity and assitance he provided me to prepare this volume. Not being familiar with Astrology, I have mostly confined my attention to the details found in religious, philosophical, iconographic and general works in Sanskrit.

I have suggested to the Academy that a separate work may be planned to cover the Astrological aspects of the Planets and their influence, in the subsequent volumes.

The illustrations in the volume include some line-drawings from a medieval scroll, prepared by one of the palace artists of the court of Krishnaraj a Wodeyar III; I am grateful to the great grandson of this artist, Sri. YV Subrahmanya Raju the well-known painter for permission to reproduce them. There are also some drawings included here, prepared by the staff of the Art Design Centre (All India Handicrafts and Design Development Centre), Bangalore: I acknowledge the kind courtesy of the Director of the Centre.