Author: Sanjay Rath

Devaguru Bṛhaspati Center is a subsidiary of SJC (Śrī Jagannāth Center) with the objective of bringing out the traditional wisdom of the vedic seers which has been passed down through generations of vedic astrologers residing in the coast of Puri at Odissa state.
Meanings
Bṛhaspati (बृहस्पति) has been extolled in the Vedas as the giver of vedic speech (vacaspati) and the knower of all truth (satya).

The Sun Signs – Zodiac
Dvādasa Āditya- The twelve Sun Signs: For one reason or the other, whether it be the conquest of the Normans or the birth of Christ, the starting date of the year has been varying as calendars come and go. In the scheme of Vedic astrology, the solar calendar consists of twelve houses of 30 degrees each covering the total span of 360 degrees. These are called the twelve Sun Signs (dvādasa āditya).

Shankaracharya’s Prayer
ॐ नारायणः परोऽव्यक्तादण्डमव्यक्तसंभवम्।
अण्डस्यान्तस्तित्वमे लोकाः सप्तदीपा च मेदिनी॥
om nārāyaṇaḥ paro’vyaktādaṇḍamavyaktasambhavam|
aṇḍasyāntastitvame lāokaḥ saptdvīpā ca madinī||
Om: Nārāyaṇa is beyond (much above) the unmanifest. The brahmāṇḍa  (cosmic egg) evolves from the unmanifest. The brahmāṇḍa contains all the worlds including this earth with its seven islands.
This prayer of Ādi Saṅkara has been taken from a smriti and gives the ultimate objective of every birth in this world at least.

The five Mahāpuruṣa of Orissa are the initiators of the lineages. Our lineage of Vedic astrology comes from the holy feet of Sri Achyutananda.

अच्युताय नमस्तुभ्यं गुरवे परमात्मने।
सर्वतन्त्रस्वतन्त्राय चिद्घनानन्दमूर्तये॥
acyutāya namastubhyaṁ gurave paramātmane |
sarvatantrasvatantrāya cidghanānandamūrtaye ||
Pancha Mahapurusha of Orissa …
Pancha means five and sakha means friends – it is noteworthy that just like Sri Krishna referred to Arjuna as a friend, so also did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu refer to these five Maha Purusha (great men) disciples of his as Pancha Sakha or five friends.

The Ṛk Veda gives nineteen ṛk (prayers) in two hymns for Bṛhaspati (devatā) also referred to as Brāhmaṇaspati and Gaṇapati. When using aṣṭottari daśā each of these ṛk are recited for one year of the daśā. These are from the second mandala hymn 24 and 25 although the version of the Ṛk veda by Śrī Dayananda Sarasvatī has given them together, which seems more appropriate.