Brihaspati- Hindu GodDeity"Lord of Sacred Speech"
Also known as: Bṛhaspati, बृहस्पति, and Brahmaṇaspati
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Description
His chanted hymns split open the rock where stolen cattle hid and throw wide the doors of heaven. The divine priest of the gods, Brihaspati wields sacred speech as Indra wields the thunderbolt, sustaining cosmic order through the power of ritual utterance.
Mythology & Lore
The Lord of Sacred Speech
In the Rig Veda, Brihaspati is the god whose voice gives power to prayer itself. His name, "Lord of the Sacred Formula," identifies him with the bráhman, the potent ritual utterance that sustains the cosmic order. Rig Veda 2.23 celebrates him as the firstborn of truth who drives away darkness with his shining light. He is the purohita (chief priest) of the gods, performing for the Devas what the human Brahmin priest performs for his patron: kindling the sacred fire, reciting the mantras that compel divine favor, and guarding the cosmic order through correct ritual (Shatapatha Brahmana 14.1).
His most dramatic Vedic exploit links him to Indra's recovery of the stolen cattle. In the myth of the Panis, demons hid the cows of the dawn in a cave sealed by rock. Brihaspati, with his hymns, split open the stone enclosure and released the cattle back into the light, a deed recounted across multiple Rig Vedic hymns (RV 2.24, 10.108). His weapon is not the mace or thunderbolt but the voice: the roar of his chant is itself the force that breaks barriers.
The Tara Episode and Later Tradition
In the Puranas, Brihaspati is the son of the sage Angiras and husband of Tara. The Vishnu Purana (4.6) recounts how Chandra, the Moon god, became infatuated with Tara and abducted her. Brihaspati demanded her return, and the dispute escalated into the Tarakamaya War, with the Devas siding with Brihaspati and the Asuras with Chandra. Brahma intervened to restore Tara to her husband, but she was already carrying Chandra's child: the boy Budha (the planet Mercury), ancestor of the Lunar Dynasty of kings.
In later Hindu tradition, Brihaspati is identified with the planet Jupiter (Guru), the most auspicious of the celestial bodies. Thursday (Guruvara or Brihaspativara) is named for him. Temple worship of the Navagraha (nine planetary deities) consistently includes Brihaspati, depicted as a golden-complexioned figure seated on a lotus, holding a rosary and a book of wisdom.