by Guru Shukracharya
Guru Shukracharya is the God of Venus. He is the son of Bhrigu sage and his partner Ushana (also known as Usha). He is seen seated on a lotus flower with four hands. His chariot is driven by seven different horses. As you may guess, Shukravar, or Friday, is named after God Shukra. He is blessed by Lord Brahma, a who bestows wealth on all his devotees. The head guru of demons is Lord Shukra, and his idol is worshipped using rice and white flowers. People observe a fast on Friday in order to get happiness and joy from Lord Shukracharya. They say that sour dish must be avoided on a Friday. You must eat stuff like kheer, that too just once at night. White clothes should be worn. If you follow all this, the Lord will bless you with knowledge, wealth, happiness and prosperity. The gem of the God is diamond, copper and silver are the metals.
Astrological Importance:
Shukracharya, astrologically, holds power for bringing beauty, harmony, balance, feelings and affections, in people’s life. He rules over a person’s marriage, business partnerships, romantic relations, art and their social life. They say that worshipping the Lord brings wealth, attraction to the opposite sex, comfort, and makes a person gentle, considerate and tender.
The Friday Fasting for Shukracharya
Hindus who follow Lord Shukra, observe a fast every Friday. People also fast Goddess Shakti, who is the divine mother of all, Goddess Santoshi Maa, who is the daughter-in-law to Maa Shakti and also the daughter of Lord Ganesh. The fasting should be done in the form of taking only one meal a day, and this should then be continued on following 15 Fridays. You must avoid curd on this day and wear white clothes. You should begin the fast at sunrise and end at sunset.
The Rituals to be followed
As mentioned already, Friday is the day of the week that is reserved for Lord Shukracharya. On this day, along with observing the fast, adoring the images of Lord Shukra is considered very auspicious. People visit the temples dedicated to Lord Shukra. And the best way to please him is by wearing white clothes. Everything white is preferred – including dishes such as kheer which is white in color.
The gemstones
The gemstone associated with Shukra dev is a diamond. To eliminate the ill effects of Venus or even to enhance the good effects of the same, diamond should be worn. But understanding that not everyone can afford a diamond, you can wear Zircon as a substitute. Even when it comes to wearing these, there are rules to be followed. They advise the natives to wear the diamond in a locket or a ring but only on Fridays. When buying it, you should be very sure that it has no defects. Even the diamond, they recommend, should be of either silver or white color. You should wear it one hour after the sunrise.
The Shukra gayatri mantra to chant while doing Shukra dev’s Puja is –
“Om Brighu Vansha Jataya Vidmahe Shveta Vahanaya Dhimahi Tanno Shukra Prachodayat.”
