Planet Mercury in Astrology plays a prominent role in Vedic Astrology. It represents our communicative ability. Mercury is a messenger and acts like a prince for celestial cabinet. It delivers our thoughts to others. Mercury is a dualistic planet. It is very close to the planet Sun.

Its orbit lies in between Sun and mother planet Earth. Mercury and Our Mother planet Earth both rotate around Sun with different speeds. Mercury rotates inside of the circle traced by Earth. It cannot be distinguished very easily through the naked eyes. It revolves around Sun in 88 days whereas Earth revolves around the Sun in approx 365 days.

Hindu Mythology about Planet Mercury:

As per Hindu mythology, there is an enmity between Moon and Mercury. However, it is not the actual truth. The planet Moon does not show any enmity with the Mercury, while Mercury maintains the enmity with Moon. Mercury is also known as “Budh” in Vedic Astrology.

Mercury is greatest among all as it bestows person with intelligence and wealth. It proves to be the source of positive thoughts in the minds of the natives. It is considered as the avatar of Vishnu. It is worshipped on Wednesday. It brings benefits and happiness in the life of a person, removes obstacles, helps one to get a progeny, profession of fertile lands etc. It rules over “Mithuna” and “Kanya” rashi in Zodiac. It stays approximately one month in each rashi like Sun.

In Western Astrology, it was known as Thoth or Hermes in olden days. It is the son of Jupiter and Maia, the daughter of Atlas. He is the friend of Apollo as it is nearest to the Sun. Mercury is inventor of Lyre, God of Commerce. It always exhibits duality and lack of concentration within a native.

In Hindu Scriptures, Mercury represents God Kesava, Narayana, Madhava etc. He represents Dwaitham. It is for plurality whereas Saturn denotes singularity.

Nature of Planet Mercury

Mercury is variable, convertible, feminine, effeminate, neutral and dualistic and vacillating planet. Mercury doesn’t act independently. It will always behave according to the rashi and house it sits and have PAC connections with. It is convertible because it will behave like a benefic or favourable planet for your horoscope if it is associated with the benefic factors. On the other hand, if it is gaining the aspects and conjunctions of malefics, it would become malefic for your horoscope. Its nature is Vata or Airy. Its direction is North. It gets exalted in Virgo at 15th degree and debilitated in Pisces at 15th degree.

What does Mercury signify in Vedic Astrology?

Mercury represents the intelligence and communicative ability in native’s birth chart. It rules over third house and sixth house in Kaal Purush Kundali in Vedic Astrology and is the significator of fourth house and tenth house. Fourth house is house of happiness and Mercury can do much better holding this position in horoscope. Likewise, Tenth House is house of profession and career, and again Mercury can do much better in this house as it offers good communicative ability that provides you the skills to set up your business. You can be a good counsellor. Let’s understand below what it signifies:

• Body Parts & Diseases: It is a karak planet of chest, nervous system, skin, nose, navel, gall bladder, lungs, nerves, tongue, arms, face and hair. If it is afflicted by the malefics, it gives problems related to chests and muscles. The native may also suffer from typhoid, madness, seizure, paralysis, ulcers, dizziness, cholera etc.
• Physical appearance: People born under the strong influence of Mercury will be tall with well formed body. They will ever be stout. They will be of average height. Hands will be long and slender. The hair will be dark and eyes will be expressive. Their eyebrows will be curved with much hair. Voice will be thin and shrill. They will walk quickly. Just like Martians, these people will appear younger than their usual age.

Characteristics of Planet Mercury

If Mercury is placed positively in your birth chart, then it bestow you with a good health, wealth and speech. It will be very beneficial for you. It provides you good oral and writing speech, knowledge, intelligence etc. You will be able to handle more than one task at a single point of time. Let’s see below how Mercury confers good, medium and bad results:

• Strong Mercury: That means placement of Mercury in favourable sign or exaltation sign, which confers good results and strong speech to communicate yourself to others. You would have good merchant attributes inherent within you and will be impressive in conveying the messages. Mercury is the planet which makes the native intelligent, ingenious and analytical. It gives the retentive power and reproductive ability. “Mercury is the messenger of God.”
• Beneficial Mercury: It gives you subtle, political brain, intellect and excellent disputant, a logician with learning, sharp and witty, learning almost anything without a teacher and ambitious to know every science.
• Afflicted Mercury: Afflicted Mercury will not be good as one will be phrenetic. Native will be clever, cunning and mischievous anonymous petition writer. He will be always against to whom he doesn’t like. He may be gambler, worst liar, showy person, cheater, forget things and promises uttered by himself. He may be a man of moods.

What are the professions generally denoted by planet Mercury?

Being an airy planet, it is very much communicative and talkative. Hence you may be proved to be a good salesman, insurance agents, publicity officials, orators, eloquent and fast speaker with ready wit and they will be capable of learning many languages. Mercury is a chief governor for education and uncle.

Professional streams also depend on the PAC (Position-Aspect-Conjunction) connection with other influencing planets. In short, we can say that the nature of Planet Mercury in profession or career varies with the combination of Mercury with other planets. Here, we have listed below few professional fields for your better understanding based on other influencing planets:

• If Moon and Mercury are connected through PAC in your horoscope, you will be witty and reasonable. You will have a fertile imagination and fluent expressions. You will be able to learn many languages easily. Moon confers success in the fields like advertising, conversation etc.
• If Mercury and Mars are connected through PAC in your horoscope, You will be healthy, active and alert. You will show your full interest and do work with the great enthusiasm. He may have inclination towards instrumental music, mechanical or ground engineering, carving, drawing industry, factory chemistry, medicine, commerce, automobile engineering. If they occupy watery sign, they may get attached with boiler engines, Navy etc. In airy sign, you may be involved with Aircrafts, electricity department. In Fiery Sign, it indicates that you will be connected with industry, factory etc.
• If Mercury and Jupiter are connected through PAC in your horoscope, you will be clear in your thoughts, correct forethought and good judgement. You will be prudent and wise. He can be a good journalist, correspondent, copyist, writer, cashier, auditor, inspector etc. if Mars also has any connection with, it can make you the agent of a Bank, treasury Collector, Revenue Officer. You may be a good Astrologer, always predicting good results and offering mental solace to the depressed. You may indulge into editing, publishing, journalism, religion, law, bank, insurance, investment, speculation, literature, commerce, accounts, administrative department in engineering, treasury, income-tax, sales-tax etc.
• If Mercury and Venus are connected through PAC in your horoscope, you will be cheerful and mirthful. You can earn money through writing comedies, speaking on the club and society, designing and layout, pleasant journeys, arranging for picnic parties, travel agencies, clerk, cinema, drama advertisers, commerce, shipping, transport etc.
• If Mercury and Venus are connected through PAC in your horoscope, you will have steadiness, carefulness, good judgemental approach, good memory etc. you will be contemplative, practical and studious. He will have inclination to study geology, mineralogy, mathematics, banking, physics, dynamics statistics. It will give you strong will, patience and determination to fulfill his desire.
• Colour: Green represents the planet Mercury.
• Direction: North
• Number: 5 is the lucky number.

The day governed by Mercury is “Wednesday”, one may expect better results on this day itself if he is running with the Mahadasha of “Mercury”. Mercury rules over “Virgo” and “Gemini” zodiac signs. The precious gemstone for planet Mercury is “Emerald”. All green stones are governed by Mercury.

Hence planet Mercury is very prominent in terms of Astrology as well as Astronomy. It represents the intelligence in humans.