Chandra

About Chandra

Chandra rises from the churned milk-ocean, robed in white and pale as curd and conch shell. The Brahmavaivarta Purana's Chandra Kavacham shows him four-armed on a white horse-drawn chariot, circling Mount Meru — at once the eye of Vishnu and the crescent jewel on Shiva's matted hair. He carries a staff and a lotus, and rides through Atri's lineage as Atrisuta. Rohini is his favourite among 27 nakshatra wives. His nectar-rays feed every herb on earth, earning him the name Sudhanidhi — ocean of nectar. Devotees offer arghya (cupped water) at moonrise on Karva Chauth and Sankashti Chaturthi, and chant his 108 names on Sharad Purnima.