Ketu

Ketu, demon of the descending lunar knot

Ketu ( Sanskrit केतु ketu m. ) Is one of the personified planets ( Navagraha ) in Hinduism . As the descending lunar node , it is the ninth planet in Indian astronomy. Ketu is also the cause of meteors and comets . Like his brother Rahu , he belongs to the demonic Daityas .

myth

Ketu arose from the body of the Rahu . He had mixed with the gods while the ocean of milk was whisking and thereby drank a drop of the immortality potion Amrita , which is why he became immortal, although Vishnu cut off his head. The head lives on as Rahu and is the dark planet of the ascending lunar node, while the body lives on as Ketu. Ketu's chariot is pulled by eight dirty red horses.

literature

• Ketu . In: John Dowson : A classical dictionary of Hindu mythology and religion, geography, history, and literature. Trübner & co., London 1879, p. 157 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ketu . In: Monier Monier-Williams : Sanskrit-English Dictionary . Clarendon Press, Oxford 1899, p. 309, col. 1 .