Budh Dev Aarti

By the BhaktiRas Editorial Team · Updated 14 July 2026

Budh Dev Aarti is one of the compact hymns from the Navagraha cycle, offered to Budha — the god who governs the planet Mercury. Unlike the longer aartis sung for Ganesha or Durga, this one keeps to a single refrain and a handful of couplets, which suits its place at the end of a Wednesday puja when a lamp is circled before the image of Budh. Devotees turn to it when they feel their thinking has grown scattered, their words are landing wrong, or an astrologer has pointed to a weak Mercury in the birth chart. The aarti asks Budh to lift such troubles quickly, and it closes with the signature of Shivanand Swami, whose name is attached to several of the planetary aartis in common circulation.

Budh Dev Aarti Lyrics

Refrain

Om jai Budh Dev hare, prabhu jai Budh Dev hare
Bhakt janon ke sankat, kshan mein door kare

1

Tan par peet ambar, mala gal sohe
Darshan pavat sadhu, sur nar muni mohe

Meaning

He wears yellow garments over his body and a garland rests handsomely at his throat. Ascetics, gods, human beings and sages alike are drawn to him the instant they behold his form. Yellow is Budh's traditional colour, and the verse gathers every kind of worshipper into one act of looking.

2

Jo jan teri aarti, prem sahit gave
So nishchay hi manvanchhit, phal pave

Meaning

Whoever sings this aarti to you with genuine love will, without doubt, receive the fruit their heart has been wishing for. The stress falls on prem — affection rather than mechanical repetition — as the condition that makes the prayer effective.

Closing

Budh Dev ki aarti, jo koi nar gave
Kahat Shivanand swami, manvanchhit phal pave

Meaning & Significance

The Budh Dev Aarti works on two levels at once. On the surface it is a short praise-song: it describes Budh in his yellow robes and garland, and it promises results to whoever sings it with feeling. Underneath, it belongs to the older logic of Navagraha worship, where each of the nine planetary bodies is treated as a deity who can be approached, thanked, and asked to soften its influence.

Mercury, in that scheme, rules the faculties we use to make sense of the world — reasoning, memory, calculation, speech and trade. When those faculties feel strong, life runs smoothly; when they feel jammed, an afflicted Budh is often held responsible. The aarti does not ask for wealth or long life in the abstract. It asks, more precisely, for the sankat — the knots and obstructions — to be undone kshan mein, in a moment. That word choice is the emotional core of the hymn: relief that is immediate rather than eventual.

The two middle couplets divide the labour neatly. The first is descriptive, giving the eye something to rest on. The second is transactional in the devotional sense: it states the terms of the exchange, which are simply love and song. The closing couplet then hands authorship to Shivanand Swami and restates the reward, a common way for these planetary aartis to sign off.

How Do You Perform the Aarti?

1. Choose Wednesday — Budhwar (Wednesday) is Budh's day. Where possible, keep the aarti to a Wednesday, ideally in the morning after bathing, when the mind is fresh.
2. Set a simple space — Place an image or yantra of Budh, or simply face a clean lamp. Green or yellow accents — a cloth, flowers, a fruit — suit Mercury's associations.
3. Light the lamp — Light a ghee or oil lamp and, if you have it, an incense stick. The circling flame is what gives the aarti its name.
4. Sing the refrain first — Begin with the refrain, then move through the two couplets, returning to the refrain between them if you wish. Keep the pace unhurried.
5. Circle the flame — During the singing, move the lit lamp in slow clockwise circles before the image of Budh.
6. Close and reflect — End with the Shivanand Swami couplet, take a moment of silence, then distribute or partake of any offering. Reading the meanings once helps the words carry more weight next time.

What Are the Benefits of Singing This Aarti?

People who keep this aarti in their Wednesday routine tend to describe benefits that mirror what Mercury is said to govern. These are traditional and devotional in nature rather than guaranteed outcomes:

• Sharper thinking: Regular recitation is associated with clearer reasoning, better focus and steadier memory — the mental faculties tied to Mercury.
• Better communication: Budh rules speech and writing, so the aarti is often sung by students, teachers, traders and anyone whose work turns on words.
• Easing of Budh dosha: In Jyotish, worship of Budh is a common remedy prescribed when Mercury sits weak or afflicted in a birth chart.
• A calmer Wednesday habit: Even set apart from astrology, a few quiet minutes with a lamp and a short song give the week a small, grounding ritual.
• Support in study and trade: Because Mercury connects to commerce and learning, devotees link the aarti to progress in exams, negotiations and business dealings.

Who Wrote This Aarti?

TODO

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Budh Dev Aarti?

Budh Dev Aarti is a short Hindu devotional song addressed to Budha, the planetary deity of Mercury among the Navagraha, traditionally sung on Wednesday to seek clearer intellect, steady speech and relief from planetary affliction.

On which day should Budh Dev Aarti be sung?

It is traditionally sung on Wednesday (Budhwar), which is Mercury's day in the Hindu week. Morning, after a bath, is considered an especially good time.

Who is Budh Dev?

Budh Dev, or Budha, is the deity of the planet Mercury and one of the Navagraha, the nine planetary bodies of Hindu astrology. He governs intellect, speech, reasoning, learning and trade, and is usually shown in yellow or green.

Why is the Budh Dev Aarti so short?

It is genuinely a compact hymn — one refrain and a few couplets — unlike the longer aartis for deities such as Ganesha or Durga. The standard recension is not padded, and its brevity is authentic to the Navagraha aarti tradition.

What benefits are associated with singing Budh Dev Aarti?

Traditionally it is linked with sharper thinking, better communication, and the easing of a weak or afflicted Mercury (Budh dosha) in one's birth chart. These are devotional associations rather than guaranteed results.

Who wrote the Budh Dev Aarti?

The closing line credits Shivanand Swami, a signature found across several Navagraha aartis. It is best treated as a traditional composition passed down through aarti collections and oral recitation.

॥ बोलो बुध देव भगवान की जय ॥