Why is the sun a Graha ?

Newly discovered Kepler 47 System

http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/A8m3XoMuHtyjAukgiIh0LQ-/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD0yODg7cT04NTt3PTUxMg-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-0829T215223Z_1804043599_TM3E88T1D5Q01_RTRMADP_3_SPACE-PLANETS.JPG

Dear All: A few months ago, when we discussed the Cosmology Lessons from Chapter 8 of the Gita, we also discussed briefly why the sun is considered to be a planet (a graha, as in Navagraha, click on hyperlink). The Sanskrit word Graha is commonly translated as planet, as in Navagraha, which refers to the nine planetary Gods or heavenly forces. The word graha actually means to hold or refers to that which is being held. The planets are being held in their orbits by the gravitational force of the sun. The same word is used, for example, in PaaNi-grahaNam which means the holding or clasping (grahaNam) of the brides hand (paaNi) by the groom during the wedding. This is a very important symbolic act in all weddings, in all cultures.
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Ok, the sun holds the planets and the planets are therefore grahas. But why is the sun a planet, or graha? Our own sun is also being held and is moving about the galactic center - the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The gravitational pull of all the stars which are closer to the galactic center (GC) is holding our sun. It takes about 225 million years for the sun to complete one orbit about the GC. This is one explanation for why the sun is also considered a graha (see illustration from the Wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Milky_way_profile.svg).

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The more recent findings by NASA, reported today (Aug 29, 2012), shed new light on why the sun is to be considered to be like a planet, i.e , a graha.
A new binary star system with two orbiting planets has been discovered by the Kepler space telescope. Photo by NASA/Getty Images

NASAs space telescope has discovered an interesting planetary system which has two suns. The two suns orbit each other. One of the suns is about the size of our sun and about 84% as bright. The other is smaller and only about 1% as bright. This BINARY star system also has two planets. One planet, which is closer to the two suns, completes its orbit around the two suns in about 50 days. This planet is three times the radius of the earth. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/29/alien-planets-twin-suns-star-warstatooine-nasa_n_1838816.html http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/nasa-discovers-first-two-planetsystem-orbiting-twin-021647448.html The second planet is much further out and completes its orbit in 303 days. It is much bigger than the earth, slightly larger than our planet Neptune. (Neptune goes around our sun in as PERFECT a circle as is imaginable, more perfect than the orbits of Venus and also our moon, which are very nearly circles.) Also, like Neptune, this planet is also a gaseous planet. So, if you want to move there (only about 5,000 light years away from earth), you have to learn to permanently float in its atmosphere (assuming the atmosphere is a friendly one). Previously, NASA had reported on a single planet orbiting two suns. This is, at present, the only known system with two planets orbiting two suns. (In his Ramayana, Valmiki states that Hanuman appeared like a second sun over Lanka, sarga 43, verse 4, as he stood atop the various monuments, assuming his gigantic
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form and instigating a fight with the Rakshasas so that he could be captured and taken to Ravana and get a direct audience with Ravana.) Perhaps, this explains why our ancient sages decided to include the sun among the planets, or more correctly grahas which means objects that are held. Let us recall the following sloka from the Navagraha stotram (click here), addressed to Bhaskara - the sun - the bestower of health and also the destroyer of all sins (burns away sins like combusting other objects; see video link for chant and lyrics http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=navagraha+stotram&mid=2EAE788C216A 30211EED2EAE788C216A30211EED&view=detail&FORM=VIRE3 Japaa kusuma sankaasham Kashyapeyam Mahaadyutim l TamOrim sarva paapaghnam Bhaaskaram praNamaayaham ll Or, second line is also given as TamOrim sarva paapaghnam PraNatosmi Divaakaram ll Very sincerely V. Laxmanan August 30, 2012
NASA discovers first two-planet system orbiting twin suns By Tecca | Today in Tech 2 hrs 39 mins ago http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/A8m3XoMuHtyjAukgiIh0LQ-/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD0yODg7cT04NTt3PTUxMg-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-0829T215223Z_1804043599_TM3E88T1D5Q01_RTRMADP_3_SPACE-PLANETS.JPG (see picture on page 1) An artist's concept is shown in this NASA handout released August 29, 2012
illustrating Kepler-47, the first transiting circumbinary system -- multiple planets orbiting two suns ' 4,900 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Cygnus. The system was detected by NASA's Kepler space telescope, which measures minisucule changes in the brightness of more than 150,000 stars to search for planets that pass in front of or 'transit' their host star. In a dazzling and previously undetected display of orbital dynamics, two planets beyond the solar system have been found circling a pair of stars, scientists using NASA's Kepler space telescope said on Wednesday. REUTERS/NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS.

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