Remedies Sample chart
1 · Choose a topic
Steady effort and routine are the best companions in study. Tradition links learning with the 4th and 5th houses, Mercury and Jupiter; below are options starting at ₹0.
2 · The planets linked to this topic
Mars
lord of the 4th (early education) house
Venus
lord of the 5th (intellect) house
Mercury chosen
a karaka of the 4th; learning and intellect
Jupiter
karaka of the 5th; knowledge and teachers
3 · Remedies, the simplest first
Tradition links Mercury with intellect, speech, learning, writing and talking, accounts and trade. Below are Mercury-related options to choose from: the ₹0 ones first, then the rest; which one you take up is your choice.
Food · ₹0
Mercury's grain: green gram (moong)
On Wednesday, include moong dal, moong chilla or sprouted moong in a meal.
Wednesday
Classical text · Phaladīpikā (V. S. Sastri) II.28
Do / don't
Do: Keep quantities in line with your health and your doctor's advice
Green vegetables and green fruit
On Wednesday, add green foods such as spinach, bottle gourd, green peas or guava to your plate.
Wednesday
TraditionDo / don't
Don't: Skip anything you are allergic to or your doctor has ruled out; for health, the doctor comes first
Fasting · ₹0
Wednesday fast
On Wednesday, eat one simple meal (such as moong khichdi) or only fruit; remember Ganesha or Vishnu in the morning.
Wednesday, starting on a Shukla-paksha Wednesday
TraditionDo / don't
Do: Choose how many Wednesdays suits you; tradition often mentions 7, 11 or 21
Don't: If you are unwell, pregnant or on medication, skip the fast or ask your doctor first
Ekadashi fast
Tradition links Mercury with devotion to Vishnu; on Ekadashi, keep a fruit fast or eat once, without grains.
Ekadashi of each fortnight
TraditionDo / don't
Don't: If you are unwell, pregnant or on medication, skip the fast or ask your doctor first
Conduct · ₹0
Heeding elders, listening to scripture, keeping the mind clean
For planets adverse in transit, Praśna Mārga lists this conduct: obey elders, listen to the Vedas and Puranas, keep the mind pure. Read or listen to a good text for a little while each day.
Daily
Classical text · Praśna Mārga XXII.31 (Raman tr.)
What Mercury signifies
Phaladīpikā links Mercury with the learned man, the artisan, the clever accountant and the Vishnu devotee. So Mercury's remedies focus on study, writing and honest dealings (this form of conduct is tradition).
—
Classical text · Phaladīpikā II.18 (V. S. Sastri)
Truthful speech and fair dealings
Think before you speak, don't mock anyone, keep your accounts clean, keep promises on time, and speak kindly to sisters, aunts and young children.
Daily
TraditionDo / don't
Do: Help a student with their studies a little
Don't: Avoid lies, harsh words and muddled debts
Colour / clothes / direction · ₹0
Green
For planets adverse in transit, Praśna Mārga prescribes clothes and flowers of the planet's colour; Mercury's is green. On Wednesday wear something green, even a handkerchief or a border, and keep green leaves or durva in worship.
Wednesday
Classical text · Praśna Mārga XXII.27 (Raman tr.)
Do / don't
Do: A light green is fine; the point is remembrance, not fashion
Direction: north
Phaladīpikā gives north as Mercury's quarter. You may face north while studying or writing, and place Mercury on the north side in worship.
While studying or in worship
Classical text · Phaladīpikā II.15 (V. S. Sastri)
Service · ₹0
Green fodder for a cow
On Wednesday, feed green grass or green fodder to a cow, or at a nearby gaushala.
Wednesday
TraditionDo / don't
Don't: Never give animals stale, salty or plastic-wrapped food
Grain and water for birds
Keep soaked moong or bird grain and a bowl of clean water on the roof or balcony.
Wednesday or daily
Folk practiceDo / don't
Do: Change the water daily and keep the bowl clean
Don't: Don't cage birds or buy them to 'set free'
Tree care · ₹0
Apamarga (chirchita)
BPHS names apamarga as Mercury's samidh (sacred fuel) in havan, so tradition treats it as Mercury's plant. Plant it in a pot or yard, or water it where it grows (planting and watering are tradition).
Wednesday
Classical text · BPHS (Santhanam) 84.21–22
Do / don't
Do: Its burr-like seeds stick to clothes; plant it a little away from where children play
Tulsi or any green plant
Tradition links Mercury with Vishnu; grow tulsi or any green plant at home and tend it on Wednesday.
Wednesday
TraditionDo / don't
Don't: Don't break branches or leaves without need
Mantra / stotra / recitation · ₹0
Name mantra: ॐ बुधाय नमः
After bathing in the morning, sit somewhere quiet and chant 'ॐ बुधाय नमः' 108 times (one mala).
Wednesday morning, or daily
TraditionDo / don't
Do: Chanting is considered a help in focusing the mind; mind the feeling more than the count
Beej mantra: ॐ ब्रां ब्रीं ब्रौं सः बुधाय नमः
A beej mantra from the tantric tradition; chant it 108 times on Wednesday.
Wednesday
TraditionReciting the Vishnu Sahasranama
BPHS names Maha Vishnu as Mercury's presiding deity. Read or listen to the Vishnu Sahasranama on Wednesday (the choice of stotra is tradition).
Wednesday
Classical text · BPHS (Santhanam) 3.18
Do / don't
Don't: If pronunciation is hard, listening is enough; don't worry about getting it wrong
Lamp / temple visit / pilgrimage · ₹0
A lamp in worship
BPHS describes offering the planet flowers and cloth of its colour, sandal, a lamp and incense. On Wednesday evening, light a ghee lamp at your home shrine and place green durva.
Wednesday evening
Classical text · BPHS (Santhanam) 84.15–16
Visiting a Vishnu or Ganesha temple
Phaladīpikā counts 'the place where Vishnu is kept' among Mercury's places. Visit a Vishnu temple on Wednesday; in North India, visiting a Ganesha temple on Wednesday is also tradition.
Wednesday
Classical text · Phaladīpikā II.15 (V. S. Sastri)
Do / don't
Don't: Don't make a temple visit a bargain for results; it is time for devotion
Lal Kitab · ₹0
Respect for sisters, daughters and aunts
Lal Kitab links Mercury with sisters, daughters and aunts. Meet them with affection, and now and then give a small green gift (green bangles or a handkerchief).
Wednesday
Lal Kitab
Keeping teeth and mouth clean
Lal Kitab links Mercury with the teeth; clean your teeth well every day (a habit, not a treatment; for any dental problem, see a dentist first).
Daily
Lal Kitab
Giving whole moong
On Wednesday, give a little whole moong at a temple or to someone in need.
Wednesday
Lal Kitab
Do / don't
Don't: Don't put anything into a river or pond
Lal Kitab is a separate tradition; these are its simple, harmless practices.
Charity · ₹0–₹51
Charity named in the texts: gold
Both BPHS (84.25) and Praśna Mārga name gold as Mercury's gift. This is information; don't go beyond your means.
Wednesday
Classical text · BPHS (Santhanam) 84.25
Today's small form: moong, green vegetables, notebooks and pens
On Wednesday, give moong dal or green vegetables to someone in need, or notebooks and pens to a student.
Wednesday
TraditionDo / don't
Do: Whatever you give should be clean and useful
Don't: Don't borrow to give, or give for show
Feeding someone grain cooked in milk
BPHS lists grain (paddy) cooked in milk as Mercury's offering when feeding Brahmins. Today's form (tradition): feed kheer or milk-rice to someone in need.
Wednesday
Classical text · BPHS (Santhanam) 84.23–24
Herbal bath · ₹0–₹99
Bathing with the planet's herbal water
For planets adverse in transit, Praśna Mārga mentions pouring the planet's medicated water over the body.
—
Classical text · Praśna Mārga XXII.32 (Raman tr.)
For Mercury: nutmeg, honey, unbroken rice
Add a pinch of nutmeg powder, a few drops of honey and a little unbroken rice to a bucket of water and bathe. Lists differ between traditions.
Wednesday morning
TraditionDo / don't
Do: Patch-test on your hand first; stop if your skin reacts
Don't: With any skin condition or allergy, ask your doctor first; for health, the doctor comes first
Root (jadi) · ₹199–₹399
Vidhara root
Tradition gives the vidhara root for Mercury: on Wednesday it is worn tied in green cloth or on a green thread on the arm.
Wednesday, Shukla paksha
TraditionDo / don't
Do: Buy from a reliable source; how to check is in the genuineness guide
Don't: Never eat the root or use it as medicine
How to choose it and check it's genuine →
Traditions differ on which root belongs to which planet. How to check it's genuine is in our genuineness guide.
Rudraksha · ₹499–₹1,499
Four-mukhi rudraksha
Tradition links the four-mukhi rudraksha with Mercury. Wear it on a red or green thread at the neck or wrist.
Wednesday
TraditionDo / don't
Do: Buy one with an X-ray or lab report; the mukhi lines should run clearly top to bottom
Don't: Avoid glued or carved fakes; don't trust very cheap offers or big claims
Yantra · ₹299–₹1,499
Budh yantra
Place a Budh yantra on a copper plate or bhojpatra at your home shrine on Wednesday; remember it with durva and a lamp during worship.
Wednesday
TraditionDo / don't
Do: Treat the yantra as a focus for worship; keep it clean and dry
Don't: Don't pay extra for 'siddh' or 'miraculous' claims
Sankalp puja / japa / havan (by a pandit) · ₹251–₹2,100
Mercury's Vedic mantra japa: 9,000
BPHS gives 9,000 as the japa count for Mercury's Vedic mantra (opening: 'उद्बुध्यस्व…'). A pandit takes the sankalpa, worships the planet and then does the japa; it is often spread over several days or pandits.
Begun on a Wednesday
Classical text · BPHS (Santhanam) 84.17–20
Havan with apamarga samidh
BPHS prescribes apamarga sticks for Mercury's havan, with honey, ghee, curd or milk, in 108 or 28 offerings.
After the japa
Classical text · BPHS (Santhanam) 84.21–22
Sankalpa puja by a pandit: what happens, what it costs
Sankalpa, Ganesha puja, Mercury puja (green cloth and flowers), mantra japa and a small havan. Usually ₹251–₹2,100 (from a short puja to one with havan); the full 9,000 japa can cost more, so ask in writing first.
Wednesday
TraditionDo / don't
Don't: Stay away from pujas sold through fear or promises of quick results
How to choose it and check it's genuine →
This is information only: what happens in the puja and what it usually costs. Whether to have one is your choice.
Uparatna / gemstone · ₹799–₹12,000+
Gems are shown only for the planets tradition treats as benefic in your chart, each with its uparatna alternative.
Uparatna: peridot or green tourmaline
The lower-cost option first. Worn in gold or bronze, on the little finger, on a Wednesday (uparatna, metal, finger and day: tradition).
Wednesday, Shukla paksha
TraditionDo / don't
Do: Only when this planet is a functional benefic for your chart (gem rule)
Do: Consider a gem only when the birth time is known; tradition suggests keeping it with you for 3–7 days first, and removing it if anything feels wrong
Ratna: emerald (panna)
Praśna Mārga names 'garuda' (emerald) as Mercury's gem, in the context of adverse transits; wearing the gem of a chart's benefic planet is today's tradition. Gold or bronze, little finger, Wednesday (metal, finger and day: tradition).
Wednesday, Shukla paksha
Classical text · Praśna Mārga XXII.29 (Raman tr.)
Do / don't
Do: Only when this planet is a functional benefic for your chart (gem rule)
Do: Under our rule Mercury is eligible for these lagnas: Vrishabha, Mithuna, Kanya, Tula, Makara, Kumbha
Do: If you buy, ask for a lab certificate with its number; how to check is in our genuineness guide
Don't: No gem for children under 12; don't take up a gem during pregnancy, illness or grief
Don't: No gem is 'necessary'; the ₹0 options come first, and wearing one is your choice
How to choose it and check it's genuine →
Only when this planet is a functional benefic for your chart (gem rule)
Lahiri ayanamsa · whole-sign houses · mean nodes · Swiss Ephemeris