There is often confusion but similarities between Buddha, the enlightened sage who saw desire as the cause of all suffering, and Budh (Budha), the god of the planet Mercury, who is associated with communication, trade and mischief, associated with Wednesday. Both these names can be traced to buddhi, the intellect, the human ability to distinguish between reality and delusion. Buddha uses intellect to become wise. Budh uses intellect to be smart, slippery even cunning. The two cannot be more different from each other. Buddha is associated with silence, stillness and serenity; Budh is associated with communication, travel and exchange. And yet, both crave for the truth.
In the Navagraha hymn composed by Vedanta Deshika, Brishaspati curses Budh to be born as a non-man. This is the reason why in images of the Nava-graha, nine planets of astrology, Budh is sometimes portrayed as man and sometimes as a woman. He rides a Yali, a liminal being, a lion with the head of an elephant, alluding to his mercurial shape-shifting nature. Budh later marries Ila, a prince cursed to be a man on full moon nights and a woman on new moon nights. The children of these two mercurial beings establish the Chandra-vamsa, the lunar dynasty of kings, whose story is told in the Mahabharata.
PS:Here Buddha is not to be confused with Gauthama Buddha as it generally mean enlightened one and Gauthama is one of the enlightened soul.
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