SOLAR
AND LUNAR ECLIPSES
PAMHO., AGTSP.,
Check these couple of sights out, I
found them very useful.
http://www.earthview.com/timetable/1999aug11.htm
http://www.earthview.com/
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html
has a nice chart that goes into details
on future eclipses too
SOLAR AND LUNAR ECLIPSES
When the Moon passes between the Earth
and the Sun, it casts a huge shadow over the Earth as it blocks out the
sunlight. For those at the edge of the shadow (the penumbra) the eclipse is
partial; the Moon seems to take a bite out of the Sun as it passes. But
observers standing in the centre of the shadow (the umbra) see a spectacular
solar eclipse.Unfamiliar and beautiful features become visible around the edge
of the Sun. The prominences - the reddish spikes that protrude from the Sun
beyond the dark edge of the moon - are columns of incandescent hydrogen; they
extend thousands of miles above the Sun's surface. The Sun's halo, the pearly
white corona, also becomes visible.
face;For less than eight minutes these wondrous aspect of the Sun are
revealed in an eerie twighlight. Then the moon continues inexorably in its
orbit around the Earth, and spectacle is over."
;
Full Moons that occur with Moon (or Sun)
near Rahu or Ketu result in eclipses.; If a full Moon, then the
eclipse is lunar, if a new Moon, then
the eclipse is solar.
Solar
Eclipse in action 22nd August 1998.
"Now our Ph.D must collaborate and
study the Fifth Canto to make a model for building the Vedic Planetarium. My
final decision is that the universe is just like a tree, with root upwards.
Just as a tree has branches and leaves, so the universe is also composed of
planets which are fixed up in the tree like the leaves, flowers, fruits etc. So
now all you Ph.D's must carefully study the details of the Fifth Canto and make
a working model of the universe. If we can explain the passing seasons,
eclipses, phases of the moon, passing of day and night, etc., then it will be
very powerful propaganda."(Letter from Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada to Swarupa Damodara dasa, April 27th 1976. Taken from "Vedic
Cosmography amp; Astronomy".
Richard L. Thomson - Sadaputa dasa - 1989. page 1.)
"If we go 80,000 miles above the
region of the Siddhas, Charanas, and Vidyaadharas, we come to the level of the
planet called Rahu. Some 80,000 miles above Rahu we reach the level of the Sun,
which is said to lie between Bhurloka and Bhuvarloka in the middle of
antariksha (S.B.5:20:43., S.B. 5:24:1.) We note that these measurements account
for only part of the distance from Bhu-mandala to the Sun, since this is given
as 100,000 yojanas (or 800,000 miles) in S.B. 5:23:9 purport.) face;In the Vedic literature it s often
mentioned that Rahu causes solar and lunar eclipses by passing in front of the
Sun or Moon. To many people, this seems to blatantly contradict the modern
explanation of eclipses which holds that a solar eclipse is caused by the
passage of the moon in front of the Sun and a lunar eclipse is caused by the
Moon's passage through the Earth's shadow. However, the actual situation is
somewhat more complicated than this simple analysis assumes.
;The reason for this is that the
Surya-siddhanta presents an explanation of eclipses that agrees with the modern
explanation but also brings Rahu into the picture. This work explicitly assumes
that eclipses are caused by the passage of the Moon in front of the Sun or into
the Earth's shadow. It describes calculations based on this model that make it
possible to predict the occurrence of both lunar and solar eclipses and compute
the degree to which the disc of the Sun or Moon will be obscured. At the same
time, rules are also given for calculating the position of Rahu and another,
similar planet named Ketu. It turns out that either Rahu or Ketu will always be
lined up in the direction of any solar or lunar eclipse.
;In Chapter One (Richard L. Thomson -
Sadaputa dasa - 1989.
"Vedic Cosmography amp; Astronomy".) we have already
described how the astronomical siddhantas define the orbit of Rahu and Ketu,
and a similar definition is given for Ketu. The positions assigned to Rahu and
Ketu correspond to the ascending and descending nodes of the Moon - the points
where the orbit of the Moon (projected onto the celestial sphere) intersects
the ecliptic, or the orbit of the Sun. These nodal points rotate around the
ecliptic from east to west, with a period of about 18.6 years. One of them must
always point in the direction of an eclipse, since the Moon can pass in front
of the Sun or in the Earth's shadow only if the Sun, Moon and the Earth lie in
a straight line. Thus, by placing Rahu and Ketu at the nodal points of the
Moon, the Surya-siddhanta conforms both; with the modern theory of eclipses and
the Vedic explanation involving Rahu and Ketu.
;One objection that may be raised to the
explanation given in the Surya-siddhanta seems to be a cheap compromise between
the Vedic account of eclipses (which many will regard as mythological) and the
modern account (which many will regard as an import into India from the
Greeks). It is true that Rahu and Ketu seem to play a rather superfluous role
in the eclipse calculations given in the Surya-siddhanta. However, there are
reasons for supposing that these planet do not appear in these calculations as
a mere decoration. ;The principle reason for this is that the positions of Rahu
and Ketu plays an important role in astrology. This means that astrologers need
some system of calculation that will tell them where Rahu and Ketu are at any
given time. We have argued in Chapter One (Richard L. Thomson - Sadaputa dasa -
1989. "Vedic Cosmography amp;
Astronomy") that astrology has traditionally played an important role in
Vedic culture. From this it follows that some methods for calculating the
positions of Rahu and Ketu have traditionally been required in Vedic society.
Since we have no evidence that any other method of calculating these positions
has ever been used, this can be taken as an indirect indication that the method
used in the Surya-siddhanta has coexisted with the Vedic shastras for a very
long time. face;Of course, by this
argument we cannot conclude definitely that this particular method of
calculation has always been used. But we can at least be sure that the Vedic
society, with its emphasis on astrology and the astronomical timings of
religious ceremonies, has always needed more than a mere qualitative story to
account for eclipses and other astronomical phenomena. face;In the West the is also a long tradition
ascribing solar and lunar eclipses to the action of some celestial beings of a
demonic nature. There these beings have also been associated with the nodes of
the Moon, and they are known as the head and tail of the dragon. The story of
this eclipse-dragon may help give us some indication of how little we really
know about history.
(Richard L. Thomson - Sadaputa dasa - 1989.
"Vedic Cosmography amp; Astronomy" page 98.) is a medieval
Islamic picture showing an angel severing the head of the eclipse-dragon. (This
is reminiscent of the story of the decapitation of Rahu by Lord Vishnu) Figure
17 (Richard L. Thomson - Sadaputa dasa - 1989. "Vedic Cosmography amp; Astronomy" page 99.) is a
strikingly similar picture showing St George, the patron saint of England,
slaying a dragon. Unless this is a complete coincidence, it would seem that the
story of the eclipse-dragon was somehow woven into the iconography of early
Christianity without any indication of its significance being preserved. (St.
George is said to have been born in Asia Minor in about A.D. 300. but there is
apparently no information indicating how he came to be connected with a dragon
(Chambers R. 1967. The Book of Days, page 539.) Unfortunately, our knowledge of
the ancient history of this story is practically nonexistent.(Richard L.
Thomson - Sadaputa dasa - 1989. "Vedic Cosmography ; Astronomy"
The
Effects of Eclipses:
Eclipses are, from an astrological point
of view, often described as inauspicious events, and we know of recent cases
where educated people stayed in their homes and even kept their children from
going to class because of a partial solar eclipse.; In our perusal of the
literature, we found that eclipses that occur near Rahu tend to be favorable,
while those that occur near Ketu tend to cause roughness.; The problem with
using these rules is that there is not a lot of research to validate what works
and what does not.; Furthermore, eclipses are somewhat unique in that they
become a point in the chart, but not a permanent one.; That is, take the
eclipse point and mark it on the chart.; Now look for conjunctions or
oppositions with that point involving transiting grahas, and see if they act as
trigger points.; This point is supposed to last for as many years as the solar
eclipse lasted in hours, so after some time this point should be removed from
consideration.; In this sense, the eclipse point acts as a point of
time-varying influence, with the influence generally decreasing with time.; We
know of no measure of this decrease, but perhaps it is possible to define an exponentially-decaying
strength (bala) value to eclipse points.; It would be an interesting research
project. In Regard To The Lunar Eclipse
At The Time Of Lord Chaitanya's Birth."The pious Sri Jagannatha Misra, Chaitanya's
father, lived in Navadvipa.; Like Vasudeva, he conscientiously performed his
spiritual duties. His devout and faithful wife Srimati Sacidevi was a second
Devaki - the beloved mother of everyone. The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Lord Narayana appeared in the womb of Srimati Sacidevi, and as Sri Krsna
Chaitanya, He became the most precious possession of everyone's heart. face;The Adi Khanda of Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat
begins by describing the appearance of Lord Chaitanya on an auspicious full
moon evening in the month of Phalguna when the moon went into eclipse. The
tumultuous chanting of Lord Hari's holy name filled all directions, inspiring
everyone to sing together. The Supreme Lord Chaitanya was born amidst the
chanting."(Sarvabhavana dasa. 1984. English trans. Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat.)"The
Supreme Proprietor of the entire creation remained in the womb of Srimati
Sacidevi, and on the full moon night in the month of Phalguna He appeared. That
full moon night was the summum bonum of all the auspicious holy occasions of
the cosmic manifestation combined. The Supreme Personality descended,
accompanied by the process of congregational chanting of the holy name.; He
propagated this process by practicing it Himself. Who is able to know the
wonderful pastimes of the Supreme Lord?; He arranged a lunar eclipse at the
time of His birth. Upon seeing the lunar eclipse the residents of Navadvipa
began to loudly chant the Lord's holy name and make other auspicious sounds.
Endless teeming millions convulsed on the Ganges for holy ablutions and filled
the air with loud chanting of the Lord's name. The tumultuous sound of their
chanting penetrated the coverings of this material universe and travelled
beyond Brahmaloka. All the saintly persons marvelled at this wonderful chanting
and prayed for a perennial eclipse. All the devotees experienced deep
exhilaration and exclaimed, "Such great joy! Maybe the Supreme Lord Krsna
is making His appearance. The devotees went to the Ganges for their ablutions
followed by the roar of chanting from all directions.; Women, children, aged,
pious, and impious - everyone loudly chanted Lord Hari's holy name during the
lunar eclipse. The only sound within the universe was the all-prevailing
chanting of "Hari! Hari!" The demigods showered flower confetti
everywhere and proclaimed victory as they beat clamorously on their dundubhi
drums. Amidst the resounding adulations, the Lord and the very soul of the
universe appeared as the son of Srimati Sacidevi. The moon was eclipsed by
Rahu; the ocean of the holy name inundated Navadvipa, drowning and subduing the
darkness of Kali Yuga.; The Supreme Lord was manifest!; All the fourteen worlds
resounded with the profound news. The moon-like Lord Chaitanya, Gauranga, had
arisen; the residents of Nadia were freed from all sorrows just seeing the Lord.;
Their happiness and prosperity increased day by day. The roll of the dundubhi
drums, the trumpeting of thousand conch shells, the shrill of flutes and horns,
accompanied Vrndavana dasa's songs of praise to their Lordship Sri Chaitanya
and Sri Nityananda Prabhu. His beautifully brilliant lustre overshadowed the
sun's shining rays and dazzled my eyes.; His drawn out, slightly drooping eyes
defied description. The air was surcharged with joy; Lord Chaitanya had
descended to the material world! One roaring sound of Lord Hari's name
reverberated throughout the universe, beyond Brahmaloka carrying the tidings of
Lord Chaitanya's birth. His exquisite complexion was the colour of sandalwood
paste.His all expansive chest was decorated with a gently swaying wildflower
garland and His iridescent, moon-like face is pleasing, cooling and comforting.
His elongated arms reached down to His knees. Sounds of victory and praise
permeated all directions and the earth felt especially blessed at the advent of
Lord Chaitanya. Some sang in great joy while others danced in ecstasy.; But for
Kali it was a calamity in the midst of spiritual revelry. The crown jewels of
all Vedic conclusions are the Supreme Lords Chaitanya and Nityananda Prabhus.
Their causeless mercy made no discrimination between the ignorant or the
derelict. I, Vrndavana dasa, offer this song to them. The Golden moon, Lord
Chaitanya, had arisen as sounds of great joy filled the air.; His beauty
humbled a million cupids, and He smiled at His own dancing and singing. His
lovely face and charming eyes added to the list of other marks of divinity on
His transcendental person; His feet were marked with the signs of flag,
lightning etc.; His entire exquisite form was decorated to enchant the minds of
everyone. All fear and despondency was dissipated and the world was showered
with immense fortunes. I, Vrndavana dasa, offer this song to my very life and
soul, Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda.; The demigods became overjoyed and
sang in praise of Lord Chaitanya's appearance.; A mere glance at the Lord's
beatific, moon like face was enough to extirpate all miseries.; This was a
glorious and happy occasion. Lord Ananta Shesha, Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva and
other demigods all took up their new forms and, using the lunar eclipse as an
excuse, continuously sang Lord Hari's name.; I cannot fully describe their
exultation. Milling crowds poured in to Nadia with shouts of "Hari,
Hari". Navadvipa was in the grips of unbounded bliss. The Supreme Lord,
the demigods and the human beings had all come together to frolic with one
another. faceThe demigods came to the
Srimati Sacidevi's house in the darkness of the eclipse and, unseen by humans,
fell to the ground and offered obeisances to Lord Chaitanya.; Who can describe
these abstruse pastimes of the Lord.; Some broke out in types of glorification,
some held the umbrella and some fanned the Lord with a chamara, while others
showered flowers in ecstasy and still others sang and danced exuberantly. Lord
Chaitanya appeared with all His pure devotees and the atheist will never
understand it. I, Vrndavana dasa sing the nectarine glories of Lord Chaitanya
and Lord Nityananda. The rumble of Dundubhi drums, hymns, prayers and sweet
music mingled and resounded in the air. Today, without delay, we can meet that
Supreme Personality who is a mystery even in the Vedas. The demigods in
Indrapura were tumultuously happy; busily decorating themselves, they felt
extremely fortunate that they could receive Lord Chaitanya's blessed
association in Navadvipa.; They embraced and kissed each other without shame in
exultation that the Lord of Navadvipa, Lord Chaitanya, had taken His birth.;
There was no distinction of friend or foe.;; In great curiosity the demigods
came to Navadvipa amidst loud chanting of God's name.; Infected by the
transcendental mellow of Lord Chaitanya they became almost unconscious in
ecstasy and joined in singing the glories of Lord Chaitanya. They saw the
beautiful form of Lord Chaitanya.; He was more exquisite than a thousand rising
full moons. He accepted the human form and made everyone loudly chant the
Lord's holy name, using the eclipse as a good excuse. The Lord descended with
all his energies and expansions; this is incomprehensible to the atheists.;
Vrndavana dasa Thakura says, "Let me sing in adulation about my life and
soul, Lord Sri Chaitanya and Sri Nityananda Prabhu."
Generally throughout India devotees take
pre-caution to not perform any kind of activity such as rituals; Deity puja;
cooking; any samskaras etc, during a lunar or solar eclipse. Rather following
in the footsteps of Lord Sri Krishna Who along with the cowherds visited
Kurukshetra, and the above mentioned instant, and as Srila Prabhupad himself
showed by example, devotees take full shelter of the Holy Names of the Lord and
if in India submerge themselves in sacred rivers such as the Ganga, Yamuna,
Saraswati, Namadi, Sind, Kaveri, Tungabhadra, Godavari, etc., whilst jubilantly
chanting the Holy Names of God - hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare
hare / hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare.Furthermore it is mentioned as a
pre-cautionary thing that women who are bearing children in their wombs should
neither sew, make garlands, or look at the eclipsing sun or moon least it be
detrimental to the health and well being of the unborn child. Ayurved mentions
that a pregnant woman looking at the eclipsing sun or moon is often born with a
child with a hair-lip (torn or scared upper lip), if she sews, piercing
anything or cuts anything this too may cause impairment of internal organs of
the child. Consequently pregnant women stay in doors and chant the Holy names
of the Lord and or read shastra during these times, being careful not to also
fall asleep. Falling asleep or taking rest during these times can leave one subjected
to the attacks of ghosts (bhuta, preetas, etc.). Some people don’t believe in
ghosts, but that still doesn’t make them go away.
The
performance of Rituals at the time of Graha-Grastah – eclipse:
Generally it is to be understood that
what you are propsing to do for rituals/pujas/ceremonies, etc are NEVER to be
done during a lunar or solar eclipse - graha-grastah. Rather if you notice ALL
TEMPLES CLOSE at the time of an eclipse, nothing is cooked, no offerings are
made, etc. Instead as we recollect in the life oand birth of Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu everyone goes to the Ganga and chants the Hare Krishna mahamantra.
Devotees do not even study during an eclipse. As stated in Sanatan Goswami and
Gopal Bhatta Goswami's Dik Darshini tika; in connection with Quotes from the
Visnu Purana about how the Grhastha should work in this world "(text 44)
At the time of thundering in the sky, or on the eighth day of the waxing or
waning moon, in an unclean condition, and during an eclipse, a learned person
does not study scriptures".
;Otherwise it is customary according to the shastra to go to a Holy
place and take shelter there to be free from the contaminating effects of Rahu
(Rahu is the cause of eclipses not Ketu). ;"In this connection, the
darkness occurring before the full moon, the lunar eclipse, can be explained as
being another planet, known as R a hu. According to Vedic astronomy, the R a hu
planet, which is not visible, is accepted. Sometimes the R a hu planet is
visible in the presence of full moonlight. It then appears that this R a hu
planet exists somewhere near the orbit of the moon. The failure of modern moon
excursionists may be due to the R a hu planet. In other words, those who are
supposed to be going to the moon may actually be going to this invisible planet
R a hu."
(A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. SB
4:29:69. purport.)
"The controlling demigods are most
obedient to Lord Vi ntilde; e u, although they also want material sense
enjoyment, and that is why they are called demigods, or almost godly. Although
R a hu attempts to attack both the sun and the moon, they are protected by Lord
Vi ntilde; e u. Being very afraid of Lord Vi ntilde; e u’s cakra, R a hu cannot
stay in front of the sun or moon for more than a muh u rta (forty-eight
minutes). The phenomenon that occurs when R a hu blocks the light of the sun or
moon is called an eclipse."
(A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. SB
5:24:3. purport.)
"During the hours of eclipse it was
the custom of the Hindu public to take bath in the Ganges or any other sacred
river and chant the Vedic mantras for purification. When Lord Caitanya was born
during the lunar eclipse, all India was roaring with the holy sound of Hare K
aring; ntilde; e a, Hare K aring; ntilde; e a, K aring; ntilde; e a K aring;
ntilde; e a, Hare Hare/ Hare R a ma, Hare R a ma, R a ma R a ma, Hare
Hare."
(A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 Introduction.)
Certainly there are some places in the Bhagavatam and other shastras
that prescribe certain activites as being auspicious. However, we need to also
understand the difference in something being auspicious as in the Janma-asthami
of Lord Krishna's "birth", Radha-asthami of Srimati Radhika's
appearance, the Nrisimha-Chaturdasi and why they are auspicious. The function
that rules their auspiciousness is not their qualitative potency, but their
being blessed by the appearance of the Lord on those tithis. the tithis
themselves are not used for creating good in this world otherwise. Rather some
Vama-tantriks and other karmakhandis utilise their potency for other things,
closer to the nature of the tithi. In a similar manner we would like to suggest
to you that these days such as Fullmoons /Purnimas, and Amavasyas /Newmoons are
not to be utilised to celebrate functionary activities of a samskarik nature as
their auspiciousness is based upon the appearance of the Lord UNDER CERTAIN
full or new moons and NOT ALL.(SB 1:10:9-10 purport.) …you may even notice that
where it is said in the Srimad Bhagavatam that one should perform the Shraddha ceremony
on the ekadasi tithi in the text, Prabhupad cites Srila Jiva Goswami as saying
that: " Ccedil;r eacute;la J eacute;va Gosv a m eacute; has given
quotations from many ccedil; a stras
stating that the ccedil;r a ddha ceremony
of oblations to the forefathers should not be performed on Ek a da ccedil;
eacute; tithi. When the tithi of the death anniversary falls on the Ek a da
ccedil; eacute; day, the ccedil;r a ddha
ceremony should be held not on Ek a da ccedil; eacute; but on the next day, or
dv a da ccedil; eacute;. In the Brahma-vaivarta pur a e a it is said: face;If one performs the ccedil;r a ddha ceremony of oblations to the
forefathers on the Ek a da ccedil; eacute; tithi, then the performer, the
forefathers for whom the ccedil;r a ddha
is observed, and the purohita, or the family priest who encourages the ceremony,
all go to hell."(A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. SB 7:14:20-23.
Similarly Kalaprakashika and the Grhya
Sutras advise that one should NOT perform yajnas, pujas, iniations,
installations, conceive children, get married, or even cook - any activity that
is considered Sat Kriya karmani during either a solar sankranti or solar or
lunar eclipse. "Hearing that a total eclipse of the sun was soon to occur,
people from all over Bharata-var ntilde;a, including the Yadavas, converged at
Kuruk ntilde;etra to earn special pious credit. After the Yadus had bathed and
performed other obligatory rituals, they noticed that kings of Matsya, U
ccedil; eacute;nara and other places had also come, as well as Nanda Mah a r a
ja and the cowherd community of Vraja, who were always feeling the intense
anxiety of separation from K aring; ntilde; e a. The Y a davas, overjoyed to
see all these old friends, embraced them one by one as they shed tears of
happiness. Their wives also embraced one another with great pleasure."
(A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. SB
10:82nd chapter summary.)
What I suggest to you here is that the
devotee gathered at the Holy place of pilgrimage bathed in the Holy Tirthas
there, and then after the eclipse had passed then purified performed their
sacrifices and pujas. My reason for saying this is also that one MUST NEVER
bathe directly after a yajna or sacrifice or experiencing some auspicious
event, rather even religious avavrtya baths are taken some time after a
sacrificial event.And supporting that theory " At the R a jas u ya-yaj i
a, on the other hand, Duryodhana’s jealousy against the P a e
ograve;avas became irrevocably inflamed. Soon after this, Duryodhana challenged
Yudhi ntilde; o hira and his brothers to the gambling match, in which he
cheated them of their kingdom and exiled them to the forest. Right after the P
a e
ograve;avas’ return from exile, the great Battle of Kuruk ntilde;etra
took place, during which Bh eacute; ntilde;ma and Dro e a were killed. So it is
not logically possible for the solar eclipse at Kuruk ntilde;etra to have
happened after the R a jas u ya sacrifice.
"(A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada. SB 10:82:1. purport.)
Although it is mentioned by Srila Prabhupad
that it is auspicious to fast and perform worship during ekadasi and an eclipse
(SB 10:82:2. purport), the kind of worship prescribed is Harinam and not ritual
as paraphernalia/dravya is subjected to dravya suddhi and would become impure
in itself and unofferable. There is reference made to this on a Morning Walk
with Srila Prabhupada (Dr. Patel. 17th November 1975, Bombay)."The Lord
has described the purity and impurity of different places, times and material
objects. According to the laws of nature, that which is impure contaminates a
particular person in accordance with that person’s situation, as described
here. For example, on certain occasions, such as a solar eclipse or just after
childbirth, one must restrict the intake of food according to ritualistic
injunctions."
(Hridayananda das Goswami. SB 11:21:11.
purport.)
"According to the Jyotir-veda, the
R a hu planet comes in front of the full moon, and thus a lunar eclipse takes
place. It is customary in India that all the followers of the Vedic scriptures
bathe in the Ganges or the sea as soon as there is a lunar or solar eclipse.
All strict followers of Vedic religion stand up in the water throughout the
whole period of the eclipse and chant the Hare K aring; ntilde; e a mah a
-mantra. At the time of the birth of Lord Caitanya Mah a prabhu such a lunar
eclipse took place, and naturally all the people standing in the water were
chanting Hare K aring; ntilde; e a, Hare K aring; ntilde; e a, K aring; ntilde;
e a K aring; ntilde; e a, Hare Hare/ Hare R a ma, Hare R a ma, R a ma R a ma,
Hare Hare hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare / hare rama hare
rama rama rama hare hare.
"(A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada. Chaitanya charitamrta Adi-lila 13:92. purport.)
" iSeeing the lunar eclipse and laughing,
both Advaita Acarya and Haridasa Thakura immediately went to the bank of the
Ganges and bathed in the Ganges in great jubilation. Taking advantage of the
occasion of the lunar eclipse, Advaita A
c a rya, by His own mental strength, distributed various types of charity to
the brahmanas. "
(CC Adi-lila 13:100 txt.)
PURPORT "It is the custom of Hindus
to give in charity to the poor as much as possible during the time of a lunar
or solar eclipse. Advaita Acarya,
therefore, taking advantage of this eclipse, distributed many varieties of
charity to the br a hma e as. In the
Ccedil;r eacute;mad-Bh a gavatam there is a statement in the Tenth
Canto, Third Chapter, verse 11, that when K aring; ntilde; e a took His birth,
immediately Vasudeva, taking advantage of this moment, distributed ten thousand
cows to the br a hma e as. It is customary among Hindus that at the time a
child is born, especially a male child, the parents distribute great charity in
jubilation. Advaita A c a rya was
actually interested in distributing charity because of Lord Caitanya’s birth at
the time of the lunar eclipse. People could not understand, however, why
Advaita A c a rya was giving such a
great variety of things in charity. He did so not because of the lunar eclipse
but because of the Lord’s taking birth at that moment. He distributed charity
exactly as Vasudeva did at the time of Lord K aring; ntilde; e a’s
appearance."
(A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Chaitanya Charitamrta Adi-lila 13:100. purport.)
Then just as my conclusion (because i've
run out of time alotted for this) Prabhupad outlines the sequence of events so
that the pilgrimage involved in visiting a Holy Tirtha at the time of an
eclipse is NOT for ACTUAL RITUALS but for cleansing and remebering the Lord,
THEN when the eclipse has passed again one takes bath and begins to cook etc.,
for the actual service of the Lord. ;"After arriving in Kuruk ntilde;etra,
the members of the Yadu dynasty took their baths ceremoniously, with
self-control, as enjoined in the ccedil;
a stras, and they observed fasting for the whole period of the eclipse in order
to nullify the reactions of their sinful activities. Since it is a Vedic custom
to give in charity as much as possible during the hours of the eclipse, the
members of the Yadu dynasty distributed many hundreds of cows in charity to the
br a hma e as. All those cows were fully decorated with nice dress and
ornaments. The special feature of these cows was that they had golden ankle
bells and flower garlands on their necks. ;After the eclipse, all the members
of the Yadu dynasty again took their baths in the lakes created by Lord Para
ccedil;ur a ma. Then they sumptuously fed the br a hma e as with first-class
cooked food, all prepared in butter. According to the Vedic system, there are
two classes of food. One is called raw food, and the other is called cooked
food. Raw food does not include raw vegetables and raw grains but food boiled
in water, whereas cooked food is made in ghee. Cap a t eacute;s, dhal, rice and
ordinary vegetables are called raw foods, as are fruits and salads. But pur
eacute;s, kachaur eacute;s, samos a s, sweet balls and so on are called cooked
foods. All the br a hma e as invited on that occasion by the members of the
Yadu dynasty were fed sumptuously with cooked food. ;The ceremonial functions
performed by the members of the Yadu dynasty externally resembled the
ritualistic ceremonies performed by the karm eacute;s. When a karm eacute;
performs some ritualistic ceremony, his ambition is sense gratification—good
position, good wife, good house, good children or good wealth—but the ambition
of the members of the Yadu dynasty was different. Their ambition was to offer
perpetual faith and devotion to K aring; ntilde; e a. All the members of the
Yadu dynasty were great devotees. As such, after many births of accumulated
pious activities, they were given the chance to associate with Lord K aring;
ntilde; e a. In going to take their baths in the place of pilgrimage at Kuruk
ntilde;etra, in observing the regulative principles during the solar eclipse,
or in feeding the br a hma e as—in all their activities—they simply thought of
devotion to K aring; ntilde; e a. Their ideal worshipable Lord was K aring;
ntilde; e a, and no one else."(A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Krsna
Book chapter 82. Krishna and Balaram meet the inhabitants of Vrindavan.)B. V.
Raman's book on Muhurtha Astrology (1986.) says that one should not perform
auspicious ceremonies upon such days least one creates a Grahanothpatha Dosha,
and especially if the day was chosen for a wedding/marriage such a
constellation must be avoided by six months.There are certainly rites that can
be performed during an eclipse, and even in the cemetary at mid-night, or
seated upon the body of a corpse, or standing naked to invoke Vashi Karan upon
someone, but generally we don't get involved in these too much. faceGenarally in the Vaishnava sampradayas
Mantra Diksha is done under the following co-ordinates, the idea being to get
as many of them as possible right. I know that in Iskcon these things haven't
been so much emphasised, and from the understanding of what Srila Prabhupad was
doing, and the man-power that he had to work with he didn't overburden the
devotees with so many rules and injunctions, just to get on with it. This
doen't mean that the times mentioned in shastra, and even in Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada's Navadwip Panjika are not
applicable or dare someone say wrong. I think not. Traditionally a guru would
find an astrologically auspicious day for his disciples to take diksha, or to
take sannyas
The Sri Vaisnava diksa is generally done
on the trayodasi
As we all know solar and lunar eclipse
occurs because of Rahu and Ketu. 11.08.99 it will be one. Who know what sort of
eclipse will be that time and how it will occur (I mean movements of the
planets)? Also hwo can calculate and tell what time and how long it will be in
Perm. Sri Rohinisuta Prabhu is going to initiate us on this days. We would like
to figure out exact time for yajna.
Well, I know a part of answer on this question. The stripe of eclipse
will be 112 km wide and it will come across India, Pakistan, Iran, Afganistan,
Iraq, Turkey, south-western part of Black Sea, Bulgaria, Romania, Austria,
Hungary, Germany, France (right across Paris), south- western part of England
(Stonehenge?) but first it will be seen in Atlantic Ocean, beginning from the
coast of USA. The time of full eclipse will last 2.5 minutes and in Paris and
England it will be seen around 11:00