Darbhai & twilight & eclipse (2)

[Guest guest]

SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA

 

 

Darbhai during eclipse.

 

 

Two austerities are followed before the eclipses begin and one at or after the eclipse begins.

The two are, keeping the stomach empty at the beginning of eclipse

and putting a piece of darbhai on all food items.

The other one is about grahana tarpanam.

 

Since darbhai has the capacity to thwart or disallow radiation of

unwanted kind to enter the body, it is understood that by being

placed on food items, it protects them from some radiation or some

such energy, which must have obviously been present in the

surroundings due to / during the eclipse.

 

The following are some observations and facts available to us.

About the Sun.

Though the relevance and greatness of the sun at various levels have

been discussed in sruti texts, the Sun comes to play a very important

role in our daily life at two places, and during amavasya.

 

In daily life,

 

(1) the sun receives the arghya offered during sandhyavandana, (for

the question from Yaksha why the sun rises and sets everyday,

Yudhishtra replied that it is to receive the arghyam ) and

 

(2) the sun adds strength to agni hotram at 2 times, i.e., at

twilight (yEsha chaiva agni hotram vha balam chaiva agni hotriNaam ;

Adithya hrudhayam)

 

 

The time of the day is very important in both these occasions, namely

exactly the twilight time (sandhya kaalam).

( It must be remembered that sun is associated with two wifes, Sandhya

and Chaaya. The oldest existing temple on Sun in India is in Martand

in the south of Anantnag district of Kashmir valley which was

originally known as the Valley of Piris and Rishis. This temple now

in ruins and not yet under the protection of Archeological department

was once known as “Surya Theerth”, a place of pilgrimage for Hindus.

The local lore further confirms that it was here Rishis of yore

worshipped everyday Sun and Sandhya and Chaaya whose temples are

also found nearby. The architecture of this temple looks different

from the known and existing ones making us wonder whether there were

exclusive rules and rituals to worship Sun. The association of

sandhya and chaaya shows that these two are of significance,

metaphysically and scientifically.)

 

Sandhya is twilight. Why twilight? Is there any significance attached to twilight?

 

The following has been reported at space.com some time ago.

 

There is a bright green, thin ray of light emitted from the Sun's

north and south pole exactly at the twilight of earth timing, which

scientists are still not clear of the reasons.

Since twilight is continuously happening throughout the earth, this

light must be emitted from the poles of the sun continuously, though

it is visible or reaches the earth only in that part of the twilight

region.

 

The important role of Sun at twilight has been confirmed in research

on agni hotra which was undertaken when it was found that two

families which were doing agnihotra and were keeping the agni alive

by offerings into it, when the poisonous gas leaked from Union

carbide plant at Bhopal, were the only ones who remained unaffected

amidst the heaps of those who succumbed to the gas.

 

In the research it was found that time mattered most. It takes

approximately 90 seconds for the disc of sun to disappear / appear at

the horizon of earth. The agnihotra done exactly at this time yielded

the results which was of the nature of strengthening the air in an

area of 30 sq metre against any pollution or harmful radiation. (

relevance to Gitacharyan’s vachan that He has created Brahma deva

onwards with yajna and for mutual benefits with devas and if you

nourish the devas, the devas will nourish you in turn. Without these

yajna, if a man lives, then he is a thief or sinner. In agni hotra,

you nourish the Vayu deva. He in turn nourishes you as healthy air to

breathe.)

 

This scenario ( about twilight) can be put in other words.

 

It is when the sun’s polar regions appear or disappear from our

sight, that something is radiated from them.

(1) This happens everyday at sun rise and sun set when you are

supposed to offer arghyam in sandhya vandhanam and rice into Agni

hotra fire.

(2) This also happens when another celestial body, namely the moon

crosses the sun’s disc as happens in a solar eclipse.

The crossing of the sun happens (symbolically) on amavasya when the

moon is not exactly crossing the disc of the sun but may be

crossing the path of the ray of that greenish light that emerges from

the poles at sometime during amavasya. (scientists like Sri M.N.

Ramanuaja, please, confirm / comment whether this observation is

right.)

 

Our age-old practices show that

at (1) the two austerities are to be done.

In sandhya vanadhana, some results are accruing at subtle or vital or

bhuva (details in another mail) level – this is said so since the

medium is water, in arghyam.

Our learned bhagavathas are requested to throw more light on what is

accrued to the doer from the mantras themselves, for, any mantra will

contain information on what its effects are. ( and also is there

difference in the mantras for twilight and noon?) As one outside the

knowledge of sandhya mantras, my understanding is centred around what

is conveyed in Adhitya Hrudhyam, namely to do with longevity – which

is attained by overcoming all enemies – sarva shatru- (at

individual’s level) like diseases, afflictions to the body. Without a

strong body, the desire for vedam praayam 100 can not be realized.

Since the medium is water, such overcoming of enemies takes place at

all fluid contents of the body, such as enzymes, harmones, blood,

secretions, nervous fluid and even the fluid in the eye. This in

other words means purification of the entire body, internally. The

one who does sandhya vandana regularly (please note, as per the name

and yaksha prashna, the sandhya kaalam of twilght is to be adhered.)

will be disease-free and robust in saatwic qualities, because it is

the fluids inside the body which influence the 3 gunas.

 

That the role of Sun in this accrual of benefit to the doer, though

unknown to science unlike as in agni hotra, is real can be understood

by the following practice. Though a person is allowed to do gayathri

japa after physical purification even during ‘theettu-kaalam’ of any

type, since it is done at mental level and directed to the ‘Para’

tattwa, sandhya vandhana is not to be done till the ‘pollution’ is

removed. This is perhaps to do with arghya offered which will then

carry the radiation of theettu (pollution) and this must be

forbidden. We are not supposed to offer something polluted. The

mantras, the arghyam and sun’s blessings by way of sandhya kaala rays

play the crucial part of sandhya vandana in bringing out purification.

 

 

For details of scientific research on how water carries whatever is

thought of and such other things, kindly click the following link

http://www.sakthifoundation.org/Water_Healing.htm

 

This link tells more about what happens to water used in different

types of kriyas we do in the rituals, including kumba theertham in a

homa.

Water as carrier or transporter can be understood well if we look at

the ‘dattam’ done on any daanam by water, on how and why Rama chose

Sarayu to reach His abode, why the Released soul crosses Viraja river

which seems to transport it to Vaikuntham, as arghyam to the Sun god

and as tarpaNam to pithrus. (It is also to be noted that in all near

death experiences reported, those who have come back, have narrated

either having seen a Light at the end of a tunnel or a waterway or

waterfall which seemed to carry them along.)

 

Coming back to the present topic, the water offered as arghyam and

water used in tarpaNAm acquire some significance only when the sun’s

polar regions appear or disappear.

 

In (2) mentioned above, it is my opinion that a similar emittance of

polar rays happen, as the poles one by one ( in total eclipse) or any

one (in partial eclipse) disappears from our sight, (at that part of

the earth where it is seen)

 

The justification for this is entirely from our observation.

We have always noticed that while doing agnihotra (as guided by

volunteers who spanned throughout India in the early 90s with

information and the materials such as copper kundam etc) a particular

bird, which till today we are not able to identify, used to make a

peculiar note when the sun exactly rises and sets. The timing is so

exact, that we have stopped looking at the clock while preparing the

agni and waiting for the exact twilight time to offer rice into it.

This note has not been heard at any other time of the day.

 

BUT we used to hear the same note of that bird when the solar eclipse

exactly begins! This makes me wonder whether the condition that is

present at sunset (or sun rise) is again present when the eclipse

begins. (did this play a deceptive role in KurukshEthra war? The

kauravas would not have exactly seen the sun disappear below the

horizon. In a war field the atmosphere must have been hazy. They

would have depended on different symptoms such as bird’s note, as we

have noticed, and thought that twilight has set.)

 

By our age-old practices, it is understood that such condition

happening everyday ( at sandhya) helps in carrying out agni hotra and

sandhyavandanam

and that happening at eclipse, helps in a rarer kriya, that of offering tarpaNam.

 

By the practice of putting darbhai on food items and keeping the

stomach empty and early part of digestion process absent (since the

usual time of taking food is 8 hours prior to eclipse), it is deduced

that the rays that reach the earth or obstructed to reach from the

poles of the Sun are not conducive for food items and in general, the

functioning of fluids (like digestive juices) in the body. When it

happens for just 90 seconds, as in twilight, it has been highly

beneficial. But when it is happening for a prolonged period, say,

during the eclipse, it seems to influence the fluid system on the

wrong side. It is to be remembered that the practice is to place the

darbhai on items containing moisture (not on dry foods or natural

fruits etc) and promptly removing them after the eclipse is over.

They should not be kept / left mixed with food items. It is meant

thereby that whatever has been absorbed by darbhai then, continues to

remain in that and therefore discarded. (It is to be remembered that

pavithram and darbhai used in homa and such other kriyas are

discarded and not used again.)

 

By our age-old practices, it is also deduced, that the prolonged

obstruction of rays from the poles of the sun, is conducive for

another important kriya, namely offering tarpaNam. Since the grahana

kaalam is known as punya kaalam, we understand that it is not a

polluted kaalam as we tend to believe, due to austerities like

abstinence from food and placing darbhai for protection. These are

like managing small inconveniences while in reality, a big

opportunity is produced to enable those who have to reduce their

‘pithru-kadan’ by offering tarpaNam.

 

During lunar eclipse, applying the same logic, the polar rays of the

sun reaching the twilight zone of the moon, which is but the edges of

Full moon, are obstructed by the earth, thereby bringing some contact

to that part of earth, though on night side, with the polar rays of

the sun. (Am I right, Sri M.N. Ramanuja and others?) Then that part

becomes conducive for getting into a link with pithru lokam through

the tarpaNam offered. The timing of tarpaNam during eclipses, like

soon after the beginning or after started to leave etc can be

interpreted by those doing tarpaNam, to authenticate whether the

obstruction to polar rays of the sun does play an important role.

 

Another area to know is about Choodamani grahaNam, which among other

types such as grasthodaya (rising in eclipsed state),

grasthaasthamana (setting in eclipsed state) and paarshava (partial)

is usually considered to be beneficial to those following grahana

punya kaalam. Description of this choodamani grahanam might help us

understand more about what exactly is happening during this type of

eclipse / whether the eclipse for a very smaller duration is highly

beneficial to individuals following grahana punaya kaalam and the

public at large as well. The Oct -17th lunar eclipse in India is a

choodamaNi grahaNam.

 

(to be continued)

 

Regards,

Jayasree saranathan

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Respected Sir,

 

I am forwarding your mail sent to me, to the Oppiliappan forum for others to read.

 

Yes, I agree with your views. But I have not touched it in the mail,

as I am not aware of any research that has conclusively proved this.

It is for knowledgeable persons like yourself to say more on this

aspect.

 

Regards,

jayasree saranathan

 

- Sathiyanarayanan R

jayasree_saranathan (AT) sancharnet (DOT) in

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 6:01 PM

Re: Darbhai & twilight & eclipse (2)

Dear Madam,

 

I read below article written by you. It has thrown lots of light on

the effect of grahanam on various objects inlcuding human being. Just

to add to the point of liquid is getting affected by the rays of

grahanam, it is general practice that all pregnant women are

prohibited from venturing out side their house during grahanam day.

As well whole house well closed, so that rays will not affect the

baby, since the baby inside the womb is surrounded by water.

 

This is well proven scientifically as doctors advised pregnant women

not to venture outside during grahanam days.

 

with regards

satyanarayanan