SOLAR ECLIPSE

[Guest guest]

On Sun, 9 Jun 2002 sam wrote:

> Tomorrow the 10th of June right after sunset a partial Solar Eclipse will

> be visible in most of North America. Please take this time to be totally

> absorbed in KRSNA Lord. It will be very auspicious for you. Check your

> local listing for the accurate time. Your Servant, Ashokamrita.

 

 

Srimad-Bhagavata 5.24.1-3:

 

1)

Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: My dear King, some historians, the

speakers of the Puranas, say that 10,000 yojanas [80,000 miles] below the

sun is the planet known as Rahu, which moves like one of the stars. The

presiding deity of that planet, who is the son of Simhika, is the most

abominable of all asuras, but although he is completely unfit to assume

the position of a demigod or planetary deity, he has achieved that position

by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Later I shall speak

further about him.

 

2)

The sun globe, which is a source of heat, extends for 10,000 yojanas

[80,000 miles]. The moon extends for 20,000 yojanas [160,000 miles], and

Rhu extends for 30,000 yojanas [240,000 miles]. Formerly, when nectar was

being distributed, Rahu tried to create dissension between the sun and

moon by interposing himself between them. Rahu is inimical toward both the

sun and the moon, and therefore he always tries to cover the sunshine and

moonshine on the dark-moon day and full-moon night.

PURPORT

As stated herein, the sun extends for 10,000 yojanas, and the moon

extends for twice that, or 20,000 yojanas. The word dvadasa should be

understood to mean twice as much as ten, or twenty. In the opinion of

Vijayadhvaja, the extent of Rahu should be twice that of the moon, or text

of the Bhagavatam, Vijayadhvaja cites the following quotation concerning Rahu;

rahu-soma-ravinam tu mandala dvi-gunoktitam. This means that Rahu is twice

as large as the moon, which is twice as large as the sun. This is the

conclusion of the commentator Vijayadhvaja.

 

3)

After hearing from the sun and moon demigods about Rahu's attack,

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, engages His disc, known as the

Sudarsana cakra, to protect them. The Sudarsana cakra is the Lord's most

beloved devotee and is favored by the Lord. The intense heat of its

effulgence, meant for killing non-Vaisnavas, is unbearable to Rahu, and he

therefore flees in fear of it. During the time Rahu disturbs the sun or

moon, there occurs what people commonly know as an eclipse.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, is always the protector of His

devotees, who are also known as demigods. The controlling demigods are

most obedient to Lord Visnu, although they also want material sense

enjoyment, and that is why they are called demigods, or almost godly.

Although Rahu attempts to attack both the sun and the moon, they are

protected by Lord Visnu. Being very afraid of Lord Visnu's cakra, Rahu

cannot stay in front of the sun or moon for more than a muhurta (forty-eight

minutes). The phenomenon that occurs when Rahu blocks the light of the sun

or moon is called an eclipse. The attempt of the scientists of this earth

to go to the moon is as demoniac as Rahu's attack. Of course. their

attempts will be failures because no one can enter the moon or sun so easily.

Like the attack of Rahu, such attempts will certainly be failures.

[Guest guest]

Dear Devotees,

For those of you who are fascinated by the

mysteries of the SKY, here is another one for you. The next Solar

eclipse is on 23rd of Nov, 03. The peak of the eclipse will be at 5:48 PM

( New York Time ). Duration of peak obscurity will be roughly 1min, 57sec

and it will be visible ONLY in Antarctica. So there is not a chance for

most of us who live in different part of the world to see this eclipse.

 

Modern science has a theory on how eclipses occur,

simply put they theorizes that eclipses are nothing but elongation of

planetary shadows, however as far as we are concerned we follows the

Vedas.

 

The Vedas tell us of the existence of a planet

called RAHU, which is inimical to both the Sun and the Moon. It is when

RAHU attacks the eclipses occur and then RAHU is driven away by the

SUDARSANA CHAKRA of the LORD and eclipses end. So what starts as very

inauspicious become auspicious due to triumph of good over evil by LORDS

action.

 

So please observe this eclipse by being absorbed

in KRSNA either through loud chanting or japa. This is a facinating

celestial event. I hope this meet you well, Ys Ashokamrita.