eclipses

July 19, 1999

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

Letter COM:2485349 (681 lines) [W1]

Jaya Tirtha Charan (das) JPS

19-Jul-99 06:27

Yadu-srestha (das) PVS (Melbourne - AU) [1483]

Reference: Text COM:2456122 by Yadu-srestha (das) PVS (Melbourne - AU)

eclipses

---------------------------

Haribol prabhu,

PAMHO., AGTSP.,

One devotee was asking about the coming eclipses, I sent some things to him,

and some good web-site references, but I've lost his name and the original

mail he sent - anyway 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

I've attached a page to this that you might find interesting, has some nice

quotes what to and what not do during an eclipse that very few follow, only

a handful outside India.

Unfortunately the graphics I doubt will be there, shame there are some nice

animations, simulations, etc.

Anyway the text is quite useful, which is why I copied it to the page. BUT

it is not published yet. To much to do at present...

ys, JTCd

------------------------------

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<html>

<head>

name="GENERATOR" content="Mozilla/4.61 [en] (Win95; I) [Netscape]">

<title>eclipses-page</title> </head>

SOLAR AND LUNAR ECLIPSES.</center>

"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. <font

size=+1> 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. <font

face="Balaram"> 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."(Reader's Digest. 1988. "Facts & Fallacies". page

404.)

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.

<img SRC="eclipse_1.jpg" height=113 width=75><font

color="#FFCCFF">.....<img SRC="SolarEclips2.gif" height=73

width=426>.....<img SRC="eclipse-animation.gif" height=74

width=74>.....<img SRC="eclipse22898S_anim.gif" height=100 width=100>

These above diagrams show the functionality of a Solar

eclipse. The one on the far right shows a Partial

Solar Eclipse in action 22nd August 1998. <hr WIDTH="100%">

These show the functionality of a Lunar

eclipse.</center>

"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 & Astronomy". Richard L. Thomson - Sadaputa dasa -

1989. page 1.) <font

size=+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.) <font

face="Balaram"> 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. <font

size=+1> 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. <font

size=+1> In Chapter One (Richard L. Thomson - Sadaputa dasa - 1989.

"Vedic Cosmography & 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

& 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. <font

face="Balaram"> 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. <font

face="Balaram"> 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. Figure 16 (Richard L. Thomson -

Sadaputa dasa - 1989. "Vedic Cosmography & 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 & 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" pages

97-101.) 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. <font

size=+1>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. <font

face="Balaram"> 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. <font

face="Balaram">The 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. <font

face="Balaram">The performance of Rituals at the time of

Graha-Grastah – eclipse: <font

size=+1>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". <font

size=+1> 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 Rähu. According to Vedic astronomy,

the Rähu planet, which is not visible, is accepted. Sometimes the

Rähu planet is visible in the presence of full moonlight. It then

appears that this Rähu planet exists somewhere near the orbit of the

moon. The failure of modern moon excursionists may be due to the Rähu

planet. In other words, those who are supposed to be going to the moon may

actually be going to this invisible planet Rähu."(A.C. Bhaktivedanta

Swami Prabhupada. SB 4:29:69. purport.) <font

face="Balaram"> "The controlling demigods are most

obedient to Lord Viñëu, although they also want material sense

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

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

protected by Lord Viñëu. Being very afraid of Lord

Viñëu’s

cakra, Rähu cannot stay in front of the sun or moon for more than a

muhürta (forty-eight minutes). The phenomenon that occurs when

Rähu 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 Kåñëa, Hare

Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa,

Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare

Hare."(A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1

Introduction.) <font

size=+1>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: "Çréla Jéva Gosvämé

has given quotations from many çästras stating that the

çräddha

ceremony of oblations to the forefathers should not be performed on

Ekädaçé

tithi. When the tithi of the death anniversary falls on the

Ekädaçé

day, the çräddha ceremony should be held not on

Ekädaçé

but on the next day, or dvädaçé. In the Brahma-vaivarta

puräëa it is said: <font

face="Balaram"> If one performs the çräddha

ceremony of oblations to the forefathers on the Ekädaçé

tithi, then the performer, the forefathers for whom the çräddha

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. purport.) <font

size=+1>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 Bhärata-varña,

including the Yädavas, converged at Kurukñetra to earn special

pious credit. After the Yadus had bathed and performed other obligatory

rituals, they noticed that kings of Matsya, Uçénara and other

places had also come, as well as Nanda Mahäräja and the cowherd

community of Vraja, who were always feeling the intense anxiety of

separation from Kåñëa. The Yädavas, 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 Räjasüya-yajïa, on the other

hand, Duryodhana’s jealousy against the Päëòavas became

irrevocably inflamed. Soon after this, Duryodhana challenged

Yudhiñöhira and his brothers to the gambling match, in which he

cheated them of their kingdom and exiled them to the forest. Right after the

Päëòavas’ return from exile, the great Battle of

Kurukñetra took place, during which Bhéñma and

Droëa were killed. So it is not logically possible for the solar

eclipse at Kurukñetra to have happened after the Räjasüya

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

Rähu 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

Kåñëa mahä-mantra. At the time of the birth of Lord

Caitanya Mahäprabhu such a lunar eclipse took place, and naturally all

the people standing in the water were chanting Hare Kåñëa,

Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa

Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma,

Räma Räma, Hare Hare."(A.C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Chaitanya charitamrta Adi-lila 13:92.

purport.) <font

size=+1>"Seeing the lunar eclipse and laughing, both Advaita

Äcärya and Haridäsa Öhäkura 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 Äcärya, by

His own mental strength, distributed various types of charity to the

brähmaëas."(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 Äcärya, therefore, taking advantage of

this eclipse, distributed many varieties of charity to the

brähmaëas.

In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam there is a statement in the

Tenth Canto, Third Chapter, verse 11, that when Kåñëa took

His birth, immediately Vasudeva, taking advantage of this moment,

distributed ten thousand cows to the brähmaëas. 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 Äcärya 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 Äcärya 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 Kåñëa’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

Kurukñetra, the members of the Yadu dynasty took their baths

ceremoniously, with self-control, as enjoined in the çästras,

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 brähmaëas. 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 Paraçuräma. Then they sumptuously fed the

brähmaëas

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.

Capätés, dhal, rice and ordinary vegetables are called raw

foods, as are fruits and salads. But purés, kachaurés,

samosäs, sweet balls and so on are called cooked foods. All the

brähmaëas 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 karmés. When a karmé

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 Kåñëa. 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 Kåñëa. In going to take their baths in

the place of pilgrimage at Kurukñetra, in observing the regulative

principles during the solar eclipse, or in feeding the

brähmaëas—in all their activities—they simply thought of devotion

to Kåñëa. Their ideal worshipable Lord was

Kåñëa, 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. <font

face="Balaram">Genarally 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 (under Vrishabh lagna/Taurus, with a steady nakshatra),

etc. <font

size=+1>MONTHS.

VAISAKHA, ASHADHA, SRAVANA, KARTIKA, MRGASIRSA, PHALGUNA.

<font

size=+1>PAKSA.

KRSNA

; &nb

sp;&nbs

SUKLA <font

size=+1>TITHI. &n

bsp;

2, 3,

5. &n

bsp;

2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13*. <font

face="Balaram"> * The Sri Vaisnava diksa is

generally done on the trayodasi (13). <font

face="Balaram">VARJITAM: (forbidden tithis)

Full moon and Dark Moon – Amavasya (this takes into account any likelihood

of an eclipse, as they only come on Full Moons and Dark

Moons.) <font

size=+1>VARAM. SUNDAY,

MONDAY WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY. <font

size=+1>NAKSHATRAM. <font

size=+1>Asvini, Rohini, Mrgasirsa, Punarvasu, Pushyami, Magha, Uttara

Phalguni, Uttara

Ashadha, Uttara Bhadrapada, Hasta, Citra, Svati, Visakha,

Anuradha, Mula,

Sravana, Satabhisakam, Dhanistha, Revathi. <center>

I hope that this is of some use to

you so that you don't go about performing marriages, yajnas, pujas,

etc., during the solar and lunar eclipses, rather utilise that time in

taking shelter ONLY in the <a

href="http://www.iskcon.net/nzhknetwork/jtcd-hk4.htm'>http://www.iskcon.net/nzhknetwork/jtcd-hk4.htm">HOLY

NAME</a> of the Lord. The time period that an eclipse is around for, it is

suggested is like that of the Sankranti, where after six hours of an

eclipse, then the turbulance has passed. <hr

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SRC="backani2moving.gif" height=60 width=80></a>

<hr WIDTH="100%"> Download a

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