What Rahu basically is ?? 4/7/06 samantha

[Guest guest]

, Prashant Kumar G B

<gbp_kumar wrote:

>

> Hi Samantha,

>

> It is true that it is called a Graha [don't get mixed up with

planet here] By Graha Vedic astrology talks of light emanating bodies,

 

 

> sam_sydney70 <sam_sydney70 wrote:

 

 

> i would like to know what basically rahu is. Is there any scientific

> reason as the defination of Rahu ??

>

> Thanks

>

> Samantha

>

Om Amrtesvaryai Namah!!

 

Namaskarams!

 

in my simple understanding as a beginner, Rahu is, as Rohinranjan and

Prashant Kumar told us, the north node of the Moon, which translates

to that point on the ecliptic where eclipses will happen when sun,

moon, and earth line up in an appropriate way...Thus Rahu rather than

a being of light, or a graha emanating light, is more rightly to be

considered a being of SHADOW...actually a nonentity...that which

exists only when Sun shines upon moon or earth, and which falls behind

the body, a patch of darkness, where the sunlight does not shine.

 

Rahu is considered to be a Graha, but in my humble understanding, the

word Graha means "seizer", because the Grahas seize us, and put us

under their influence in this seizing of us...in that way Rahu can be

considered as a graha, because when his influence is upon us, we are

"seized" by him, and we can no longer think clearly for ourselves, but

instead tend to think and do what the Graha WANTS us to do...even if

it is against our own desires and wishes...thus the necessity of

appeasing the malefic Grahas, so as to offset their seizure, and give

us a little bit more autonomy back.

 

i believe that Rahu, the north node of Moon, the point of eclipse is

so named because there is a story attached to Him and Ketu...which

makes it easier for folks to understand eclipses when they don't have

a scientific training...and helps them not to be so afraid of the

eclipses...

 

Rahu was said to be an asura, a demon, who was around when the Devas

and Asuras were churning the ocean of milk at the beginning of

time...when the pot of Amrita emerged from the ocean, all the asuras

and the Devas began fighting over it...until Sri Visnu assumed the

beautiful, and intoxicating form of Mohini, the most beautiful of the

Goddesses....She grabbed the pot of Amrita, and made a suggestion to

all there...She said that there was no point in fighting over it,

because then it will just end up on the ground, so She would

distribute the Amrita...She suggested that the Asuras, stupified by

Her Beauty, should sit in one line, and the Devas in another line, and

that She would give each of them their due amount of Amrita...both

Asuras and Devas agreed to this....and they lined up in two

lines...Rahu, Who was an Asura started for the Demon line, but then it

suddenly dawned on

him "that Mohini!!!....She's just going to give it all to the Devas,

and we will get nothing"...so he ran off and put on Deva clothes...and

suitably disguised, he joined the Deva lineup sitting between Sun and Moon

....No one noticed at first, but when Mohini started to give him some

drops of the Amrita, after Sun, suddenly Sun and Moon loudly called

out; "Hey...he's a Demon!!!don't give him any Amrita....at that moment

Mohini noticed Her "mistake", and removed Rahu's head with Her

Sudarshana Chakra...however, just enough Amrita had passed through

Rahu's mouth...that he was immortalised....as a headless body...

 

and enough drops of Amrita had touched his lower body, that it too

became immortalised...although dead, totally preserved, like all

those old karmas that we carry around with us, but would love to drop..

 

Of course, Rahu, the head, was furious at being discovered in his

deception, but he was even more furious at having been disconnected

from his body (Ketu), and yet remaining immortal...

 

so from then on Rahu has been chasing sun and moon around wanting to

eat them....when he catches them, we have an eclipse...but of course

what a bodiless head will eat, cannot be digested, but just comes out

the other side, good as new....so Rahu is always hungry for new

things...because he just can't digest what he has eaten....

 

thus you have the image of the sun or moon being swallowed up in the

eclipse....swallowed up into total darkness, and then coming out the

other side, through Rahu's "neck", completely ok and renewed...

 

it is a great explanation for the nonscientific folks.

 

thus you have Rahu always hungry for new experiences, for new foods,

for new people, for foreigners (he was trying to hang out with the

Devas, dressed in Deva clothes after all...no wonder he signifies

foreigners!)

 

to all those who are already familiar with and possibly bored by this

story, i apologise right now...but i find it and interesting and

useful way to understand what Rahu is up to in our lives.

 

hope that was of some interest

 

in the service of Divine Love,

as ever,

your own Self,

 

visvanathan

 

Om Namah Sivaya