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Tattvavichara » Truth Musings

1. Lndasa
   Member

   Que:
   sun closer then moon? then how you explain suneclipse; moon comes in between the sun and the earth.

   Ans:
   That was a good question. Although the Surya Siddanta gives a similar explanation that during solar eclipse the moon comes in between the Sun and the earth (source: Sadaputa Prabhu).

   The puranas hold that it?s the Rahu and Ketu who are the real cause for eclipses.

   SB 5.24.2:
   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.

   In 5.24.3 we can see how the eclipse starts and brought to an end as well.

   Lets start with the information we have with us,

   Rahu:

   Vertical displacement (of the orbit): 90,000 yojanas.
   Orbital period: 18 earthly years (source Vayu Purana).
   Nature of the planet: The presiding deity of the planet is inimical towards presiding deities of Sun and Moon because of their role in spoiling his attempt to get the nectar.

   Ketu:

   Almost the same as Rahu. Both Rahu and Ketu are dark planets. So cannot be seen by telescopes.

   Sun:
   Vertical displacement (of the orbit): 100,000 yojanas.
   Orbital period: 1 earthly year.

   Moon:
   Vertical displacement (of the orbit): 200,000 yojanas.
   Orbital period: 1 earthly month.

   The Surya siddanta mentions Rahu and Ketu as the ascending and descending nodes of moon and not real planets (source Sadaputa PR). However the Puranas hold them to be real planets with specified orbits.

   On a new moon day both the sun and moon are in the same (background) constellation. When Rahu or Ketu happens to come to the same constellation they are very much at a reachable distance from the Sun. This is when the solar eclipse could occur. This occurs very occasionally because Rahu has an orbital period of 18 earthly years.

   Whereas on a full moon day the Sun and Moon are in opposite constellations. A lunar eclipse could occur if Rahu or Ketu come in the same constellation as the moon.

   There are two explanations I have come across to explain what happens during
   the solar and lunar eclipses. In both cases the eclipser (eclipse causing planet i.e Rahu or Ketu) blocks the light coming from the eclipsed (sun or moon) planet. This is possible because both the eclipser planet have an orbit lower than the both the eclipsed planets.

   1. Eclipser comes in the same line of sight with the eclipsed when seen from Bharata varsha part of the Bhumandala. I think Srila Prabhupada also takes this position. “Rahu cannot stay in front of the sun or moon for more than a muhrta ?forty-eight minutes). The phenomenon that occurs when Rahu blocks the light of the sun or moon is called an eclipse”. Srila Prabhupada says
   Rahu stays in front of the Sun.

   2. The second explanation I have come across by one Vedic scholar quoting purportedly from Vayu Purana. He says that the eclipser planet sends out a jet of light rays that neutralizes the light coming from the eclipsed planet.

   We know the first has to be correct because Srila Prabhupada said that and the second one may also be true. We also sometimes see what is called as partial eclipses.

   I know very little on cosmology as described in the Puranas. This is an attempt to show that the puranic cosmology is internally consistent. The acaryas who have understood them are of the opinion that whatever is described in Srimad Bhagavatam is correct. Sripada Madhvacarya mentions in his Bhagavatam commentary as follows,

   “yathA bhAgavatetu uktam bhauvanam koSa lakSanam tasya avirodhato yojyam anya granthAntare stitam”

   Srimad Bhagavatam is the authoritative text which tells us about cosmology, and information gathered from any source should be in accordance to it.

   May at present we aren’t able to perceive things as described in the sastras. In the opinion of acaryas this is solely due to imperfection of human senses. However we need to do our sadhana and hope to understand it because we also need to explain to people.

   Hope this helps.

   - Lndasa

   Posted 1 year ago #

2. Krsnamitranitai
   Member

   Que:How do we justify explanation of eclipses given in the Vedas as Rahu swallowing Chandra?

   Ans: - By H.H Romapada swami

   First, I would like to make a general comment that it is not quite necessary to justify evidence from shastras or try to reconcile them in light of modern discoveries. Vedic truths stand on their own authority and also have their own deeper reason and logic even though it may not seem evident to us. According to Vedic methods, the modern scientific methods are lesser methods of arriving at truth and knowledge, and as we know all too well, they are ever subject to revision. Thus whenever there seems to be a discrepancy between Vedic statements versus the evidence of our sense perception or empirical scientific experiments, we can assume that it is the empiric conclusion that might be in need of justification and revision!

   Let us now turn to have a clearer picture of what the Vedic sciences really have to say about eclipses. Perhaps it may come as a surprise to some that the explanation based on the shadow theory was not unknown to Vedic astronomers. There has been, since time immemorial, a strong tradition in Vedic culture where people's daily life was tightly interwoven with and constantly regulated by astronomical and astrological considerations. Intricate ritualistic ceremonies and religious duties were connected to astronomical events, and complex astrological and calendrical calculations were regularly performed by highly learned brahmanas. Vedic calendars since ancient times have had accurate predictions of the eclipses. For example, we hear in the pastimes of Krishna that once there was a rare type of solar eclipse which was predicted by astronomical calculation, and people from all over India traveled to arrive at Kurukshetra in anticipation of this occasion. (Krishna Book Ch 82)

   The body of Indian astronomical literature called jyotisha shastra gives computational rules to predict the occurrence of both lunar and solar eclipses and even compute the degree to which the disc of the sun or moon will be obscured! These calculations are based on the model that eclipses are caused by the passage of the moon in front of the sun or into the earth's shadow. At the same time, rules are also given for calculating the position of Rahu and another similar planet named Ketu, which are invisible planets whose positions, notably, correspond to the ascending and descending nodes of the moon (the points where the orbit of the moon intersects the ecliptic, or the orbit of the sun), respectively. It turns out that either Rahu or Ketu will always be lined up in the direction of any solar or lunar eclipse. (Reference: Vedic Cosmography and Astronomy by Sadaputa Dasa)

   Modern scholars tend to hypothesize that these calculations are probably later introductions borrowed from the Greek, but there is no real evidence to this and there is nothing that suggests that the transfer of knowledge might not have happened the other way round, (viz. India to Greece) given the fact that astrology and the influence of planets such as Rahu and Ketu have played such a vital role in Vedic society for centuries. We can conclude that these methods of calculation were in common use in India at least since Krishna's time, i.e. 5000 years ago.

   This may then raise the question that if such astronomical sophistication was indeed known to Vedic sciences, then what about the stories involving Rahu being the head of a demon decapitated by the Mohini incarnation. One might tend to think that perhaps these are just superfluous or mythological stories with no substance to them and were simply added on as poetic interpretations to entertain the common man. However, Vedic accounts have multiple levels of meanings embedded in them and thus descriptions of the personalities such as Surya, Candra (the presiding deities of sun and moon), or Rahu and Ketu need not preclude their simultaneously being astronomical entities.

   One may raise the objection that if these celestial bodies are in fact controlled by divine personalities, how is it that they obey such precise patterns and predictable natural laws. But even within our day-to-day experience it is not impossible to find highly regulated protocols and routine procedures being executed by human beings.

   In summary, physical and astronomical explanation and calculation of eclipses were an integral part of Vedic sciences, and in addition the narration of Rahu chasing the sun and moon are not merely poetic myths but factual accounts which may contain multiple levels of meaning, both astronomical as well as involving personal deities.

   Posted 1 year ago #

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