what is indian myth according to solar eclipse
Answers
Answer:
While India won't be witnessing the total solar eclipse today, the rituals surrounding it will be followed.
Explanation:
total solar eclipse, one of the biggest astronomical phenomenons ever, is going to happen today. It will be visible across the United States of America for the first time after 99 years.
And while people in India won't be able to witness it--it is set to occur between 9.15 pm and 2.34 am--there are a number of religious rituals that will be followed to the T.
Eclipses or grahan are considered to be inauspicious according to the Hindu mythology. The sun, which is worshipped as a major life force in the universe, disappears during the solar eclipse, making it an omen of all things evil. Naturally then, a number of rituals are conducted to minimise the negative effects of this natural phenomenon.
The Sun, the Moon and the demon, Rahu
The story of eclipses in Hindu mythology dates back to the samudra manthan, as described in both Bhagawat and Vishnu Puranas. After the amrit or elixir of immortality was churned out of the ocean, the Devas used the apsara Mohini to trick the Asuras out of its share. One of the Asuras, Svarbhanu, disguised himself as a Deva, and sat between the Sun and the Moon for a drink of the elixir.
When Vishnu came closer, the Sun and the Moon revealed that Svarbhanu was a demon. By this time, however, Svarbhanu had already sipped on the drink. Vishnu immediately cut off his head, but since the demon had already swallowed a bit of the nectar, his head became immortal.