Rahu-KAlaM / राहु-शीर्षम्
--
The Cosmic story of Celestial Beings is narrated in a direct and overt way in Veda and PurANa; - as also in the Epics Ramayana (of Valmiki) and Mahabharata (of Veda-Vyasa).
When the Cosmic Ocean was churned by the combined efforts of Dragons (असुर) and the heavenly entities (देवताः), the poison named "हलाहल / कालकूट" emerged out.
Shankara (Mahadeva) got it trapped into His throat, and saved the world from it.
Then emerged out Lakshmi (The Wealth, the earth / globe), which was owned espoused by Vishnu, who is the same as
।। कच्छ मच्छ वराह नरसिंह वामन भार्गव राम कृष्ण बलराम-लक्ष्मण ।।
These are the nine (9) manifestations of the Lord Vishnu.
Vishnu is the पुरुषोत्तम the Supreme entity that maintains and preserves the World of Existence.
At the most mundane (मुण्डं) level He is seen in the name-and form of All that is the World and in the world (लोक) . That is why each and every individual is also referred to as 'लोक'.
Vishnu being पुरुषोत्तम / अहम् / आत्मा dwells in the heart / core of all beings (भूतानि).
That is How every-one always knows Him and every-one while speaking about the 'self' refers to Him in terms of 'I'.
'I' is the 'Eye', that is the threshold of the world, of the self (the individual) and the Supreme Reality that abides ever as Vishnu.
Then cones what we call 'Time and Space'
Space is Vacuum (शून्यम्) while Time is generated in terms of events that again depends on the earth and is hypothesized / inferred by its rotation around its own axis and revolution around the Sun as well.
Sun was the first reflection of the Supreme entity 'Vishnu' the 'पुरुषोत्तम / अहम् / आत्मा',
Sun (विवस्वान्) was taught the Knowledge-Supreme (योगं) by पुरुषोत्तम / अहम् / आत्मा.
Gita refers to this in chapter 4 :
इमं विवस्वते योगं प्रोक्तवानहमव्ययम्।
विवस्वान्मनवे प्राह मनुरिक्ष्वाकवेऽब्रवीत्।।1
--
Thus This secret and sacred knowledge "Yoga" was first taught to Sun by Vishnu was then taught by Sun to Manu (man) and man (meaning the pure and clear mind of man) then taught the same to इक्ष्वाकु (The one who governs and dominates the Earth); - The 'King'.
इक्ष्वाकु was the ancestor of Sri Rama.
Sri Rama like others as told above in
।। कच्छ मच्छ वराह नरसिंह वामन भार्गव राम कृष्ण बलराम-लक्ष्मण ।।
was but the incarnation of Vishnu पुरुषोत्तम / Himself.
When the Ocean was further churned; there was the nectar (Ambrosia अमृतं) and that was to be distributed to all Cosmic Celestial entities (सुराः).
There was सोम (चंद्र) that too was obtained while churning the Ocean.
The सोम (चंद्र) is the ओषधि / सुरा / harmony on the earth . As ओषधि (ओष - oxen, oxygen) it was at once imbibed by the heavenly entities (देवताः), while the demons (असुराः) denied to partake the same.
There-after when the nectar (Ambrosia अमृतं) came out, Rahu (a specific Dragon) entered the party where it nectar (Ambrosia अमृतं) was served to entities (देवताः) only because demons (असुराः) had already denied to take the सोम (चंद्र) in the form of ओषधि / सुरा / harmony.
The Demon Rahu, however stealthily entered the party and this was pointed out to Vishnu when Vishnu was distributing the nectar (Ambrosia अमृतं) to the party of the heavenly entities (देवताः).
The 5 senses of action (कर्मेन्द्रिय) are verily the dragon while the 5 senses of perception are verily the heavenly entities (देवताः).
At the same time Sun and Moon are the sense of sight; that nose the मातरिश्वा, and the ears the अश्विनौ, the mouth is verily the अग्निः / Ignus in the form of hunger, thirst and the voice.
Then Vishnu severed off the body of Rahu (Time) into two and its Head was at the one end of the world while the trunk at the other.
Thus 'Time' came to exist.
In terms of Space;
The 'Ketu' / केतु ; the trunk occupied the world as Dragon's Tail as well.
--
As the dragon was cut into two, yet had drank a drop of the nectar (Ambrosia अमृतं), he too like the heavenly entities (देवताः); became immortal.
The legend tells that when on the occasion of the Solar / Lunar Eclipse the event is repeated,
The Dragons Head (Rahu) tries to swallow the Sun / Moon while later on had to free the two.
--
Adi Shankaraacharya (आदि शंकराचार्य) describes the same in His श्री दक्षिणामूर्ति स्तोत्रं :
राहुग्रस्तदिवाकरेंदुसदृशओ मायासमाच्छादनात्
सन्मात्रः करणोपसंहरतो योऽभूत् सुषुप्तः पुमान्।
प्रागस्वाप्समिति प्रबोधसमये यः प्रत्यभिज्ञायते
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये।।
--
As a consequence, when such an eclipse occurs, the temples are shut down for the time till this lasts.
Then when the incidence is over, they are again opened and cleaned and purified.
Such is the Great Fear of the Rahu !
--
--
The Cosmic story of Celestial Beings is narrated in a direct and overt way in Veda and PurANa; - as also in the Epics Ramayana (of Valmiki) and Mahabharata (of Veda-Vyasa).
When the Cosmic Ocean was churned by the combined efforts of Dragons (असुर) and the heavenly entities (देवताः), the poison named "हलाहल / कालकूट" emerged out.
Shankara (Mahadeva) got it trapped into His throat, and saved the world from it.
Then emerged out Lakshmi (The Wealth, the earth / globe), which was owned espoused by Vishnu, who is the same as
।। कच्छ मच्छ वराह नरसिंह वामन भार्गव राम कृष्ण बलराम-लक्ष्मण ।।
These are the nine (9) manifestations of the Lord Vishnu.
Vishnu is the पुरुषोत्तम the Supreme entity that maintains and preserves the World of Existence.
At the most mundane (मुण्डं) level He is seen in the name-and form of All that is the World and in the world (लोक) . That is why each and every individual is also referred to as 'लोक'.
Vishnu being पुरुषोत्तम / अहम् / आत्मा dwells in the heart / core of all beings (भूतानि).
That is How every-one always knows Him and every-one while speaking about the 'self' refers to Him in terms of 'I'.
'I' is the 'Eye', that is the threshold of the world, of the self (the individual) and the Supreme Reality that abides ever as Vishnu.
Then cones what we call 'Time and Space'
Space is Vacuum (शून्यम्) while Time is generated in terms of events that again depends on the earth and is hypothesized / inferred by its rotation around its own axis and revolution around the Sun as well.
Sun was the first reflection of the Supreme entity 'Vishnu' the 'पुरुषोत्तम / अहम् / आत्मा',
Sun (विवस्वान्) was taught the Knowledge-Supreme (योगं) by पुरुषोत्तम / अहम् / आत्मा.
Gita refers to this in chapter 4 :
इमं विवस्वते योगं प्रोक्तवानहमव्ययम्।
विवस्वान्मनवे प्राह मनुरिक्ष्वाकवेऽब्रवीत्।।1
--
Thus This secret and sacred knowledge "Yoga" was first taught to Sun by Vishnu was then taught by Sun to Manu (man) and man (meaning the pure and clear mind of man) then taught the same to इक्ष्वाकु (The one who governs and dominates the Earth); - The 'King'.
इक्ष्वाकु was the ancestor of Sri Rama.
Sri Rama like others as told above in
।। कच्छ मच्छ वराह नरसिंह वामन भार्गव राम कृष्ण बलराम-लक्ष्मण ।।
was but the incarnation of Vishnu पुरुषोत्तम / Himself.
When the Ocean was further churned; there was the nectar (Ambrosia अमृतं) and that was to be distributed to all Cosmic Celestial entities (सुराः).
There was सोम (चंद्र) that too was obtained while churning the Ocean.
The सोम (चंद्र) is the ओषधि / सुरा / harmony on the earth . As ओषधि (ओष - oxen, oxygen) it was at once imbibed by the heavenly entities (देवताः), while the demons (असुराः) denied to partake the same.
There-after when the nectar (Ambrosia अमृतं) came out, Rahu (a specific Dragon) entered the party where it nectar (Ambrosia अमृतं) was served to entities (देवताः) only because demons (असुराः) had already denied to take the सोम (चंद्र) in the form of ओषधि / सुरा / harmony.
The Demon Rahu, however stealthily entered the party and this was pointed out to Vishnu when Vishnu was distributing the nectar (Ambrosia अमृतं) to the party of the heavenly entities (देवताः).
The 5 senses of action (कर्मेन्द्रिय) are verily the dragon while the 5 senses of perception are verily the heavenly entities (देवताः).
At the same time Sun and Moon are the sense of sight; that nose the मातरिश्वा, and the ears the अश्विनौ, the mouth is verily the अग्निः / Ignus in the form of hunger, thirst and the voice.
Then Vishnu severed off the body of Rahu (Time) into two and its Head was at the one end of the world while the trunk at the other.
Thus 'Time' came to exist.
In terms of Space;
The 'Ketu' / केतु ; the trunk occupied the world as Dragon's Tail as well.
--
As the dragon was cut into two, yet had drank a drop of the nectar (Ambrosia अमृतं), he too like the heavenly entities (देवताः); became immortal.
The legend tells that when on the occasion of the Solar / Lunar Eclipse the event is repeated,
The Dragons Head (Rahu) tries to swallow the Sun / Moon while later on had to free the two.
--
Adi Shankaraacharya (आदि शंकराचार्य) describes the same in His श्री दक्षिणामूर्ति स्तोत्रं :
राहुग्रस्तदिवाकरेंदुसदृशओ मायासमाच्छादनात्
सन्मात्रः करणोपसंहरतो योऽभूत् सुषुप्तः पुमान्।
प्रागस्वाप्समिति प्रबोधसमये यः प्रत्यभिज्ञायते
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये।।
--
As a consequence, when such an eclipse occurs, the temples are shut down for the time till this lasts.
Then when the incidence is over, they are again opened and cleaned and purified.
Such is the Great Fear of the Rahu !
--
