Why does a solar eclipse occur? Know the Hinduism belief and importance
Solar eclipses have always been considered an important astronomical event, which is deeply connected to science, astrology, and religious beliefs. This phenomenon occurs when the Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth and covers the Sun for some time.
According to Indian religious beliefs, a solar eclipse is not only an astronomical event, but it is also seen from an important spiritual and mythological point of view in Hinduism. Many stories and mysteries related to it are hidden in the Indian scriptures and Puranas. In this sequence, let us know about the mythological and interesting stories related to the solar eclipse.
The story of Rahu-Ketu and Amrit Manthan
The most famous story associated with the solar eclipse is that of Samudra Manthan. It is mentioned in the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata Purana. According to this story, when the gods and demons churned the ocean to obtain Amrit, Lord Dhanvantari appeared with the Amrit Kalash. A struggle began between the gods and demons to obtain it. Lord Vishnu took the form of Mohini and distributed the Amrit, but he played a trick and refused to give Amrit to the demons.
But one of the demons, called Swarbhanu, disguised as the gods and succeeded in consuming the Amrit. The Sun and the Moon identified him and informed Lord Vishnu about it. Lord Vishnu got angry and separated his head from his body with his Sudarshan Chakra.
Since he had drunk the Amrit, his body became immortal. His head came into existence as Rahu, and the torso as Ketu. Since then, Rahu and Ketu have been hostile towards the Sun and the Moon and, from time to time, devour them to take revenge. If we believe in the beliefs, then this is the reason behind solar and lunar eclipses.
There is also a mention of a solar eclipse in the Ramayana
There is also a mention of a solar eclipse in the Ramayana. According to the legend, when the war was going on between Lord Rama and Ravana, Ravana’s powers were at their peak. It is believed that during the war, there was a terrible solar eclipse, which caused darkness all around.
It is said that during this eclipse, Lord Rama received special power from Lord Surya and recited Aditya Hridya Stotra and this gave him the power to defeat Ravana. This incident is seen as a turning point in the Ramayana.
In the Mahabharata, too, a solar eclipse changed the direction of the war.
In the Mahabharata, a solar eclipse was used as a weapon in the battlefield. When the war was going on between the Kauravas and Pandavas, Arjuna had vowed to kill Jayadratha. But the Kauravas had made a strong strategy to protect Jayadratha. Lord Krishna knew that Arjuna could kill Jayadratha only before sunset. In such a situation, he created an artificial solar eclipse with his divine power, due to which there was darkness all around and the Kauravas thought that the sun had set. As soon as Jayadratha loosened his guard, Lord Krishna made the sun appear again and Arjuna took advantage of the opportunity and killed Jayadratha.
Know why eclipses happen according to science
Solar eclipse is a kind of eclipse. According to physics, when the moon comes between the sun and the earth, the image of the sun gets covered for some time behind the moon, this phenomenon is called solar eclipse. The earth revolves around the sun and the moon revolves around the earth. Sometimes the moon comes between the sun and the earth. Then it blocks some or all of the sun’s light, due to which a shadow falls on the earth. This phenomenon is called solar eclipse. This phenomenon always occurs on Amavasya.
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