PLEASE TAKE NOTE: Due to the Lunar Eclipse (Chandra Grahanam) the temple will be close due to Lunar Eclipse on 08/10/2014 (Wednesday) at the evening hours as the eclipse will be occurring between 4.16pm up to 9.34pm. The Special Pournami Abishegham will be conducted at 8.30am. The mythology behind the Lunar or Solar eclipse: Long ago there was a great war between the Asuras (demons) and Devatas (gods). The Devatas were routed in the war and they went to Lord Brahma to seek his help. Brahma told them to churn the ocean. As a result they would be able to obtain Amrit (nectar) which would make them immortal and all powerful and after consuming it they would be able to defeat the Asuras. Churning the ocean was a very big job and so the Devatas sought the help of the Asuras. The king of the serpents Vasuki was to become the rope, while a hill named Mandrachal offered to become the pivot. Lord Vishnu, in the form of a tortoise, became the base and the churning process began. The Devatas held the tail of Vasuki and the Asuras held the head. Various things came out, during this churning of the ocean. At last Dhanvantari came out with a pot of Amrit and immediately there was a mad scramble for it among the Devatas and Asuras. Seeing this, Lord Vishnu took the form of Mohini (a beautiful dancer) and offered her services in distributing the Amrit equally to both the Asuras and Devatas. She made both of them sit in two different rows but she gave the Amrit to the Devatas only. Towards the end, one of the Asuras saw through her trick. He went and sat among the Devatas and drank the Amrit. The moment Chandra (Moon) and Surya (Sun), who were sitting beside him, saw that he was a Asura, they informed Mohini. Lord Vishnu came in his real form and let out the Sudarshan Chakra (wheel) at the Asura. The Asuras neck was separated from the body, but he did not die as he had drunk the Amrit. His head was called Rahu and his torso Ketu. The Solar/Lunar Eclipse is believed to be happening because of the act of Rahu gobbling down the sun/moon every now and then as a symbol of retaliation on the act that they had exposed him to Lord Vishnu. What one SHOULD or SHOULDNT do during the eclipse: - bath before and after eclipse - avoid eating during the eclipse ( 4.16pm up to 9.34pm) - keep all your dried food products (eg: biscuits, bread) closed and sealed - once the eclipse is over, avoid eating the food which is cooked before the eclipse - avoid sleeping during the eclipse - try to stay indoors during the eclipse So what one CAN DO during the eclipse: One can simply use this time best to pray and practice spiritual activities. Reciting Japa or mantras, is recommended during the eclipse period. Those who are running the major or sub periods of Rahu or Ketu should chant Rahu mantra, Nagaraja mantra or Goddess Durga mantra (Om Dum Durgaya Namaha) to get rid of the afflictions. All these worships are obviously done at your home as the temples will be closed during eclipse and you would probably remain indoors throughout. After the eclipse is over, take your bath again and eat the food, which is prepared fresh after the eclipse. Thereafter you can resume back to your normal schedule.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 10:31:48 +0000
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