Surya Grahan on October 25: What to follow and What not during solar eclipse

Bhubaneswar: The world will witness this year’s last Surya Grahan on October 25. The solar eclipse will be a partial one and will be visible in India.

According to timeanddate website, the partial solar eclipse will be visible from Europe, the Urals and Western Siberia, South Asia, West Asia, North Africa, East Africa and Atlantic. The maximal phase of the partial eclipse will be recorded on West Siberian Plain in Russia near Nizhnevartovsk.

As per Hindu almanac, the Surya Grahan will be seen in all the states on October 25 (Tuesday) during the holy month of Kartik.

The eclipse will begin at 4.56 pm (IST) and will be at its peak at 5.43 pm (IST). It will last till 6.26 pm (IST).

Hence, there will be no rituals at temples and homes from 4.57 am onwards on October 25. The preparation and intake of food will be strictly avoided during the period. The religious rituals will resume after 6.26 pm on October 25 following ritual bath.

‘Surya Grahan’ is a celestial event, which occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, blocking the Sun rays from reaching the Earth for a moment.

Even though, the solar eclipse is an astronomical event, it has mythological and astrological relevance as per Indian culture.

According to Hindu mythology, Rahu, the demon, following Samudra Manthan’ (churning of sea), in guise of a dev had consumed ‘Amrit’ (elixir) by sitting between Lord Chandra (Moon) and Lord Surya (Sun) while Lord Vishnu in form of a beautiful woman called ‘Mohini’ was serving the elixir among the devas. When Lord Vishnu realised that Rahu had tricked them to have elixir to attain immortality, he immediately severed his head. As the demon had already consumed the elixir, he was divided into two parts — the head portion was called ‘Rahu’ and the body part was called ‘Ketu’. As Lord Chandra and Surya disclosed the true identity of Rahu before Lord Vishnu, the demon has been taking revenge by gobbling up the Sun and Moon for a friction of period.

However, the belief system is not recommended by the science. But, people exercise certain caution during eclipses.

There are several rules that have been traditionally followed since ages in India.

DO’s to follow during Surya Grahan:

1. Take bath before and after solar eclipse.

2. Take food at least two hours before eclipse.

3. Meditate during solar eclipse. Chant the hymns of Lord Shiva, Guru and Lord Vishnu during Surya Grahan.

4. Clean house after Surya Grahan and sprinkle Gangajal around the house. It brings positivity and protects from ill effects of eclipse.

DON’Ts:

1. Avoid direct exposure to Sun during eclipse.

2. Avoid cooking and eating during eclipse.

3. Do not look at Sun with naked eyes.

4. Pregnant women should not step outside home during eclipse.

5. If you have cooked food, just throw it before eclipse or put a holy basil leaf on it to remove negative effect of Surya Grahan.

6. Put holy basil leaves in water containers to avoid ill effect.

7. Avoid sleeping or stepping out during Grahan.

8. Make sure that the sunlight does not enter your house and cover your doors with curtains.