79 - Reason for not viewing the Eclipsed Sun

Nanda said- О lord of the universe, why is the viewing of the sun and moon eclipsed by Rahu and the moon on the fourth day of the bright fortnight is prohibited. 

You are the creator of the Vedas, therefore who else could be consulted on the subject? This is a secret topic in the Vedas as well as in the Puranas. Because of this, even the people with wisdom are not aware of the same. On hearing this, the lord said to him. 

The lord said- The revealing of this secret is prohibited in the Vedas; therefore, you please forgive me and you ask for something else. О father, the secret things are not revealed by the learned people, because by doing so some obstructions or dissensions are created among the intellectuals. 

Nanda said- О lord of the universe, you kindly tell me. Do not deprive a devotee of the knowledge; why are the sun and the moon getting eclipsed considered as auspicious? 

Lord Krishna said- О Nanda, I am going to narrate to you an old story by listening to which, a man is freed from blemish and earns the merit of having a bath in a holy place. I am going to tell you the same. You please listen. The sin one earns after looking at a most sinful person-all such sins are washed out by listening to the story. 

Once, Jamadagni delightfully went to the bank of Narmada together with his wife Renuka. He enjoyed the water-sport with her on the bank of the river; she was newly wedded, beautiful, quite youthful, clad in beautiful garments, wearing a serene smile on the face, adorned with the best of ornaments studded with gems, heaving with the weight of her breasts, having a developed pelvic region, moving slowly, the best of the beauties, having the complexion of white champaka flowers and the face like the full moon and the sharp side-glances. 

О lord of Vraja, she was clad in extremely fine garments and was filled with passion; she was feeling emotional and had fainted after the union. The sweet notes of the cuckoos, the hissing sound of the black wasps, the fragrant breeze, the flower beds arranged on the bank of the river looked quite fine. The sage had his body plastered with sandal-paste and having the rosary on the clothes, was engaged in the love-sport with the damsel. At that point of time the sun spoke to him, "You are the great grandson of Brahma the lord of the universe, who happens to be the creator of the Vedas. You are yourself quite well-versed in the Vedas and the post-Vedic literature, well-versed in the dharma, the best of those well-versed in the Vedas, a great ascetic, illustrious, a Brahmachari and performer of the best of vratas.". 

The people attain wisdom with the study of the scriptures composed by you. It is quite religious to act according to the provision of the Vedas and to act against them is quite sinful. Therefore, being well-versed in the dharma, why are you acting in an opposite manner? How have you been indulging in the sinful ways when the Vedas prohibit union between a man and woman during the day time? 

I am the witness of all the religious people; that is why I am speaking to you like this. On hearing the words of the sun, the sage stopped enjoying the conjugal pleasures and finding Surya having been turned into the form of a Brahmana, the sage was over-powered with shame and anger. His mouth became red in anger. Renuka also hurriedly clad herself in the garments. 

Jamadagni said- How do you consider yourself a great intellectual; is there no other intellectual on earth beside you? I am a pupil of sage Bhrugu and you happen to be a pupil of sage Kashyapa. I am quite well-versed in all the four Vedas and the provisions of dharma and the sins prescribed their in. The actions according to the Vedas are considered to be dharma and the opposite of the same is called sinful. Whatever you have spoken now is meant for the people without wisdom and those who are inactive having been surrounded with their own deeds. But the illustrious person while moving in an opposite direction does not earn and sin like the fire flames which consumes everything. The people, yourself and all others are witnesses of dharma and your son named dharma also bestows the reward for the deeds, still you do not happen to be the rulers of the Vaishnavas like us.

The devotees of lord Vasudeva never meet with any evil because the Sudarshana-chakra of the lord always protects them. Therefore, О son, none of the gods like Narayana, lord Brahma, Shiva, Yama and you yourself can control us. We people always move at will like the princes. I can reduce all the people including Yama and the gods to ashes. О son, I can make Mahendra and others lifeless just in a moment. 

How could you be the spokesperson for me? You go to your abode; Sri Krishna happens to be my only lord who is beyond Prakruti. Arriving in this lonely place, you have destroyed my conjugal pleasures. Because of this, you would disappear due to your being eclipsed by Rahu.

The clouds who used to arrive to have a look at you always remained at a distance from you but with the blowing of the wind they would cover you and your arrogance and lustre would disappear with then. Getting covered by the clouds, you would lose your lustre and you would be eclipsed by Rahu. Listening to the words of Brahmana, the sun offered prayers to Jamadagni with folded hands.

The sun said- О well-versed in dharma, all the Brahmanas are adorable, graceful and respected, even lord Narayana, Shiva, Brahma, Ganesha, Sesha, eternal dharma and even Janardana in the form of a Brahmana, adore the Brahmanas. О Brahmana, we are receiving everything that is given by the Brahmanas. The Brahmanas as well as the god of fire are extremely important for us, they happen to be the mouths for all the gods. The Brahmanas are the best and you happen to be the pure Vaishnava. You perform your dharma. The Vaishnavas are devoid of anger, in whose mind the lord Janardana always resides. The Brahmanas are adorable by us and you adore all the gods. Therefore, О Brahmana, this type of conduct begets mutual love. If you have pronounced a curse on me, I am also going to pronounce a curse on you, because otherwise you would feel that the sun has no lustre. Therefore, О Brahmana, you would he defeated by a Kshatriya and you would meet your end with the weapon of a Kshatriya. On hearing the words of the sun, the Brahmana was again enraged as a result of which his face became extremely red, he pronounced another curse on the sun saying, you would be defeated by Shiva. 

О lord of Vraja, knowing about the dispute of both of them, Brahma and Kashyapa arrived there. On their arrival Brahma, the teacher of all, the well-known persons spoke to the panic-stricken Surya and the extremely religious sage Jamadagni. 

Brahma said- О sun, you are the form of Narayana, therefore you forgive the Brahmana who is to be maintained by you and is not to be killed. I would reveal to you the result of the curse pronounced by you because I have arrived here getting terrified at the instance of Bhrugu, Kashyapa and Marici. Therefore, I am going to speak out plainly. О best of the gods, you be peaceful, you are the witness of all the people, sometime you would be covered by the clouds but then again you would be freed from the same. 

You would be eclipsed by Rahu when the year has a short or the access of a month. At that point of time you would not be looked at by the people but for some people looking at you would be quite meritorious. Besides this a look at you at all the times would bestow merit. People would be relieved of their sins by going before you. 

By remaining in the house of birth, the seventh, eighth, tenth, ninth, fourth and tenth house, you would be invisible for the people and similarly at the time of sunset, with the sky over-cast with clouds, at noon, in the water and when half risen, your viewing would earn sin for the people. 

Because of the grief of the wife, moving in the forest or the abode of father-in-law and wives' brothers your lustre would be reduced. Otherwise your wife Sanjna would be unable to bear your heat. You would be defeated by Shiva while engaged in the battle with the demons named Mali and Sumali. 

О lord of Vraja, thus speaking to Surya, Brahma further said to the Brahmana who was quite humble, defeated by the curse, feeling shameful and enraged. He said, "O Brahmana, now you go to your abode." О son, you can reduce the entire universe to ashes in a moment. Instead of behaving like that you comfortably go to your abode because you have to serve the sun always and the sun to you. Thus, the relation between both of you is adorable and stands and stands for survival of both of you. A king named Kartavirya Arjuna would be born in the race of Kshatriya and you would be defeated at his hand and meet with your end.

Your path of the birth and death has not been destroyed so far but Narayana would be your son from his amsha who would relieve the earth of Kshatriyas, twenty-one times and your death at the hands of a Kshatriya would earn glory in the universe. 

О lord of Vraja, after thus speaking Brahma went to the Brahmaloka. Thereafter Bhaskara and Jamadagni also reverted to their respective places. О father, the reason for which the sun is eclipsed and is not to be viewed during that time, the same reason has been highlighted by me. О father, I shall now narrate to you the old story relating to the prohibiting of the viewing of the moon during the fourth day of the black fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada and the reason for the sun getting eclipsed with the curse of the sage is related to the old story which I am going to tell you now.