Solar Eclipses, Science and Sanatan!

A Solar eclipse is going to take place on the 8th night of April'24 (as per Indian Standard Time) and will be visible in North & South America.

It is a celestial event occurring since time immemorial. According to modern Science, any solar eclipse occurs when the moon seems to cover the sun when viewed from Earth.

Now, it occurs only twice a year, and not on every new moon (when sun, moon and earth seems to be in a straight line). This implies that the Earth and moon's elliptical paths are not aligned in a straight line as depicted in the above picture. These paths intersect at two nodes (where eclipses occur) described in Vedic Sanatan knowledge as Rahu-Ketu, with associated Puranic stories carrying profound astronomical and spiritual insights. Texts like Surya Siddhanta, Jyotish, Vedas, Puranas, Bhagavad Geeta etc. are rich in cosmic wisdom, enabling ancient Indians to predict solar and lunar eclipses well in advance without modern tools and just based on jyotish calculations. This raises the question of how Vedic Indians acquired this knowledge in the first place. According to our education and historical understanding, these astronomical phenomena were discovered much later, primarily by the Western world.

However, the precise knowledge of astronomical phenomena and objects possessed by ancient Indian Vedic people suggests a deep understanding of the cosmos in both scientific and spiritual realms, possibly indicating some yogic superpowers enabling them to comprehend the universe without modern instruments.

But most of us have ignored or are not aware of the Sanatan knowledge in its true essence. In contrast, organizations like CERN are having the Nataraja statue to discover the mysteries of the cosmos.

Several other cosmic and earthly marvels from the ancient wisdom are -

1) Earth's wobble - Vedic people were aware of Earth's axial wobble, as evidenced by the existence of three actual North Stars (Dhruv taras), with Earth taking thousand of years to shift from one 'North Star' to the other.

2) Planets, Jyotish, and Karma Cycle - In Science, Mars known as the Red planet, and shares similarities with Earth. In Jyotish, Mars is associated with blood and red color, referred to as Earth's son since vedic times. This brings out the fact that the vedic people knew about the planets way more than we do now. Our karmic lives are governed by these 9 planets & 27 nakshatras. Jyotish is an ancient and mystical science that serves as a guide to understanding one's karma cycle and living in alignment with it to eventually break free from the karmic cycle.

3) Month names, Nakshatra and Panchang - Indian month names reflect the moon's transit through the 27 constellations (nakshatras) in a lunar month, such as 'Chaitra' month based on 'Chitra' nakshatra, 'Phalgun' month on 'Phalguni' nakshatra, etc. Hence, Indian 'Panchang' has the five elements (including nakshatras) through which the time is defined and is based on heavy mathematical calculations depicting cosmic phenomena.

4) Unique Twin-Star system - It's still a wonder as ancient rishis identified a twin star system thousands of years ago, naming it Arundhati-Vasishtha. Unlike most twin star systems where one star is stationary and the other orbits it, Arundhati and Vasishtha rotate synchronously. Hence, ancient priests advised newlyweds to seek the blessings of this star couple as a symbol of commitment and equality.

5) Why Monday follows Sunday - The sequence of days (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc.) is based on 'Hora Shastra' from the Surya Siddhanta book. In Jyotish, there are seven physical planets excluding Rahu and Ketu (two nodes), arranged in a sequence of one 'hora' or hour. This cycle repeats three times in 24 hours, with the remaining hours added to the next cycle. Any particular day is named after the hora at sunrise, leading to one particular order of days in a week.

All this ancient Vedic knowledge with the intricate details about solar and lunar eclipses, planetary movements, and celestial bodies demonstrate a remarkable level of observational and theoretical understanding that was ahead of its time and hints at a super consciousness beyond human life, as eloquently summarized by young 'Sheldon Cooper'(from Big Bang theory TV series) in this clip, implying the existence of a creator. It is intriguing to ponder how we lost this knowledge and became ignorant of concepts and mystical tales that are deeply rooted in Indian culture.

The connections drawn between cosmic events and spiritual principles in Vedic teachings provide a holistic perspective on existence and our place within the universe. The reverence for nature, cosmic cycles, and the interconnectedness of all life forms are central themes in Vedic philosophy.

Given these undeniable facts, exploring and rediscovering this ancient wisdom can offer valuable insights into our relationship with the cosmos, nature, and the deeper aspects of our existence. By integrating this knowledge into our modern lives, we can strive to live in harmony with the natural world and tap into the profound wisdom that has been passed down through generations.

Ending this piece with one of the shlokas from the Bhagavad Geeta that contains the essence for one's actions.

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(??????? ??????, ????? 47)

You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.

(Bhagavad Gita, Chapter II, Verse 47)