Rahu
Rahu | |
---|---|
Rāhu Kāla | |
Mantra | Om Viprachitti putra Simhika putra Om Navagraha Rahuya Namah |
Weapon | Sceptre |
Day | Saturday, Rāhu Kāla |
Mount | Black Lion |
Festivals | Amavasya or Rāhu Kāla |
Personal information | |
Parents |
|
Siblings | Ketu |
Rāhu (Sanskrit: राहु, ) is one of the nine major celestial bodies (navagraha) in Hindu texts and the king of meteors.[1] It represents the ascension of the Moon in its precessional orbit around the Earth, also referred as the north lunar node,[2] and along with Ketu, is a "shadow planet" that causes eclipses. Despite having no physical existence, Rahu has been allocated the status of the planet by ancient seers owing to its strong influence in astrology.
Rahu is usually paired with
As per Hindu astrology, Rahu and Ketu have an orbital cycle of 18 years and are always 180 degrees from each other orbitally (as well as in the birth charts). This coincides with the precessional orbit of the Moon or the ~18 year rotational cycle of the lunar ascending and descending nodes on the Earth's ecliptic plane. This also corresponds to a saros, a period of approximately 223 synodic months (approximately 6585.3211 days, or 18 years, 11 days, 8 hours), that can be used to predict eclipses of the Sun and Moon. Rahu rules the zodiac sign of Aquarius together with Shani (traditional ruling planet).
Astronomically, Rahu and Ketu denote the points of intersection of the paths of the
Legends
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Samudra Manthana
Rahu is mentioned in the
Jalandhara
Following his ascent to power, the asura Jalandhara was advised by the great sage Narada to seek out a consort. Narada hinted that the beautiful Parvati, consort of Shiva, would be an excellent choice.[11] Infatuated with her beauty and impaired in his judgment, Jalandhara summoned his emissary Rahu, and sent him to the mountain Kailasa, to demand that Shiva give up his wife to Jalandhara. Rahu delivered the message informing Shiva that being a humble yogi who lived in the cremation grounds and the jungle as a naked ascetic, he was unworthy of the fairest goddess.[12][11] He added that since Jalandhara was the powerful new lord of the heavens, the underworld, and the Earth, he was more worthy of her.[11][13] Upon hearing these insults, Shiva produced a thunderous sound and a great lion-like monster from his brow named Kirtimukha. The monster chased and seized Rahu with the intention of devouring him. Rahu pleaded with Shiva for his life and retracted his claims, instead praising Shiva and seeking protection and refuge with him. In response, Shiva called off Kirtimukha’s attack and set Rahu free to relay these events back to Jalandhara.[13][11]
Hanuman
When Hanuman was an infant, he was once left unattended by his earthly mother and father. He became hungry, and when the Sun rose, he believed it to be a ripe fruit. So, Hanuman leapt up towards the Sun with extreme speed. Vayu, the wind god and his celestial father, blew cold wind on him to protect him from the burning Sun.[14][15] Coincidentally, Rahu was meant to swallow the Sun and eclipse it that day. As Rahu approached the Sun, he saw Hanuman about to eat it. Hanuman saw Rahu and thought Rahu to be a fruit as well, so he attempted to eat him too. Rahu fled to the court of the king of the devas, Indra, and complained that while he was meant to satisfy his hunger with the Sun, there was now a bigger Rahu who tried to consume the Sun and himself.[15][14] Indra set out on Airavata, his divine elephant, to investigate alongside Rahu, who retreated once more when he saw how enormous Hanuman had grown. Hanuman was playing with the Sun's chariot and reached for Rahu again. As Rahu cried out to Indra for help, Hanuman saw the Airavata and mistook it for yet another fruit.[15] When he approached in his giant form, Indra struck his left jaw with a thunderbolt and injured him. Hanuman began falling back towards the Earth when he was caught by Vayu. Furious over his son's injury, Vayu withdrew all the air from the universe until all the devas, the asuras, and men began to suffer and suffocate. They appealed to Brahma, who revealed the cause of their distress and accompanied them to the wind god in order to appease him. Brahma revived Hanuman, and the other deities took turns bestowing different blessings, boons, and powers upon him.[15][14]
Astrology
Since Rahu and Ketu are two opposite lunar nodes, they always appear in diametrically opposite houses in horoscopes. Both nodes are always in retrograde motion.
In Hindu astrology, Rahu represents materialism, mischief, fear, dissatisfaction, obsession and confusion. Rahu is also associated with science and occultism. Like Ketu, Rahu is also an enemy against the Sun and Moon.[16] It is generally considered as a malefic planet in astrology.
Buddhist culture
Rāhu is mentioned explicitly in a pair of scriptures from the
Gallery
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Phra Rahu in Thailand
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Rahu iconography in Cambodia
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Rahu statue at The British Museum
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Rahu eclipsing the Moon statue in Thailand
See also
- Nuwa
- Ketu
- Kirtimukha
- Svarbhanu
- Saros
- Orbital node
- Batara Kala
Notes
- ^ ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
- ^ "Rahu Holds Immense Significance In Vedic Astrology". AstroSapient.
- ^ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 77.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4399-0464-0.
- ^ Heinrich Zimmer, Myth and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilisation. New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1946, p. 176
- ^ a b The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated Into English Prose: Adi parva (1893). Sabha parva (1899). Bhārata Press. 1883. p. 82,90.
- ^ a b "CANTO 19". The Complete Mahabharata Volume 1 to 12.
- ^ Sinha, Pürnendu Narayana (1901). A Study of the Bhagavata Purana: Or, Esoteric Hinduism. Freeman & Company, Limited.
- ISBN 978-81-7371-237-1.
- ^ a b Kochhar, Rajesh. "Rahu and Ketu in mythological and "astronomological" contexts".
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(help) - ^ a b c d J.L.Shastri (1950). Siva Purana - English Translation - Part 2 of 4. pp. 412–422.
- ISBN 978-0-691-01778-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-208-1984-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-804220-4.
- ^ a b c d Manmatha Nath Dutt. Valmiki Ramayana English Prose Translation in 7 volumes by Manmatha Nath Dutt 1891 to 1894. pp. 144–148.
- ^ "Rahu Kalaya | 2021 August - Daily Rahu Kalaya Sri Lanka". internetlk.com. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021.
- ^ Candima Sutta
- ^ a b Suriya Sutta
- ^ to Insight; see the summary in the Devaputta-samyutta section[permanent dead link]
External links
- Media related to Rahu at Wikimedia Commons