Eclipses

There was a total lunar eclipse last night. If you were outside anywhere in the

Northern Hemisphere, you could have seen it. In Khmer language, lunar eclipse

is called rahu chab chan, meaning Rahu catches/swallows the Moon. So who

is Rahu? Well, Rahu is a demon.  And his story and the origin of eclipse dated

all the way back to samudra manthana, the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, in a

time when demons were on the ascension in the universe.

It all started with the suggestion of Lord Vishnu, that gods and demons come

together to churn the Cosmic Ocean in order to obtain amrita, the elixir of

immortality. The churning was an elaborate process. Mount Mandara was used

as a churning rod and the serpent Vasuki (Lord Shiva’s naga) offered himself

as a churning rope. Herbs of every kind were tossed into the Ocean. And out

of the Ocean, many treasures arose, including the Goddess Lakshmi,

shankha (Vishnu’s conch), the apsaras (celestial dancers), and at the end, the

celestial physician Dhanvantari emerged holding the pot containing the elixir.

The demons snagged the pot and battle broke out between the two sides.

Vishnu, in the form of the enchantress Mohini, his only female avatar, beguiled

the demons into handing over the pot to her. She then distributed the elixir to

the gods. One demon, Svarbhanu, who kept his sight on the pot the entire time,

disguised himself as a god in order to take a sip of the elixir. Surya (the Sun)

and Chandra (the Moon) noticed and informed Vishnu, who proceeded to

behead Svarbhanu instantly. But Svarbhanu already took a sip of the elixir

and as a result, his head became immortal and known as Rahu. But since

he was beheaded before the elixir could pass down his throat, his body died

and became known as Ketu.

Unsurprisingly, Rahu holds a grudge against the Sun and the Moon. He chases

them to exact his revenge and once in awhile he catches up to either one. And

since Rahu is just a head, when he catches up to either the Sun or the Moon,

he tries to swallow either one. Sometimes, Rahu manages to swallow the Sun

or the Moon entirely. But since he has no body, eventually the Sun or the

Moon comes back out again.

This, dear readers, is how eclipses happen.