Rahu in Vedic Cosmology.

[Guest guest]

All:

 

Since we are on the subject of RAHU initiated by Harish Bhai, I

thought it wise to refresh everyone with the Symbolism of RAHU in

Vedic Cosmology. Most of you may know this already.

 

I will be presenting another fascinating article on the symbolism of

Rahu in Tibetan Pantheon and Ladakhi cosmology very soon.

 

Briefly for now "In Tibetan cosmology, eclipses are associated with

Rahu. But exactly who or what is Rahu? The name Rahu refers to at

least four related concepts; first, to the mythical astral body who

`devours' the sun or moon at the time of an eclipse; second, to the

concept known in Western astronomy and astrology as the `nodes of

the moon', a device used in the calculation of eclipses; third, in

various forms, to a deity in the Tibetan pantheon; and fourth, to

one of the system of nine planets. These categories are analytical

and do not necessarily `exist' as distinct or discrete realities;

Rahu in different situations may combine elements of any of these

four features causing "The Law of Unpredictability".

 

Read below for the Vedic abstraction.

 

Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti.

 

--Sanjay Aggarwal

 

Rahu in Vedic Cosmology

The personification of Rahu dates back thousands of years to the

Vedic myths which form the basis of a tale from the Mahabharata,

where we are told how Rahu acquires his reputation for causing

eclipses7. According to O'Flaherty,8 in order to obtain ambrosia,

the gods and demons uprooted Mount Meru, or Mandara, the cosmic

axis, and took it to the ocean, where it was inverted and placed on

the back of the supreme tortoise: The tortoise agreed, and Indra

placed the tip of the mountain on his back, fastening it tightly.

They made Mandara the churning-stick and the serpent Vasaki the

cord, and they began to churn the ocean, the treasure of waters, for

ambrosia. The gods acted together with the demons, for they all

wished for the ambrosia. The great demons grasped one tail of the

king of the serpents, and all the gods held him by the tail. The

churning caused great destruction to the animals and plants living

on Manadara and in the ocean, but as it continued, sap from the

trees and juices from the herbs on the mountainside

started to flow into the ocean: "Then the water of the ocean turned

to milk as it became mixed with those supreme juices, and from that

milk arose clarified butter . . . Then from the ocean arose Soma,

the calm moon, with its cool rays, and the sun of a thousand rays."

Finally, the ambrosia appeared; the demons seized it, and the gods

tricked it back out of them, whereupon the demons attacked the gods.

 

As the gods were drinking the ambrosia which they so desired, a

demon called Rahu took the form of a god and began to drink, but

when the ambosia reached his throat the moon and the sun reported

it, for they wished to help the gods, and the lord Vishnu took his

discus and cut off the well-adorned head of that demon who was

drinking the ambrosia he had obtained by force. The great head of

the demon, which was like the peak of the mountain, fell to the earth

as it was cut off by the discus, and it shook the earth. The severed

head rose up to the sky, roaring terribly, but the headless torso of

the demon fell and split open upon the surface of the earth, causing

a tremor throughout the earth with its mountains, forests and

islands. Since then there has been a deadly enmity between the head

of Rahu and the moon and the sun, and the immortal head swallows

them up even today.

 

The swallowing of Soma by Rahu was the first lunar eclipse; during

the subsequent immense battle, which saw the mountains being torn up

to be hurled as weapons, the sun ran red with blood—the first solar

eclipse. Finally the demons retreated, and the gods were able to

replace Mount Mandara in its rightful place, and give the ambrosia

to Vishnu for safe-keeping.

 

The churning of the ocean is the classic image of creation by means

of chaos—the disruption of the serene primeval waters in order that

all the oppositional pairs may emerge and meet in creative conflict.

In the course of this process, the agents of the churning (the gods

and demons) become differentiated, for at first they are united in

their task, but then they are opposed. The basic symbol dialectic is

that of liquids, the neutral water which is transmuted into various

elixirs—human (milk), ritual (butter) and divine (mead, ambrosia, or

Soma)—as well as the reversal of all elixirs—poison.

 

--

To this we would also add the symbolism of the inverted cosmic axis

placed upon the back of the cosmic tortoise (who represents the

solid foundations of the earth), and the cooperation of gods

and demons, standing either side of Meru to churn the ocean, before

they eventually argue and fight. This last motif—that of a time of

primeval harmony being destroyed through the transgressions of one

individual, producing discord and differentiation—sums up this

conjunction of oppositional elements, of potentiality and

actualization, of positive and negative, and of inversions. Such

ferment seems to me to represent something of the nature of

eclipses, which are brought in from the realm of `outside'

and `chaotic' phenomena, and are integrated into `inside'

and `ordered' phenomena.

 

--

 

Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti.

[Guest guest]

Blessed Be

Dharmanandasanjaytechnology <sanjaytechnology > wrote:

All:Since we are on the subject of RAHU initiated by Harish Bhai, I thought it

wise to refresh everyone with the Symbolism of RAHU in Vedic Cosmology. Most of

you may know this already. I will be presenting another fascinating article on

the symbolism of Rahu in Tibetan Pantheon and Ladakhi cosmology very soon.

Briefly for now "In Tibetan cosmology, eclipses are associated with Rahu. But

exactly who or what is Rahu? The name Rahu refers to at least four related

concepts; first, to the mythical astral body who`devours' the sun or moon at

the time of an eclipse; second, to the concept known in Western astronomy and

astrology as the `nodes of the moon', a device used in the calculation of

eclipses; third, in various forms, to a deity in the Tibetan pantheon; and

fourth, to one of the system of nine planets. These categories

are analytical and do not necessarily `exist' as distinct or discrete realities;

Rahu in different situations may combine elements of any of these four features

causing "The Law of Unpredictability".Read below for the Vedic abstraction.Aum

Shanti Shanti Shanti.--Sanjay AggarwalRahu in Vedic CosmologyThe

personification of Rahu dates back thousands of years to the Vedic myths which

form the basis of a tale from the Mahabharata, where we are told how Rahu

acquires his reputation for causing eclipses7. According to O'Flaherty,8 in

order to obtain ambrosia, the gods and demons uprooted Mount Meru, or Mandara,

the cosmic axis, and took it to the ocean, where it was inverted and placed on

the back of the supreme tortoise: The tortoise agreed, and Indra placed the tip

of the mountain on his back, fastening it tightly.They made Mandara the

churning-stick and the serpent Vasaki the cord, and they began to

churn the ocean, the treasure of waters, for ambrosia. The gods acted together

with the demons, for they all wished for the ambrosia. The great demons grasped

one tail of the king of the serpents, and all the gods held him by the tail. The

churning caused great destruction to the animals and plants living on Manadara

and in the ocean, but as it continued, sap from the trees and juices from the

herbs on the mountainsidestarted to flow into the ocean: "Then the water of the

ocean turned to milk as it became mixed with those supreme juices, and from that

milk arose clarified butter . . . Then from the ocean arose Soma, the calm moon,

with its cool rays, and the sun of a thousand rays." Finally, the ambrosia

appeared; the demons seized it, and the gods tricked it back out of them,

whereupon the demons attacked the gods.As the gods were drinking the ambrosia

which they so desired, a demon called Rahu took the form of a god and

began to drink, but when the ambosia reached his throat the moon and the sun

reported it, for they wished to help the gods, and the lord Vishnu took his

discus and cut off the well-adorned head of that demon who was drinking the

ambrosia he had obtained by force. The great head of the demon, which was like

the peak of the mountain, fell to the earthas it was cut off by the discus, and

it shook the earth. The severed head rose up to the sky, roaring terribly, but

the headless torso of the demon fell and split open upon the surface of the

earth, causing a tremor throughout the earth with its mountains, forests and

islands. Since then there has been a deadly enmity between the head of Rahu and

the moon and the sun, and the immortal head swallows them up even today. The

swallowing of Soma by Rahu was the first lunar eclipse; during the subsequent

immense battle, which saw the mountains being torn up to be hurled as weapons,

the sun ran red with blood—the first solar eclipse. Finally the demons

retreated, and the gods were able to replace Mount Mandara in its rightful

place, and give the ambrosia to Vishnu for safe-keeping.The churning of the

ocean is the classic image of creation by means of chaos—the disruption of the

serene primeval waters in order that all the oppositional pairs may emerge and

meet in creative conflict. In the course of this process, the agents of the

churning (the gods and demons) become differentiated, for at first they are

united in their task, but then they are opposed. The basic symbol dialectic is

that of liquids, the neutral water which is transmuted into various

elixirs—human (milk), ritual (butter) and divine (mead, ambrosia, or Soma)—as

well as the reversal of all elixirs—poison. --To this we would also add the

symbolism of the inverted cosmic axis placed upon the back of the cosmic

tortoise (who

represents the solid foundations of the earth), and the cooperation of godsand

demons, standing either side of Meru to churn the ocean, before they eventually

argue and fight. This last motif—that of a time of primeval harmony being

destroyed through the transgressions of one individual, producing discord and

differentiation—sums up this conjunction of oppositional elements, of

potentiality and actualization, of positive and negative, and of inversions.

Such ferment seems to me to represent something of the nature of eclipses,

which are brought in from the realm of `outside' and `chaotic' phenomena, and

are integrated into `inside'and `ordered' phenomena.--Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti.

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