All you need to know about Svarbhanu and Chandra Grahan 

There lived a demon named Svarbhanu, a disciple of Daitya Guru Shukracharya and a close associate ofHiranyakashipu. He played a pivotal role in the churning (Samudra Manthan) of the cosmic ocean (Kshirasagara), a task jointly undertaken by the Danavas and the Devas. This incident mentioned in the sacred ancient Indian texts is related to the Grahan (eclipse), the celestial phenomenon that takes place every year. Read on to know more about Svarbhanu and why he is associated with the Lunar (Chandra Grahan) and Solar Eclipse (Surya Grahan).

Svarbhanu finds a mention in the sacred Vedas. According to the holy scripture, Svarbhanu is a powerful demon who attacked Surya.

The demon was more powerful than the Sun God and had abducted him. Indra waged war against Svarbhanu, and subsequently, Sage Atri found Surya Dev and freed him from the clutches of the demon.

Svarbhanu is also mentioned in the Yajur Veda. He is considered as the enemy of Surya and Chandra. The sages would often use their powers to free the deities from him.

According to another legend, Svarbhanu is believed to be the son of Simhika, the sister of Hiranyakashipu.

The demon aided the Daityas and the Danavas during the Samudra Manthan by snatching the pot of nectar of immortality (Amrit) from Lord Dhanavantri's hands soon after he emerged from the Kshirasagara. Subsequently, Lord Vishnu appeared as Mohini (a beautiful woman) to lure the Danavas and take the pot of nectar away from them. However, as Mohini continued to mesmerize the Daityas, Svarbhanu sat among the Devas as one of them to grab a portion of the nectar.

However, soon after Chandra and Surya caught Svarbhanu red-handed, they complained to Mohini (Lord Vishnu) about him. Eventually, Lord Vishnu severed Svarbhanu's head with the Sudarshana Chakra to punish him. But since Svarbhanu had already consumed the nectar of immortality, he continued to survive in two parts - Rahu and Ketu.

His head is known as Rahu, while the body is referred to as Ketu.Click here to know more about Rahu and Ketu. Therefore to avenge Surya and Chandra, Rahu temporarily swallows them, and Ketu releases them.

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Chandra Grahan July 5, 2020: Know who was Svarbhanu and the story associated with grahan - Times Now