Chandra Grahan in June 2011 in India – Chandragrahan – Lunar Eclipse June 15 and 16, 2011

Chandra Grahan in June 2011 in India – Chandragrahan – Lunar Eclipse June 15 and 16, 2011

Chandra Grahan, Total Lunar Eclipse, will take place on June 15, 2011 in India. According to NASA, the Chandra Grahan is a Total lunar eclipse and is visible in India, Dubai, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and western parts of Australia. The Chandragrahan will be taking place in India between 23:53 hrs and 03:32 hrs (11:53 PM on June 15 to 03:32 AM early morning on June 16, 2011).

Total Lunar Eclipse - the moon is fully covered - is from 12:52 AM to 02:33 AM on June 16, 2011.

Time in India is from night of June 15, 2011 to early morning hours of June 16, 2011. The time is same throughout India as per NASA.

Chandra Grahan and Hindus

Usually during a Chandra Grahan, a fast (Upvaas) is observed by certain communities in Hindu religion. The fast begins about 9 hours before the beginning of Chandra Grahan.

People also take a bath in cold water and chant mantras dedicated to Lord Vishnu or Shiva like the Ashtakshara Mantra or Mrityunjaya Mantra. This is done whenever Surya and Chandra are under the influence of Rahu. Pregnant women chant the Santana Gopala Mantra.

What Precaution Pregnant Women Should Take During Chandra Grahan or Lunar Eclipse?

Hindu Blog receives numerous queries regarding what precaution pregnant women should take during Chandra Grahan or Lunar Eclipse? This is because many devout Hindus have numerous fears regarding Chandra Grahan or Lunar Eclipse. There is a belief that pregnant women will be affected by Chandra Grahan but this has not been scientifically proved. The safe option adopted by most Hindus is to remain indoors during the period of Grahan. Pregnant women chant the Santana Gopala Mantra during Grahan.

The Santana Gopala Mantra is dedicated to Lord Krishna and is chanted for an easy and safe pregnancy and to get a healthy baby.

The Santana Gopala Mantra is

Om Devaki Sudha Govinda
Vasudeva Jagath Pathe
Dehimey Thanayam
Krishna Thwamaham
Saranam Kadhahaa

Deva Deva Jagannatha
Gothra Vridhi Karap Prabho
Dehimey Thanayam Sheegram
Ayushmandham Yashashreenam!

Ayurveda indicates that pregnant women should sit or lie down on a mat containing Darbha grass or Kusha Grass during Grahan. It is also advised to keep some Kusha Grass with the pregnant woman. This is advised more during Surya Grahan or Lunar Eclipse.

Some devout Hindus fast (Fasting or Upvaas) on Grahan day but pregnant women should avoid fasting and should follow the usual routine prescribed by the doctor.

The most important thing that pregnant women should do is to avoid getting tensed with the fear of grahan. Eclipse is a natural phenomenon. If you are so concerned remain indoors.

There are some evil-minded people in the guise of astrologers who try to take advantage of people during Grahan by suggesting costly pujas etc. Avoid such people.

Next Lunar Eclipse is on June 15 and 16 in 2011.  

Story of Surya Grahan and Chandra Grahanam in Hindu Religion

Surya Grahan, solar eclipse, is widely mentioned in the Holy Scriptures of Hinduism. There is also an interesting myth regarding the occurrence of Surya Grahan. It happened during the Samdura Manthan (churning of ocean) episode in the Puranas. Rahu (Demon) and Mohini, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, are the main characters in the incident.

The Amrit (elixir) that was obtained from churning the ocean was cunningly stolen by Ausras (Demons). Lord Vishnu took the form of Mohini, a beautiful damsel, to win back the Amrit. She achieved her mission by enamoring the Asuras, they fell for her beauty and handed over the Amrit to her.

Mohini returned to the Devas and started distributing it. Devas sat in a line and mohini gave a portion to each one of them. Rahu, an Asura, who found out that they were tricked took the form a Deva and sat in the line between Chandra (Moon God) and Surya (Sun God).

When Mohini approached Rahu, Chandra and Surya realized that Rahu was not one among them and soon identified him as an Asura. Mohini soon severed the head of Rahu which flew into the sky. Rahu’s, depicted in the form of a Snake head occasionally, continued to live and decided to avenge Surya and Chandra.

Thus periodically Rahu engages in a war with Surya and Chandra. The Chandra Grahan (Lunar eclipse) and Surya Grahan (Solar eclipse) takes place when Rahu gobbles up Moon and Sun respectively. Surya and Chandra then fights to free themselves.

Rare midnight solar eclipse on June 1-2

New Delhi: The second partial solar eclipse of 2011 will happen on June 1. The eclipse will not cover India but can be seen from the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.

The eclipse begins at sunrise in Siberia and northern China at about 00:55:18 IST and the maximum eclipse will occur at 02:46:11 IST. Even though the eclipse is a midnight eclipse, it can be viewed from latitudes north and nearby to the south of the Arctic Circle where the Sun is visible for 24 hours during summer months.

Northern most Norway, Sweden and Finland will get to witness the rare phenomenon with an eclipsed Sun hanging above the northern horizon. Other countries that fall in the path of the eclipse include Canada, China, Iceland, Japan and North Korea

Another celestial spectacle can be witnessed only a couple of weeks later when the first lunar eclipse of the year occurs on June 15. The eclipse is a total lunar eclipse and will be visible from India.

The first solar eclipse of 2011 happened on January 4 and was a sunset eclipse visible from central Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and northwest China.

The next partial solar eclipse will occur on July 1 in the Southern Hemisphere and will be visible a D-shaped region in the Antarctic Ocean south of Africa. Since the July 1 eclipse covers a remote and uninhabited portion of the Earth, it could very well be an eclipse that nobody will see.

The largest partial solar eclipse of 2011 will happen on November 25 and the event will be visible from the southern South Africa, Antarctica, Tasmania and New Zealand.