Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
VARANASI, INDIA, July 23, 2009: The famed ghats of Varanasi where full with the devout queuing up for a holy dip in the Ganga during the eclipse period on Wednesday.
Batuk Prasad Shastri, a well-known scholar of Sanskrit and Hinduism, bathed at home before going for a dip in the Ganga during the eclipse. He then returned home to perform a havan and then went out again to give alms to the poor. “An eclipse is a warning of disaster,” he said, explaining why the rituals were necessary.
Chandramauli Upadhyaya, a trustee of Kashi Vishvanath Temple, said Indian astrology actually doesn’t say that eclipse has a direct bad influence on people. Indian astrology treats eclipses as astronomical events. But it does forbid people from undertaking certain tasks like a party or a wedding.
There are, however, other voices in the city trying to propagate a more scientific understanding of the phenomenon. One such person is B. N. Dwivedi, head of the department of applied physics, Institute of Technology, BHU. “Our ancient sages, who laid down a conduct code for people during eclipses, were correct in doing so in the context of those times. Now, science has understood the phenomenon better and there’s no reason why people shouldn’t watch the spectacle with the prescribed precautions,” he says.