Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.24.3

tan niśamyobhayatrāpi bhagavatā rakshanāya prayuktam sudarśanam nāma bhāgavatam dayitam astram tat tejasā durvishaham muhuh parivartamānam abhyavasthito muhūrtam udvijamānaś cakita-hridaya ārād eva nivartate tad uparāgam iti vadanti lokāh

SYNONYMS

tat — that situation; niśamya — hearing; ubhayatra — around both the sun and moon; api — indeed; bhagavatā — by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; rakshanāya — for their protection; prayuktam — engaged; sudarśanam — the wheel of Krishna; nāma — named; bhāgavatam — the most confidential devotee; dayitam — the most favorite; astram — weapon; tat — that; tejasā — by its effulgence; durvishaham — unbearable heat; muhuh — repeatedly; parivartamānam — moving around the sun and moon; abhyavasthitah — situated; muhūrtam — for a muhūrta (forty-eight minutes); udvijamānah — whose mind was full of anxieties; cakita — frightened; hridayah — the core of whose heart; ārāt — to a distant place; eva — certainly; nivartate — flees; tat — that situation; uparāgam — an eclipse; iti — thus; vadanti — they say; lokāh — the people.

TRANSLATION

After hearing from the sun and moon demigods about Rāhu's attack, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu, engages His disc, known as the Sudarśana cakra, to protect them. The Sudarśana cakra is the Lord's most beloved devotee and is favored by the Lord. The intense heat of its effulgence, meant for killing non-Vaishnavas, is unbearable to Rāhu, and he therefore flees in fear of it. During the time Rāhu disturbs the sun or moon, there occurs what people commonly know as an eclipse.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu, is always the protector of His devotees, who are also known as demigods. The controlling demigods are most obedient to Lord Vishnu, although they also want material sense enjoyment, and that is why they are called demigods, or almost godly. Although Rāhu attempts to attack both the sun and the moon, they are protected by Lord Vishnu. Being very afraid of Lord Vishnu's cakra, Rāhu cannot stay in front of the sun or moon for more than a muhūrta (forty-eight minutes). The phenomenon that occurs when Rāhu blocks the light of the sun or moon is called an eclipse. The attempt of the scientists of this earth to go to the moon is as demoniac as Rāhu's attack. Of course. their attempts will be failures because no one can enter the moon or sun so easily. Like the attack of Rāhu, such attempts will certainly be failures.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness