SURYA GRAHAN - 21st June, 2020

Partial Solar Eclipse in Lucknow

Begins: 10:26 

Ends: 13:58 

Duration: 3 hours, 32 minutes

Sutak Starts - 3 hours before eclipse Start Time

Activities to be done : 1) Singing Kirtans and Bhajans,

                                       2) Chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord especially the Hare Krishna Mahamantra

                                       3) Reading of Srimad-Bhagavad Gita or Srimad Bhagavatam.

                                       4) Hearing about the glories and pastimes of the Lord.

                                       5) Donation

According to the Bhagavad-gita, anything done without the transcendental objective of pleasing Lord Visnu - whether it be sacrifice, charity, or penance - has no spiritual value. 

Activities NOT to be done: 1) Eating - Should be stopped at least 3 hours before the start of grahan.

                                               2) Sleeping - One should not sleep from 3 hours before the start of grahan.

                                               3) Cooking or Vegetable Cutting - Should not be done from the start of Sutak.

                                                4) No deity worship to be done during the grahan.

PROTECTING FOOD ITEMS BY USING DARBA GRASS/ Tulsi Leaf

Milk and curds should be protected using darbha grass, otherwise they become contaminated during eclipse and will have to be discarded.

Provisions like raw rice, raw dahl, wheat etc. remain pure and there is no need to put darbha grass.

Cooked perishable items like rice, dahl, sabji become contaminated and cannot be protected even by darbha. Hence they should be used up before eclipse. If cooked perishable items are not used before eclipse then they should be discarded after eclipse since they become contaminated. 

Cooked non-perishable items can be preserved with darbha – e.g. all fried items like khaja, mixture, buns, breads, peda, sweets etc.

The devotees should take bath quickly after the eclipse (at 1:58pm) and then cook prasadam.