Rahu

A malevolent “planet” in Hindu astrology
(jyotisha) that has no counterpart in
Western astrology and was originally the
head of a demon. According to the story,
as the gods drink the nectar of immortality they have churned from the ocean
of milk, the demon Sainhikeya slips into
their midst in disguise. As the demon
begins to drink, the sun and moon alert
Vishnu, who uses his discus to cut off
the demon’s head. Sainhikeya’s two
halves become immortal, however, after
coming into contact with the nectar. The
severed head becomes Rahu, and the
decapitated body another evil planet,
Ketu. Rahu is regarded not as a physical
planet, but as the ascending node of the
moon. This is the point where the
moon’s northward path intersects the
path of the sun in the sky, causing an
eclipse. Rahu has particular enmity for
the sun and moon, as the deities
responsible for his demise, and tries to
swallow them whenever he meets them
545
Rahu
in the heavens. He always succeeds, but
since he no longer has a body to digest
them, they escape unharmed through
Rahu’s severed neck. This, of course, is
the traditional explanation for solar and
lunar eclipses; their association with the
malevolent Rahu has led eclipses to be
seen as highly inauspicious times. See
also Tortoise avatar.