last updated 1st September 2007

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This page is an attempt to present and validate the case why it is important for devotees to recognise and take precaution to negate the influence of Solar and Lunar Eclipses.

Herein we will try to present common questions, and try to present valid answers from various pramanam (sources of truth).

What did His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, the Founder Acharya of ISKCON tell the devotees to do?

JTCd's Question to Hari Sauri prabhu ACBSP:
> Did you have any experience where Prabhupad made any requirement that
> devotees do, or not do?

 Yes, when I first moved to Vrindavana in 1975 there was an eclipse. Srila Prabhupada told us to follow the same observances as the other temples in Vrndavana. I think that we closed the temple to the public but the deity worship was maintained as normal, and we had our 24 hrs. kirtan going on throughout.

     Your humble servant,  Hari-sauri dasa
<end quote>
 

This is supported by the statement of Bhima dasa ACBSP from Juhu, Mumbai - IN - 16-Mar-2007

Dhananajay prabhu in Vrindavan said he asked Srila Prabhupada what to do for the eclipse. Srila Prabhupada replied do as the other temples are doing in Vrindavan.

Dhanajaya said that Prabhupad wanted us to be accepted by the locals so he gave that instruction.

My question is why didn't he give that instruction in Mayapur and other temples in India?

ys
Bhima das
<end quote>

Further support from Shyamasundara Dasa ACBSP: 16-Mar-2007

I then asked HH Bhakti Vikasa Svami what was the practice of 108 Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakura regarding eclipses as maharaja is writing what will be the definitive biography of Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. He said that as far as he knew BSST continued the Deity worship and directed me to someone in Mayapura named Svetadwipa Prabhu who is very knowledgeable about these things. I called him over the phone and will meet with him when I go to Mayapura next time for more details. But in mean time this is what he told me over the phone when I asked what was the standard that BSST kept for Deity worship during a solar or lunar eclipse. He said that regular Deity worship would go on behind closed doors but outside there would be loud Hari Nama Sankirtan with the chanters specifically instructed to be meditating on the Holy Name of the Lord. When I asked what was the pramana for that he said there was lots of texts by Madhvacarya etc but specifically referred to a text named Sri Caitanya Siksamrita by Bhaktivinode Thakura which discussed various kinds of impurities and how to reverse them.

He mentioned that there are different types of contamination: Sthan jata apavitra, Kala jata apavitra and Patra jata apavitra which refer to contamination of the place, time and pot (or ingredients of worship) respectively. An eclipse is contamination of the time element. Bhaktivinode Thakura explains in Sri Caitanya Siksamrita that the way to purify contamination of the time element is with the chanting of the Holy Name. Hence, under the aegis of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakura the nitya seva of the arca murtis continued as explained above during an eclipse.

Now in response to the question asked by Bhima Prabhu "My question is why didn't he give that instruction in Mayapur and other temples in India?" My tentative response (subject to revision on receiving more information) would be that in Mayapura where we Gaudiya Vaisnavas are practically the only force then our standard is the standard followed by everyone. But in other parts of India we are not dominant so it may be wise to go along with the standards of others if we want to be accepted. Then after we are accepted we can set our own standards if we want to.

When I go to Mayapura next month I will try to get more information on this subject.

Your humble servant

Shyamasundara Dasa
(Text PAMHO:13215647) --------------------------------------
 

From: "Bhakti Vikasa Swami"
To: "Jaya Tirtha Charan dasan"
Subject: eclipses 31st August 2007

> I agree there are some valid points BUT at the
> same time, if we can easily avoid, and still preach, then why not follow.

I agree. Many of these rules are not just "smarta idiocy" but have practical
benefits also. For instance eating etc. during eclipses is (I've heard) bad
for both physical and subtle health. Did you ask Bhanu Maharaja and Gaura
Kesava Prabhu? If so pls let me know their responses.

Hare Krishna.

Have a nice day in Krishna consciousness.

hari-guru-vaisnava dasa, BVS
 
 

Some further discussion among senior Prabhupad disciples to determine the course of action that needs to be followed:

From: "Hari Sauri (das) ACBSP" <Hari.Sauri.ACBSP@pamho.net>
To: jtcd@xtra.co.nz
Subject: Re: rules for eclipses

 Here's part of an exchange I had with Gaura Kesava and Shyamasundara (astrologer) early this year.

     Your humble servant,  Hari-sauri dasa

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

Letter PAMHO:13219086 (257 lines) [W1]
From:      Internet: "Gaura Keshava dasa ACBSP"
Date:      20-Mar-07 02:25 (16:25 -1000)
To:        Hari Sauri (das) ACBSP [59733]
Reference: Text PAMHO:13207955 by Hari Sauri (das) ACBSP
Comment:   Text PAMHO:13244522 by Hari Sauri (das) ACBSP
Subject:   Re: rules for eclipses
------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Shyam and Hari Sauri prabhus, PAMHO AGTSP

Thanks for the email. I agree with Hari Sauri prabhu 100%. Prasadam can never be contaminated. Yet due the presence of papa-purusha along with grain prasadam it cannot be eaten on Ekadasi. So since we are unable to separate the papa-purusha from the pure grain prasadam on Ekadasi we cannot eat it.

On Mar 17, 2007, at 5:27 AM, Hari Sauri (das) ACBSP wrote:

> Yes, I would say that is the mood Srila Prabhupada conducted his
> preaching activities on.

I agree. And his standards were always the same, except sometimes in India he took care to follow local customs. Like how women are excluded from the deity rooms in for example Vrndavan temple.

> Are you saying here that the prasadam becomes contaminated, or the
> person who is eating it becomes contaminated?

Prasadam is never contaminated, this has to be accepted. Bhoga however can be contaminated. And also people who cook and/or offer food can be contaminated. On Ekadasi we are only concerned with NOT eating grains because of the effect it has on us conditioned souls. It seems that the majority opinion in ISKCON always has been that it is better to offer guests some prasadam, even if it contains grains on Ekadasi than to see them leave the temple without taking any prasadam at all. I would like to know what the official stand on this is. I can certainly understand this idea as no matter how bad the sin of eating grains is on Ekadasi, the benefit of honoring prasadam is eternal. As far as the quote about falling from Vaikuntha, this has to be accepted as hyperbole, because there is NO Ekadasi in Vaikuntha (or if there is there is certainly NO possibility of sin being involved). So the situation is not actually possible. However the statement is made just to impress upon us the great importance of NOT eating grains on Ekadasi.

As for other forms of contamination that can affect individuals, and bhoga or any item that is offered to the Lord, that also needs to be straightened out. It is not just gross physical impurity that affects bhoga. We know that while preparing bhoga if something falls on the floor we immediately pick it up and wash it (in the case of cut vegetables) or sprinkle water on it in the case of say a pakora or a puri or a sweet. Even then I was taught that we should put those items (except for the uncut vegertable which has to be cooked with the rest of the pot) aside and strictly make sure that no such item gets put on the Lord's plate. However cooked or prepared items like this can and are routinely placed with the rest of the prasadam after the offering. Of course the highest standard would be to simply discard things like this and in many cases I have done just that. Certainly in Deity kitchens this is the best standard, for devotee prasadam there should not be any seperate standard however in reality when preparing large quantities we find that sometimes these type of exceptions are made.

Subtle contamination is also mentioned in Srila Prabhupada's books. If bhoga is seen by lower animals like dogs, etc. it is considered contaminated and un-offerable.

> There is no question of
> maha-prasadam becoming contaminated although there is an
> admonishment about
> not eating maha-prasadam grains on ekadasi:

Agreed. Thanks for the quotes.

>>> (Vaisnavas can and do make alterations to the deity schedule and
>>> rituals because of eclipses)
>
>  Yes, accepted. But my ...
...snip...
> activities. While there may be nothing wrong with making such
> alterations, he clearly didn't think it necessary.

Agreed. However in those days there were NO Hindu temples in the US. ISKCON was basically it. Now there are not only many Hindu temples outside of India but even purely Vaisnava temples run by Swami Narayana, Vallabha and Sri Vaisnavas. Those Vaisnava sampradayas DO certain things when there are eclipses. So the Indian community in the US and other Western countries will want to know at a certain point why ISKCON does not do anything during eclipses. This is OK. We can always say that Srila Prabhupada never asked us to do anything and that we just chant Hare Krsna. But we should have some standard policy, that's all I'm saying. As far as I know there is no standard explanation that is given to Indian members (or others) about why we don't do as other Vaisnavas do during eclipses. Like I said it's fine to do or not do what we do, but we should be able to explain why we are different if we are different from other groups. That's all.

>>> (A full 2 hours before darshan was stopped devotees were not given
>>> caranamrita any more. Why? How can caranamrta be contaminated? But
>>> again I want to point out that we do accept that mahaprasadam
>>> becomes contaminated on Ekadasi so I don't find this at all unbelievable.)
 

>  I can't see how caranamrta or prasadam can become contaminated.

You are right I should not have stated it in this way. This last sentence of mine is incorrect. The prasadam is NOT contaminated however it cannot be eaten without ingesting "sin" along with it so it SEEMS contaminated. Actually it is not, it is always pure, but since we cannot take that pure prasadam without also taking the "sin" we must leave it for the next day when we can take it without the "sin".

> This is only according to the smartas.

So there must be some other reason why the Vaisnava temples that I quoted follow this practice. We cannot assume that all Vaisnavas who restrict the intake of prasadam during eclipse are smartas. Srila Prabhupada's own teachings mention that the correct behavior is to fast during an eclipse. So it may not be because the food/prasadam/ caranamrita is contaminated but still fasting is mandated. That is why I compared the duties during an eclipse with those on Ekadasi, because in both cases there should be fasting. In both cases prasadam is pure, in the case of Ekadasi even though the (grain) prasadam is completely pure it still cannot be taken, therefore why should we think that we can take prasadam during an eclipse when this is also a time when we should fast?????

"After arriving in Kurukñetra, the members of the Yadu dynasty took their baths ceremoniously, with self-control, as enjoined in the çästras, and they observed fasting for the whole period of the eclipse in order to nullify the reactions of their sinful activities." KB 82

"Solar and lunar eclipses are generally very inauspicious, with certain rare exceptions. But just as the otherwise inauspicious Ekädaçé day becomes beneficial when used for the glorification of Lord Hari, so the time of an eclipse is also advantageous for fasting and worship." SB 10.82.2 Purport

Should we not also observe fasting during the whole period of the eclipse???????

> At that time the Bhattacarya had not even washed his mouth, nor had
> he taken his bath or finished his morning duties. Nonetheless, he was very
> pleased to receive the prasadam of Lord Jagannatha.

Very good quote.

> The Bhattacarya said, "‘One should eat the maha-prasadam of the Lord
> immediately upon receiving it, even though it is dried up, stale or
> brought from a distant country. One should consider neither time nor place.

Another very good quote.

> "‘The prasadam of Lord Krsna is to be eaten by gentlemen as soon as
> it is received; there should be no hesitation. There are no regulative
> principles concerning time and place. This is the order of the Supreme
> Personality of Godhead.'"

Another very good quote. However this cannot be taken literally. The statement that in the matter of taking prasadam "There are no regulative principles concerning time and place." is superseded by the order of the Lord and the acaryas NOT to take (grain) mahaprasadam on Ekadasi. Therefore the question again is whether or not it is also superseded by the instruction to fast during an eclipse????

Ordinarily of course one should take bath, do puja, and generally be in a pure state to take (honor) prasadam. Of course this lila of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's shows that Sarvabhauma Bhattar disregarded these ordinary rules and immediately accepted mahaprasadam. But the question remains if it is OK to disregard some rules and not others then how do we make the distinction???

>  I don't know where this idea that maha-prasadam becomes contaminated
> on ekadasi comes from. Clearly maha-prasadam never becomes
> contaminated.

You are absolutely right, again I apologize for using that imprecise term. It is not contaminated but it is still uneatable on that day.

> The only stricture is that the grains may not be taken on ekadasi.

But my point is that this is not the ONLY fasting rule mentioned in Srila Prabhupada's teachings. There are other times when he told us to fast. For example, appearance days, eclipses, etc. So although we have no instruction that it is sinful to disregard these fasts still we are supposed to fast on these occasions.

> My general observation is that Srila Prabhupada didn't decry
> Vaisnava rituals but at the same time he would adjust things for
> the purpose
> of preaching.

Agreed. And we know that although many Indian ISKCON temples will have a full feast on the next day after an appearance day, they will break fast with only a token Ekadasi style feast on the actual day of an observance. In the West in general ISKCON has the full feast on the actual day of observance (the exception might be Janmastami where the Lord appears at Midnight). The question still remains that if the system for following eclipses is to fast why is this not accepted?

>   Keeping ISKCON temples open during eclipses was an adjustment
> for pushing on the preaching, and as such, it is a higher principle
> than following the rituals as have been described in the quoted article
> about Tirupati temple.

I certainly can see that point. The question then simply becomes under what circumstances can ISKCON temple deity worship be adjusted? Deities do not become contaminated just as prasadam cannot become contaminated. But cannot pujaris/cooks and bhoga be contaminated? If so then if contaminated pujaris/cooks and bhoga are engaged in the deity worship which in ISKCON goes on during an eclipse, then does that not constitute a seva aparadha? Should we not try to avoid seva aparadha? Or is it unavoidable in this case?

This is why I also gave the example of women not engaging in deity worship during their menses. Srila Prabhupada actually wrote that they could do it if it were necessary (for the preaching to go on) but he also wrote that it is better NOT to do it. So if it is better for a contaminated woman not to perform deity worship in her menses, then is it not also better for contaminated devotees not to do deity worship during an eclipse???? Should not everyone be simply bathing in the holy rivers or sea, fasting and chanting the Holy Name?

"According to the Jyotir-veda, a lunar eclipse takes place when the Rähu planet comes in front of the full moon. It is customary in India that all the followers of the Vedic scriptures bathe in the Ganges or the sea as soon as there is a lunar or solar eclipse. All strict followers of the Vedic religion stand up in the water throughout the whole period of the eclipse and chant the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra. At the time of the birth of Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu, such a lunar eclipse took place, and naturally all the people standing in the water were chanting Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare." CC Adi 13.92 Purport

"Prabhupäda: So according to Vedic culture, when there is eclipse, lunar eclipse, people take bath in sacred rivers." July 13, 1972

As far as I can see Srila Prabhupada recommended three things for observance at the time of eclipses.

1. Bathing (in a holy river or sea)
2. Fasting
3. Chanting

Obviously chanting is the most important, but why should we also not observe the other two?

ys

GKD (Gaura Keshava dasa ACBSP)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Part Two:

From: "Hari Sauri (das) ACBSP"
To: jtcd@
Subject: Re: rules for eclipses

 Here's my reply to Gaura Kesava's letter to me.

     Your humble servant,  Hari-sauri dasa

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

Letter PAMHO:13244522 (241 lines) [W1]
From:      Hari Sauri (das) ACBSP
Date:      24-Mar-07 22:25 (17:25 -0500)
To:        Shyamasundara (das) ACBSP (Vedic Astrologer) (USA)
To:        "Gaura Keshava dasa ACBSP"
Reference: Text PAMHO:13219086 by Internet: Greg Jay
Comment:   Text PAMHO:13284816 by Internet: "Greg Jay"
Comment:   Text PAMHO:13351290 by Shyamasundara (das) ACBSP (Vedic
Astrologer) (USA)
Subject:   Re: rules for eclipses
------------------------------------------------------------

> Thanks for the email. I agree with Hari Sauri prabhu 100%. Prasadam
> can never be contaminated. Yet due the presence of papa-purusha along
> with grain prasadam it cannot be eaten on Ekadasi. So since we are
> unable to separate the papa-purusha from the pure grain prasadam on
> Ekadasi we cannot eat it.

 Interesting. Who or what exactly is the papa-purusha, and how is it that he lives along with the grains and cannot be separated from them?

> I agree. And his standards were always the same, except sometimes in
> India he took care to follow local customs. Like how women are
> excluded from the deity rooms in for example Vrndavan temple.

 Good example. Srila Prabhupada was aware of time, place and circumstance and did make adjustments where necessary.

> Prasadam is never contaminated, this has to be accepted. Bhoga
> however can be contaminated.

 But surely the act of offering it to the Lord makes it pure? It cannot remain contaminated if it is offered properly.

> And also people who cook and/or offer
> food can be contaminated.

 Again, there is a system for an individual to purify himself in order to be able to make offerings. Srila Prabhupada always insisted that the devotees must be brahmanas if they want to cook and make offerings.

> On Ekadasi we are only concerned with NOT
> eating grains because of the effect it has on us conditioned souls.
 ...snip...
> is. I can certainly understand this idea as no matter how bad the sin
> of eating grains is on Ekadasi, the benefit of honoring prasadam is
> eternal.

 Apart from the benefit of eating prasadam outweighing any negative effects of eating the grain prasadam on ekadasi, the mood has also been that karmis, being totally ignorant of ekadasi, will eat grains anyway on that day. So at least if they eat prasadam, even if it is mixed with grains, that is a benefit they would not normally have.

> We know that while preparing bhoga if something falls on the
> floor we immediately pick it up and wash it (in the case of cut
 ...snip...
> when preparing large quantities we find that sometimes these type of
> exceptions are made.

 This is one of those adjustments that Srila Prabhupada made for his untrained, uncultured disciples. I believe there is a  letter somewhere where he says that the proper standard is to throw anything that falls on the floor, but because of our lack of training allowed his disciples to wash the item off and then continue with cooking it.

> Subtle contamination is also mentioned in Srila Prabhupada's books.
> If bhoga is seen by lower animals like dogs, etc. it is considered
> contaminated and un-offerable.

 Agreed, yes this is an instance of bhoga being "enjoyed" by a lusty lower living entity and therefore it not being fit for offering to the Lord.

> As far as I know there is no standard
> explanation that is given to Indian members (or others) about why we
> don't do as other ...
...snip...
>... not do what we do, but we should be able to explain why we
> are different if we are different from other groups. That's all.

 Yes, the Ministry should clarify it and make it a standard.

> So there must be some other reason why the Vaisnava temples that I
> quoted follow this practice. We cannot assume that all Vaisnavas who
 ...snip...
> think that we can take prasadam during an eclipse when this is also a
> time when we should fast?????

 OK, good question and maybe someone can clarify it. Its never been clear to me why we should fast on an eclipse, nor even why an eclipse is so inauspicious that you can't take prasadam during one. Is there any explanation for this?

> > "‘The prasadam of Lord Krsna is to be eaten by gentlemen as soon as
> > it is received; there should be no hesitation. There are no regulative
 ...snip...
> mahaprasadam on Ekadasi. Therefore the question again is whether or
> not it is also superseded by the instruction to fast during an eclipse????

 I don't see why we shouldn't take this statement literally. Citing the restriction for taking grains on Ekadasi is applicable for us because it came directly from Lord Caitanya. This above statement also comes direclty from Lord Caitanya, and both statements come from Caitanya Caritamrta. So we have no problem in accepting both directives. But is there a restriction from the Lord Himself that we may not take prasadam during an eclipse, thus contravening His above statement that there are no regulative principles concerning time and place?

 I was once in Jagannath Puri and standing outside the main entrance. Someone gave me some maha-prasadam so I immediately ate it without any consideration, thinking myself very fortunate to have received Lord Jagannath's mercy. I was actually thinking of the verse above. But some men standing nearby saw me eating and immediately berated me because I was still wearing my shoes. Their mood was quite different than mine. To them I was dishonouring the Lord's prasadam by wearing my shoes; to me I was showing great honour by wearing my shoes and taking the prasadam immediately without any consideration. So who was correct?

 My point is that there are many directives in other shastras that we ignore and we derive our main rules and regs. from SB, BG, CC, NOD -- through our line of acaryas. Other sampradayas may observe many different restrictions, but what do our acaryas follow?

> Ordinarily of course one should take bath, do puja, and generally be
> in a pure state to take (honor) prasadam. Of course this ...
...snip...
>... But the
> question remains if it is OK to disregard some rules and not others
> then how do we make the distinction???

 Yes, good question.

> But my point is that this is not the ONLY fasting rule mentioned in
> Srila Prabhupada's teachings. There are other times when ...
...snip...
>... although we
> have no instruction that it is sinful to disregard these fasts still
> we are supposed to fast on these occasions.

 Yes, agreed, but my point was that at least with eclipses, he never emphasized these strictures, at least in the way that he did for ekadasi and other fast days.

> Agreed. And we know that although many Indian ISKCON temples will
> have a full feast on the next day after an appearance day, they will
 ...snip...
>... has the full feast on
> the actual day of observance (the exception might be Janmastami where
> the Lord appears at Midnight).

 Interestingly enough, there is a letter I just read, written I think in about 1967, where Srila Prabhupada says that the system is to fast, then break the fast with ekadsai prasadam and then feast the next day. This was before he had any temples in India. Yet somehow the western temples never took this observance seriously, and Srila Prabhupada seems to have never bothered to enforce it.

> the question still remains that if the
> system for following eclipses is to fast why is this not accepted?

 As I said, I thnk because Srila Prabhupada never bothered to enforce it. Why we can only speculate, but seemingly because he didn't think it as very important.

> I certainly can see that point. The question then simply becomes
> under what circumstances can ISKCON temple deity worship be adjusted?
 ...snip...
> that not constitute a seva aparadha? Should we not try to avoid seva
> aparadha? Or is it unavoidable in this case?

 Well, is the bhoga contaminated or not when the eclipse is on? If it is, then everything in the kitchen store would have to be thrown out and new bhoga purchased; but where would you buy it from since all the bhoga in the entire path of the eclipse presumably becomes contaminated as well.

> This is why I also gave the example of women not engaging in deity
> worship during their menses. Srila Prabhupada actually wrote that
 ...snip...
> worship during an eclipse???? Should not everyone be simply bathing
> in the holy rivers or sea, fasting and chanting the Holy Name?

 What if there aren't any holy rivers or sea to bathe in? Then you just have to chant the holy name. And since that is the main business in our temples anyway, we continue on with our preaching regardless of the eclipse.

> "According to the Jyotir-veda, a lunar eclipse takes place when the
> Rähu planet comes in front of the full moon. It is customary in India
 ...snip...
> 2. Fasting
> 3. Chanting
>
> Obviously chanting is the most important, but why should we also not
> observe the other two?

 If there is scope to I don't see why we shouldn't. But ultimately it gets down to the fact that Srila Prabhupada didn't really emphasize it and our understanding that our regular activities of chanting and puja are transcendental to these considerations.

        Your humble servant,
        Hari-sauri dasa
(Text PAMHO:13244522) --------------------------------------

------- End of Forwarded Message ------

Part Three:

From: "Hari Sauri (das) ACBSP"
To: jtcd@
Subject: Re: rules for eclipses

 Here's the third in the series-- Gaura Kesava's reply to my reply to his first letter.

     Your humble servant,  Hari-sauri dasa

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

Letter PAMHO:13284816 (363 lines)
From:      Internet: "Gaura Keshava dasa ACBSP"
Date:      01-Apr-07 01:50 (15:50 -1000)
To:        Hari Sauri (das) ACBSP [60075]
Reference: Text PAMHO:13244522 by Hari Sauri (das) ACBSP
Comment:   Text PAMHO:13301052 by Hari Sauri (das) ACBSP
Attached:  13284816.eml (47852 bytes) "Original mail file of Text 13284816"
Subject:   Re: rules for eclipses
------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Hari Sauri ji, PAMHO AGTSP

Thanks for your reply and I am very sorry for my late reply.

On Mar 24, 2007, at 2:48 AM, Hari Sauri (das) ACBSP wrote:

> Who or what exactly is the papa-purusha, and how is it
> that he lives along with the grains and cannot be separated from them?

This excerpt from an article on Ekadasi was originally written in 1956 by Sri Navincandra Cakravarti, a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and in 1979 translated into English by Vyenkata dasa Brahmacari. For more go to http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/encyclopedia/ekadasi.htm

Srila Vyasadeva then said to Jaimini, "After saying this, the embodiment of all sinful activities (Papapurusa) fell down at the feet of the Supreme Lord, Visnu, who is the destroyer of all miseries, and began to cry.

"After this, Lord Visnu, observing the condition of the Papapurusa with laughter, began to speak thus: 'Oh Papapurusa! Rise up! Don't lament any longer. Just listen, and I'll tell you where you can stay on the auspicious lunar day of Ekadasi. On the day of Ekadasi, which is the benefactor of the three worlds, you can take shelter of foodstuff in the form of grains. There is no reason to worry about this any more, because My form as Sri Ekadasi Devi will no longer impede you.' After giving direction to the Papapurusa, the Supreme Lord, Visnu, disappeared and the Papapurusa returned to the performance of his own activities.

"Therefore those persons who are serious about the ultimate benefit for the soul will never eat grains on the Ekadasi tithi. According to the instructions of Lord Visnu, every kind of sinful activity that can be found in the material world takes its residence in this place of foodstuff (grain). Whoever follows Ekadasi is freed from all sins and never enters into hellish regions. If one doesn't follow Ekadasi because of illusion, he is still considered the utmost sinner. For every mouthful of grain that is eaten by a resident of the earthly region, one receives the effect of killing millions of brahmanas. It is definitely necessary that one give up eating grains on Ekadasi. I very strongly say again and again, 'On Ekadasi, don't eat grains, don't eat grains, don't eat grains!' Whether one be a ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, or of any family, he should follow the lunar day of Ekadasi. From this the perfection of varna and ashram will be attained. Especially since even if one by trickery follows Ekadasi, all of his sin become destroyed and he very easily attains the supreme goal, the abode of Vaikuntha."

>> Prasadam is never contaminated, this has to be accepted. Bhoga
>> however can be contaminated.
>
>  But surely the act of offering it to the Lord makes it pure? It
> cannot remain contaminated if it is offered properly.

A proper offering is made up of UNCONTAMINATED bhoga. How can you expect the Lord to accept contaminated bhoga? If an offering is made during the eclipse is not the bhoga and the person offering it affected by the eclipse? Sure, IF the Lord accepts anything it becomes pure, but the question is whether He will accept such offerings which are made against rules of deity worship set by Him in sastra which state that the offering should be pure and the personality offering the bhoga should also endeavor to be pure. If we know that the bhoga and pujari are affected by an eclipse during the eclipse should we ignore this fact and just make an impure offering anyway???

> Again, there is a system for an individual to purify himself in
> order to be able to make offerings. Srila Prabhupada always
> insisted that
> the devotees must be brahmanas if they want to cook and make
> offerings.

Yes, that's true and many ISKCON temples don't even follow the brahmana only rule. However even a contaminated brahmana vaisnava is restricted from making offerings or cooking.

> Apart from the benefit of eating prasadam outweighing any negative
> effects of eating the grain prasadam on ekadasi, the mood ...
...snip...
> day. So at least if they eat prasadam, even if it is mixed with
> grains, that
> is a benefit they would not normally have.

Yes, I agree.

> OK, good question and maybe someone can clarify it. Its never been
> clear to me why we should fast on an eclipse, nor even why an
> eclipse is so inauspicious that you can't take prasadam during one. Is there any
> explanation for this?

Good question. The standard reply in India is that eatables are contaminated during the eclipse. Of course as you point out, prasadam that was offered before the start of the eclipse should be exempt, however it's not so clear for bhoga prepared and/or offered during the eclipse. One is not supposed to have sex either during an eclipse as the resultant child would be influenced by the contaminated time of conception. Similarly acts such as eating should be avoided also because it's an inauspicious time. One should pick auspicious times for performing auspicious activities. Taking/honoring prasadam being one of them.

> I don't see why we shouldn't take this statement literally.

This is in regard to "falling from Vaikuntha due to not following Ekadasi".

You and I must have different ideas about what "literally" means. Normally when someone says that they accept a proposition "literally" it means exactly that. So my "literal" understanding of this statement is that: If someone were in Vaikuntha, and if there were Ekadasi in Vaikuntha, and if that person didn't fast from grains in Vaikuntha on that Ekadasi, then that person would fall from Vaikuntha to this material world.

Is that not the "literal" meaning??? If not, then please let me know what is the "literal" meaning of that statement?

If the above IS the "literal" meaning then I have several philosophical problems with that statement, as follows:

1. There is NO sin in Vaikuntha (otherwise it's not Vaikuntha by definition)
2. No one can fall from Vaikuntha for any reason (though people can come down on the order of the Lord)
3. There is NO Ekadasi in Vaikuntha (because Ekadasi is something which the Lord instituted for the benefit of the jivas in the material world)
4. Even if there were Ekadasi in Vaikuntha, there would not be any fasting, because there is no need as there is NO papa purusha (sin personified) to take shelter of the grains there.
5. Ekadasi fasting is a part of sadhana bhakti which is not necessary for the residents of Vaikuntha to perform, as they are all perfected beings.
6. Even if there were all these things (Ekadasi, fasting from Grains, Sin, etc) in Vaikuntha no one would still fall down as everyone in Vaikuntha strictly follows the order of the Lord.

So due to the above reasoning I cannot accept that statement "falling from Vaikuntha due to not following Ekadasi" as LITERAL.

I can and do however accept the spirit in which this sastric statement is made. It is made to encourage us (jivas in this material world) to follow the Ekadasi vratam by stating in hyperbolic terms how sinful it is NOT to follow it.

(Just for your information another part of this Ekadasi vratam which cannot be taken "literally" is the statement that "ALL sin resides in grains on Ekadasi". This cannot be taken literally because one can still sin on Ekadasi even though one does not eat grains. Otherwise why does the sastra also list other actions that are forbidden on Ekadasi? If papa purusha or sin personified literally resides ONLY in grains on Ekadasi, then one may do whatever else he pleases and not commit sin on Ekadasi. But this is not correct. Therefore this statement also cannot be taken literally.)

> Citing the restriction for taking grains on Ekadasi is applicable
> for us because it came directly from Lord Caitanya.

He also states in Caitanya Bhagavat that He will not eat in the home of anyone who doesn't chant one lakh of harinam. And we know that Srila Prabhupada gave us allowance to chant less than that. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta and Srila Prabhupada were also in favor of preaching even if it meant breaking Ekadasi or there are even statements about eating meat. However these are also hyperbole meant to emphasize the greater importance of preaching. It is neither necessary to eat grains nor meat to preach at the present time, place and most circumstances. So again getting back to the eclipse rules, I certainly can understand if Srila Prabhupada or any acarya emphasized preaching over following ANY rule. However that does not mean to me that we always have to NOT follow the rules when it's easy to follow them and when ISKCON sticks out as the only Vaisnava group that doesn't follow them. Sure, we can eat grains on Ekadasi or meat even, if we quote from some of our acaryas for preaching, but how often is that actually necessary. Similarly we can ignore all the rules and regulations of varnashram for preaching, but under circumstances where it is easy to follow those rules, why should we not???

> But is there a restriction
> from the Lord Himself that we may not take prasadam during an
> eclipse, thus contravening His above statement that there are no regulative
> principles concerning time and place?

We already have the example of Ekadasi day when one is restricted from eating certain types of prasadam. If the statement "there are no regulative principles concerning time and place" for taking prasadam is "literally" true then we should be able to take any prasadam on Ekadasi also. But we know that that is not true. Therefore we cannot accept the above statement as "literally" true. And if sin personified can enter prasadam on Ekadasi, then how is it difficult to understand that bhoga and pujaris can be contaminated during an eclipse???

The point I am making is that every two weeks according to the phase of the moon there is a day when we cannot eat grains, even if they are prasadam grains. So why is it so hard to accept that when the moon is under the attack of the demons Rahu and/or Ketu and when their influence is felt on the Earth, that it also can affect foodstuffs, (maybe even prasadam, though I have not seen any sastra to this effect).

> I was once in Jagannath Puri and standing outside the main entrance.
> Someone gave me some maha-prasadam so I immediately ate it without any
 ...snip...
> great honour by wearing my shoes and taking the prasadam
> immediately without any consideration. So who was correct?

Nice story. I would have done the same thing as you. You immediately honored the prasadam. Remember one of the reasons that NO prasadam eating goes on in India during eclipses is that the prasadam is prepared very soon before it's offered and honored/eaten. No one cooks or offers bhoga during an eclipse because of contamination so therefore normally there IS NO prasadam to honor during the eclipse.
What to speak of cooking and offering, everyone is supposed to be bathing and chanting.

> My point is that there are many directives in other shastras that we
> ignore and we derive our main rules and regs. from SB, BG, CC, NOD --
> through our line of acaryas.

Correct. NOD states that one should not offer prayers in a contaminated state. It also states that one should not enter the temple in a contaminated state, etc. Is not an eclipse a contaminated time???? Sure the temple is pure, the deities are pure, prasadam is pure, but are you pure and is bhoga pure during an eclipse???

> Other sampradayas may observe many different
> restrictions, but what do our acaryas follow?

Good question. Obviously we first look to see what Srila Prabhupada instructed and also instituted. Next if we need more information we should see how Srila Bhaktisiddhanta handled these situations and so on. We also need to take into consideration special times, places (Vrndavan, other ISKCON temples in India), and circumstances (eg when a large proportion of our congregation are expecting us to be examples of Vedic culture).

> Yes, agreed, but my point was that at least with eclipses, he never
> emphasized these strictures, at least in the way that he did for
> ekadasi and other fast days.

Right. So therefore there are a few different points of view in ISKCON.

1. We can do and not do only those things that we have directly been taught or shown by Srila Prabhupada.
2. We can do and not do anything for preaching regardless of whether it was taught or shown by Srila Prabhupada.
3. We can do and not do all those things that are acceptable in a Varnashram society or Vaisnava society because that was the wish of Srila Prabhupada to institute such a society.

Take your pick! (Or mix and match!!!)

Re: Janmastami

> Interestingly enough, there is a letter I just read, written I think
> in about 1967, where Srila Prabhupada says that the system is to
 ...snip...
>... western temples never
> took this observance seriously, and Srila Prabhupada seems to have
> never bothered to enforce it.

I agree.

Re: Back to Eclipse rules.

> As I said, I thnk because Srila Prabhupada never bothered to enforce
> it. Why we can only speculate, but seemingly because he didn't
> think it as very important.

Well, in those days it may not have been. But I can tell you that there are a lot of Indian temples in the US and ALL of them observed some sort of change of schedule for the eclipse. So times have changed. We seem very out of touch with our root culture if we do not adopt these practices that our Indian congregations know full well are observed by all Vaisnavas in India. But like I said above, there is no harm in this as long as there is a GBC standard for these things. If I can justify our stand to someone based on the teachings of Srila Prabhupada then I have no problem with it. If I cannot justify it because he didn't say anything about it, or was seemingly unclear about the matter then that needs to be standardized. (There are many matters like this, it's the GBC's duty to address them.)

> Well, is the bhoga contaminated or not when the eclipse is on?

Is Temple bhoga unacceptable by the Lord when cooked by a NON-brahmin? Or by a women (brahmin) in her menses?

I would answer YES to all three questions.

> If it is, then everything in the kitchen store would have to be
> thrown out and new bhoga purchased; but where would you buy it from since all the
> bhoga in the entire path of the eclipse presumably becomes contaminated as well.

Actually, in India the system is to cover it with kusha grass during the eclipse. Only start cooking again after cleaning the kitchen after the end of the eclipse. All water in vessels is thrown out and new water procured. The ingredients for the bhoga is considered un-contaminated again after the eclipse passes. (Just as how we can eat grain prasadam on the day after Ekadasi).

> What if there aren't any holy rivers or sea to bathe in?

Well you can still take bath in a body of water (lake or pool) by immersing oneself in it. Or if not possible just take a shower after it's over to get externally clean and chant Hare Krsna to be internally cleansed.

> Then you just have to chant the holy name. And since that is the
> main business in our temples anyway, we continue on with our preaching regardless of the eclipse.

I agree.

> If there is scope to I don't see why we shouldn't. But ultimately it
> gets down to the fact that Srila Prabhupada didn't really emphasize it and
> our understanding that our regular activities of chanting and puja are
> transcendental to these considerations.

I agree, except that our regular activities of puja given to us by Srila Prabhupada emphasized two things.

1. Cleanliness
2. Punctuality

Rules given to us in NOD and elsewhere by Srila Prabhupada with regard to cleanliness in puja do not only have to do with gross impurity but also subtle impurity. Therefore some standard should be accepted about subtle impurity and cleanliness with regard to our regular activities of puja.

ys

GKD (Gaura Keshava dasa ACBSP)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Further information and some discussion:

From: "Hari Sauri (das) ACBSP"
To: "Jaya Tirtha Charan dasan" <jtcd@
Subject: eclipses

> pamro., agtsp., agtsg&g.,
>
> Just wondering if you can help me with something.
>
> As you know we just had a total lunar eclipse
 ...snip...
> say. I tried to find anything on the Vedabase but
> there is little, seems more evasive of such topics than anything.

 Here's something Urmila mataji  ACBSP put out early this year:

Here are all the relevant quotes I could find from searching through the Vedabase. Seems we should fast and have kirtana throughout the eclipse, but not stop Deity worship (that's not unambiguous, but a likely understanding). The question remains as to when to break Gaura Purnima fast...
Your servant, Urmila devi dasi

According to the Jyotir-veda, a lunar eclipse takes place when the Rahu planet comes in front of the full moon. It is customary in India that all the followers of the Vedic scriptures bathe in the Ganges or the sea as soon as there is a lunar or solar eclipse. All strict followers of the Vedic religion stand up in the water throughout the whole period of the eclipse and chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. At the time of the birth of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, such a lunar eclipse took place, and naturally all the people standing in the water were chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
 Adi 13.92

After arriving in Kuruksetra, the members of the Yadu dynasty took their baths ceremoniously, with self-control, as enjoined in the sastras, and they observed fasting for the whole period of the eclipse in order to nullify the reactions of their sinful activities. Since it is a Vedic custom to give in charity as much as possible during the hours of the eclipse, the members of the Yadu dynasty distributed many hundreds of cows in charity to the brahmanas. All those cows were fully decorated with nice dress and ornaments. The special feature of these cows was that they had golden ankle bells and flower garlands on their necks. After the eclipse, all the members of the Yadu dynasty again took their baths in the lakes created by Lord Parasurama. Then they sumptuously fed the brahmanas with first-class cooked food, all prepared in butter.
 KB 82: Lord Krsna and Balarama Meet the Inhabitants of Vrndavana

In going to take their baths in the place of pilgrimage at Kuruksetra, in observing the regulative principles during the solar eclipse, or in feeding the brahmanas -- in all their activities -- they simply thought of devotion to Krsna. Their ideal worshipable Lord was Krsna, and no one else.
KB 82: Lord Krsna and Balarama Meet the Inhabitants of Vrndavana

So according to Vedic culture, when there is eclipse, lunar eclipse, people take bath in sacred rivers. So especially they go to Kuruksetra, a pilgrimage.
 Ratha-yatra -- London, July 13, 1972

Prabhupada: Our sastra says that it is Rahu's attack. So attack does not come regularly.
Dr. Patel: That you may call allegorically.
Prabhupada: One... Suppose you have got enemy. You are not going to attack regularly, but when there is some opportunity you go to attack. Harer nama [Cc. Adi 17.21].
Dr. Patel: Are we not observing this eclipse rituals, that, during the eclipse we stop aratis and all of this...
Prabhupada: Why?
Dr. Patel: And after the eclipse is over, take bath and then do the arati?
Prabhupada: Yes, they take bath.
Dr. Patel: Even the other Vaisnava mandirs don't do arati during that period if it comes within that...
Prabhupada: Hare Krsna.
Dr. Patel: Some sort of cosmic disturbances must be occuring in the cosmos during this period of grhana(?) or eclipse. We do not know, the modern science. Some movement must be happening.
Prabhupada: Yes. Our sastra says it is attack by Rahu. Rahu...
 Morning Walk -- November 17, 1975, Bombay

And you say that several hundred people joined in chanting and dancing during the eclipse. All these things are very much encouraging to me.
Letter to: Damodara  --  Los Angeles 24 March, 1970

People throughout the world considered the occasion of the lunar eclipse as most auspicious, so they engaged in loud chanting of the names of Hari. The Lord appeared as this chanting was going on.Chaitanya Bhagavat Adi-khanda 1.96
 

Hope this helps,

     Your humble servant,  Hari-sauri dasa
---------------------------------------------------------

JTCd's Footnote:
The conversation between Srila Prabhupad and Dr Patel is interesting in that, SP could clearly see that the view of Dr Patel was that of the mundane scientist and did not take the view that these things were and are actually happening, his view was that it was some allegory. Then he changes track and asks if we are observing the rituals for an eclipse. Srila Prabhupad doesn't engage in the idol chit chat but gets stuck in to soundly addressing the mundane scientists atheistic approach. You can read the entire conversation HERE:

Overview and conclusion:

The Founder Acharya of Iskcon, Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad instructed devotees to do as the other Vaishnava temples do regarding following guidelines during Sola & Lunar eclipses.

As well as showing clearly that Iskcon is following the correct ausaucham principles for conditioned souls. Just as a lotus remains within the water but remains aloof, so the pure elements of Bhakti such as the Deity, the Deity's prasadam etc remain ever pure, as do the Maha-bhagavat devotees of the Lord, and thus remain free from any influence of the material world. See the quote below:

Bhaktivedanta PURPORT of Srimad Bhagavatam 7:4:37.
Prahläda Mahäräja is the vivid example of a great person fully absorbed in Kåñëa consciousness. In Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya 8.274) it is said:

sthävara-jaìgama dekhe, nä dekhe tära mürti
sarvatra haya nija iñöa-deva-sphürti

A fully Kåñëa conscious person, although situated in this material world, does not see anything but Kåñëa, anywhere and everywhere. This is the sign of a mahä-bhägavata. The mahä-bhägavata sees Kåñëa everywhere because of his attitude of pure love for Kåñëa. As confirmed in the Brahma-saàhitä (5.38):

premäïjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaù sadaiva hådayeñu vilokayanti
yaà çyämasundaram acintya-guëa-svarüpaà
govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi

"I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda, who is always seen by the devotee whose eyes are anointed with the pulp of love. He is seen in His eternal form of Çyämasundara, situated within the heart of the devotee." An exalted devotee, or mahätmä, who is rarely to be seen, remains fully conscious of Kåñëa and constantly sees the Lord within the core of his heart. It is sometimes said that when one is influenced by evil stars like Saturn, Rähu or Ketu, he cannot make advancement in any prospective activity. In just the opposite way, Prahläda Mahäräja was influenced by Kåñëa, the supreme planet, and thus he could not think of the material world and live without Kåñëa consciousness. That is the sign of a mahä-bhägavata. Even if one is an enemy of Kåñëa, a mahä-bhägavata sees him to be also engaged in Kåñëa's service. Another crude example is that everything appears yellow to the jaundiced eye. Similarly, to a mahä-bhägavata, everyone but himself appears to be engaged in Kåñëa's service.
 Prahläda Mahäräja is the approved mahä-bhägavata, the supreme devotee. In the previous verse it was stated that he had natural attachment (naisargiké ratiù). The symptoms of such natural attachment for Kåñëa are described in this verse. Although Prahläda Mahäräja was only a boy, he had no interest in playing. As stated in Çrémad-Bhägavatam (11.2.42), viraktir anyatra ca: the symptom of perfect Kåñëa consciousness is that one loses interest in all material activities. For a small boy to give up playing is impossible, but Prahläda Mahäräja, being situated in first-class devotional service, was always absorbed in a trance of Kåñëa consciousness. Just as a materialistic person is always absorbed in thoughts of material gain, a mahä-bhägavata like Prahläda Mahäräja is always absorbed in thoughts of Kåñëa. (Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, Srimad Bhagavatam 7:4:37. purport.)

    However, the devotees of the Lord rendering humble service according to the rules of sadhana bhakti follow rules set out by which we must be ritually pure (suchih) in order to engage in Deity worship (see offenses in deity worship NOD chapter 8 and SB), such as for dressing the Deity, cooking for the Deity and or rituals like arati, fire yajnas and so on. These rules are set out in the Nectar of Devotion, Hari Bhakti Vilas, Narad Pancharatra, the Srutis and Smritis etc., for us to follow, as suggested by Rupa Goswami:

Sruti Smriti Puranadi Pancharatrabidhin bina
Aikantiki Harerbhakti utpataiba kalpate.

AND it is suggested that if Pseudo-devotional activities without reference to the standard scriptures as above mentioned, are simply acts of disturbances in the name of spirituality. That the performer of Samkirtan must refrain from such disturbing elements. (The Science of Congregational Chanting of the Name of the Lord (Samkirtan) (Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. BTGY1 1944-1960 - Vol 1., part 1- 4. 1944.Vedabase Folio)

If one can withstand the challenges that Sri Prahlad maharaj underwent at the hands of his demoniac father Hiranyakashipu, or if one can physically push Rahu out of the way as Hanuman did just after his birth as he flew into the sky mistaking the Sun for something to eat, and seeing Rahu about to swallow the Sun and a threat to his eating it, he pushed Rahu away..........and tucked the Sun under his arm plunging the universe into darkness. So if we can do such feats, then certainly we have no fear of contamination or threat to our existence in this world.

Sometimes we assume we are more advanced than we are, much like the Buddhist philosophy "I think therefore I am" and imagine ourselves immune from all reactions while we remain in our conditioned state up to asakti. We have seen the result over the years of such assumptions with good devotees becoming affected and even giving up their sadhana practices for some time or for this life. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur in his wisdom suggests that until devotional sevice matures to the point of asakti the devotee act in a humble manner and not try to utilize things beyond his scope (Tattwa Sutram 28.)

The previous Acharyas have given guidelines that we follow the astrological/astronomical frame work of the panchanga and panjika for observances and celebrations (fasts, feasts, festivals etc) and observe lunar astrological dating and movement for the times of Ekadasi, Dwadasi, Purnima, Chaturmasya, Karttika, etc., and for the Sankrantis, the Purushottam Adika Mase, and the Uttarayana and Daksinayana courses of the Sun, etc, according to Navadwip Panjika of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad Founder President of the Gaudiya Math, and spiritual master of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanmta Swami Prabhupad. So its not that we don't use astrology or astronomy or that it is in some way bad or mundane, all our daily events are situated in it. Rather we use it properly.

Srila Prabhupad wanted that we set a nice standard for doing everything, especially he wanted that society take Iskcon seriously, and so spent gallons of blood sweat and tears to train his followers the way to do everything. By his mercy we have those teachings recorded in his books, in his letters, coversations, and memories of the devotees, such as those we are citing at the beginning of this presentation - this too is smriti shastra pramanam

There is also another reason that we have to now take more care, even in the west about these things. Previously ISKCON was the only player in Indian community Hindu temple "game" in the west. Now there are many Hindu and even purely Vaisnava (mostly Sri) temples in the west. They all follow these things and close during eclipses, etc. When the Indians and others see that these others are following strictly the rules and ISKCON neglects to do so then how does it look for us???
What kind of preaching is that??? In India Srila Prabhupada went out of his way to have devotees follow many rules (no women pujaris, etc) that were not followed in ISKCON in the west, because people there KNOW the customs and will criticize if we do not do things strictly.  The same is now true of the west. If we do not do so, ISKCON will become known as a slack group that follows only when it feels like it. I believe that SP wanted ISKCON to set an example to other Indian/ Hindu/Vaisnava groups. (Gaura Keshava dasa ACBSP)

There is a big difference between Smarta rules and Vaisnava rules. Vaisnavas also have rules. These rules are Vaisnava rules, Smartas may also follow them, just like many Smartas are vegetarians and Vaisnavas are also. Does it mean that because Smartas are vegetarians that Vaisnava should not be??? We are not against all things that Smartas do, after all the Smartas do follow Smrti and so do we. The difference comes because we also follow purely Vaisnava sastras like Pancaratra, etc, which take precedence over some prescriptions of Smrti. There are even differences between the different Vaisnavas about certain customs and doctrines. We therefore accept those doctrines and customs followed by the 4 bonafide sampradayas and specifically for our sampradaya.

For example we don't eat certain things on Ekadasi. For Gaudiyas and Madhvas this is very important. For other Vaisnavas perhaps less so. However in ISKCON and GM Ekadasi vratam is to be compulsorily observed, as you know. Mahaprabhu Himself asked His mother to follow Ekadasi Vratam. So there is no question that it's followed by Gaudiya Vaisnavas. The problem is that some devotees think that anything they cannot find in the Prabhupada Vedabase does not exist in (Gaudiya) Vaisnava culture. So the question we have to pose to such "unbelievers" is "Why do you follow Indian/Hindu/Vaisnava cultural/ religious customs that are not found in Srila Prabhupada's teachings.
For example in ISKCON one my get re-initiated however we find no mention of this in Srila Prabhupada's teachings. Devotees also eat bread made with yeast and even offer bread (not sure if any are offering bread made with yeast) even though Srila Prabhupada rejected it and it was never used during his time. So I have given two examples, the first a very important spiritual custom (diksha/ initiation and re-initiation???) and the second a simple thing like eating and offering products made with yeast. Neither thing is found to be acceptable in Srila Prabhupada's teachings, yet both are tolerated and even established by GBC resolution (in the case of re- initiation) in ISKCON. When devotees do not discriminate as the the veracity of THESE things then how are they to be expected to accept the simple rules of observing eclipses, which are actually easily seen in Srila Prabhupada's books. Look in Bhagavatam or Krsna book about how the Yadus followed the rules of eclipse, they all chanted and bathed during the eclipse and took prasadam only afterwards? I'm sorry but what more do you want??? The same was done 500 years ago at the appearance of Mahaprabhu when ther was an eclipse. Everyone bathed and chanted during the eclipse. Why is that so hard to understand and follow???  (Gaura Keshava dasa ACBSP)

My question to those who want to cook, offer and eat during eclipses is this. At the time of cooking if there is eclipse then you (the cook) are contaminated. The ingredients are contaminated. So the food cooked is contaminated. Can one offer such a contaminated offering to the deity without offense??? If the offering (or any other deity worship) is done during the eclipse is not the pujari contaminated by the eclipse??? We are forbidden to offer prayers in a contaminated state (see offenses in deity worship NOD chapter 8 and SB). This is also an offense. Of course the deities are not contaminated but we are. Do we allow women who are contaminated by their periods (a contamination regulated by the time of month i.e. the MOON) to do deity worship??? Or cook??? NO!!!! Then why do we think that men (or women) are NOT affected by the moon (or sun) when it is under the attack of THE DEMONS Rahu and/or Ketu??? Surely we are affected, contaminated, and in such a state we cannot do puja, cook, make offerings, etc. The chanting of the holy name does not have any of these offenses. One can chant in any stage of contamination or purity, but deity worship is another matter. (Gaura Keshava dasa ACBSP)

To those who want to eat/honor prasadam during an eclipse. Let's suppose that we cook, before the eclipse and that we even offer the food before the eclipse. Well then, now that it's prasadam, why can't we eat it during the eclipse??? Well, of course you can, and it's prasadam and is therefore spiritual and can't be considered contaminated. But then you can also take prasadam grains on Ekadasi too. Why don't you do that??? It's not contaminated, it's completely pure. However on Ekadasi there is also the presence of the Papa Purusha which you cannot avoid. The same prasadam when kept till the next day CAN be eaten. So why is it that devotees who so strictly will follow these rules and NOT eat mahaprasadam grains on Ekadasi because they are "not-to-be-eaten due to the presence along with them of the Papa Purusha" a state that is CAUSED by the phase of the MOON called Ekadasi, those very same devotees when told that another phase of the MOON (eclipse) also causes themselves to be contaminated will go ahead and take/honor mahaprasadam in their contaminated state??? (Gaura Keshava dasa ACBSP)

Of course, one may counter with the story of Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, who took Jagannatha mahaprasadam immediately upon receiving it, even though he had not taken bath, etc. That is true and we can do this, but Sarvabhauma was surprised with the gift of mahaprasadam whereas we are in full knowledge of the eclipse and we still refuse to easily change the timings of our honoring mahaprasadam so that we can do so in an uncontaminated state. Why should we not try if possible to correctly honor mahaprasadam??? (Gaura Keshava dasa ACBSP)

So if you don't care whether someone takes bath or is uncontaminated (in either a gross or subtle way) when he (or she) cooks, or offers food, or does deity worship, or honors mahaprasadam, then go ahead and do all those things. But to be consistent if you are going to allow devotees to do all those things at the time of eclipse even though they are contaminated, then why can't they do all those things on any other day even though they may be contaminated in some other gross or subtle way??? (Gaura Keshava dasa ACBSP)

There may be other points that I have forgotten about this subject which I wrote on for the last eclipse. No doubt like the perennial question "What can we eat on Ekadasi, Prabhu?", devotees will continue to ask this question too again and again unless and until the leaders of ISKCON come up with a policy backed up by sastra on this subject. I encourage anyone in a position of influence with the leadership to please canvas them to do so. It's not such a hard thing, after all. (Gaura Keshava dasa ACBSP)

“What is that?” asked Çréla Prabhupäda. He had just come onto the roof of the Mäyäpur building when he noticed a brass loöä. It was sitting next to a line of tulasé plants in pots. Çréla Prabhupäda seemed disturbed by the sight, although to the group of devotees walking with him, the loöä and the tulasé plant seemed perfectly normal.
“Is something wrong?” a devotee asked.
“Look in the stool room,” Prabhupäda replied, “and see if there is a loöä there.” Someone ran into the stool room, came out, and said, “No, Çréla Prabhupäda.”
“Just see,” said Çréla Prabhupäda. “This is a great aparädha (offense).”
Devotees were amazed at Çréla Prabhupäda’s immediate detective work in surmising that someone had taken the stool room loöä and used it to water the tulasé plants. (16th March 1976. Mayapur)

He spent all his time in teaching us what to do at what time to please Krishna, what is to be done at the appropriate time. His purports are packed with such guidelines. Just like with the topic here of solar and lunar eclipses, he tells of how the Yadus would assemble at Kurukshetra and recite sacred mantras and take bath, and how at the time of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's birth everyone was submerged in the Ganges chanting the Holy names of the Lord. He doesn't say that others were cooking, or others were doing puja or others were doing other things, NO he clearly and single mindedly states what EVERYONE was doing.

After arriving in Kuruksetra, the members of the Yadu dynasty took their baths ceremoniously, with self-control, as enjoined in the sastras, and they observed fasting for the whole period of the eclipse in order to nullify the reactions of their sinful activities. Since it is a Vedic custom to give in charity as much as possible during the hours of the eclipse, the members of the Yadu dynasty distributed many hundreds of cows in charity to the brahmanas. All those cows were fully decorated with nice dress and ornaments. The special feature of these cows was that they had golden ankle bells and flower garlands on their necks. After the eclipse, all the members of the Yadu dynasty again took their baths in the lakes created by Lord Parasurama. Then they sumptuously fed the brahmanas with first-class cooked food, all prepared in butter.
(Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad. Krsna Book 82: Lord Krsna and Balarama Meet the Inhabitants of Vrndavana)

And you say that several hundred people joined in chanting and dancing
during the eclipse. All these things are very much encouraging to me.
Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad: Letter to: Damodara  --  Los Angeles 24 March, 1970

I humbly beg to remain in the service of Sri Guru and Gauranga,

Sri Krishnarpanamastu, yhs Jaya Tirtha Charan dasa