Rahu

About Rahu

Rahu is the severed head of the asura Svarbhanu. During the churning of the cosmic ocean, he slipped in among the gods to sip amrita; the Sun and Moon exposed him, and Vishnu's discus sliced off his head. The nectar had already touched his throat, so the head became immortal and rose as a graha. He swallows the Sun and Moon in revenge, which Hindu tradition names as the cause of eclipses. The Padma Purana's Rahu Kavacham pictures him four-armed with sword, shield and spear, robed in black, wearing hessonite, riding a chariot drawn by a black lion around Mount Meru. Devotees offer black lentils and blue flowers during Rahu Kalam.