Shloka 21
The Churning of the Ocean
Samudra Manthana
राहुकेतू ततस्तूर्णं गतौ तौ भयविह्वलौ । इदानीं तद्दिने प्राप्ते चंद्रसूर्यौ स युध्यति
rāhuketū tatastūrṇaṃ gatau tau bhayavihvalau | idānīṃ taddine prāpte caṃdrasūryau sa yudhyati
Daraufhin zogen Rāhu und Ketu eilends davon, beide vom Schrecken ergriffen. Nun aber, wenn jener schicksalhafte Tag eintritt, kämpft er gegen Mond und Sonne.
Narrator (contextual; explicit speaker not stated in the verse)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: celestial_realm
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ततस्तूर्णं = ततः + तूर्णम् (विसर्ग-सन्धि); तद्दिने = तत् + दिने (व्यञ्जन-सन्धि); चंद्रसूर्यौ = चन्द्र + सूर्यौ (समास/सन्धि).
FAQs
It alludes to the recurring conflict of Rāhu (with Ketu) with the Sun and Moon—an etiological myth commonly associated with eclipses, where Rāhu is said to attack or seize the luminaries on certain days.
Purāṇic narratives often treat Rāhu and Ketu as paired cosmic forces (the severed head and body in some traditions). Mentioning both emphasizes their joint role in celestial disturbance and in the eclipse-related mythic cycle.
The verse uses cosmic drama to depict the consequences of hostility and unresolved enmity: fear leads to flight, yet conflict re-emerges when conditions ripen—suggesting the need for restraint, clarity, and dharmic alignment rather than fixation on rivalry.