Why shouldn’t we eat during eclipses?
Is consuming food on the day of an eclipse harmful to the body?
There are many age-old beliefs about why eating should be forbidden during eclipses. One common belief is that food eaten on an eclipse day takes longer to digest and the other popular notion is that certain harmful radiations are emitted during an eclipse, which spoil the food, consuming which can lead to illness.
Modern science states that there is no clear link between eating food before or during an eclipse and health disorders and that there is no strong evidence to support the claim that eating on the day of a solar or lunar eclipse can impact health.
Mystic Takeaway by Sadhguru About Eclipse and Food Quality
According to Sadhguru, a lunar eclipse has a great impact on our bodies given that what would otherwise happen over 28 days of the lunar cycle happens over a few hours during the lunar eclipse. The eclipse is mistaken as a full lunar cycle, the energies on Earth change in a strange way, and nourishing food can turn into poison (which means it can lose its quality or even deteriorate).
While some people disbelieve that eating during an eclipse is harmful, Sadhguru attributes it to a decrease in appetite caused by atmospheric changes. He emphasizes the ancient wisdom found in yogic practices, highlighting the importance of maintaining blood purity for heightened perception.
Sadhguru encourages learning through experience rather than blindly trusting written knowledge. He proposes simple experiments like eating fresh and old food during different eclipses to understand their effects. This approach emphasizes practical exploration and helps in comprehending the impact of natural cycles on our lives.
In the following video, Sadhguru demonstrates how cooked food degrades faster during eclipses. If you’re curious, you can watch how he uses a rudraksha to assess the food’s quality.
Sadhguru warns against eating during this period, suggesting that the same negative change would happen within our bodies, turning nourishment into something harmful.
Solar Eclipse and Food Safety
It is believed that certain harmful radiations are emitted during a solar eclipse. They increase bacterial growth in food, which is why food loses its quality and nutrition. Hence food is rendered of no use to the body and pathogens in food can cause disease.
So, you should avoid eating food during a solar eclipse. It is said that rays reaching us during a solar eclipse can affect cooked food in such a way that eating it leads to indigestion.
Eclipse and the ‘Tamasic’ Nature of Food
Hindu scriptures, mainly the Vedas state that food consumed during darkness is harmful, as the ‘tamogun’ in the food increases in the absence of light. In these scriptures, it is advised to avoid eating after sunset. So, during an eclipse, when sunlight is absent, the food is believed to get more ‘tamasic’, and hence eating food is best avoided on the day of an eclipse.
Precautions for Pregnant Women During Eclipses
Astrologers say that pregnant women should avoid eating food during an eclipse as it can lead to complications and be harmful to the unborn baby. This belief is based on the astrological aspect of the alignment of Rahu, Ketu, Moon and the Sun, during an eclipse. Astrologers advise against eating white foods and non-vegetarian foods during an eclipse, as there is a possibility of bacterial growth in food during this time.
Use of Tulsi Leaf During Eclipses
As a remedial measure to prevent cooked food from getting spoiled during eclipses, it is recommended that you add some tulsi leaves to the food before the eclipse begins. Tulsi, due to its antibacterial properties, can prevent the growth of bacteria in food.
It is recommended to cook only the necessary amount of food before the eclipse so that there is no need to dispose of excess food. Additionally, adding tulsi leaves to drinking water is advised. After the eclipse, it is suggested to cook fresh meals.
There is a cultural practice of avoiding leftover food, non-vegetarian dishes, alcohol and fermented foods completely during a solar eclipse due to a belief that these items are challenging for the body to digest and may become contaminated during the eclipse.
So, is it harmful to eat during solar or lunar eclipses?
While science says that an eclipse cannot be the reason for the contamination of food, so eating food during an eclipse cannot be considered dangerous; yogis believe that eating during an eclipse can lead to inertia, which is why it is good to avoid eating on the day of an eclipse.
Eating Right During the Eclipse
- Plan meals based on the eclipse start and end times in your location. Consume water at any time.
- Adults: 4 hours gap after full meals, 2.5 hours after a light snack, and 1.5 hours after a beverage.
- Children (below 13 years): 2.5 hours after full meals, 1.5 hours after light snacks, and 1 hour after a beverage.
- Cook and consume fresh food after the eclipse ends.
- Avoid eating older food, especially cooked food from the fridge before the eclipse.
Come to think of it, when the moon’s light is dimmed by the Earth (during a lunar eclipse) or when the Sun’s rays are blocked by the moon (during a solar eclipse), the light reaching us is naturally affected, and the change in the light around ought to impact our energies. Thus, eclipses can surely lead to a dip in our energy! So avoiding food during eclipses may reduce stress on our system, fostering increased alertness and heightened consciousness!
