Swami Brahm Bodhi

Question :
Gurudev, Pranam 🙏🙏 Today is a lunar eclipse, and its Sutak period has started from 1 PM… What should be done and what should be avoided during this time? Please guide me. 🙏🙏

Answer (by Brahm Bodhi)
Do nothing. Give up fear and anxiety. One must always take the name of God—continue doing so today as you always have.

Such fear-based rituals have been created by certain scriptures. They are designed to keep you in a constant state of fear and apprehension.

Any religion that frightens you with anything other than your own misdeeds is a religion or belief system worth abandoning.

Devotees who have surrendered to God are not afraid of planets or stars—not even of cosmic dissolution (pralaya). Saturn (Shani), Rahu, Ketu, or any other celestial influences cannot harm them.

Look—at the beginning of Chapter 16 of the Bhagavad Gita, the Lord has described the qualities of divine nature (Daivi Sampada). The very first among them is ‘Fearlessness’ (Abhaya).

So eat, drink, and live peacefully. Forget about the eclipse. If you have attained complete surrender, there is nothing more to do. If you’re still developing partial surrender, then continue chanting the divine names of the Lord—not out of fear, but out of joy.

Today is Sunday, a good time—so devotees may go to Vaikuntha (the eternal divine realm) and enjoy the pastimes of Lord Hari there. Devotees of Krishna may go to Goloka, a division of Vaikuntha, and play with the Lord. Devotees of Shri Ram may go to Saket, another division of Vaikuntha, and rest at the feet of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita, who are non-different from Vishnu and Lakshmi.

All these divine realms lie far above the Sun and Moon, beyond even their light.

Always remember this verse:

“Ananyaashchintayanto maam ye janaah paryupaasate, teshaam nityaabhiyuktaanaam yogakshemam vahaamyaham.”
—Bhagavad Gita 9.22

To those who are exclusively devoted to Me and worship Me with unwavering focus, I personally carry what they lack and preserve what they have.

So why should such exclusive devotees be concerned about the position of the planets and stars?”