Lunar Eclipse: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Points To Reference of Sun And Moon In Vishnu Sahasranamam

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has drawn the global fraternity’s attention to India’s glorious shastras and past culture to point out how the sun and moon had been viewed thousands of years ago as eyes of Lord Vishnu.

The Defence Minister, quoting Vishnu Sahasranamam – 1,000 names in praise of Lord Vishnu – pointed out that it referred to the sun and moon as two of the Supreme Being during a Twitter conversation on the lunar eclipse that occurred Friday (27 July).

Sitharaman, responding to a tweet by noted photographer and videographer Robin Edgar, tweeted: “The moon & the sun seen as eyes of the Supreme in Viswarupa or the cosmic form. “...bhūḥ pādau yasya nābhirviyadasuranilaścandra sūryau ca netre...”

Edgar, charmed by the eclipse, said the totally eclipsed sun distinctly resembled the pupil and iris of “Eye of God”. Taking up the theme forward, Sitharaman put out the tweet, an apt reminder that Indians had thought, discussed and written on the eclipses thousands of years ago.

The Defence Minister tracked the lunar eclipse on Friday night and tweeted news on it across the globe.