बृहत्संहिता (आचार्य वराहमिहिर - स्थापत्य, खगोल, मौसम व जल विज्ञान)

Adh. V. Sl. 3] पञ्चमोऽध्यायः 45
a boon conferred by Brahma, he is visible only at the
time of eclipses and not on other days.
Simhika begged of Sage Kasyapa at an unseasonal hour
for progeny. Enraged at this untimely request, he gave her
a son who was dreadful like Yama. This son came to be called
Rahu. As soon as he was born, he fought and sustained a
defeat at the hands of the son of Aditi. Humiliated by this,
he performed severe penance for 10,000 divine years on the
summit of the Himalayas. He asked God Brahma to confer
on him the status of a planet, immortality, victory over the
Gods and power to devour the two luminaries. At this, the
Lord spoke smilingly thus : "You will find it extremely hard
to digest these two; still, be it so." So saying, the Lord
vanished. Then Rahu rushed at them. Then God Vishnu
hurled his discus, chopped his head off and said, "Let the
creator's words however, not go to waste. In your respective
periods you may devour the two luminaries and thereby indicate
good and bad things for the world."
मुखपुच्छविभक्ताङ्गं भुजङ्गमाकारमुपदिशन्त्यन्ये ।
कथयन्त्यमूर्तमपरे तमोमयं सैंहिकेयाख्यम् ॥३॥
Sloka 3.—One school of learned men says that
Rahu—son of Simhika—is of a serpentine form with only
the face and the tail; while another class maintains that
he is formless and of the nature of pure darkness.
तथा च वीरभद्रः
सिंहिकातनयस्यास्य राहोः पुच्छमुखादृते ।
नान्यदस्ति परं बाहुकटिपादकरादिकम्॥
तथा च वसिष्ठः
भषट्कान्तरितौ राहुः सूर्याचन्द्रमसावुभौ ।
छादयत्युरगाकारो वरदानात् स्वयम्भुवः ॥
तथा च द्वंद्वः
अन्धकारमयो राहुर्मेघखण्ड इवोत्थितः ।
आच्छादयति सोमाकौँ पर्वकाले ह्युपस्थिते ॥