The Rigveda is considered a very ancient text in India, and in fact, it is widely believed to be the oldest text in the world. The Rigveda is renowned worldwide for the immense knowledge it contains. In the Rigveda, the people of the Vedic period recorded their observations of natural forces and various natural phenomena. Recently, a research paper on the Rigveda was published in a global report. This research on the Rigveda was conducted by Mayank Vahia, a retired scientist from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, and Mitsuru Soma, a scientist from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. 

Research paper link -

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2407.19733

An examination of ‘Atri’s Eclipse’ as described in the Rig Veda

The research report on the Rigveda is titled “An examination of ‘Atri’s Eclipse’ as described in the Rig Veda” and was published in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage. In this research, these scientists have discussed the story of the Vedic sage Atri and the description of a total solar eclipse in the Rigveda. This story of Sage Atri and the total solar eclipse in the Rigveda is the oldest known reference to a total solar eclipse in Indian astronomy.

This story in the Rigveda describes how the sun suddenly disappears due to the influence of the demon Svarbhanu. The story further describes how, while all the gods and people were frightened, Sage Atri destroys the demon Svarbhanu and restores the sun's light. Because the language of the Rigveda is highly metaphorical and symbolic, it is difficult to determine the exact time of the historical events described in the Rigveda and to understand their true meaning.

However, in this research, the scientists have identified a reference to a total solar eclipse from the Vedic period. Based on the reference to the vernal equinox in the story of Sage Atri in the Rigveda, the scientists have determined the actual time of the total solar eclipse. When the Sun crosses the celestial equator from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere on the ecliptic, the event is called the vernal equinox, and that point of intersection is called the vernal equinox point. Lokmanya Tilak, in his research, stated that this solar eclipse occurred when the vernal equinox point was in the Mrigashira constellation, and three days before the autumnal equinox point. Based on this story from the Rigveda, scientists have concluded that this solar eclipse of Rishi Atri occurred on October 22, 4202 BC or October 19, 3811 BC.

In the 40th hymn of the fifth mandala of the Rigveda, this story of Rishi Atri and the total solar eclipse is described as follows:

यत्त्वा॑ सूर्य॒ स्व॑र्भानु॒स्तम॒सावि॑ध्यदासु॒रः। अक्षे॑त्रवि॒द्यथा॑ मु॒ग्धो भुव॑नान्यदीधयुः ॥५॥

Yat tvā sūrya svarbhānus tamasāvidhyadāsuraḥ | Akṣetravidyathā mugdho bhuvanānyadīdhayuḥ ||5||

Meaning: O Sun, when the demon Svarbhānu enveloped you with darkness, then in the darkness, people became confused, not knowing their dwelling places, and all people were bewildered by the darkness.

स्व॑र्भानो॒रध॒ यदि॑न्द्र मा॒या अ॒वो दि॒वो वर्त॑माना अ॒वाह॑न्। गू॒ळ्हं सूर्यं॒ तम॒साप॑व्रतेन तु॒रीये॑ण॒ ब्रह्म॑णाविन्द॒दत्रिः॑ ॥६॥

Svarbhānoradha yadindra māyā avo divo vartamānā avāhan | Gūḷhaṁ sūryaṁ tamasāpavratena turīyeṇa brahmaṇāvindadatriḥ ||6||

Meaning: O Indra, then you dispelled the darkness of the illusory demon Svarbhānu, which was present below the sky. Rishi Atri, through his chanting of mantras, rediscovered the Sun which was hidden by darkness.

मा मामि॒मं तव॒ सन्त॑मत्र इर॒स्या द्रु॒ग्धो भि॒यसा॒ नि गा॑रीत्। त्वं मि॒त्रो अ॑सि स॒त्यरा॑धा॒स्तौ मे॒हाव॑तं॒ वरु॑णश्च॒ राजा॑ ॥७॥

May the fear-inducing darkness not overwhelm me here, your devotee, O Atri, who is wronged and afflicted. You are a friend, true to your word; may you and King Varuna protect me. ||7||

Meaning: The Sun God said, "O Atri, you are like a friend who upholds the truth. Protect us together with Lord Varuna. While you are here, the fear-inducing darkness will not be able to trouble us."

ग्राव्णो॑ ब्र॒ह्मा यु॑युजा॒नः स॑प॒र्यन् की॒रिणा॑ दे॒वान्नम॑सोप॒शिक्ष॑न्। अत्रिः॒ सूर्य॑स्य दि॒वि चक्षु॒राधा॒त्स्व॑र्भानो॒रप॑ मा॒या अ॑घुक्षत् ॥८॥

The Brahma, joining the stones, worshipped and pleased the gods with hymns and offerings. Atri placed the eye of the Sun in the sky, and dispelled the illusions of Svarbhanu. ||8||

Meaning: Sage Atri prepared Soma for Indra by crushing the stones. He pleased the deities by performing sacrifices with hymns and offerings. He dispelled the illusion of the demon Svarbhanu and instructed the Sun, causing it to shine again in the sky.

यं वै सूर्यं॒ स्व॑र्भानु॒स्तम॒सावि॑ध्यदासु॒रः। अत्र॑य॒स्तमन्व॑विन्दन्न॒ह्य१॒॑न्ये अश॑क्नुवन् ॥९॥

The Sun, whom the demon Svarbhanu pierced with darkness, was found again by the Atri clan; no others were able to do so. ||9||

Meaning: The way the demon Svarbhanu enveloped the Sun with darkness, and how the descendants of Sage Atri freed the Sun from that darkness, no one else was successful in doing such a deed again.

From the complete story of the solar eclipse by Sage Atri in the Rigveda, it is clear that from the Vedic period, human society had started recording astronomical events, and they had also started describing these astronomical events in written form. We also find descriptions of many astronomical events in Indian historical texts like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. For example, in the final stages of the Mahabharata war, when the great warrior Bhishma is wounded by Arjuna's arrows and lies on a bed of arrows, he does not give up his life but waits for the Uttarayana (the northward movement of the sun) to begin.  Only when the sun's Uttarayana begins does the great warrior Bhishma relinquish his life. From this story of the great warrior Bhishma in the Mahabharata, we see that astronomical events held great importance in human life during that period.