Eclipse and Deity Worship

[Yasoda Jivan dasa]

Respected scholars,

On the 3rd of March, there will be an eclipse. In South India and even in North India, many temples are closed during an eclipse. However, I came across a verse from the Bṛgu Saṁhitā, a text of the Vaikhānasa Āgama, which suggests that it is not prohibited to continue worship during a *grahaṇa* (eclipse).

According to the Bṛgu Saṁhitā (21.109–110), it is stated:

sūryagrahe caturyāmaṃ 

triyāmaṃ tu vidhugrahe |

nāśnanti havyakavyāni 

devatāḥ pitaras tathā ||

ālaye tu hareḥ pūjāṃ

 na tyajanti maharṣayaḥ |

havir-nivedanaṃ hitvā

 pūjāṃ sarvāṃ samācaret ||

“During a solar eclipse for four yāmas, and during a lunar eclipse for three yāmas, the devatās and the ancestors do not partake of the offerings made to them. However, in the temple of Hari, the great sages do not abandon the worship. Excluding the offering of food (*havis*), one should perform all other parts of the worship.”

In light of this, is there any other reference supporting the continuation of deity worship during an eclipse? Is there any established tradition in the Saiva, Śākta, or Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas that permits or supports such worship during a grahaṇa?