Young girls watching the starry sky at night recite a verse which means, “I worshipped the star-spangled firmament first and then my lover Ābhlā dabhlā Kankunā dābhlā[306]—“Ye stars! blind the prowling thief and seize him if he tries to steal away, and your blessings on my lord confer!”[307]
The Rohini and Krittika constellations, popularly known as Gadli, are supposed to indicate the rise and fall in the cotton-market.[308]
The dimmest star of the saptarshi group foretells the death of a person within six months from the date on which it becomes invisible to him.[309] Again, if a man cannot perceive the saptarshi or the galaxy in the sky, it is considered such a bad omen that his end is believed to be near at hand.[310]
The rainbow is believed to be the bow of Indra,[311] the god of rains, and is therefore called ‘Indra-dhanushya.’ We see it when Indra draws his bow to release the rains from the rākshasas (demons);[312] or, when successful in bringing down rain, Indra manifests his glory by drawing a bow;[313] or when in the struggle for supremacy between Summer and the rainy season, Indra draws his bow to defeat Summer.[314]
It is also believed that when Rāmachandra, the hero of the Rāmāyana, adjusted an arrow to the bow of Shiva, to compete for the hand of Sītā in the swayamvara (or maiden’s-choice marriage) celebrated by her, the bow was split into three pieces, which ever since present themselves as rainbows in the sky.[315]
The rainbow is popularly regarded as an indication of good or bad rainfall according as it appears at particular hours and in particular directions. If a rainbow appears in the east a speedy rainfall is expected; if on the other hand it is seen in the west, rainfall is apprehended to be distant.[316] Some people, however, believe the contrary, i.e., they regard the appearance of a rainbow in the west as an indication of good rains, and in the east as a sign of scarce rainfall.[317] Perhaps both ideas are reconciled by a third belief according to which the appearance of a rainbow in a direction facing the sun, indicates the proximity of rain.[318]
If a rainbow is seen at sunset or sunrise just before the commencement of rain the fall of rain will be excessive; but if it appears after rainfall, the rain will probably cease.[319] According to some persons the appearance of a rainbow in the morning portends a drought.[320] There is, however, a popular saying to the effect that were the kachbi, i.e., the rainbow, to be seen at sunrise in the west, it foretells great floods before nightfall.[314]
The sight of a rainbow is sometimes regarded as a bad omen. Some believe that it shortens a man’s life and brings misfortunes to him.[310] Others believe that it is calamitous to a man’s relations by marriage, especially to the mother-in-law, who is sure to lose her power of hearing.[321] People sometimes clash earthen vessels against one another to avert the evils which are to be feared from a rainbow.[322] It is also said that the sight of the whole of the rainbow is a good omen: but the sight of a part, however large, is inauspicious.[323]
According to the Purānas, the milky way or ākāsh-ganga is the celestial River Ganga which was brought down by Bhagīrath to the earth.[324] King Sagar once performed an ashwa-medha[325] sacrifice, when, according to custom, he let loose a horse, and sent his sixty thousand sons with it. Indra, jealous of the growing power of Sagar, stole the horse and concealed it in the hermitage of Kapila, when the sage was deeply absorbed in religious meditation. The sixty thousand sons of Sagar followed it to this asylum, where they taunted and insulted the sage, believing him to be the thief. Kapila, who was ignorant of the theft, opened his long-closed eyes in anger, emitting sparks of flame from them, and destroyed the sons of Sagar together with the whole of their army. Bhagīrath, the grandson of Sagar, propitiated the sage, and on his advice practised religious austerities in honour of Shiva for the purpose of bringing down the River Ganga from heaven. Through the kindness of God Shiva, Bhagīrath was at last successful in bringing the celestial river down to this world; and with the water of the river he revived the sons of Sagar. The River Ganga (i.e., the Ganges) in this world is therefore also known by the name of Bhāgirathi. It is this heavenly river which we see as the milky way.[326] Like the sacred Ganges on the earth, the River Ganga in the celestial regions is held in great respect by the gods[327] and purifies the heavenly bodies, just as the earthly Ganges washes away the worst sins of mortals.[323]
Some people, however, believe the milky way to be the track by which the holy Ganges descended from heaven to earth.[328]