Vyatipāta

In Indian astronomy and astrology, vyatipāta and vaidhṛti (or, vaidhṛta) are two moments in the regular motion of the sun and the moon in the zodiac characterized by their certain special relative positions.

The term was probably first applied to the moon's nodes, because they were the points of danger in her revolution, near which the sun or herself was liable to fall into the jaws of Rāhu.

The name of the other aspect (pāta), which occurs when the sun and moon are equally removed from the equator upon the same side of it, is vyatipāta, which may be rendered "very excessive sin or calamity."

The contexts of the inscriptions may be grants, donations to temples, records of death of war heroes, self-immolation of saints or women committing sati.

A detailed study of these inscriptions has yielded valuable information about eclipses and other celestial events like planetary conjunctions.