Abhiramji, don't create fake sastra quotes. ;)

Caballero Vaishnava: "A description of Sandipani Muni is found in the Srimad Bhagavatam (10.45.31-48) and in the Visnu Purana (5.21.19-30)." (Caitanya Bhagavata 1.8.26 commentary, Pundarika Vidyanidhi das edition - in Vedabase)

Try Visnu Purana. I don't have it complete, just an abbreviated version. Mahabharata Sabha Parva, Chapter 38 is another possible source but I couldn't locate any mention of Sandipani in my Ganguly edition.

This story is circulating around ISKCON but no one seems to know the reference. Possibly some Purana but I couldn't locate it.

Similar story, from Puranic Encylopedia by Vettam Mani (under CANDRA VI.):

Solar eclipse according to the Puranas. The Devas and the asuras jointly
churned Ksirabdhi wherefrom emerged Dhanvantari with the Amrtakumbha (pot of
nectar). (See Amrtam).

But an asura mayavi (magician) called Saimhikeya absconded to Patala with
the Amrtakumbha which nobody noticed as everybody was busy with dividing
other divine objects. Only after the mayavi's disappearance was it noticed
that the Amrtakumbha was missing. At once Mahavisnu assumed the figure of a
beautiful woman, got back the Kumbha and gave it to the devas. The devas
began drinking the amrta when, at the instance of some other devas,
Saimhikeya, the mayavi, assuming the form of an old Brahmin reached svarga,
got a share of the amrta and began to drink it. Surya and Candra (Sun and
Moon) who were on guard at the gates divined the secret of the 'old Brahmin'
and informed Mahavisnu about it. He cut the throat of the pseudo-Brahmin
with his Sudarsana Cakra. But, half of the nectar he had drunk stayed above
the throat and the other half below it. Therefore, though the head and the
trunk were severed they remained alive. These two parts, in course of time,
evolved as Rahu and Ketu.

When the throat was cut some blood as well as some amrta dropped on two
places on the ground, and they became the red onion and the white onion
respectively. Some vaidika brahmins used to consider the red onion
objectionable for consumption as it was evolved from blood, while the white
onion was considered usable as it was evolved from amrtam.

Rahu and Ketu still maintain their hatred for Surya and Candra who had
betrayed the asura, who, disguised as brahmin tried to drink the amrta.
Eclipse is the phenomenon of Rahu and Ketu swallowing Surya and Candra as
and when opportunity presents itself for it. But, since the throat is
severed from the body, Surya and Candra thus swallowed get out through the
throat. That is the reason why Surya and Candra become visible after the
eclipse in over. (Kamba Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda and Bhagavata, Astama
Skandha).

Note: Kamba Ramayana is a Tamil text by poet Kambar. It differs from Valmiki Ramayana and shouldn't be considered as good as recognized sastras. And no, I'm similar to Vedic scholars only by having one head, two hands and two legs like most of them do. ;) I just have some resources on my fingertips.

That's what I thought. :)

Greetings, Veda.


A while back we were talking about the non-scriptural problematic arguments that some people struggle with in their spiritual life, and you said you were compiling them along with Vedic counterarguments.

May I ask how that project is going?

Thank you.

VEDA:

Reading that stuff was contaminating my consciousness so I lost inspiration to continue.

:)