Chhath Puja Katha: Chhath Puja is not just a festival but it has the status of a great festival. The faith of crores of Hindus is associated with this festival and why not, such is the glory of this great festival associated with the worship of Lord Surya.
The festival Chhath, celebrated exactly six days after Diwali, has wide significance in Indian culture. The tradition of celebrating Chhath festival has been going on in our country for centuries. This festival of Suryopasna is celebrated in every house in Bihar. Apart from this, there is a lot of enthusiasm about this festival in Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal and North-Eastern states also. This festival, celebrated by Hindus, is also seen celebrated by followers of Islam and other religions. We believe that the main source of Surya's powers are his wives Usha and Pratyusha. In Chhath, both the powers along with the Sun are worshiped jointly. The first ray of the sun (Usha) in the morning and the last ray of the sun (Pratyusha) in the evening are worshiped by offering Arghya to both.
Also read: The great festival of Indian culture – 'Kumbh'
folk tales
It is believed that after completing fourteen years of exile, Lord Ram along with Janaki and Lakshman returned to Ayodhya on the day of Kartik Amavasya, Diwali is celebrated from that day. Ghee lamps were lit across the state to commemorate the arrival of their beloved King Ram and Queen Sita. After the coronation of Ram, keeping in mind the concept of Ram Rajya, Ram and Sita kept fast on Kartik Shukla Shashthi and worshiped the direct god Lord Surya and completed Saptami. Pleased with this ritual of Ram and Sita on the sacred banks of Saryu, Sun God blessed them. Since then Chhath festival became popular in this particular region.
According to a mythological belief, Vedmata Gayatri was born between the sunset of Kartik Shukla Shashthi and sunrise of Saptami. Vedamata Gayatri had spontaneously appeared from the mouth of Vishwamitra while worshiping Lord Surya. This sacred mantra was the result of the worship of Lord Surya. Since then, the date of Kartik Shukla Shashthi became most revered for the Aryans and the festival of Chhath became a great heritage of the Aryans. Another belief is that the Pandavas were roaming in the jungles after losing all their kingdom and wealth in gambling. At that time, to get relief from the bad condition, plight and crisis of the Pandavas, Draupadi herself worshiped Suryanarayan and observed Chhath fast. Did. As a result, Pandavas regained their lost kingdom, respect and prestige.
According to a story, King Priyavad had no children, then Maharishi Kashyap performed Putreshti Yagya and gave the kheer prepared for the Yagyahooti to his wife Malini. Due to this, they gave birth to a son but he was dead. Priyavad went to the crematorium with his son and started giving up his life due to separation from his son. At the same time, God's mental daughter Devasena appeared and said that I am called Shashthi because I am born from the sixth part of the basic nature of the universe. Rajan, you worship me and inspire people also. The king, wishing to have a son, observed a fast on Goddess Shashthi and was blessed with a son. This puja took place on the Shashthi of Kartak Shukla.
Story of Surya Shashthi fast
An old woman had no children. On the day of Kartak Shukla Saptami, she resolved that if she had a son, she would observe a fast. By the grace of Sun God, she got a daughter, but she did not fast.
The boy got married. While returning from the wedding, the bride and groom camped in a forest. Then the bride found her husband dead in the palanquin. She started moaning. Hearing his lamentation, an old woman came to him and said, 'I am Chhath Mata. Your mother-in-law has always been tempting me. Despite making a resolution, he did not worship me and fast. But seeing your lamentation, I bring your husband back to life. Go home and talk to your mother-in-law about this matter, she will inform you about this. Then Chhath Mata brought the groom back to life with her divine blessings.
After reaching home, when the bride narrated the whole incident to her mother-in-law, she realized her mistake and accepted her mistake and resolved to keep the fast on Surya Shashthi from now on. Since then this fast became popular and continues till today.
rules of chhath puja
By worshiping the direct deity Lord Shri Suryanarayan, the devotees praying for happiness, peace, prosperity and desired results, observe this festival with faith, reverence, devotion and utmost purity by going to any nearby clean water body or river bank and remaining waterless for 36 hours. After taking a bath in water on Shashthi Tithi, standing in the same water, the setting Sun God is worshiped in the evening and again on Saptami Tithi in the morning, standing in water at the same place while fasting, the rising Sun God is worshiped.
Purity is necessary first
Although the work of cleaning the house is done before the festival of lights, Diwali, but for Chhath, cleanliness along with purity is also important. This is the reason why the washed houses and courtyards are washed again and special care is taken to clean the roof, because the wheat for the Prasad Thekua offered during Chhath is washed and dried there. Flour bought from the market is never used to make Thekua. Flour mills are also specially cleaned for grinding washed wheat. If the Prasad material has to be prepared in the kitchen, then entry into the kitchen without taking bath is prohibited. In most of the houses, an earthen stove is arranged in the puja room itself, in which dry wood is burnt and prasad is made in utensils kept specially for the puja.
use of pumpkin rice
Chhath festival starts with Kaddu-Bhaat or Nahay-Khay. Pumpkin-Bhat i.e. vegetable of gourd without garlic-onion and Arwa rice food and Nahay-Khay i.e. cooking and eating food after bathing in Ganga.
In homes, as soon as the month of Kartik begins, the consumption of Tamasic food like non-vegetarian food, garlic and onion is stopped. The food of the Vrati i.e. the head woman of the house, who keeps the fast of Chhath, along with all the members of the house on that day is pumpkin and rice.
Kharna- beginning of fasting
On the next day of Kaddu-Bhat, the fasting woman observes a fast for the whole day and worships the Gods and Goddesses in the evening. At some places, kheer-puri or roti, and at other places rice and dal are prepared and offered as offerings to the Lord, following strict rules of cleanliness. Along with this, all seasonal fruits are also offered. After worshiping, the fasting woman breaks her fast with the food offered, which is called Kharna. All the family members of the house take full care that the fasting woman eats a full meal in a silent environment, because she has to keep a waterless fast for the whole next day. After Kharna, everyone in the house takes Prasad. Accepting this Prasad is considered very important and members of the neighboring houses where Chhath puja is not performed, also come and accept the Prasad with devotion.
waiting for sunset
The third day is very auspicious, because on this day, a crowd of devotees gather on the banks of Ganga or any other nearby river or pond to offer prayers to the setting sun in the evening. Chhath songs are sung on this day. All the puja items are arranged in bowls made of bamboo, tied in a clean washed dhoti, placed on the head with reverence and carried barefoot to the ghat. Soups are kept on the ghat by lighting ghee lamps in the direction of the setting sun. Fasting women take bath in the river and while standing in the water, they place the wet anklets on their palms. The second person places the soups decorated with Prasad ingredients one by one on the palms of the fasting woman and the devotees, remembering the Sun God, offer water in front of the soup. As soon as the sun sets, all the groups return home. The soups offered for Arghya are kept in the house of worship with the same reverence. Along with the Nirjala fasting woman, everyone waits for the first rays of the next day's sun and the night is spent waiting for the sun blindly.
salute to the rising sun
Even before the sun sets, everyone takes bath, wears clean clothes and gets ready to go to the ghat. The ingredients are changed the night between soups. Then the soups are taken to the ghat and decorated in the same way. The entire river bank gets illuminated by the lit lamps. Children burst crackers and sparklers. After taking a bath in the river, the devotees, wearing wet clothes, place the soups on their palms and with reverence everyone offers Arghya to the Sun God who is spreading redness in the east.
The next day, Chhath puja ends with the offering of Arghya to the rising sun and the pleasant feelings of family and social harmony begin. At the ghat itself, all the people younger than the fasting woman touch her feet and take blessings.
The biggest specialty of Chhath festival, which is celebrated every year on the Shashthi of Shukla Paksha of Kartik month, is that despite being such a grand religious event, it neither requires any priest nor any difficult ritual. In today's era, this festival, which is celebrated only on the basis of cleanliness, purity and personal faith, is keeping alive those few things related to tradition among the people, which are the lifeline of reciprocity and sociality.
method of worship
At the time of worship, lamps of pure ghee are lit. Due to which the view of the reservoir or river becomes very picturesque and attractive. These lamps are immersed in water. After offering Arghya to the setting Sun God in the evening of Shashthi Tithi, the fasting women perform 'Kosi Bharna' program as a special ritual in the courtyard of their respective houses. Under this, 'Thekua' cooked by mixing flour with sugar or jaggery is the main one. Along with this, 'Kachvaniya' made by mixing jaggery in rice flour, which is like laddu, along with sugarcane, coconut, guava, banana, apple. Or by taking the fruits available in the market, erecting sugarcanes (seven) and making a circle around them, placing the said prasad inside them, they worship Lord Suryanarayan the whole night through folk songs. This type of Prasad has very ancient and mythological significance.
Scientific importance of Chhath
There is a very deep science hidden in the tradition of Chhath festival, Shashthi Tithi (Chhath) is a special astronomical occasion. At that time, the sun's ultraviolet rays collect on the earth's surface in greater quantities than normal. This tradition has the power to protect humans as much as possible from its possible ill effects. Through animal husbandry, it is possible to protect living beings from the harmful effects of sun (star) light (ultraviolet rays). Earth's living beings can benefit greatly from this. Along with sunlight, its ultraviolet rays also reach the Moon and Earth. When sunlight reaches the Earth, it first encounters the atmosphere. When it enters the atmosphere it reaches the ionosphere. Using ultraviolet rays, the atmosphere synthesizes its oxygen element and converts it into its allotrope ozone. Through this process, most of the Sun's ultraviolet rays are absorbed in the Earth's atmosphere. Only a negligible part of it reaches the earth's surface. Under normal circumstances, the amount of ultraviolet rays reaching the earth's surface is within the limit that humans or living beings can tolerate. Therefore, in normal condition, it does not have any special harmful effect on humans, rather the harmful germs get killed by that sunlight, which is beneficial to humans or life.
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