Devotees pray to rising sun to mark end of Chhath puja
October 25th, 2009 - 12:39 pm ICT by IANS
- Patna, Oct 25 (IANS) The four-day Chhath festival ended Sunday in Bihar with millions of devotees, mostly women, taking a dip in the Ganga river and praying to the rising sun.
The devotees also ended their 36-hour long fast by offering prayers and floating lighted earthen lamps in the river. They sang folk songs and offered prayers to the sun god.
“Hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the banks of Ganga, other rivers, ponds and other water bodies across Bihar early (Sunday) morning to offer ‘Araghya’ to the rising sun to mark the end of Chhath puja,” said Savitri Devi, a devotee.
Another devotee Purnima Yadav said the devout were waiting for sunrise and sang traditional songs in groups. At the break of dawn, they offered ritual and prayers for divine blessings.
She said devotees had offered prayers to the setting sun Saturday.
The offerings comprising fruits, home-made sweets like thekuas, pedas, pakwan, chawal ke laddoo, raw vegetables and the first crop from the fields were also distributed. All these sweets and offerings were arranged in scoops, baskets and trays made of bamboo.
Sun, considered the god of energy and life-force, is worshipped during Chhath for well-being, prosperity and progress.
A rare show of brotherhood and harmony was on display during the festival when people cutting across social barriers gathered to celebrate Chhath in villages and towns. Roads and river banks had been cleaned and decorated for the occasion.
The four-day long Chhath festival began Thursday when devotees took a dip in the rivers, a tradition known as ‘nahai khai’. It was followed by the ritual of ‘kharna’ Friday when sweet dishes were prepared. Much to the relief of the authorities, the festival passed off peacefully across the state.
The festival, once limited to Bihar, is fast becoming popular across India due to the large scale migration of workers from Bihar.
The festival was widely celebrated in metros like Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad and states like Assam, Punjab, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and even Tamil Nadu.
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- Bihar jail officials make special arrangements for Chhath prayers - Oct 23, 2009
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- bihar- - break of dawn
- - chawal
- - devotee
- - devotees
- - ganga river
- - khai
- - pedas
- - puja
- - purnima
- - rare show
- - raw vegetables
- - rising sun
- - river banks
- - setting sun
- - social barriers
- - sun god
- - sweet dishes
- - traditional songs
- - water bodies
Posted in Health Science, |
November 7th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Most important aspect of chhath is its scientific significance which not many people are aware of. I recommend people to read The science of Chhath by yogishri Oumkaar which is available on website: http://www.freewebs.com/chhathpuja/scienceofchhath.htm
I am pasting few lines from the website as I have been doing with several blogs over past few months. I hope the readers will find it interesting.
The entire process of Chhath is divided into 6 scientific stages of Conscious Cosmic Solar Energy Infusion Technique (Conscious Photoenergization Process).
Stage 1: Fasting and the discipline of cleanliness leads to detoxification of the body and mind. This stage prepares the body and mind of the Vratti (devotee) to receive the cosmic solar energy.
Stage 2: Standing in a water body with half the body (navel deep) in the water minimizes the leak of energy and helps the prana (psychic energy) to move up the sushumna (psychic channel in the spine).
Stage 3: Cosmic Solar Energy enters the Vratti’s pineal, pituitary and hypothalamus glands (Triveni complex) through retina and optic nerves.
Stage 4: Activation of Triveni (tri-glandular complex) Pineal, pituitary and hypothalamus
Stage 5: A kind of Polarization of happens in the spine, which results in the Vratti’s gross and subtle bodies getting transformed into a cosmic powerhouse. This can also lead to the awakening of the latent psychic energy popularly known as the Kundalini Shakti.
Stage 6: The body of Vratti (devotee) becomes a channel, which conducts, recycles and transmits the energy into the entire universe.
The physical bodies of all the living organisms are highly sophisticated energy conducting channels.
The solar bio-electricity starts flowing in the human body when it is exposed to solar radiations of specific wavelengths.
Under particular physical and mental conditions, the absorption and conduction of this solar-bio-electricity increases.
The processes and the rituals of Chhath puja aim at preparing the body and the mind of the (Vratti) devotee for the process of Cosmic Solar Energy Infusion.
Not many people are aware that the scientific process similar to Chhath was used by the Rishis of yore for carrying their austerities without any intake of solid or liquid diet. Using the process similar to the Chhath puja, they were able to absorb the energy needed for sustenance directly from the sun, instead of taking it indirectly through food and water.