pongal

[Guest guest]

friends,

wish you all a happy pongal

 

 

Makar Sankranti is one of the most auspicious day for the Hindus, and

is

celebrated in almost all parts of the country in myriad cultural

forms, with

great devotion, fervor & gaiety. Lakhs of people take a dip in places

like

Ganga Sagar & Prayag and pray to Lord Sun. It is celebrated with pomp

in

southern parts of the country as Pongal, and in Punjab is celebrated

as

Lohri & Maghi. Gujarati's not only look reverentially up to the sun,

but

also offer thousands of their colorful oblations in the form of

beautiful

kites all over the skyline. They may be trying to reach upto their

glorious

God or bring about greater proximity with the one who represents the

best.

It is a day for which Bhishma Pitamah kept waiting to leave his

mortal coil.

 

Makar Sankranti is the day when the glorious Sun-God of Hindus begins

its

ascendancy and entry into the Northern Hemisphere. Sun for the Hindus

stands

for Pratyaksha-Brahman - the manifest God, who symbolizes, the one,

non-dual, self-effulgent, glorious divinity blessing one & all

tirelessly.

Sun is the one who transcends time and also the one who rotates the

proverbial Wheel of Time. The famous Gayatri Mantra, which is chanted

everyday by every faithful Hindu, is directed to Sun God to bless

them with

intelligence & wisdom. Sun not only represents God but also stands

for an

embodiment of knowledge & wisdom. Lord Krishna reveals in Gita that

this

manifested divinity was his first disciple, and we all know it to be

indeed

a worthy one too. No Sundays for the Sun, may be because one who

revels in

its very 'being', the very essence of his own Self, is always in the

Sunday

mood.

 

The co-relation of cosmic events with individual life and values is

one of

the most astounding traits of Hindu Masters. Once this co-relation is

brought about thereafter these cosmic events become instrumental to

remind

us the best which we cherish & value. Of all the cosmic bodies Sun is

the

most glorious & important, thus every sun-centric cosmic event became

very i

mportant spiritual, religious & cultural events. On Makar Sankranti

day the

Sun begins its ascendancy and journey into the Northern Hemisphere,

and thus

it signifies an event wherein the Gods seem to remind their children

that

'Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya'. May you go higher & higher - to more &

more Light

and never to darkness.

 

 

 

Astrological Significance:

 

Makar means Capricorn and Sankranti is transition. There is a

sankranti

every month when the sun passes from one sign of the zodiac to the

next.

There are twelve signs of the zodiac, and thus there are twelve

sankranti's

as well. Each of these sankranti's has its own relative importance

but two

of these are more important - the Mesh(Aries) Sankranti and the most

important, the Makar(Capricorn) Sankranti. Transition of the Sun from

Sagittarius to Capricorn, during the winter solstice in the northern

hemisphere is known as Makar Sankranti. From this day begins the six-

month

long Uttarayana, considered very auspicious for attaining higher

worlds

hereafter. While the traditional Indian Calendar is basically based

on lunar

positions, but sankranti is a solar event, so while dates of all

festivals

keep changing, the english calendar date of Makar Sankranti is always

same,

14th January. Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the Hindu Calendar

month of

Magha. There is another significance of this day, and that is

pertaining to

the equal size of day & night on this day. After this day the days

start

becoming longer & warmer, and thus the chill of winter in on decline.

 

 

 

Religious Significance:

 

1. The Puranas say that on this day Sun visits the house of his son

Shani,

who is the swami of Makar Rashi. These father & son do not ordinarily

get

along nicely, but inspite of any difference between each other Lord

Sun

makes it a point to meet each other on this day. Father in fact

himself

comes to his son's house, for a month. This day symbolized the

importance of

special relationship of father & son. It is the son who has the

responsibility to carry forward his fathers dream and the continuity

of the

family.

 

2. From Uttarayana starts the 'day' of Devatas, while dakshinayana

is said

to be the 'night' of devatas, so most of the auspicious things are

done

during this time. Uttarayana is also called as Devayana, and the next

half

is called Pitrayana.

 

3. It was on this day when Lord Vishnu ended the ever increasing

terrorism

of the Asuras by finishing them off and burying their heads under the

Mandar

Parvat. So this occasion also represents the end of negativities and

beginning of an era of righteous living.

 

4. The great savior of his ancestors, Maharaj Bhagirath, did great

Tapasya

to bring Gangaji down on the earth for the redemption of 60,000 sons

of

Maharaj Sagar, who were burnt to ashes at the Kapil Muni Ashram, near

the

present day Ganga Sagar. It was on this day that Bhagirath finally did

tarpan with the Ganges water for his unfortunate ancestors and thereby

liberated them from the curse. After visiting the Patala for the

redemption

of the curse of Bhagirath's ancestors Gangaji finally merged in the

Sagar.

Even today a very big Ganga Sagar Mela is organized every year on

this day

at the confluence of River Ganges and the Bay of Bengal. Lakhs take

dip in

the water and do tarpan for their ancestors.

 

We salute such a great devotee & benefactor of his ancestors. One who

can

express such gratitude to his ancestors, work with tireless resolve to

redeem the pride, pledges & resolves of his forefathers, alone

possess a

personality, which the history reveals to be a true benefactor of the

world

too. A person who has severed his own roots gets soon rooted out in

the flow

of time. Moral of the story is to see to it that the roots of the

tree of

'our' life are not only intact but nourished well, thereafter alone

the tree

blooms & flourishes.

 

There is another spiritually symbolic aspect of this story. The 60,000

cursed son of Maharaj Sagar represent our thoughts, who become dull &

dead-like because of uncultured & blind ambition. Redemption of such

people

is only by the waters of Gangaji, brought down 'to' & later 'from' the

Himalayas with great tapasya. This represents dedicated hard work to

get the

redeeming Brahma-Vidya, which alone enlightens, enthuses & enlivens

the life

of anyone.

 

5. Another well-known reference of this day came when the great

grandsire of

Mahabharata fame, Bhishma, declared his intent to leave his mortal

coil on

this day. He had the boon of Ichha-Mrityu from his father, so he kept

lying

on the bed of arrows till this day and then left his mortal coil on

Makar

Sankranti day. It is believed that the person, who dies during the

period of

Uttarayana, becomes free from transmigration. So this day was seen as

a

sure-shot Good Luck day to start your journey or endeavors to the

higher

realms beyond.

 

 

 

Culture & Festivities:

 

This festival is celebrated differently in different parts of the

country.

 

Uttar Pradesh:

In Uttar Pradesh, Sankrant is called 'Khichiri'. Taking a dip in the

holy

rivers on this day is regarded as most auspicious. A big one-month

long

'Magha-Mela' fair begins at Prayag (Allahabad) on this occasion.

Apart from

Triveni, ritual bathing also takes place at many places like Haridvar

and

Garh Mukteshwar in Uttar Pradesh, and Patna in Bihar.

 

Bengal:

In Bengal every year a very big Mela is held at Ganga Sagar where the

river

Ganga is believed to have dived into the nether region and vivified

the

ashes of the sixty thousand ancestors of King Bhagirath. This mela is

attended by a large number of pilgrims from all over the country.

 

Tamil Nadu:

In Tamil Nadu Sankrant is known by the name of 'Pongal', which takes

its

name from the surging of rice boiled in a pot of milk, and this

festival has

more significance than even Diwali. It is very popular particularly

amongst

farmers. Rice and pulses cooked together in ghee and milk is offered

to the

family deity after the ritual worship. In essence in the South this

Sankrant

is a 'Puja' (worship) for the Sun God.

 

Andhra Pradesh:

In Andhra Pradesh, it is celebrated as a three-day harvest festival

Pongal.

It is a big event for the people of Andhra Pradesh. The Telugus like

to call

it 'Pedda Panduga' meaning big festival. The whole event lasts for

four

days, the first day Bhogi, the second day Sankranti, the third day

Kanuma

and the fourth day, Mukkanuma.

 

Maharashtra:

In Maharashtra on the Sankranti day people exchange multi-colored

tilguds

made from til (sesame seeds) and sugar and til-laddus made from til

and

jaggery. Til-polis are offered for lunch. While exchanging tilguls as

tokens

of goodwill people greet each other saying - 'til-gul ghya, god god

bola'

meaning 'accept these tilguls and speak sweet words'. The under-lying

thought in the exchange of tilguls is to forget the past ill-feelings

and

hostilities and resolve to speak sweetly and remain friends.

 

This is a special day for the women in Maharashtra when married women

are

invited for a get-together called 'Haldi-Kumkum' and given gifts of

any

utensil, which the woman of the house purchases on that day.

 

Gujarat:

In Gujarat Sankrant is observed more or less in the same manner as in

Maharashtra but with a difference that in Gujarat there is a custom of

giving gifts to relatives. The elders in the family give gifts to the

younger members of the family. The Gujarati Pundits on this

auspicious day

grant scholarships to students for higher studies in astrology and

philosophy. This festival thus helps the maintenance of social

relationships

within the family, caste and community.

 

Kite flying has been associated with this festival in a big way. It

has

become an internationally well-known event.

 

Punjab:

In Punjab where December and January are the coldest months of the

year,

huge bonfires are lit on the eve of Sankrant and which is celebrated

as

"LOHARI". Sweets, sugarcane and rice are thrown in the bonfires,

around

which friends and relatives gather together. The following day, which

is

Sankrant, is celebrated as MAGHI. The Punjabi's dance their famous

Bhangra

dance till they get exhausted. Then they sit down and eat the

sumptuous food

that is specially prepared for the occasion.

 

Kerala:

The 40 days anushthana by the devotees of Ayyappa ends on this day in

Sabarimala with a big festival.

 

Bundelkhand:

In Bundelkhand and Madhya Pradesh this festival of Sankrant is known

by the

name 'Sakarat' and is celebrated with great pomp & merriment

accompanied by

lot of sweets.

 

Tribals of Orissa:

Many tribals in our country start their New Year from the day of

Sankrant by

lighting bonfires, dancing and eating their particular dishes sitting

together. The Bhuya tribals of Orissa have their Maghyatra in which

small

home-made articles are put for sale.

 

Assam:

In Assam, the festival is celebrated as Bhogali Bihu.

 

Coastal Region:

In the coastal regions, it is a harvest festival dedicated to Indra.

 

 

 

How to Celebrate:

 

1. Get up early in the morning, before sunrise, have bath and be

ready with

water & flowers for the sunrise. Worship the rising Sun, by offering

water,

flowers with both the hands & then pray with folded hands by chanting

the

Gayatri Mantra and pray for knowledge, wisdom and enlightenment to

rise in

the similar way to greater & greater heights. Pray for blessings to

live a

dynamic, inspired & righteous life.

 

2. Do tarpan for your ancestors. Offer water to the ancestors while

praying

for their blessings. Resolve to redeem the pledges & pride of your

forefathers. Live life in such a way that wherever your forefathers

may be

their head is held high by the life & deeds of their children.

 

3. Have a special session of Meditation, wherein you bring about the

awareness of the self-effulgent subjective divinity. Affirm the

greatest

importance of your spiritual goal very clearly, and pray to God to

bless you

with the capacity to constantly revel in your true self. May the

graph of

your rise like the Uttarayana Sun. May there be greater 'Love &

Light' in

your life & the world.

 

4. Prepare laddus or other sweets of Til & Gur and offer them to your

friends & relatives. See to it that your 'Well-being Prayer for all'

gets

manifested in action & deeds.

 

5. Have the lunch of Khichiri. This stands for inculcating simplicity

in

your life & habits.

 

6. Give some Daan on this day to someone who truly deserves.

 

7. Visit your son at his place and give presents to the son and the

daughter-in-law. If it is not possible to visit, then organize to send

presents to them to express your love & affection to them. Work to

properly

cultivate the generation, which has to carry forward all the best you

cherish & value.

 

 

cdr bvn

[Guest guest]

Namaste:

 

Happy Pongal to all!

 

Thanks for providing the article with lots of details about

Sankaranthi Festival. It seems that you have collected these

materials from sources and the list recommend posters to provide all

the sources including Website addressess. This will help members to

acccess those sites for other information and also insulates the list

from any copyright violations.

 

Thanks again for the nice article,

 

Ram Chandran

 

advaitin, "vaidyanathiyer

<vaidyanathiyer>" <vaidyanathiyer> wrote:

> friends,

> wish you all a happy pongal