Hindu Festivals No 25.

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Dear friends and devotees,

 

Bhakti is eternal.

 

25. Dhanwanthari Jayanthi.

(Karthika bahula trayodasi)

 

The festival of Dhanteras ( Dhanwantari Jayanti ) is also known by the names

of Dhanteras and Dhanvantari Trayodasi.

It is the festival that marks the beginning of the diwali celebrations and

therefore it is considered to be the first day of five days long festivities of

Diwali. The term 'dhanteras' consists of two factors 'dhan', which literally

means wealth and 'teras', which means thirteenth. Here thirteenth is meant to

indicate the day 'Trayodasi', on which dhanteras falls. Dhanvantari Jayanthi

(Dhanwantari Trayodasi) is celebrated on the thirteenth lunar day of Krishna

Paksha, of the month Kartika, that is two days before Diwali.

 

Dhanteras Legends

 

Legends have it that Lord Dhanvantari who is the physician of the Gods and an

incarnation of Lord Vishnu came out of the ocean (Ksheerasagara) that was

churned by the Devathas and the demons on the day of dhanteras. Lord Dhanvantari

appeared with Ayurvedic ‘Kalasha’ for the welfare of the mankind.

 

Another interesting story famous about dhanteras is related to the son of King

Hima and his intelligent wife. It was predicted about him that he would die on

the fourth day of his marriage. And the reason behind his death would be

snakebite. When his wife came to know about such a prediction, she decided not

to let her husband die and for this she made a plan. On the fourth day of their

marriage she collected all the jewellery and wealth at the entrance of her

husband's boudoir and lighted lamps all around the place. She started telling

stories and singing songs one after another, in order to not let her husband

sleep. In the mid night Lord Yama, the God of death arrived there in guise of a

snake. The bright lights of the lamps lit by the wife of the king's son blinded

His eyes and he could not enter their chamber. Therefore Lord Yama found a place

to make himself comfortable on top of the heap of the jewellery and wealth and

kept sitting there for the whole night waiting

to get a chance to bite the king's son. But as the wife of the king's son kept

telling stories and singing songs for the whole night, he could not get any

chance and in the morning he left the place quietly. Thus the wife saved her

husband's life from the cruel clutches of death.

 

Since then the day of dhanteras is also known as the day of 'Yamadeepdaan' and

it has become a tradition to light an Akhanda Deepa on dhanteras and to keep it

burning throughout the night in reverential adoration of Lord Yama, the God of

death.

 

Dhanteras Celebrations

 

The people worship Lord Yamadharmaraja, the God of death, on this day and

light a 'Yama-Deepa' in the night to offer prayers to Him to bless them with

prosperity, well being and protection.

 

The people purchase a new utensil, silver or gold coin or some other precious

metal as a sign of good luck on the day of dhanteras. This is also a tradition

related with celebrations of the festival of Dhanvantari Trayodasi.

 

The day of dhanteras has great importance for the mercantile community of

Western India.

 

There is a peculiar custom in Maharashtra to lightly pound dry coriander seeds

with jaggery and offer as Naivedya.

In the rural areas the cultivators worship their cattle because they form the

main source of their income and livelihood.

(A collection)

 

With love and regards,

 

Sastry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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