Makara Samkranti - Swami Sivananda

[Guest guest]

Dear All in TBP,

 

Love and Love alone.....

 

Wish you all A Happy Makara Samkranti. Here is an article on Makara

Samkranti by Swami Sivananda. It is a bit lengthy, kindly bear with

me, but it is a good one.

 

Love and Love alone....

 

P.Gopi Krishna

 

====

 

SALUTATIONS and adorations to the Supreme Lord, the primordial power

that divided the year into the four seasons. Salutations to Surya,

the Sun-God, who on this great day embarks on his northward journey.

 

The Sanskrit term " Shankramana " means " to begin to move " . The day on

which the sun begins to move northwards is called Makara Shankranti.

It usually falls in the middle of January.

 

Among the Tamilians in South India this festival is called the Pongal.

 

To many people, especially the Tamilians, Makara Shankranti ushers in

the New Year. The corn that is newly-harvested is cooked for the

first time on that day. Joyous festivities mark the celebration in

every home. Servants, farmers and the poor are fed and clothed and

given presents of money. On the next day, the cow, which is regarded

as the symbol of the Holy Mother, is worshipped. Then there is the

feeding of birds and animals.

 

In this manner the devotee's heart expands slowly during the course

of the celebrations, first embracing with its long arms of love the

entire household and neighbours, then the servants and the poor, then

the cow, and then all other living creatures. Without even being

aware of it, one develops the heart and expands it to such

proportions that the whole universe finds a place in it.

 

As Shankranti is also the beginning of the month, Brahmins offer

oblations to departed ancestors. Thus, all the great sacrifices

enjoined upon man find their due place in this grand celebration. The

worship of the Cosmic Form of the Lord is so well introduced into

this, that every man and woman in India is delightfully led to

partake of it without even being aware of it.

 

To the spiritual aspirants this day has a special significance. The

six-month period during which the sun travels northwards is highly

favourable to them in their march towards the goal of life. It is as

though they are flowing easily with the current towards the Lord.

Paramahamsa Sannyasins roam about freely during this period,

dispelling gloom from the hearts of all. The Devas and Rishis rejoice

at the advent of the new season, and readily come to the aid of the

aspirant.

 

The great Bhishma, the grandfather of the Pandavas, was fatally

wounded during the war of the Mahabharata, waited on his deathbed of

nails for the onset of this season before finally departing from the

earth-plane. Let us on this great day pay our homage to him and

strive to become men of firm resolve ourselves!

 

As already mentioned, this is the Pongal festival in South India. It

is closely connected with agriculture. To the agriculturalist, it is

a day of triumph. He would have by then brought home the fruits of

his patient toil. Symbolically, the first harvest is offered to the

Almighty—and that is Pongal. To toil was his task, his duty, but the

fruit is now offered to Him—that is the spirit of Karma Yoga.

 

The master is not allowed to grab all the harvest for himself either.

Pongal is the festival during which the landlord distributes food,

clothes and money among the labourers who work for him. What a noble

act!—It is an ideal you should constantly keep before you, not only

ceremoniously on the Pongal day, but at all times.

 

Be charitable. Be generous. Treat your servants as your bosom-friends

and brother workers. This is the keynote of the Pongal festival. You

will then earn their loyalty and enduring love.

 

The day prior to the Makara Shankranti is called the Bhogi festival.

On this day, old, worn-out and dirty things are discarded and burnt.

Homes are cleaned and white-washed. Even the roads are swept clean

and lovely designs are drawn with rice-flour. These practices have

their own significance from the point of view of health. But, here I

remind you that it will not do to attend to these external things

alone. Cleaning the mind of its old dirty habits of thought and

feeling is more urgently needed. Burn them up, with a wise and firm

resolve to tread the path of truth, love and purity from this holy

day onwards. This is the significance of Pongal in the life of the

spiritual aspirant.

 

If you do this, then the Makara Shankranti has a special significance

for you. The sun, symbolising wisdom, divine knowledge and spiritual

light, which receded from you when you revelled in the darkness of

ignorance, delusion and sensuality, now joyously turns on its

northward course and moves towards you to shed its light and warmth

in greater abundance, and to infuse into you more life and energy.

 

In fact, the sun itself symbolises all that the Pongal festival

stands for. The message of the sun is the message of light, the

message of unity, of impartiality, of true selflessness, of the

perfection of the elements of Karma Yoga. The sun shines on all

equally. It is the true benefactor of all beings. Without the sun,

life would perish on earth. It is extremely regular and punctual in

its duties, and never claims a reward or craves for recognition. If

you imbibe these virtues of the sun, what doubt is there that you

will shine with equal divine lustre!

 

He who dwells in the sun, whom the sun does not know, whose body the

sun is, and by whose power the sun shines—He is the Supreme Self, the

Indweller, the immortal Essence. Tat Twam Asi— " That thou art " .

Realise this and be free here and now on this holy Pongal or Makara

Shankranti day. This is my humble Pongal prayer to you all.

 

On the Shankranti day, sweets, puddings and sweet rice are prepared

in every home, especially in South India. The pot in which the rice

is cooked is beautifully adorned with tumeric leaves and roots, the

symbols of auspiciousness. The cooking is done by the women of the

household with great faith and devotion, feeling from the bottom of

their hearts that it is an offering unto the Lord. When the milk in

which the rice is being cooked boils over, the ladies and the

children assemble round the pot and shout " Pongalo Pongal! " with

great joy and devotion. Special prayers are offered in temples and

houses. Then the people of the household gather together and partake

of the offerings in an atmosphere of love and festivity.

 

There is family re-union in all homes. Brothers renew their contacts

with their married sisters by giving them presents.

 

The farmer is lovingly greeted by the landlord and is given presents

of grain, clothes and money.

 

On the next day, the herds of cows are adorned beautifully, fed and

worshipped. In some villages the youth demonstrate their valour by

taking " the bull by the horn " (and often win their brides thereby!).

It is a great day for the cattle.

 

On the same day, young girls prepare various special dishes—sweet

rice, sour rice, rice with coconut—and take them to the bank of a

river or tank. They lay some leaves on the ground and place on them

balls of the various preparations for the fish, birds, and other

creatures. It is an extremely colourful ceremony. The crows come down

in large numbers and partake of the food. All the time a valuable

lesson is driven into our minds— " Share what you have with all " . The

crow will call others before beginning to eat.

 

Both these days, which are family re-union days, are regarded as

being inauspicious for travel. This is to prevent us from going away

from home on those days.

 

When you celebrate the Shankranti or Pongal in this manner, your

sense of value changes. You begin to understand that your real wealth

is the goodwill and friendship of your relatives, friends, neighbours

and servants; that your wealth is the land on which your food grows,

the cattle which help you in agriculture, and the cow which gives you

milk. You begin to have greater love and respect for them and for all

living beings—the crows, the fish and all other creatures.

 

In Maharashtra and in North India, spiritual aspirants attach much

importance to Makara Shankranti. It is the season chosen by the Guru

for bestowing his Grace on the disciple. In the South, too, it should

be noted that it was about this time that Mahadeva favoured several

of the Rishis by blessing them with His beatific vision.