RATHASAPTHAMI - A VIEW Sun worship is deep rooted in the Vedas of the Hindu religion and its antiquity also relates to several mythologies of the world such as that of China, Egypt and Mesopotamia. The Gayatri Mantra jap – the sacred Vedic chants to Savitr (Sun god) – is recited by the Hindus every day with great reverence. As the puranic Hinduism evolved around the early Christian era, the worship of Sun, linked to the equinoxes, was established. In the Rig Veda Mandala 10/Hymn 85, the sun gods bride seated on a chariot pulled by two steeds is mentioned. This symbolism is therefore common to both Norse mythology and Vedic history. The relevant verses (translated from Sanskrit by Ralph Griffith) are as follows: Her spirit was the bridal car; the covering thereof was heaven: Bright were both Steeds that drew it when Surya approached her husbands, home. Thy Steeds were steady, kept in place by holy verse and Sama-hymn: All cars were thy two chariot wheels: thy path was tremulous in the sky, Clean, as thou wentest, were thy wheels wind, was the axle fastened there. Surya, proceeding to his Lord, mounted a spirit-fashionied car. Religious significance Ratha Saptami marks the seventh day following the Sun’s northerly movement (Uttarayana) of vernal equinox starting from Capricorn (Makara). It is symbolically represented in the form of the Sun God Surya turning his Ratha (Chariot) drawn by seven horses, with Aruna as the charioteer, towards the northern hemisphere, in a north-easterly direction. The symbolic significance of the ratha and the seven horses reigned to it is that it represents the seven colours of the rainbow. The seven horses are also said to represent the seven days of a week starting with Sunday, the day of Sun god Surya. The chariot has 12 wheels, which represents the 12 signs (each of 30 degrees) of the Zodiac (360 degrees) and constituting a full year, named Samvatsara. The Sun’s own house is Leo (Simha) and he moves from one house to the next every month and the total cycle takes 365 days to complete. The Ratha Saptami festival seeks the benevolent cosmic spread of energy and light from the Sun God. Ratha Saptami also marks the gradual increase in temperature across South India and awaits the arrival of spring, which is later heralded by the festival of Ugadi or the Hindu lunar New Year day in the month of Chaitra. On this auspicious day, women put rangoli with a representation of Sun God with 7 horses in a chariot. Eurkkam Leaf (Arka Leaf) is an another important aspect in this day. Married women will take holy bath by placing 7 erukkam leaves on their body along with a pinch of turmeric and pacharisi(Raw rice) on top of the leaf. One leaf is kept on the head, two on the shoulders, two on the knees and two on the foot while having a bath. Men will take bath with only erukkam leaves and rice without turmeric. People worship to Lord Surya and prepare Sakkarai Pongal and Vadai for neivedhyam along with coconut, beetle leaves and banana. Legends Ratha Saptami also marks the birth of Surya to sage Kashyapa and his wife Aditi and hence celebrated as Surya Jayanti (the Sun-god’s birthday). A legend is narrated by the Kamboj empire’s King Yashovarma, a noble king who had no heir to rule his kingdom. On his special prayers to God, he was blessed with a son. The king’s vows did not end with this, as his son was terminally ill. A saint who visited the king advised that his son should perform the Ratha Saptami pooja (worship) with reverence to rid of his past sins. Once the King’s son performed this, his health was restored and he ruled his kingdom well It is also said that sage Bhisma breathed his last breath fourth day after the Rathasaptahmi day on ekaadashi
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 05:19:22 +0000
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