Ratha Saptami Festivals - रथ सप्तमी
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The Hindu festival going by the name 'Ratha Saptami' is observed on the seventh day of the bright fortnight in the month of Magha, also called Taj Masam in Tamil. It corresponds to the English months of January- February when the sun is in the Makara. The festival is known by different names. Some call it 'Magha Saptami' deriving the name from the month in which it is considered auspicious. The word 'Saptami' is derived from the Sanskrit word Sapta which means seven, and consequently, the expression 'Magha Saptami' means the seventh tithi or day after the 'Purnima' (full moon) or the 'Amavasya' (new moon) in the month of Magha. Here it is the seventh day in the bright fortnight in the said month. Some people call it Jayanti Saptami and others Maha Saptami. The expression Jayanti Saptami means the victorious seventh day after the full moon day and that going by the name 'Maha Saptami' means 'the great seventh day' in the fortnight. The name 'Jaya Saptami' originated perhaps from the belief that the observance of this festival brought success in all undertakings and the name, Maha Saptami, form the importance attached to this Saptami for being the most auspicious of all the Saptami falling in the year.
People who subscribe to the heliocentric system, make the Helios or the sun the power station from which force, vitality, etc, are disbursed to the whole solar system.
The sun rules the planets, which, in their turn, rule the destinies of men. Consequently the worship of the sun on this occasion is supposed to favourably influence the planets. So a large majority of people worship the sun on this occasion and the temple dedicated to the sun at Suryanarkoil near Tiruvadaimarudhur in the Tanjore district in southern India is perhaps the solitary instance of the kind.
Just as the images of a bull and Brahminy kite are made to grace a Siva and a Vishnu temple respectively, figures of horses are made to grace the gopuram and the altar-front of a temple dedicated to the sun.
A bull is the vehicle of Siva and a Brahminy kite is the vehicle of Vishnu. Similarly, the vehicle of the sun is said to be a chariot drawn by seven horses or rainbow hues.
The sun and the planet Jupiter of the Navagrahas or nine planets are made to occupy the garbhagriha or the womb in the body of the temple; while the seven planets are located in separate shrines around the courtyard of the temple. From the plan of construction of the temple and the rarity of such temples in the land, one is led to think that the cosmic conception and the conception of the influence radiating from the sun to the planets and the living beings on the earth, were considered by the sages of old, to be beyond the comprehension of ordinary men.
We may call the rays radiating from the sun 'unit rays'. Each of these unit rays has within it the possibility of the seven coloured rays of the spectrum.
The bundles of rays emanating from the sun are absorbed by the cosmic centers, the planets, and are then radiated back on earth, as bundles of different coloured rays, each planet contributing one variety of colour. All forms in this world have centers in the subtle web of tenuous matter surrounding and interpenetrating them. The rays from the planets pass through all or some of these centers and converge diffusing a halo of light around the form more or less bright, setting in relief the most prominent colour ray reflected by the form.
The combination of rays of different colours in an infinite variety of ways has caused the conception of diversity in forms. This highly philosophical conception is presented in the construction of the sun temple.
This particular day is considered to be the first day of Vaivaswatha Manu who is said to be the first descendant of Vivaswan the sun, as his name implies. Manu is said to be responsible for the evolution of souls in this solar system.
The peculiar custom of people placing a layer of the leaves of the plant Erukku (Calotropis Gigantea) on the head and bathing with that in rivers, deserves examination. It is believed that this plant symbolizes decay. There is a saying that the houses of a partial judge and a false witness are destined to be overgrown with this plant, and its flowers are said to be the favourite flowers of Siva, the lord of destruction and of the burning Ghats. Why should people place some of the leaves of this plant of such evil repute on their heads and bathe on this occasion The rationale is simple when properly understood. The nature of plants as well as animals is ever undergoing changes with the charge of influence of the planets over the objects on earth. A careful observer might notice this in men, animals and plants. In the pharmacopoeia of medical drugs of the Hindu physicians, it is laid down that the drugs would be efficacious only when they are gathered on particular days, at particular hours of the night or the day. The indigo dye in the indigo plant is supposed to remain in the leaves only during particular fortnights and the farmers would not cut the plants unless it is the favourable fortnight. Similarly a chameleon has miraculous magical properties in its tail on Sundays, and people cut it on those days, dry it in the sun, enclose it in a cylinder formed of gold leaf and hang it round a child's neck to ward off the evil influences of spirits and other such entities.
With such beliefs in the background, it is no wonder that people consider the leaves of Erukku to possess miraculous properties on the occasion, and so make use of them while bathing, as explained above.
As the sun burns out everything physical, slowly but surely by his heat, light, electricity and magnetism, so Siva burns out the desires like lust, anger, envy, malice and so forth. The planets are said to be responsible for the desires in men, and they are most potent during the six months of the sun's southerly course called Dakshinayana. As this particular festival day happens to be the beginning of the sun's northerly course, the energies of the planets are perhaps paralysed for the nonce, thus making it possible for men to feel the nature of the unit ray of the sun, which would, on other occasions, be possible only by the steady shutting out of the influences of the planets from entering and influencing men, by using tremendous will power, not possible in the case of ordinary men. The leaves of Erukku, placed on the head while bathing, symbolize the burning or the washing away of all sins, such as evil desires in man.
It is also laid down in the scriptures that the Ratha Saptami day is specially auspicious, if it happens to fall on a Sunday or when the moon enters the asterism 'Rohini' (Tauri).
Further, the worship of Gouri, Siva's consort, by imagining her to be seated on an elephant, at the time when the sun enters the asterism Hasta (Corvi), is believed to confer special benefits on the worshipper, such as freedom from sickness, and sorrow, and immunity from premature death.
Light is knowledge and the sun as the source of light is the source of all knowledge. In the beginning, there was only darkness and consequently there was no knowledge and the Jivas too were plunged in darkness or ignorance. Then the mighty being, Iswara is said to have created the sun to enlighten the world, on a particular day which is being ever afterwards celebrated as the Ratha Saptami day.
In a place called Gangaikondacholapuram in the Trichinopoly district, the planets are represented in a monolithic car having at their top a lotus representing the sun.
The deities presiding over the planets are said to have worshipped Siva visible to the mortal world as the sun, at Tiruththengoor in the Tanjore district and at Thiruvallam near Madras (now, Chennai).
The worship of the sun on all mornings in the month of Magha, commercing either from the beginning of the month or from the seventh day of its bright fortnight, is known as Nithya Danya Vrata.
A handful of rice is set apart every day and the accumulated quantity is distributed among the poor at the end of the month.
There is yet another Vrata which is observed to secure lasting youth and it is known as Bala Nithya Vrata. It consists of an offering of six oblations of handfuls of water every morning followed by six prostrations to the sun.
People also observe another vrata called Danapala Vrata commencing from the last Sunday of the bright fortnight of this month to secure immunity from poverty and want.
"There was a city in which there lived a poor Brahmin. He used to go to the jungle to collect durva (Cynodon dactylon) grass and the twigs of certain trees for fagots to ignite his sacred fore for worship. He once met some fairies who were engaged in worship. He asked them to explain to him the nature of the Puja. They said that on the first Sunday of the month of Sravana (July-August) one should arise from bed without speaking a word, should bathe with one's night clothes on, should bring water without placing the pot on the floor, should draw the figure of the sun on a betel leaf with red sandalwood paste, should draw a whorl with six volutions, should take a twine formed of six threads, should tie six knots in that twine, should offer betel leaves and flowers to the symbol, and worship it. Finally a married Brahmin woman should be fed with dainties and offered clothes or cash. The Brahmin performed the Puja in this manner. The sun was pleased with him. He became rich. The queen of the realm sent for him. The poor Brahmin was terrified, he shivered. The queen assured him that there was no ground for fear. He was asked to give his daughters in marriage to the price and to the son of the prime minister. So he did. The Brahmin retired to his seclusion after the marriage. After twelve years, he came to the city to see his daughters. He first went to the eldest daughter, who herself had become the queen in course of time. She offered him light refreshments, but he could not partake of them because he had to perform the Puja of the sun and recite the story. The queen said that she had no time to waste as her husband, the king, was about to start on a shikar expedition. The Brahmin, therefore, left the palace, and went to the second daughter. She received him well. She heard his sacred story, she worshipped the sun as advised, and she prospered. Later on, the king left his shikar but lost his way. The queen became very poor- she lost all that she had. She had four sons. On a certain Sunday, in the month of Sravana, her son was sent to her prosperous sister to obtain some help. His aunt received him well and gave him a calabash fruit full of gold coins and jewels. On his way home he met the sun dressed as a gardener, who forcibly took the fruit away. He returned home disappointed. On the second Sunday, the ex-queen sent her second son to her sister. She received him well, and gave him a hollow stick filled with gold coins and jewels. The sun, dressed as a cowherd, met him on his way home, and forcibly took the stick away. On the third Sunday the third son was deputed. He got a hollowed- out coconut filled with gems. He was told not to part with the nut until he reached home, but he placed it on the parapet of a well in order to draw water, as he was excessively thirsty through the influence of the sun. The nut rolled down into the well. On the fourth Sunday, the fourth son got some food from his aunt, but the sun swooped down in the form of a kite and took it away. On the Sunday following, the poor queen went herself to her opulent sister. She also was well received but the younger sister explained to her the folly of neglecting the Puja of the sin and allowing their father to leave home without listening to the sacred story. She expressed her regret and began worshipping the great luminary as advised. The sun was pleased and fortune smiled on he again. The lost king returned home safely. She started for her old capital after thanking her younger sister. At the first day's halt she performed the Puja and asked her attendants to get someone to listen to her story. A poor dealer in fagots was taken to her. He said he had no time to listen to stories as he had to earn his bread. She took out six pearls, gave him three, and held the other three in her hand while she was reciting the story. The result was that his fagots were turned into gold! He promised to perform the Puja and left. At the second stage, a gardener whose well had dried up was brought to the queen. She offered him three pearls and made him listen to her tale with the result that the well was flooded with water and the garden became fertile. At the third stage, an unhappy old woman was brought to her. She gave her three pearls to induce her to listen to the story and showed her how to perform the Puja. The result was that her sons, one of whom had been drowned, another who was swallowed by a boasnake, and the third who had lost his way in a forest, all returned alive. She became prosperous. At the fourth stage, a man who had lost his limbs was placed before her. She placed three pearls on his chest, held the other three in her hand, and recited the tale. The maimed man recovered his limbs! At the fifth stage she reached home. She became happy and always performed the Puja with devotion."
People who subscribe to the heliocentric system, make the Helios or the sun the power station from which force, vitality, etc, are disbursed to the whole solar system.
The sun rules the planets, which, in their turn, rule the destinies of men. Consequently the worship of the sun on this occasion is supposed to favourably influence the planets. So a large majority of people worship the sun on this occasion and the temple dedicated to the sun at Suryanarkoil near Tiruvadaimarudhur in the Tanjore district in southern India is perhaps the solitary instance of the kind.
Just as the images of a bull and Brahminy kite are made to grace a Siva and a Vishnu temple respectively, figures of horses are made to grace the gopuram and the altar-front of a temple dedicated to the sun.
A bull is the vehicle of Siva and a Brahminy kite is the vehicle of Vishnu. Similarly, the vehicle of the sun is said to be a chariot drawn by seven horses or rainbow hues.
The sun and the planet Jupiter of the Navagrahas or nine planets are made to occupy the garbhagriha or the womb in the body of the temple; while the seven planets are located in separate shrines around the courtyard of the temple. From the plan of construction of the temple and the rarity of such temples in the land, one is led to think that the cosmic conception and the conception of the influence radiating from the sun to the planets and the living beings on the earth, were considered by the sages of old, to be beyond the comprehension of ordinary men.
We may call the rays radiating from the sun 'unit rays'. Each of these unit rays has within it the possibility of the seven coloured rays of the spectrum.
The bundles of rays emanating from the sun are absorbed by the cosmic centers, the planets, and are then radiated back on earth, as bundles of different coloured rays, each planet contributing one variety of colour. All forms in this world have centers in the subtle web of tenuous matter surrounding and interpenetrating them. The rays from the planets pass through all or some of these centers and converge diffusing a halo of light around the form more or less bright, setting in relief the most prominent colour ray reflected by the form.
The combination of rays of different colours in an infinite variety of ways has caused the conception of diversity in forms. This highly philosophical conception is presented in the construction of the sun temple.
This particular day is considered to be the first day of Vaivaswatha Manu who is said to be the first descendant of Vivaswan the sun, as his name implies. Manu is said to be responsible for the evolution of souls in this solar system.
The peculiar custom of people placing a layer of the leaves of the plant Erukku (Calotropis Gigantea) on the head and bathing with that in rivers, deserves examination. It is believed that this plant symbolizes decay. There is a saying that the houses of a partial judge and a false witness are destined to be overgrown with this plant, and its flowers are said to be the favourite flowers of Siva, the lord of destruction and of the burning Ghats. Why should people place some of the leaves of this plant of such evil repute on their heads and bathe on this occasion The rationale is simple when properly understood. The nature of plants as well as animals is ever undergoing changes with the charge of influence of the planets over the objects on earth. A careful observer might notice this in men, animals and plants. In the pharmacopoeia of medical drugs of the Hindu physicians, it is laid down that the drugs would be efficacious only when they are gathered on particular days, at particular hours of the night or the day. The indigo dye in the indigo plant is supposed to remain in the leaves only during particular fortnights and the farmers would not cut the plants unless it is the favourable fortnight. Similarly a chameleon has miraculous magical properties in its tail on Sundays, and people cut it on those days, dry it in the sun, enclose it in a cylinder formed of gold leaf and hang it round a child's neck to ward off the evil influences of spirits and other such entities.
With such beliefs in the background, it is no wonder that people consider the leaves of Erukku to possess miraculous properties on the occasion, and so make use of them while bathing, as explained above.
As the sun burns out everything physical, slowly but surely by his heat, light, electricity and magnetism, so Siva burns out the desires like lust, anger, envy, malice and so forth. The planets are said to be responsible for the desires in men, and they are most potent during the six months of the sun's southerly course called Dakshinayana. As this particular festival day happens to be the beginning of the sun's northerly course, the energies of the planets are perhaps paralysed for the nonce, thus making it possible for men to feel the nature of the unit ray of the sun, which would, on other occasions, be possible only by the steady shutting out of the influences of the planets from entering and influencing men, by using tremendous will power, not possible in the case of ordinary men. The leaves of Erukku, placed on the head while bathing, symbolize the burning or the washing away of all sins, such as evil desires in man.
It is also laid down in the scriptures that the Ratha Saptami day is specially auspicious, if it happens to fall on a Sunday or when the moon enters the asterism 'Rohini' (Tauri).
Further, the worship of Gouri, Siva's consort, by imagining her to be seated on an elephant, at the time when the sun enters the asterism Hasta (Corvi), is believed to confer special benefits on the worshipper, such as freedom from sickness, and sorrow, and immunity from premature death.
Light is knowledge and the sun as the source of light is the source of all knowledge. In the beginning, there was only darkness and consequently there was no knowledge and the Jivas too were plunged in darkness or ignorance. Then the mighty being, Iswara is said to have created the sun to enlighten the world, on a particular day which is being ever afterwards celebrated as the Ratha Saptami day.
In a place called Gangaikondacholapuram in the Trichinopoly district, the planets are represented in a monolithic car having at their top a lotus representing the sun.
The deities presiding over the planets are said to have worshipped Siva visible to the mortal world as the sun, at Tiruththengoor in the Tanjore district and at Thiruvallam near Madras (now, Chennai).
The worship of the sun on all mornings in the month of Magha, commercing either from the beginning of the month or from the seventh day of its bright fortnight, is known as Nithya Danya Vrata.
A handful of rice is set apart every day and the accumulated quantity is distributed among the poor at the end of the month.
There is yet another Vrata which is observed to secure lasting youth and it is known as Bala Nithya Vrata. It consists of an offering of six oblations of handfuls of water every morning followed by six prostrations to the sun.
People also observe another vrata called Danapala Vrata commencing from the last Sunday of the bright fortnight of this month to secure immunity from poverty and want.
"There was a city in which there lived a poor Brahmin. He used to go to the jungle to collect durva (Cynodon dactylon) grass and the twigs of certain trees for fagots to ignite his sacred fore for worship. He once met some fairies who were engaged in worship. He asked them to explain to him the nature of the Puja. They said that on the first Sunday of the month of Sravana (July-August) one should arise from bed without speaking a word, should bathe with one's night clothes on, should bring water without placing the pot on the floor, should draw the figure of the sun on a betel leaf with red sandalwood paste, should draw a whorl with six volutions, should take a twine formed of six threads, should tie six knots in that twine, should offer betel leaves and flowers to the symbol, and worship it. Finally a married Brahmin woman should be fed with dainties and offered clothes or cash. The Brahmin performed the Puja in this manner. The sun was pleased with him. He became rich. The queen of the realm sent for him. The poor Brahmin was terrified, he shivered. The queen assured him that there was no ground for fear. He was asked to give his daughters in marriage to the price and to the son of the prime minister. So he did. The Brahmin retired to his seclusion after the marriage. After twelve years, he came to the city to see his daughters. He first went to the eldest daughter, who herself had become the queen in course of time. She offered him light refreshments, but he could not partake of them because he had to perform the Puja of the sun and recite the story. The queen said that she had no time to waste as her husband, the king, was about to start on a shikar expedition. The Brahmin, therefore, left the palace, and went to the second daughter. She received him well. She heard his sacred story, she worshipped the sun as advised, and she prospered. Later on, the king left his shikar but lost his way. The queen became very poor- she lost all that she had. She had four sons. On a certain Sunday, in the month of Sravana, her son was sent to her prosperous sister to obtain some help. His aunt received him well and gave him a calabash fruit full of gold coins and jewels. On his way home he met the sun dressed as a gardener, who forcibly took the fruit away. He returned home disappointed. On the second Sunday, the ex-queen sent her second son to her sister. She received him well, and gave him a hollow stick filled with gold coins and jewels. The sun, dressed as a cowherd, met him on his way home, and forcibly took the stick away. On the third Sunday the third son was deputed. He got a hollowed- out coconut filled with gems. He was told not to part with the nut until he reached home, but he placed it on the parapet of a well in order to draw water, as he was excessively thirsty through the influence of the sun. The nut rolled down into the well. On the fourth Sunday, the fourth son got some food from his aunt, but the sun swooped down in the form of a kite and took it away. On the Sunday following, the poor queen went herself to her opulent sister. She also was well received but the younger sister explained to her the folly of neglecting the Puja of the sin and allowing their father to leave home without listening to the sacred story. She expressed her regret and began worshipping the great luminary as advised. The sun was pleased and fortune smiled on he again. The lost king returned home safely. She started for her old capital after thanking her younger sister. At the first day's halt she performed the Puja and asked her attendants to get someone to listen to her story. A poor dealer in fagots was taken to her. He said he had no time to listen to stories as he had to earn his bread. She took out six pearls, gave him three, and held the other three in her hand while she was reciting the story. The result was that his fagots were turned into gold! He promised to perform the Puja and left. At the second stage, a gardener whose well had dried up was brought to the queen. She offered him three pearls and made him listen to her tale with the result that the well was flooded with water and the garden became fertile. At the third stage, an unhappy old woman was brought to her. She gave her three pearls to induce her to listen to the story and showed her how to perform the Puja. The result was that her sons, one of whom had been drowned, another who was swallowed by a boasnake, and the third who had lost his way in a forest, all returned alive. She became prosperous. At the fourth stage, a man who had lost his limbs was placed before her. She placed three pearls on his chest, held the other three in her hand, and recited the tale. The maimed man recovered his limbs! At the fifth stage she reached home. She became happy and always performed the Puja with devotion."