Maneka Sanjay Gandhi
Last time I wrote about the so called festivals in India which are simply excuses for killing. But for every travesty of an animal based festival, we have good ones as well. Fairly good ones, because even though the animal is central to the festival, our worship is largely symbolic now.
The Ahoi Ashtami is a fast observed by mothers for the well-being of their sons during the month ofKarthik (October –November).
The story of Ahoi Ashtami relates to a woman with seven sons. She went to the forest to bring soil and her implement fell on an animal den and killed a cub. Over the next year, her sevensons died and she felt it was a result of what happened with the cub. As atonement for her sin, she offered prayers to the goddess Ashtami Bhagawati by sketching the face of the cub. She eventually got back all hersonsby the power of her prayer and ever since it becomes a ritual to worship the goddess every year. Mothers fast and pray for their children.
The picture of Ahoi Mata is painted on a wall and a bowl of water is placed near it. A red thread is wrapped around the bowl of water and the edges are smeared with turmeric powder. The story of Ahoi Mata is read out. All thewomen sit down to listen to the story. The fast ends in the evening when the moon appears.
The snake is worshippedin small temples called Kavus in Kerala. The temple of Nagaraja at Mannarashala is one of the important snake temples in Kerala. Couples without children hang small cradles in trees near the temple. On snake festivals, floor drawings called `Kalams’, with coloured powders and cowdungare made ofserpent gods. A priest consecrates the drawings, followed by dance and music and a recitation.
Elephants unfortunately have not done very well in elephant festivals. They are worshipped in every temple in Kerala but treated really badly. The elephant festivals have degenerated into farces where they are made to walk miles in the heat, kept standing while loud devotional music is played and decorated with heavy howdahs and smeared with colour. Many of them go mad during this torture.
Ganesha Chaturthi, mainly in Maharashtra, celebrates the birth ofLord Ganesha, the elephant headed God. It is observed during theHindu monthof Bhadra (August -September) and lasts for 10 days. A clay model of Lord Ganesha is placed on raised platforms in homes or in decorated outdoor tents. The priest, clad in red silk dhoti and shawl, invokes life into the idol amidst the chanting of mantras. Coconut, jaggery, rice sweets called modakas, grass and red flowers are offered. The idol is anointed with red unguent or sandal paste. Vedic hymns are chanted. On the 11th day, the image is taken through the streets in a procession, accompanied with dance and song, to be immersed in a river or the sea symbolizing a ritual see-off of the Lord in his journey towards his abode in Kailash while taking away with him the misfortunes of all man.
Cow festivals abound.
Pongal, theharvest festival of Tamil Nadu is incomplete without the presence of cows. The third day of Pongal is allocated to cows. It is called the Mattu Pongal. Cows are adorned with kum kum and their horns are painted. Women from every family feed them sweets.
The day before Diwali is Govardhan puja or the festival of cow dung. On this day, cow dung is the deity who is offered vegetables and money.
On Shivaratri, women pay their respects to Shiva’s bull Nandi before going to the God.
Bachchabaras is a ritual observed in North India in the Bhadrapad month – this year it isAugust 22nd. The ritual is observed for the wellbeing of children. A cow and calf are worshipped. The cow is given ghee, rice, milk and delicacies made from millet. Millets is also given in charity to the poor.
Gopashtami is celebrated in the Kartik month (October – November). On this day Krishna lifted the Govardhan hill to save the people of Braj from the rage of Indra. People clean the cowsheds and bathe the cows and calves. They are given special food, decorated and worshipped. Gopashtami is similar to Govatsa Dwadashi festival celebrated in Maharashtra in the month of Pousha. During the festival acow and a calf are worshipped. Celibacy is observed and the worshipper sleeps on the bare floor. Cows are fed and the worshipper lives on milk and uses no salt. Goshpada tritiya Vrata is celebrated in the month of Bhadrapada. Cows are worshipped. Oil, salt and all cooked food is prohibited.
Bahula Chaturthi is also celebrated in the month of Bhadrapad. Mothers keep a fast for their sons.Actually this is a festival to celebrate promise keeping. No milk is drunk on this day. The cow keeps it all for her calf. The women fast the whole day and in the evening worship cows and then hear the story of Bahula before eating. Bahula was the child of the wish fulfilling cow Kamdhenu. Lord Shri Krishna wanted to test her commitment to him so he came in the form of a hungry lion and asked to eat her. Bahula promised the lion that she would come back tobe eaten up once she fed her calf. Bahula went home, fed her calf and then came back to the lion who then revealed himself as Krishna.
Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated to commemorate the birth ofHanuman, the monkey god, on the full moon day during the month ofChaitra. Devotees visit temples and applysindoorto their foreheads from Hanuman’s idol as Hanuman himself was of that colour. On this day spiritual discourses are started at dawn in the Hanuman temples. In Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated in the month of Margazhi (Dec-Jan). InOdisha, Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated on the first day of Vaisakha (April 14or 15) as New Year for allOriyas. The officiating priest bathes the idol and offers special prayers to the gods. Then the entire body is smeared with sindoor and oil. The story goes that when Sita was applying sindoor to her hair, Hanuman asked her why. She replied that by applying sindoor, she ensured a long life for her husband, Rama. Hanuman then smeared his entire body with sindoor, in an effort to ensure Rama’s immortality. Hence Hanuman’s idol is daubed with sindoor. People offer sweets and fruit, especially bananas, to the god and to monkeys all over. Men also fast from morning till evening in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Tents are erected in front of Hanuman temples where people congregate to listen to recitations of the Hanuman Chalisa.
Kurma Jayanti on Vaishakh Purnima –May 14ththis year- celebrates the birth of the tortoise, the second incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Pujas are done on this day in Vishnu temples.
Hayagriva, the horse, is also considered anavatarofVishnu. His festival is on the day of the full moon in August (Srava?a-Paur?ami) and on Mahanavami, the ninth day of the Navaratrifestival.
Sri Matsya Narayana Temple in Karnataka is dedicated to Sri Matsya Narayana Swamy.Matsyais the fish incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The festival of Matsya Jayanti is celebrated on the third day of the waxing moon of the Chaitra month (March- April)) every year.
Ancient Indians had recognized the animals’ right to co-exist with man and therefore they were loved, nurtured and worshipped. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna compares the world to a single banyan tree with unlimited branches in which all the species of animals, humans and gods wander. We forget only at our own peril.