God takes charge! Dev Uthani Ekadashi!
God takes charge on
Dev Uthani Ekadashi!
Many of the ancient traditions and beliefs of Hinduism have been preserved and continue to be practiced among Hindus all over the world to this day.
The ancient rishis divided the year into two parts. The first, from January to June, when the days are longer, brighter and belong to the ‘adityas’. The second is from July to December when the days are shorter with cold clammy nights and it is said to belong to the ‘daityas’. The incessant fights between the ‘daitiyas’ and the ‘adityas’ lead to the celestial churning of the ocean.
Finally, Lord Vishnu, the creator and guardian is tired and needs a break, so he falls asleep in the ‘Ksheer Sagar’, the cosmic ocean of milk on the ‘Shesha Naga’ who is the King of all Nagas ( cobras).
This day is called ‘Deva Shayani Ekadashi’ which falls on the eleventh day in the month of ‘Ashadh’ corresponding with the rainy season.
‘Chaturmaas’ or the four months is of great importance to many Hindu communities. These four months are ‘Shravana’, ‘Bhadrapada’, ‘Ashwin’ and ‘Kartika’ which are dedicated to prayers, rituals and worship. Chaturmas is reserved for penance, austerities, fasting, bathing in holy rivers and religious observances for devout Hindus. Devotees resolve to observe some form of vow, be it of silence or abstaining from a favourite food item, or having only a single meal a day. As the Devas are resting, auspicious events like Marriages, Mundan, Griha Pravesh (Puja for new home) and Sacred Thread ceremonies are not done in these four months. The Sanyasis and ascetics observe Chaturmas for four fortnights, beginning on the full moon day of the month of Ashadh/Vyas Purnima, and ending on the full moon day of the month of Bhadrapada.
While Lord Vishnu, ‘The Preserver, sleeps, 'The Destroyer', Lord Shiva takes charge of the Universe and ‘pralaya’ sets in. The word ‘pralaya’ is derived from Sanskrit meaning, "dissolution" or by extension "reabsorption, destruction, annihilation". In the Samkhya philosophy ‘pralaya’ also means "non-existence", that is, a state of matter is achieved when the three ‘gunas’ (principles of matter) are in perfect balance.
This ‘pralaya’ is also the time when the world gets a new life.
The rainy season gives new life to everyone on this earth, like plants, trees, grasses, animals, birds, human beings, etc.
So the first month in Chaturmaas, ‘Shravan’ is dedicated to Lord Shiva, especially the Mondays. The next month is ‘ Bhadrapada’ where Lord Ganesha is worshipped on ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’ and then comes ‘Krishna Ashtami.’
In the month of ‘Ashwin’, the important festivals where the killing of various asuras takes place, including Durga Puja, Navratri and Kalipuja, are celebrated. Finally, Diwali heralds the arrival of Goddess Lakshmi and ‘Kartika’ the holiest of all months in Hinduism, is a harbinger of a new season.
The end of Chaturmaas is known as ‘Devothan’ and on ‘Prabodhini EkadashI’, in the month of Kartika, Lord Vishnu wakes up to take charge of the universe once again.
Devotees chant mantras accompanied by the blowing of Shankh or conch shell, ringing bells for waking Lord Vishnu -
‘उत्तिष्ठो उत्तिष्ठ गोविंदो, उत्तिष्ठो गरुड़ध्वज।
उत्तिष्ठो कमलाकांत, जगताम मंगलम कुरु।।
The symbolic union of Vishnu and Lakshmi or ‘Tulsi Vivaha’ is also celebrated on Prabodhini Ekadashi.
Vishnu continues to play a prominent role among Hindus as the preserver, protector, sustainer, and guardian of the earth, Hindu spiritual values, and the Vedic laws.
Hinduism is not just religion but a way of life, a code and behaviour. The "human" sync/connect with the "divine" can be seen in these traditions which follow Nature--the greatest creation--and its laws.
The deeply personal existence of God in Vaishnavite culture, whether it's in identifying with the "makhana chor" son, Krishna, the ideal man/husband as SriRam or the best friend in Lord Jagannath is what makes Hinduism and its Santana Dharma inclusive, even as it prepares us for a life beyond, with eternal faith.
