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Showing posts from March, 2009

Ratha Sapthami

Ratha Sapthami comes on maaga shudda sapthami. Ratha means chariot and Sapthami means 7th day. This festival is in the month of January-February. It is the day when Sun God will ride on the chariot drawn by 7 horses. On this day, Sun moves from Southeast to Northeast. The day is also known as Surya Jayanthi as it celebrates the power of Sun God, believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. On Ratha Sapthami day, people take bath with 7 leaves of Ekka or Arka or Jilledu or Erukku (Calotropis Gigantea). Place 1 on head, 2 on shoulders, 2 on knees, 2 on foot. Perform puja to Lord Sun/Surya and do 12 surya namaskaras. The worship of Sun on Ratha Sapthami signifies the spread of energy and light from Sun God. Sun is the ruler of all planets and it is he who disburses energy. The Sun is approximately 149,600,000 kilometers from earth and sunlight takes 8.3 minutes to reach the earth. Mantra chanted while taking bath, Saptha Saptha Maha Saptha Saptha Dweepa Vasundara Saptharka Parn