Surya Jayanti, as the name itself says, is the birth day of
Lord Surya - one of the most important Gods of the Hindus. This day falls on
the seventh day of the bright half of the moon - Shukla Paksha - in the Magha
month of the Hindu lunar calendar. Lord Surya is seen driving his chariot that
is driven by seven horses. Therefore, this day is also known as 'Ratha Saptami'
- Ratha meaning the chariot in Hindi, and Saptami meaning the seventh day. This
year, this auspicious day falls on the 3rd of February, when Lord
Surya, the son of sage Kashyapa and Aditi is heartily worshipped.
Lord Surya and his
chariot – The representation
Ratha Saptami, meaning the seventh day of the chariot,
depicts Lord Surya turning his chariot towards the Northern hemisphere in the
Norht-East direction. This chariot is driven by seven white horses. Some
believe that these horses represent the seven colours of the rainbow (VIBGYOR)
while other believe that they represent the seven days of the week, starting
with Sunday – the day of Lord Surya. Lord Surya’s chariot is seen to be having
12 wheels, which represent the 12 astrological signs that form a complete year,
known as ‘Samvatsara’. The Sun begins the year by residing in his own house –
Leo. He then keeps moving to the other 11 houses – a new one every month, thus
covering all the 12 astrological signs in one year. As he shifts to each
different house, he affects the natives of those astrological signs respectively
in an astrological manner.
Importance of Surya
Jayanti for Indian farmers
As and when the Sun shifts to different signs, his movement
indicates the varying temperatures across the country. The day of Surya Jayanti
symbolizes the change of temperature such that the season changes from spring
to the harvesting season. Therefore, this day is one of great joy and
enthusiasm for the farmers in India as this event indicates harvesting and the
beginning of sowing for another great season. This is why the farmers highly
worship Lord Surya on this day to thank him for the season he has blessed them
with.
Legend associated
with Surya Jayanti
There are many legends associated with the significance of
Surya Jayanti. However, there is one very important and popular belief which
goes like this. King Yashovarma of the Kamboj Empire was not able to attain a
son for many years after marriage. He was worried as to who would rule his
kingdom after his death. After years of performing religious rituals and
praying to Lord Surya, he was finally blessed with a son. However, the child
was terminally ill. Sage Kashyap advised him to have his son perform the Surya
Jayanti Puja to get rid of all his past sins and recover from his health. As
said, the king’s son started performing the rituals, and he finally recovered.
He was thus ultimately able to rule his kingdom well for his entire lifetime.
Ever since, the rituals of Ratha Saptami or Surya Jayanti Puja have been
performed by the Hindus.
If you are looking for betterment of your health and mental
state, or if you want to gain strength to overcome difficulties and attain
victory, you must also worship and pray to Lord Surya to bless you. You may
visit a Surya temple on the occasion of Surya Jayanti or offer a small Puja at
home by applying kumkum on the
forehead of Lord Surya’s idol and offering him milk, white flowers, fruits and prasad. However, for any other Pujas you
want to perform to get rid of all the ill-effects that the inappropriate
planetary alignments in your horoscope have on your life, you can get in touch
with MakeMyPuja to help you. The MakeMyPuja Pandits will check on your
horoscope and let you know the right kind of Pujas you need to perform to
remove the ill-effects and help you live a peaceful and successful life ahead.
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