Pongal is celebrated on the 15th of January in 2019, the day when the Tamil month of Thai begins, marking the beginning of harvest period in India. Pongal is the farmer's celebration of all the hard work that has gone into their fields. Pongal is culturally associated with Jallikkattu, the traditional event of participants trying to gain control over a bull set lose among the crowd. The festival corresponds to Makar Sankranti, an ancient festival celebrated across India.
Sugarcane, turmeric, a range of roots and other produce are brought to the market and offered to God in prayers.
The cultural identity and the traditions apart, Pongal is significant for religious and spiritual reasons too.
Bohi Pongal: While Pongal is the harvest festival, Bohi, the day before Pongal, is dedicated to Lord Indra, the King of Devas or the Gods. Indra, in Hinduism, is the Lord of the forces of nature, one who commands the five elements. Farmers have traditionally offered their prayers to Lord Indra, seeking His blessings for a good harvest. Bohi reflects this tradition of praying to Lord Indra and to the Lord of the rains, Varuna.
The Sun God: The Hindu belief system places nature at its core, viewing nature or the macrocosm as a reflection of the inner cosmos. Everything in nature, or creation, has the essence of the Creator in it, and hence, is worshiped as such. The soul is the source, the reflection of Brahman or the almighty, signified through the phrase Aham Brahmasmi. The sun is the source of energy for all life on earth, seen as a reflection of the inner soul. Pongal is the occasion to offer obeisance to the Sun God, or Suryanarayana Swami - there are many temples dedicated to the Sun God in India.
Utttarayana: Pongal also indicates the onset of Uttarayana, the period of the year that is equivalent to the daytime of the Gods - Dakshinayana refers to the night for the Gods, which together make up a day (as against one year on earth). Uttarayana Punyakala or the holy period of Uttarayana is seen as an opportune time for liberation from the cycle of birth and death, and reunification with the source, the Brahman or the Almighty. In Mahabharata, Bhishma, who had the boon of choosing his period of death, waited till the onset of Uttarayana Punyakala on a bed of arrows before he renounced his body. This period is marked by the start of sun's shift towards the north on account of the axis of the earth's movement around the sun.
The significance of Uttarayana for the soul is revealed in this verse of Bhagawat Gita 8.24:
As stated by Lord Krishna, Uttarayana, among others, is an auspicious time for the soul to attain unity with the Brahman, facilitated by the associated deities.
Pongal is significant as it denotes not just the onset of spring, but also the start of Uttarayana. For farmers, this is the time to maximise their productivity and bring their produce to the market, to welcome the glorious sun to shine its enormous grace on to the world, thank Lord Varuna for the rains and offer prayers to Lord Indra seeking His blessings. For the spiritual seeker, it is time to orient their thoughts and deeds towards their inner selves and the ultimate truth.
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| Image: Wikimedia - Jallikkattu |
Sugarcane, turmeric, a range of roots and other produce are brought to the market and offered to God in prayers.
The cultural identity and the traditions apart, Pongal is significant for religious and spiritual reasons too.
Bohi Pongal: While Pongal is the harvest festival, Bohi, the day before Pongal, is dedicated to Lord Indra, the King of Devas or the Gods. Indra, in Hinduism, is the Lord of the forces of nature, one who commands the five elements. Farmers have traditionally offered their prayers to Lord Indra, seeking His blessings for a good harvest. Bohi reflects this tradition of praying to Lord Indra and to the Lord of the rains, Varuna.
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| Sugarcane, Turmeric, and Pongal (dish) offered to God |
The Sun God: The Hindu belief system places nature at its core, viewing nature or the macrocosm as a reflection of the inner cosmos. Everything in nature, or creation, has the essence of the Creator in it, and hence, is worshiped as such. The soul is the source, the reflection of Brahman or the almighty, signified through the phrase Aham Brahmasmi. The sun is the source of energy for all life on earth, seen as a reflection of the inner soul. Pongal is the occasion to offer obeisance to the Sun God, or Suryanarayana Swami - there are many temples dedicated to the Sun God in India.
Utttarayana: Pongal also indicates the onset of Uttarayana, the period of the year that is equivalent to the daytime of the Gods - Dakshinayana refers to the night for the Gods, which together make up a day (as against one year on earth). Uttarayana Punyakala or the holy period of Uttarayana is seen as an opportune time for liberation from the cycle of birth and death, and reunification with the source, the Brahman or the Almighty. In Mahabharata, Bhishma, who had the boon of choosing his period of death, waited till the onset of Uttarayana Punyakala on a bed of arrows before he renounced his body. This period is marked by the start of sun's shift towards the north on account of the axis of the earth's movement around the sun.
 |
| Image: Wikimedia - Bhishma on a bed of arrows |
The significance of Uttarayana for the soul is revealed in this verse of Bhagawat Gita 8.24:
agnir jyotir ahaḥ śuklaḥ
ṣaṇ-māsā uttarāyaṇam
tatra prayātā gacchanti
brahma brahma-vido janāḥ
Pongal is significant as it denotes not just the onset of spring, but also the start of Uttarayana. For farmers, this is the time to maximise their productivity and bring their produce to the market, to welcome the glorious sun to shine its enormous grace on to the world, thank Lord Varuna for the rains and offer prayers to Lord Indra seeking His blessings. For the spiritual seeker, it is time to orient their thoughts and deeds towards their inner selves and the ultimate truth.
A nice writeup for all to understand "mahara shankaranthi"
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