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Rushi Panchami is usually observed on Bhadrapada Masa Shukla paksha panchami.
On the Rushi Panchami Day, devotees perform bath in holy rivers or wells or sarovaras. On this day, we have to worship Saptarishis alongwith Arundathi.
Who can perform Rushi Panchami?
Ladies –
a) Any lady who has passed 50 years and above (Monthly menses period process having been completed) have to perform Perform Rushi Panchami.
b) That lady may be either Muthaide or widow (Madi hengasu – i.e., following sampradaya of getting shaving her head and following daily madi achaara, etc).
Gents –
Gents can do for on and behalf of their mother, grand mother, if they are not there or if they are not capable of doing it.
Is there any story which tells the importance of Rushi Panchami –
Once Dharmaraja asked Krishna to tell him a Vratha which can purify one from all the sins. Then Krishna told Dharmaraja, the vratha which if performed by ladies can free them from all their sins, which is termed as “Rushi Panchami”.
Krishna tells – Ladies during their menses period are not supposed to do any work pertaining to the house/family. They have to take rest for the all the four days invariably. If a lady does all these works, she is sure of going to Naraka. That is why the ladies during their menses period should be kept far from us irrespective of whether he is Brahmana or Kshatriya or Vaishya or Shoodra. All the four varnaas must follow the rules.
That is why if one does Rushi Panchami pooja, their sins during Rajaswala Dosha will be purified.
What is this menses period – Earlier once Indra had a terrible fight with Vrutrasura and he finally killed that Asura. Indra got Brahmahatya dosha, as Vrutrasura, though he was a daithya, he was a son of a brahmana. Killing a brahmana will fetch us Brahmahatya dosha. Indra got the dosha. Then Indra went to Brahma seeking some remedy to remove the Brahmahatya dosha.
Then Brahma removed his Brahmahatya dosha as follows :
He divided the Brahmahatya dosha into four parts.
1. First part in Fire flame
2. Second part in river water
3. Third in Mountain and trees
4. In the Rajas of ladies.
That is why Rajaswala ladies are supposed to be far from all the chaturvarna people. On the first day of her menses period she will be impure like a Chandala stree. On the second day, she is impure like a Brahma Ghatini and on the third day impure like a dobhi. Fourth day, she will be pure – but can’t do all the puja, pitru karya, cooking, etc. However, she can attend to her daily duties other than god’s seva, cooking. Fifth day only, she will be pure.
Krishna tells one more story. In Vidarba desha, there lived a king called Shenajith. There was a Brahmin called Sumitra in his kingdom, whose wife was Jayashree, who was also looking farming work. Once she had menses period. Still, she did all her regular work, and she touched everything and every one without informing others that she was on the menses period. After some time, she died. And her husband also died after some time. After some time, in the same house these Sumitra and Jayashree were born as Ox and Dog respectively and they had the remembering capacity of their previous janma.
Sumitra’s son was Sumathi and his wife Chandravathi. She was a sahadharmini wife for her husband.
One day, Sumathi’s father Shradha day came and he told his wife Chandravathi to cook for the brahmana suvasini bhojana, which she did. She had kept the payasam vessel on the stove itself. A snake and kept its poison in the payasam. The dog which saw that the payasam has been poisoned, thought that if the Brahmans eat the payasam, they may die and their son would get Brahmahatya dosha. So, the dog came and touched the payasam vessel. Seeing that the dog had touched the vessel, Chandravathi got angry and beat the dog, threw the payasam in the vessel and prepared separate dishes for the shraddha. Sumathi did the shraddha with enthusiasm and the brahmanas had good bhojana. Chandramathi dig a pit and kept all the left overs after the bhojana in the pit without even giving to the dog or the ox.
But the dog was not given anything on that day. Similarly the ox was also not given anything on that day even after ploughing the land. The Ox was telling the dog, that their son had done the shraddha but not given anything to them. Their conversation was heard by Sumathi, their son, who went to some sages nearby and asked them to tell what is behind the conversation between the dog and the ox.
Then the sage told Sumathi that his mother had ignored her menses period and done everything of her daily work, so she has been born again as dog. His father even after knowing that his wife was in menses period had the samparka dosha, so he has been born as an ox.
Then Sumathi asked the sages as to what is the remedy to free his parents from the sins. The sages suggested the vratha titled “Rushi Panchami”, doing the pooja of saptarshees, if done will purify them.
How many years this Vratha to be observed? – Seven Years
Udyaapane to be done in the initial period of Vratha or in the middle or in the last period.
They have to fast the whole day.
They have to do the pooja of saptarshis and Arundathi.
Rushi Namaskara Stotra
kashyapa
kashyapa: sarvalOkaaDya: sarvabhUtahitE rata: |
naraaNaaM paapanaashaaya RuShirUpENa tiShyati |
atri
atrayE cha namastubhyaM sarvabhUtahitEShiNE |
tapOrUpaaya satyaaya brahmaNEmitatEjasE |
bharadhvaaja
bharadhvaaja namastubhyaM sadaa dhyaanaparaayaNa |
mahaajaTiladharmaatman paapaM saMhara mE sadaa |
vishvaamitra –
vishvaamitra namastubhyaM jvalanmuKa mahaabala |
pratyakShIkRutagaayatra tapOrUpENa saMsthita: |
gautama –
gautama: sarvalOkaanaaM RuShINaaM cha sadaa priya: |
shroutaanaaM karmaNaaM chaiva saMpradaayapravartaka: |
jamadagni
jamadagnirmahaatEjaa: tapasaa kalpitaM dhanaM |
lOkEShu dharmasiddyarthaM sarvapaapaM nivartaya |
vasiShTha-
namastubhyaM vasiShTaaya jaTilaaya mahaatmanE |
dharmarUpaaya satyaaya lOkaanaaM hitakaariNE |
aruMdhatI –
abhyarNapatikaa dEvI vasiShTasya priya: sadaa |
aruMdhatIti viKyaataa taaM namasyaami sarvadaa |
Who are those sapta Rushees, their father and their wives?
| Rushi | Father | Wife | Children |
| Kashyapa | Marichi | Aditi | Hiranyakashipu, Vamana |
| Atri | Brahma | Ansuya | Dattatreya, Durvasa, Soma, etc |
| Bharadhwaja | Angirasa | Susheela | Dronacharya, |
| Vishwamitra | Gadhi Raja | Kumudhwati | |
| Gauthama | Rahoguna Maharaja | Ahalya | Vamadeva, Nodha |
| Jamadagni | Brugu | Renuka | Parashurama |
| Vasista | Brahma | Arundati |
By doing this vratha one will get 10000 Yagna phala
Sakala Theertha yathra phala also will be available by doing this vratha
Even if we have the darshana of Saptarshi on this, we will get all our sins destroyed
Collection by Narahari Sumadhwa
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