Gangaur Fast

Our India is a country of different cultures, festivals and customs. Different festivals are celebrated according to every state, one of them is Gangaur festival. Gangaur festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm, especially in Rajasthan. After Holika Dahan, this fast starts from Pratipada of Krishna Paksha of Chaitra month and on this day, Gangaur (idol made of clay of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati) is installed and on Tritiya Tithi of Shukla Paksha of Chaitra month, it is worshiped with pomp and farewell takes place and the idols is immersed in flowing water or a holy lake or river.

Importance of Gangaur Vrat

Gangaur is made up of two words (Gan+Gaur) , Gana's Meaning is Lord Shiva and meaning of Gaur is Goddess Parvati. Therefore in this fast Lord Shiva And Goddess Parvati is worshipped. This puja continues for eighteen days. On the last day, they are immersed with pomp and fanfare. Married women observe this fast For the longevity of her husband and prosperity of the family, while Unmarried girls observe this fast to attain a suitable groom.

How to do Fast

On the Tritiya Tithi of Krishna Paksha of Chaitra month, finish all the daily rituals and clean the place of worship and also purify the wooden stool by sprinkling Ganga water. Spread red cloth on it and install the idol of Gana-Gaur made of ashes of holi and pure soil and dress them in clothes . Install a photo or picture of Lord Ganesha to worship him. If there is no picture or photograph, then apply kumkum in a betel nut and install it as a Lord Ganesha. Tie Kalava (red cotton thread) on the top of the kalas and put a coin, betel nut, rice and some Ganga water in it and fill the Kalash with clean water. Tie Kalava to the coconut and place five mango leaves on the top of the Kalash, place the coconut on top and install the Kalash on the right side of the stool. Resolve for your fast by holding betel leaves, betel nuts, flowers etc. with folded hands. After taking resolution, offer kumkum, turmeric, henna, fruits and sixteen adornments etc. to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Married women should put sixteen dots each of kumkum, turmeric and henna on a paper and unmarried girls should put eight dots each. Worship by lighting incense sticks and lamps etc. and pray to God for your wishes. In a bowl after worship Mix some Ganga water , water and milk and put a betel nut in it and read or listen to the story of Gangaur ji with it in your hand. This should be done for eighteen days. On the eighteenth day, women should wear all the jewelery and perform puja as per their capacity. Jewelery made of flour and gram flour should be offered to Gangaur ji. After worshiping, sixteen women should be fed and given Dakshina. After worshiping them on the last day, immersion is done. It is believed that the place where Gangaur is placed is Gaura ji's maternal home and the place where immersion is done is her in-laws' house. In this way, the women who observe this fast with complete rituals get unbroken good fortune, happiness and prosperity prevail in their house and wealth increases. And unmarried girls who observe this fast get a suitable groom.

Story

Once Shankar ji, Goddess Parvati ji and Narad ji went out for a tour. While moving, they reached a village on the Tritiya of Shukla Paksha of Chaitra month. Hearing the news of arrival, poor women immediately reached there for worship with turmeric, akshat and flowers in their plates to welcome them. Pleased with this, Parvati ji sprinkled all the vermilion on them and returned them with great fortune. After some time, the women of the rich class, decorated with various types of dishes in gold and silver plates, arrived to welcome Goddess Parvati. Seeing these women, Lord Shankar ji said that you have sprinkled all the vermilion on those poor women. What will you give them now? Devi said that I have given her the vermilion of external things. I will slit my finger and give them the vermilion of blood. Due to which she will become as fortunate as me. After this, Mother Parvati took the permission of Lord Shiva and went to take a bath in the river. There she made a Shivalinga from pure clay and worshiped it. Due to this, Lord Shiva appeared and gave a boon to Parvati that whoever worships you with me on this day, his husband will live long and will ultimately attain salvation. It took a lot of time for Parvati ji to do this. When Shiv ji asked the reason for the delay, Parvati ji said that my brother and sister-in-law had met me on the riverbank and they asked me to wait for a while, that is why there was a delay. Hearing this, Shankar ji said - Come, let us also go to your brother and sister-in-law's house. Then Mother Parvati, while meditating on Lord Shiva, said, “Lord, please keep my honor. When the three people reached the bank of the river, they saw a very beautiful palace built by the magic of God. In which Shivji's brother-in-law and his wife welcomed him. After resting for three days, all three people started coming back from there, then on the way Lord Shiva noticed that his garland was left behind. Lord Shiva ordered Narad ji to go to the same palace again to bring the garland. When Narad ji reached the bank of the river, he saw that no palace was built there. There is only forest far and wide. Then his eyes fell on a tree where Lord Shiva's garland was hanging. Narad ji returned with the garland and told the entire story to Shiv ji. Shiv ji started saying that all this is Parvati's illusion. Hearing this, Parvati ji said, “What am I capable of?” All this is due to your grace. Mother Parvati observed this fast secretly and attained unbroken good fortune. Therefore, according to that, even today when women worship, men are not present there. The married life of women who observe Gangaur fast is immortal, and the blessings of Lord Shiva and Parvati always remain with her husband and family.

Verified from Puran......

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