Gangadashera Fast : 30 May, 2023
The festival of Gangadashera is celebrated on Jyestha Shukla Dashami. On this day Gangaji descended on earth in Hasta Nakshatra. This year, Hasta Nakshatra is on 30th May in the afternoon. Jyeshtha Shukla Dashami is considered the face of Samvatsar. On this day Ganga river bath, donation and fasting have special significance. It has been said in Brahmapurana that Jyeshtha Shukla Dashami combined with Hasta Nakshatra is called Dussehra because of the removal of ten types of sins. These are the ten sins:
three bodies
1. Taking another's thing without permission,
2. Violence,
3. adultery;
four readers
4. Bitter speaking,
5. lying,
6. Backbiting or gossiping,
7. Talking unnecessarily and
three mental
8. Thinking of taking other's things unjustly,
9. Thinking about other's evil and,
10. Have an atheistic mind.
In Skanda Purana it is said that
ज्येष्टे मासि सिटे पक्षे दशम्या बुधहस्तयोः।
व्यतीपाते गरानन्दे कन्याचन्द्रे वृषे रवौ।
दशयोगे नर: स्नानात्वा सर्वपापौ: प्रमुच्यते।।
That is, if Jyeshtha Shukla Dashami is Wednesday, Hasta Nakshatra, Vyatipat Yoga, Gar Karan, Anand Yoga, Sun is in Taurus and Moon is in Virgo, then such unusual yoga is very fruitful. All the sins of a person end.
On this day the seeker should take bath in Gangaji or nearby holy river or lake. After that Gangaji should be worshipped, and in the end chant the following mantra as much as possible:
ॐ नमः शिवाय नारायण्यै दशहरायै गंगायै नमः।।
If possible, perform Havan by applying "Swaha' in place of Namah in the above mantra. After that, ‘ॐ नमो भगवति एें ह्रीं श्रीं हिलि हिलि मिलि मिलि गंगे मां पावय पावय स्वाहा।’ By offering five wreaths with this mantra, Bhagirathji and the Himalayas should be worshiped who incarnated Gangaji on earth. In the end, ten handfuls of grains and other things should be donated to ten Brahmins. Sattu is also donated on this day. The fast should be broken only after listening to the story of Ganga Dussehra.
ganga dussehra fast story
Maharaja Sagar, the king of Ayodhya, along with his confusion, was saddened by the arrogance and evil nature of sixty thousand sons. As a result, instead of Asmanjas and sixty thousand sons, he made his grandson and Asmanjas's son Anshuman his successor. When Maharaja Sagar had performed Ashwamedha Yajna, then Indra took Ashwamedh's horse to Patal Lok and tied it in Kapilmuni's ashram. His horse is tied in his ashram. When the sixty thousand sons of Sagara came to know that the horse was tied in Kapilmuni's hermitage, they went to kill Kapilmuni.
Kapilmuni with his glory destroyed the sixty thousand sons of Sagar. When Anshuman came to know about this, he prayed to Kapilmuni. Pleased with Anshuman's prayer, Kapilmuni gave him back the sacrificial horse and said that the sixty thousand sons of Sagar could be liberated by the touch of the water of the Ganges. The Ashwamedh Yagya of Maharaja Sagar was completed.
After some time, Sagar made Anshuman the king, but Anshuman was worried for the salvation of his uncles, so after ruling for some time, he handed over the throne to his son Dilip and went to the forest to do penance with the aim of bringing Ganga to the earth. gone. He sacrificed his life while doing penance, but Ganga could not descend on earth. After some time Maharaj Dilip handed over the throne to his son Bhagirath and went to do penance to bring Ganga from heaven to earth. He did penance till his death, but Ganga could not descend on earth. Bhagirath, who became the king after Maharaja Dilip, also did penance to Brahmaji to bring Ganga from heaven like his father.
At last, pleased with the penance of three generations, Brahmaji appeared to Bhagirath and asked him to ask for a boon. Bhagirath demanded Gangaji's descent on earth, on which Brahmaji said that "I can send Gangaji from heaven to earth, but who will handle her velocity on earth." For this you should worship Lord Shiva.
According to the advice of Brahmaji, Bhagirath started the penance of Lord Shiva by standing on one leg. Pleased with the penance of Bhagirath, Lord Shiva got ready to handle the speed of Gangaji on earth. When Gangaji descended on the earth, Lord Shiva stopped Ganga in his locks and left one of them towards the earth. In this way Gangaji went towards the earth. In front was Maharaja Bhagirath and behind him was Gangaji. When the hermitage of Jahanrushi fell on the way, Gangaji washed away his kamandal etc.
Seeing this, the sage got angry and drank Gangaji. When Bhagirath turned back and saw that Gangaji was not following him, he prayed to Jahnushi knowing the situation. Pleased with Bhagirath's prayer, the sage removed Ganga from his right ear by making Ganga his daughter.
This is the reason why Ganga is also known as Jhanvi. After that, Gangaji followed Bhagirath to Kapilmuni's ashram and sixty thousand ancestors of Bhagirath were liberated. Due to the efforts of Bhagirath, Gangaji descended on earth. For this reason Gangaji is also called Bhagirathi.