Rathasapthami – Stories & Importance!
STORY-1:
Rishi Kashyap’s wife Aditi was pregnant.
One day, while she was serving food to her husband, someone knocked on the door.
She went to see who it was.
A Brahmana asked: “Give me something to eat.”
“Wait for sometime,” Aditi said.
Then, unable to walk, she slowly walked over to serve food to her husband.
After he ate, she took the food and gave it to the Brahmana.
“Why did you come so late and serve food? You have made me think you are careless. The child growing in your womb will die,” he cursed.
Shocked by the Brahmana’s curse, Aditi told Kashyapa the matter and said:
“Do not be sad about all this, we will get an immortal son from the world of nectar.”
Then Aditi & Kashyapa got the bright Sun God as their son.
Rathasaptami fast is observed on the seventh day of the Tithis, because the sun travels around the world in a chariot drawn by seven horses.
STORY-2:
Bhishma had a boon that he would die at the time he wanted, as he wanted. But why did he not die as he wanted?
Bhishma was asking questions in his mind. Then Veda Vyasa arrived there.
When Bhishma saw Vyasa, he asked him:
“What sin have I committed? Why have I not yet died as I wanted?”
He felt sorry for himself.
Vyasa replied:
“Bhishma, not only is it a sin to do harm and injustice to another with one’s mind, speech, or deed, but also to not stop those who do it and to appear inactive.
It is the law that one must suffer the punishment for that. That is how you are suffering the punishment now. Even if you suffer physically, you will suffer more mentally. That pain is the greatest punishment.”
Bhishma understood the truth of what Vedavyasa had said. In Duryodhana’s court, when Dushadhana was tearing Panchali apart in grief, no one in that court came forward to help her. No one raised their voice that this was injustice. Bhishma was also present in that court. Bhishma realized that he was now dying on a bed of arrows because he had been able to prevent a great injustice and had failed to prevent it.
Afflicted, Bhishma asked Vyasa, “What is the penance for this?”
“The Vedas say that the moment a person realizes that he has committed a great sin and repents, that sin is removed. Therefore, Bhishma, the moment you realize your sin, it is removed from you. However, when Draupadi said, ‘My dear Krishna, Can you not save me?’, your ears, which had the ability to hear but did not listen, your eyes, which had sharp vision but did not look, your mouth, which did not listen even though everyone would listen to you, your strong shoulders, which did not use their immense shoulder strength at the right time, your two strong hands, which did not raise their swords and warn you, your two legs, which did not rise from their seats when you were healthy, and your head, which is the seat of your intellect, which did not think about what is good or what is bad, are also destined to be punished.”
“Then the sun is the one who has the power to burn these parts of mine. The heat of ordinary fire is not enough. Please squeeze out the sun’s energy to burn my parts,” Bhishma, realizing his situation, requested Vedavyasa.
Bhishma immediately showed Bhishma the Calotrope leaves that Veda Vyasa had brought in advance and said, “Bhishma, these Calotrope leaves are suitable for the sun. Its name is Arkapatra. Arka means the sun. The full power of the sun is in it. Therefore, I am going to decorate your limbs with these leaves. They will purify you.”
Accordingly, Vyasa decorated Bhishma’s limbs with Calotrope leaves. After that, Bhishma gradually calmed down. He went into meditation. He attained liberation in the state of meditation on the Rathasapthami day.
‘Bhishma has died a celibate, who will repay his father’s debt?’
Yuthishtra lamented. Knowing Yuthishtra’s grief, Vyasa said, “Yuthishtra, do not be sad. For an honest celibate and a pure ascetic who does not break his morals, there is no need for paternal debt. They go to a higher and higher state. Those whose words and deeds are not the same are sinners. But Bhishma is pure and does not break his word. From now on, on the day of Rathasapthami, when the entire country of Bharat donates water to Bhishma, people who bathe with Calotrope leaves on their bodies will be freed from their sins. In addition, they will also receive the merit of lending water to Bhishma.”
These are the two stories related to Rathasapthami.
(Without Guru, No Grace – Story! READ HERE!)