Saptamī Vratas

Saptamī Vrata, simply known as Saptami Vratas, Sanskrit: सप्तमी व्रत, Telugu: సప్తమి వ్రతాలు, Hindi: सप्तमी व्रत.

Saptamī is the seventh lunar day (tithi) of each fortnight. The Saptamī vratas are the vratas kept on this day, mostly in the bright half of the month (śukla paksha). They are offered to Bhagavān Sūrya, and each has its own month, pūjā, dāna and phala (fruit).

Per Nārada Purāṇa

Every Saptamī vrata is offered to Bhagavān Sūrya, who is also called Bhāskara, Āditya, Vivasvān and Divākara. Sanātana Maharshi teaches these vratas month by month in the Pūrvārdha, chapter 116.

The one who keeps these vratas reaches Sūrya-sāyujya, union with Bhagavān Sūrya. The general phala is every pleasure of this world, and then piercing the Sūrya-maṇḍala (the disc of Sūrya) and reaching paramapada, the highest state.

Caitra Śukla Saptamī: the eight-petal lotus pūjā of Sūrya

Preparation. Bathe outside the house. Purify a sthāṇḍila (raised ground) with gomaya (cow dung) and paint it with yellow earth (gaura-varṇa-mṛttikā). Draw on it an eight-petalled lotus (ashṭadala-padma). Install the following:

Pūjā. Honour all of them with gandha-mālya-anulepana (sandal paste, garlands and ointments), dīpa (lamp), dhūpa (incense), naivedya (food offering), and tāmbūla (betel) with its kramaka and other items.

Homa. Perform the homa 108 times with ghee. Offer eight āhutis to Bhagavān Sūrya and eight to each of the others. Use the nāma-mantras (mantras of each name) on the vedi (the altar). End with the pūrṇāhuti. Give dakshiṇā to the brāhmaṇas as far as one is able.

Phala: every pleasure of this world; at death, piercing the Sūrya-maṇḍala and reaching paramapada.

Vaiśākha Śukla Saptamī: Gaṅgā vrata and Nimba vrata

Gaṅgā vrata

On this day Jahnu Maharshi swallowed the river Jāhnavī in anger and then let her out through his right ear. This is why Gaṅgā is also called Jāhnavī.

Bathe in the Gaṅgā at the hour before dawn. Honour Gaṅgā with gandha (sandal paste), pushpa (flowers), akshata (unbroken rice) and all the upacāras (offerings). Give one thousand ghaṭas (water-pots) as dāna.

Phala: seven generations rise to svarga.

Kamala vrata

This vrata is also kept on this day. Make a lotus from one tila-mātra of gold. Cover it with two cloths and honour it with gandha and dhūpa. Recite:

“Salutations to the one with the lotus in his hand! Salutations to the bearer of the world! O Divākara, salutation! O Prabhākara, salutation!”

At sunset give the golden lotus to a brāhmaṇa together with an udakumbha (water-pot) and a kapila cow. Fast through the day and feed brāhmaṇas.

Phala: sarva-saukhya (all happiness).

Nimba vrata

Honour Bhagavān Sūrya with nimba-patra (neem leaves). Say the mantra “Oṃ Khabholkāya”, with Oṃkāra at the beginning, and eat a neem leaf. Sleep silently on the ground. The next day feed brāhmaṇas and eat with relatives.

Phala: sarva-saukhya.

Śarkarā Saptamī

This Saptamī is called Śarkarā. On this day drops of amṛta (nectar) fell from the hand of Bhagavān Sūrya onto the earth. They became śāli (rice), mudga (green gram), yava (barley) and ikshu (sugarcane). From the sugarcane came the sweet juice, śarkarā-rasa, like nectar. For this reason śarkarā (sugar) is especially dear to Bhagavān Sūrya, and it is used in havis and kavya on this day.

Śarkarā-dāna (giving sugar) and śarkarā-bhojana (eating sugar) should be done on this Saptamī.

Phala: the phala of the Aśvamedha; the end of all sorrows; increase of sons and children.

Jyeshṭha Śukla Saptamī: the birth of Indra

On this day Ravi himself became Indra. Honour Indra by the proper procedure (yathāvidhāna). Fast with indriya-nigraha (control of the senses).

Phala: the grace of Devendra; svarga.

Āshāḍha Śukla Saptamī: Vivasvān Jayantī

On this day Bhāskara was born with the name Vivasvān. Honour Vivasvān with gandha and pushpa and with special arcana, and offer him praise with devotion.

Phala: Sūrya-sāyujya.

Śrāvaṇa Śukla Saptamī: Avyaṅga vrata

Keep the auspicious Avyaṅga vrata. At the end of the pūjā, give cotton cloths of four arm-lengths (sārtha-vastra) to please Gopati, who is Sūrya. This vrata gives the highest good (parama-śubhaprada).

If this Saptamī falls with Hastā nakshatra, it destroys pāpa (pāpa-nāśinī). All dāna, japa and homa done on that day become akshaya, without end.

Bhādrapada Śukla Saptamī: Amuktābharaṇa vrata

Honour Bhagavān Sūrya, and at the end give ornaments (ābharaṇa) as dāna.

Per Matsya Purāṇa

The Matsya Mahā Purāṇa gives the Saptamī Vratas as seven vratas of Bhagavān Sūrya, in Chapters 74 to 80. Each is kept on a Śukla Saptamī (the seventh day of the bright half), and each is a sūryopāsana (worship of Sūrya) with its own flowers, its own gold pratimā (image) and its own dānas. Parameśvara taught them to Brahmā.

The seven are Kalyāṇa Saptamī, Viśoka Saptamī, Phala Saptamī, Śarkarā Saptamī, Kamala Saptamī, Mandāra Saptamī and Śubha Saptamī. Each one gives ananta-phala (a phala that never ends). The devatās honour them as well.

How the vratas were taught

Brahmā asked Parameśvara for a vrata that lifts a person out of the ocean of saṃsāra and gives svarga (heaven) and ārogya (health). Bhagavān Śiva answered with the seven Saptamī Vratas. They are saura dharmas (duties of Sūrya worship), they give ananta-phala, and the devatās honour them. This is in Chapter 74.

1. Kalyāṇa Saptamī

When it is kept. On the Śukla Saptamī that falls on Ādityavāra (Sunday).

The vidhi.

• Bathe with cow milk.
• Draw an ashṭadala padma (an eight-petal lotus) with akshatas (unbroken rice grains), with a karṇikā (centre) in the middle.
• Fill the petals and the centre with flowers shaped into the form of Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa.
• Worship Paramātmā (Sūrya in his universal form) in the eight directions:

• Offer white vastra (cloth), bhakshyas (sweet foods), dhūpa (incense), mālya (garlands), guḍa (jaggery) and lavaṇa (salt).
• Give a ghee vessel (ghṛta-pātra), a water pot (udakumbha) and gold to a brāhmaṇa, with the mantra “May Divākara Paramātmā be pleased with this.”
• On the following morning, eat cooked rice and ghee together with the brāhmaṇas.

How long. Every month for thirteen months.

The dāna at the end. Thirteen pāḍī cows, with gold ornaments on the face and aṅka-alaṅkāras, are given to brāhmaṇas. A poor person may give even one cow.

The phala. The observer is freed from all pāpa. In this life he enjoys endless long life, health and wealth (āyur-ārogya-aiśvarya). Afterwards he is honoured in Sūrya-loka. This is in Chapter 74.

2. Viśoka Saptamī

When it is kept. It begins on Māgha Śukla Pañcamī, goes on to Shashṭhī and then to Saptamī. After that it is kept every month until the next Māgha Śukla Saptamī.

The vidhi.

• On Pañcamī: take a sesame bath, eat only pulao, fast, and keep brahmacarya (continence) at night.
• On Shashṭhī: say “Ārkāya namaḥ” and worship Sūrya with red karavīra flowers. Eat only gomūtra (cow urine). Sleep at the place of the pūjā.
• On the morning of Saptamī: worship Sūrya with the prayer “Ādityā! Give me viśokatva (freedom from sorrow) through all births.” Give two red cloths (vastra-dvaya) and a gold lotus (padma) to a brāhmaṇa, together with anna-dāna (a gift of food).

The monthly observance. Keep it on every paksha-saptamī, in both the Śukla and the Kṛshṇa paksha, for a year.

The dāna at the end. A gold lotus (suvarṇa-kamala) in a kalaśa (pot), a bed with all its things, and a kapilā cow.

The phala. The observer is free from sorrow for a hundred crore times a thousand births. He reaches the highest comfort and Indra-loka. One who has desires gets those desires. One who has no desire (nishkāma) reaches parabrahma-pada. This is in Chapter 75.

3. Phala Saptamī

When it is kept. From Mārgaśīrsha Śukla Pañcamī to Kṛshṇa Saptamī, going through both pakshas every month for a year.

The vidhi.

• Keep Pañcamī with the rules of the vrata (vrata-niyamas).
• Keep Shashṭhī with a fast (upavāsa).
• On Saptamī, feed brāhmaṇas (brāhmaṇa bhojana).
• On Saptamī, give a gold bhānu-phala pratimā (a gold image of a fruit) with śarkarā (sugar).
• Each month give up one seasonal fruit (phala-tyāga) and say the mantra with the name of that month. The names, one for each month, are Bhānuḥ, Arkaḥ, Raviḥ, Brahmā, Sūryaḥ, Śakraḥ, Hariḥ, Śivaḥ, Śrīmān, Vibhāvasuḥ, Tvashṭā and Aruṇakaḥ, each followed by “prīyatāṃ”.

The dāna at the end. A gold fruit image (phala-pratimā), a kalaśa full of śarkarā, and cloth and garlands, given to a brāhmaṇa couple, with the prayer “Ravi! By your grace grant me ananta-phala in every birth.”

The phala. The observer is freed even from sura-pāna (drinking liquor) and other great pāpas. Twenty-one generations in both directions are freed. He reaches Sūrya-loka. This is in Chapter 76.

4. Śarkarā Saptamī

When it is kept. On Māgha Śukla Saptamī, and then every month for a full year.

The vidhi.

• Bathe with white sesame and wear white vastra.
• Draw a lotus (padma) with kuṅkuma.
• Place a water kalaśa on the karṇikā of the lotus, a vessel of śarkarā on it, and on top a gold aśva-pratimā (a gold image of a horse).
• Worship with the mantra “Deva! You are invoked in all Vedas as the universal. All this world, moving and unmoving, is you alone.”
• Take only pañcagavya as food. Sleep near the platform.
• Listen through the night to the Saurasūktas (hymns to Sūrya) or to the Purāṇas.
• On the morning of the eighth day, give everything to a brāhmaṇa and feed the brāhmaṇas with śarkarā-pāyasa (sweet rice pudding with sugar).

The origin of śarkarā. Sūrya let drops of amṛta fall while he was drinking it. These drops fell and became yava (barley), pesara (moong beans) and śarkarā. So śarkarā is amṛta in form (amṛta-svarūpa), and it is the substance Sūrya loves most in every homa and offering.

The dāna at the end. A kalaśa full of śarkarā, a bed and a kapilā cow. If the observer wishes, he may give the house itself.

The phala. It equals the phala of the Aśvamedha yajña. All sorrow is stilled (sarvadūḥkha-śānti), sons and grandsons grow in number, and in the end the observer reaches parabrahmatva. He lives one kalpa in svarga, and then reaches mukti. This is in Chapter 77.

5. Kamala Saptamī

When it is kept. On Vasanta Śukla Saptamī (Caitra or Vaiśākha), and then every month for a year.

The vidhi.

• Bathe with white sesame, both ground and as oil.
• Place a new pair of cloths (vastra-dvaya) in a vessel of sesame, with a gold kamala (lotus) on top.
• Worship Sūrya as Kamala-hasta, Viśvadhārī, Divākara and Prabhākara.
• At the sandhyā of the day, honour the brāhmaṇa with cloth, garlands and ornaments. Then give the gold kamala and a water pot (udakumbha), and, if possible, an adorned kapilā cow.
• Fast on Saptamī. Eat only a moderate amount on Ashṭamī.
• Keep this every month through the year, without miserliness (lobha-rahita).

The dāna at the end. A gold kamala, a bed with all its things, and an adorned kapilā cow.

The phala. The observer gains endless Lakshmī and Sūrya-loka. Then he rises through the seven ūrdhva-lokas (the worlds above), one in each kalpa, and the apsarases worship him in each. At the end he reaches mukti. This is in Chapter 78.

6. Mandāra Saptamī

When it is kept. On Māgha Śukla Pañcamī, Shashṭhī and Saptamī, and then every month for a year.

The vidhi.

• On Pañcamī: take a light meal.
• On Shashṭhī: bathe and fast through the day. Take a mandāra flower as the only food at night.
• On Saptamī: place eight gold mandāra flowers in the eight petals of an eight-petal gold lotus (ashṭadala suvarṇa-kamala), set in a copper plate filled with sesame. Place a gold purusha-pratimā (a gold image of a person, with a lotus in the hand) in the karṇikā with “Sarvātmane namaḥ.”

The eight petal names are:

1. Bhāskara (East)
2. Sūrya (Southeast)
3. Arka (South)
4. Aryamā (Southwest)
5. Vedadhāman (West)
6. Caṇḍa-bhānu (Northwest)
7. Pūshan (North)
8. Ānanda (Northeast)

The gold purusha and all the offerings are wrapped in fresh white cloth and given to a brāhmaṇa who knows the Veda (vedavit), with bhakshya, garlands and fruit. The meal at night is taken without oil and without salt, facing east, in silence.

The dāna at the end. All the items, a kalaśa and a cow.

The phala. The observer is freed from all pāpa and lives in svarga with Indra. This vrata is like a lamp in the dark night of saṃsāra. This is in Chapter 79.

7. Śubha Saptamī

When it is kept. On Āśvayuja Śukla Saptamī, and then every month for a year.

The vidhi.

• Have the brāhmaṇas perform svastivācana (the rite of blessing).
• Worship the kapilā cow with gandha and garlands, with the prayer “Born of Sūrya, with all the worlds as your home, of blessed form: salutations to you.”
• Place a gold vṛshabha-pratimā (a gold image of a bull) in a copper plate filled with sesame, covered with white cloth and garlands.
• At dusk worship with the mantra “Aryamā prīyatāṃ” and give it to a brāhmaṇa.
• Fast through the day and take pañcagavya.
• Next morning, feed the brāhmaṇas and then eat oneself.

The dāna at the end. All the items, a bed and all its things, with the mantra “Vivasvān prīyatāṃ.”

The phala. In every birth the observer enjoys pure wealth and fame (aiśvarya and kīrti). In svarga the apsarases and gandharvas worship him. He becomes ruler of the devas for the whole span of the kalpa. At the beginning of the next kalpa he is born as the saptadvīpādhipati (sovereign of all seven dvīpas). Hearing or reading this vrata-kalpa destroys the pāpa of a thousand brahma-hatyās and a hundred bhṛṇa-hatyās. Those who see even one muhūrta of this vrata being kept are freed from all pāpa and become ruler of the vidyādharas. This is in Chapter 80.

Keeping all seven

One who keeps all seven Saptamī Vratas in successive years, one each year, is raised through the seven lokas one after another. In the end he reaches mukti. This is in Chapter 80.

Sources

• Nārada Mahā Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha, chapter 116
• Matsya Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 74 to 80 (Chapter 74 Kalyāṇa Saptamī, Chapter 75 Viśoka Saptamī, Chapter 76 Phala Saptamī, Chapter 77 Śarkarā Saptamī, Chapter 78 Kamala Saptamī, Chapter 79 Mandāra Saptamī, Chapter 80 Śubha Saptamī and the keeping of all seven)