Śāka Saptamī
Śāka Saptamī · śāka saptamī, “the Saptamī of greens”
The Śāka Saptamī is the saptamī tithi of Bhagavān Sūrya kept with a fast and with śāka, greens. It is taken up from Kārtika śukla saptamī and kept for four months, and it is closed by pāraṇas, the meals after the fast, with the hearing of the Purāṇa. Sumantu Muni teaches it to the king in the Saptamī Kalpa of the Brahma Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa (Chapter 47). One who fasts on it with bhakti becomes fortunate.
Why Saptamī is dear to Bhagavān Sūrya
One who fasts on saptamī, or eats only a night meal, can gain the form of tejas which Bhagavān Sūrya gained on the saptamī tithi. The day on which Bhagavān Sūrya, having gained wife and sons and a divine body, was content, is saptamī. For that reason this tithi is dear to him.
The basic rule
On pañcamī, eat one meal. On shashṭhī, fast. On saptamī, fast the whole day and eat at night. On that saptamī, with restraint of speech, offer Bhagavān Sūrya a naivedya of well-prepared śāka dishes and bhakshya-bhojyas. Feed brāhmaṇas too, and only then eat oneself, at night.
One who does this as long as he lives gains wealth, victory and the trivarga in abundance. After death he goes to svarga on a divine vimāna and enjoys happiness in Sūrya loka for some manvantaras. In time he returns to this world and becomes a king of śānti, surrounded by sons and grandsons, given to dāna, undefeated by enemies in war, who enjoys royal pleasures for a long time.
Those who fast on saptamī on a śāka diet come to the royal rank that passes down from the fathers. King Kuru fasted on saptamī tithis as a śāka eater, and so his Kurukshetra was made a dharmakshetra by Bhagavān Sūrya.
The tithis that fulfil desires for women
In the same teaching Sumantu Muni says that for women, saptamī, navamī, shashṭhī, tṛtīyā and pañcamī are tithis that fulfil desires in this very world. Those that give puṇya are saptamī in Māgha, navamī in Āśvayuja, shashṭhī in Bhādrapada and tṛtīyā in Vaiśākha. The pañcamī of Bhādrapada, Nāga Pañcamī, also gives puṇya. So the particular tithis of these months are told as special.
The vrata
The one keeping the vrata should carefully clean the śāka and other things, offer them with bhakti to a brāhmaṇa according to his means, and only then eat at night. The vrata is taken up from Kārtika śukla saptamī. Keeping it in this way for four months, one takes the pāraṇa.
The first pāraṇa
Bhagavān Sūrya is worshipped with agise flowers, with kuṅkuma as vilepana and aparājita dhūpa. The vratī bathes with pañcagavya and takes the same by mouth. He offers pāyasa as naivedya, since it is dear to Bhagavān Sūrya. The pāyasa so offered, and the śāka and bhakshya dishes, are given with bhakti to brāhmaṇas, with śākas, bhakshyas, bhojyas, coshyas, lehyas and pānīyas.
The second pāraṇa
He offers fragrant flowers and white sandal, aguru dhūpa and naivedya of jaggery bhakshyas. He bathes in kuśa water and takes gomaya by mouth.
The third pāraṇa
Oleander flowers, red sandal and guggulu dhūpa are dear to Sūrya Deva. He offers as naivedya śāli rice mixed with curd. With it he offers to brāhmaṇas a meal with bhakshyas, lehyas and the like cooked with karivepa. To bathe with the paste of white mustard and take the same by mouth destroys pāpa and gives puṇya.
After the third pāraṇa
A feeding of brāhmaṇas is held, and on that occasion the telling and hearing of the Purāṇa is excellent. In the presence of Bhagavān Sūrya, before the great assembly of brāhmaṇas, one must listen to the Purāṇa told by a brāhmaṇa; it must not be heard from the mouth of one of another varṇa.
After that one worships all the brāhmaṇas there with bhakti, according to one’s means, and honours the pure body of the paurāṇika with a pair of cloths. By the pūjā of the reader of the Purāṇa, Bhagavān Sūrya is pleased. Just as oleander flowers, red sandal, guggulu, pāyasa, laḍḍuvas, a copper vessel and ghee are dear to that Devadeva, so the Purāṇa and its speaker are also dear to him.
The phala
Thus the saptamī tithi of Sūrya Deva, called Śāka Saptamī, gives puṇya. One who fasts on it with bhakti becomes fortunate.
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 47