Swasthani Mela is one of the most leading pious Hindu festival. it is known as " Madhab Narayan Brata" . It lasts for a month long duration. It starts on the full moon day of Paush (Jan) and ends later one month on the full moon day of Magh(Feb). The devotees fast for a month eating only one time a day; taking always the holy bath in the morning; and wearing the nicely daily washed pure clothes. All of his hand and feet’s nail should be nicely trimmed. He should worship to lord shiva by making a sanctum; and should eat only after worshipping and reading the holy Swasthani book. After finishing the Puja he or she should distribute the fruits or sweets as a Prasad to the listeners. On the last day means after one month. On the Magh’s full moon day, one hundred eight small oil cooked rice’s round breads should be prepared for the Prasad. Out of these 108 breads, after completing the puja, the eight breads should be given to his or her son. If she or he doesn’t have son, it should be given to their blood brother’s son; and the rest of the hundred bread, he should distribute as a Prasad to the Swasthani puja listeners and also it should be consumed by her too. If she or he doesn’t have the blood brother’s son; it should be spilled in some holy rivers by asking the Goddess to be fulfilled their so-called wills.
Swasthani fasting is the fasting practiced by Goddess mother Parvati in the Golden age to receive her lord shiva as her husband. Since her childhood she used to worship and play by making sand’s lord shiva linga (small pole). Every time while on her eating and playing time she used to chant lord Shiva’s name always; one day lord shiva became very much happy and unearthed from the ground automatically by looking her devotion and fasting; then he graced her to her husband for ever.
That why millions of Hindus women practice this one month’s long fasting to their husband’s prosperous life; and the unmarried women do this fasting for to get a very rational husband. The rest of the males and females do this fasting to achieve their wills from the Goddess. A huge religious gathering takes place in most of the holy rivers on this day like the other holy religious days. The most significant fair takes place at Sali Nadi in Sankhu which river’s name has also been described in the holy Swasthani book. The fair takes place there since the beginning day of the fasting; and many devotees stay there itself in the pilgrimage during the month by fasting. That’s why the place remains quite spectacular during the month.
Swasthani is a great holy Hindu scripture. All of the Hindus who have completed this fasting, have been blessed to get the happy life by the grace of the Goddess; so this scripture belongs to most of the Hindu houses reverentially. In the Golden age Navaraj Bhramini woman ( mother of Navaraj) was conceived, she did not have any thing to eat and complete the child’s thirteen day’s religious rite; so before the delivery shiva sharma(Navaraj’s Father) had gone to beg the alms he died falling from a tree where he had gone there to eat some fruits. Goma gave birth the child Navaraj but shiva sharma did not come back home though a long time had been past.
One day Navaraj went in search of his father Shiva Sharma when he was grown up and married as well; finally he noticed by some one the story of his father’s death from falling off the fruit’s tree; he became very much unhappy and performed his last rites there itself near the river. Navaraj thought of not going back at home without earning some money for his mother; so he decided to find job around some where at some king’s palace. When the son also did not come back and she couldn’t find his any whereabouts. Goma became fickle minded. One day the saptarishis from the heaven fortunately arrived at her house and suggested her to do the swasthani Goddess fasting to be relieved from all of her troubles and to meet his disappeared son as well; then to get a happy and wealthy life. They taught her all the procedures of the worship and fasting. Goma Bhramini did accordingly to the fasting and worship for a month and luckily on the last day of her puja her son Navaraj arrived suddenly in the house; the she became very happy but sad too by receiving the death of her husband. Till that time her sister-in-law chandrawati(Nawaraj’s wife) and already been gone at her parental house. Nawaraj the whole phenomenon of her fasting of the Goddess mother swasthani according to the advice of the saptarishis arrived from the heaven and gave him some Prasad to eat.
In the next morning navaraj went to take bath in the near by river; and luckily Swasthani mother appeared there automatically and said him that he will become the king of Lawanya country in a few day’s time by the virtue of his mother’s worshipping and fasting in the name of swasthani Goddess. Truly in some day’s time; when the elephant was released there to find the king with Golden urn and garland in the
After becoming the king Navaraj send his courtiers to bring his mother and the previous wife Chandrawati. His mother Goma arrived but Chandrawati could’t arrive because she was fallen in a divinely trap of Goddess swasthani since she had loathed to the Goddess on the way. On her way the palanquin holders became very much thirsty and exhausted then went in search of water in the Sali Nadi. They saw the heaven’s nymphs worshipping and fasting in the name of Goddess swasthani there in the river Sali Nadi and gave them some Prasad to eat for salvation. Some of the Prasad they brought for Chandrawati too. They gave the Prasad to Chandrawati but Chandrawati was very much enraged and angry because of the courtiers’ delaying to come. She shouted loudly to them and they said,” It was because of looking the Nymphs’ Swasthani puja”. She threw immediately all the Prasad that was given her and discarded a lot to swasthani Goddess spelling many filthy words. Immediately a great typhoon appeared there and Chandrawati was thrown in to the
Since the day of her falling in the river, the river also became motionless to flow; then one day king Navaraj sent some people to achieve the clue. The people threw some net to find out the things there and chandrawati came out along with the net looking like a wooden log; then they threw it by the riverbank. Since then the river started to flow taking its motion. Chandrawati struggled there for many days in the riverbank. Suddenly one day the Nymphs from the heaven arrived there to start the Swasthani’ Puja and fasting; and chandrawati saw them doing this one month’s long puja. The Nymphs became very much unhappy to look the poor condition of that sinful woman since they suggested her to do the Swasthani puja to get rid from all of her past sins. She then commemorated her previous vice when she had hatefully thrown the Goddess’ prassad spitting to it. She repented a lot for her mistake and asked with Goddess for the excuses; and started to do the worship along with these help of the Nymphs. Finally she was relieved out from all of her sins and got Golden opportunity to meet king Navaraj and to become the queen of Lawanya country by the grace of Goddess Swasthani.
So in this way our Hindu mythology believes that Swasthani is the true Goddess and when some one practices this fasting and puja; all of them have been relieved from their poor economic life to change in to the good one. So she is the most beloved Goddess for the devotees. The devotees who can’t go to Sali Nadi they practice this one month long fasting and puja at their home only. Really it’s the pious ceremony and at the end of the puja the devotees should donate subscriptions to the Bhramin priests and the poor people for virtue. The grand picturesque fair takes place during the whole month there at Sali Nadi at Sankhu.
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