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Introduction of Makar Sankranti:

Makar Sankranti is one of the most auspicious day for the Hindus, and is
celebrated in almost all parts of the country in myriad cultural forms, with
great devotion, fervor & gaiety. Lakhs of people take a dip in places like
Ganga Sagar & Prayag and pray to Lord Sun. It is celebrated with pomp in
southern parts of the country as Pongal, and in Punjab is celebrated as
Lohri & Maghi. Gujarati's not only look reverentially up to the sun, but
also offer thousands of their colorful oblations in the form of beautiful
kites all over the skyline. They may be trying to reach upto their glorious
God or bring about greater proximity with the one who represents the best.
It is a day for which Bhishma Pitamah kept waiting to leave his mortal coil.

Makar Sankranti is the day when the glorious Sun-God of Hindus begins its
ascendancy and entry into the Northern Hemisphere. Sun for the Hindus stands
for Pratyaksha-Brahman - the manifest God, who symbolizes, the one,
non-dual, self-effulgent, glorious divinity blessing one & all tirelessly.
Sun is the one who transcends time and also the one who rotates the
proverbial Wheel of Time. The famous Gayatri Mantra, which is chanted
everyday by every faithful Hindu, is directed to Sun God to bless them with
intelligence & wisdom. Sun not only represents God but also stands for an
embodiment of knowledge & wisdom. Lord Krishna reveals in Gita that this
manifested divinity was his first disciple, and we all know it to be indeed
a worthy one too. No Sundays for the Sun, may be because one who revels in
its very 'being', the very essence of his own Self, is always in the Sunday
mood.

The co-relation of cosmic events with individual life and values is one of
the most astounding traits of Hindu Masters. Once this co-relation is
brought about thereafter these cosmic events become instrumental to remind
us the best which we cherish & value. Of all the cosmic bodies Sun is the
most glorious & important, thus every sun-centric cosmic event became very i
mportant spiritual, religious & cultural events. On Makar Sankranti day the
Sun begins its ascendancy and journey into the Northern Hemisphere, and thus
it signifies an event wherein the Gods seem to remind their children that
'Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya'. May you go higher & higher - to more & more Light
and never to darkness.



Astrological Significance:

Makar means Capricorn and Sankranti is transition. There is a sankranti
every month when the sun passes from one sign of the zodiac to the next.
There are twelve signs of the zodiac, and thus there are twelve sankranti's
as well. Each of these sankranti's has its own relative importance but two
of these are more important - the Mesh(Aries) Sankranti and the most
important, the Makar(Capricorn) Sankranti. Transition of the Sun from
Sagittarius to Capricorn, during the winter solstice in the northern
hemisphere is known as Makar Sankranti. From this day begins the six-month
long Uttarayana, considered very auspicious for attaining higher worlds
hereafter. While the traditional Indian Calendar is basically based on lunar
positions, but sankranti is a solar event, so while dates of all festivals
keep changing, the english calendar date of Makar Sankranti is always same,
14th January. Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the Hindu Calendar month of
Magha. There is another significance of this day, and that is pertaining to
the equal size of day & night on this day. After this day the days start
becoming longer & warmer, and thus the chill of winter in on decline.



Religious Significance:

1. The Puranas say that on this day Sun visits the house of his son Shani,
who is the swami of Makar Rashi. These father & son do not ordinarily get
along nicely, but inspite of any difference between each other Lord Sun
makes it a point to meet each other on this day. Father in fact himself
comes to his son's house, for a month. This day symbolized the importance of
special relationship of father & son. It is the son who has the
responsibility to carry forward his fathers dream and the continuity of the
family.

2. From Uttarayana starts the 'day' of Devatas, while dakshinayana is said
to be the 'night' of devatas, so most of the auspicious things are done
during this time. Uttarayana is also called as Devayana, and the next half
is called Pitrayana.

3. It was on this day when Lord Vishnu ended the ever increasing terrorism
of the Asuras by finishing them off and burying their heads under the Mandar
Parvat. So this occasion also represents the end of negativities and
beginning of an era of righteous living.

4. The great savior of his ancestors, Maharaj Bhagirath, did great Tapasya
to bring Gangaji down on the earth for the redemption of 60,000 sons of
Maharaj Sagar, who were burnt to ashes at the Kapil Muni Ashram, near the
present day Ganga Sagar. It was on this day that Bhagirath finally did
tarpan with the Ganges water for his unfortunate ancestors and thereby
liberated them from the curse. After visiting the Patala for the redemption
of the curse of Bhagirath's ancestors Gangaji finally merged in the Sagar.
Even today a very big Ganga Sagar Mela is organized every year on this day
at the confluence of River Ganges and the Bay of Bengal. Lakhs take dip in
the water and do tarpan for their ancestors.

We salute such a great devotee & benefactor of his ancestors. One who can
express such gratitude to his ancestors, work with tireless resolve to
redeem the pride, pledges & resolves of his forefathers, alone possess a
personality, which the history reveals to be a true benefactor of the world
too. A person who has severed his own roots gets soon rooted out in the flow
of time. Moral of the story is to see to it that the roots of the tree of
'our' life are not only intact but nourished well, thereafter alone the tree
blooms & flourishes.

There is another spiritually symbolic aspect of this story. The 60,000
cursed son of Maharaj Sagar represent our thoughts, who become dull &
dead-like because of uncultured & blind ambition. Redemption of such people
is only by the waters of Gangaji, brought down 'to' & later 'from' the
Himalayas with great tapasya. This represents dedicated hard work to get the
redeeming Brahma-Vidya, which alone enlightens, enthuses & enlivens the life
of anyone.

5. Another well-known reference of this day came when the great grandsire of
Mahabharata fame, Bhishma, declared his intent to leave his mortal coil on
this day. He had the boon of Ichha-Mrityu from his father, so he kept lying
on the bed of arrows till this day and then left his mortal coil on Makar
Sankranti day. It is believed that the person, who dies during the period of
Uttarayana, becomes free from transmigration. So this day was seen as a
sure-shot Good Luck day to start your journey or endeavors to the higher
realms beyond.



Culture & Festivities:

This festival is celebrated differently in different parts of the country.

Uttar Pradesh:
In Uttar Pradesh, Sankrant is called 'Khichiri'. Taking a dip in the holy
rivers on this day is regarded as most auspicious. A big one-month long
'Magha-Mela' fair begins at Prayag (Allahabad) on this occasion. Apart from
Triveni, ritual bathing also takes place at many places like Haridvar and
Garh Mukteshwar in Uttar Pradesh, and Patna in Bihar.

Bengal:
In Bengal every year a very big Mela is held at Ganga Sagar where the river
Ganga is believed to have dived into the nether region and vivified the
ashes of the sixty thousand ancestors of King Bhagirath. This mela is
attended by a large number of pilgrims from all over the country.

Tamil Nadu:
In Tamil Nadu Sankrant is known by the name of 'Pongal', which takes its
name from the surging of rice boiled in a pot of milk, and this festival has
more significance than even Diwali. It is very popular particularly amongst
farmers. Rice and pulses cooked together in ghee and milk is offered to the
family deity after the ritual worship. In essence in the South this Sankrant
is a 'Puja' (worship) for the Sun God.

Andhra Pradesh:
In Andhra Pradesh, it is celebrated as a three-day harvest festival Pongal.
It is a big event for the people of Andhra Pradesh. The Telugus like to call
it 'Pedda Panduga' meaning big festival. The whole event lasts for four
days, the first day Bhogi, the second day Sankranti, the third day Kanuma
and the fourth day, Mukkanuma.

Maharashtra:
In Maharashtra on the Sankranti day people exchange multi-colored tilguds
made from til (sesame seeds) and sugar and til-laddus made from til and
jaggery. Til-polis are offered for lunch. While exchanging tilguls as tokens
of goodwill people greet each other saying - 'til-gul ghya, god god bola'
meaning 'accept these tilguls and speak sweet words'. The under-lying
thought in the exchange of tilguls is to forget the past ill-feelings and
hostilities and resolve to speak sweetly and remain friends.

This is a special day for the women in Maharashtra when married women are
invited for a get-together called 'Haldi-Kumkum' and given gifts of any
utensil, which the woman of the house purchases on that day.

Gujarat:
In Gujarat Sankrant is observed more or less in the same manner as in
Maharashtra but with a difference that in Gujarat there is a custom of
giving gifts to relatives. The elders in the family give gifts to the
younger members of the family. The Gujarati Pundits on this auspicious day
grant scholarships to students for higher studies in astrology and
philosophy. This festival thus helps the maintenance of social relationships
within the family, caste and community.

Kite flying has been associated with this festival in a big way. It has
become an internationally well-known event.

Punjab:
In Punjab where December and January are the coldest months of the year,
huge bonfires are lit on the eve of Sankrant and which is celebrated as
"LOHARI". Sweets, sugarcane and rice are thrown in the bonfires, around
which friends and relatives gather together. The following day, which is
Sankrant, is celebrated as MAGHI. The Punjabi's dance their famous Bhangra
dance till they get exhausted. Then they sit down and eat the sumptuous food
that is specially prepared for the occasion.

Kerala:
The 40 days anushthana by the devotees of Ayyappa ends on this day in
Sabarimala with a big festival.

Bundelkhand:
In Bundelkhand and Madhya Pradesh this festival of Sankrant is known by the
name 'Sakarat' and is celebrated with great pomp & merriment accompanied by
lot of sweets.

Tribals of Orissa:
Many tribals in our country start their New Year from the day of Sankrant by
lighting bonfires, dancing and eating their particular dishes sitting
together. The Bhuya tribals of Orissa have their Maghyatra in which small
home-made articles are put for sale.

Assam:
In Assam, the festival is celebrated as Bhogali Bihu.

Coastal Region:
In the coastal regions, it is a harvest festival dedicated to Indra.



How to Celebrate:

1. Get up early in the morning, before sunrise, have bath and be ready with
water & flowers for the sunrise. Worship the rising Sun, by offering water,
flowers with both the hands & then pray with folded hands by chanting the
Gayatri Mantra and pray for knowledge, wisdom and enlightenment to rise in
the similar way to greater & greater heights. Pray for blessings to live a
dynamic, inspired & righteous life.

2. Do tarpan for your ancestors. Offer water to the ancestors while praying
for their blessings. Resolve to redeem the pledges & pride of your
forefathers. Live life in such a way that wherever your forefathers may be
their head is held high by the life & deeds of their children.

3. Have a special session of Meditation, wherein you bring about the
awareness of the self-effulgent subjective divinity. Affirm the greatest
importance of your spiritual goal very clearly, and pray to God to bless you
with the capacity to constantly revel in your true self. May the graph of
your rise like the Uttarayana Sun. May there be greater 'Love & Light' in
your life & the world.

4. Prepare laddus or other sweets of Til & Gur and offer them to your
friends & relatives. See to it that your 'Well-being Prayer for all' gets
manifested in action & deeds.

5. Have the lunch of Khichiri. This stands for inculcating simplicity in
your life & habits.

6. Give some Daan on this day to someone who truly deserves.

7. Visit your son at his place and give presents to the son and the
daughter-in-law. If it is not possible to visit, then organize to send
presents to them to express your love & affection to them. Work to properly
cultivate the generation, which has to carry forward all the best you
cherish & value.
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