India is a country that gets its vibrancy from the culture, the beautiful festivals and all the bondage we have with our families. The Love for socializing, celebrating and embracing the wide variety of relations is perfectly reflected through our festivals, if you are wondering how? We have festivities to celebrate almost every relationship of our life, Raksha Bandhan to celebrate the Bond between brothers and sisters, Matru Pitru Poojan Divas which directly translates to ‘worshiping parents’ and many such festivals where we practice enhancing and respecting a bond. There are even festivals for the bond of marriage such as Karwa Chauth and Teej. One such marriage bond-oriented festival would be Vat Purnima, where wives fast for the well-being and longer lives of their husbands.
Vat Purnima is observed on the full moon day of the Jyeshtha Month of the Hindu Calendar which is the month of May or June. The Vat is the Banyan Tree and the tree emblematizes the holy trinity: Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh while Purnima indicates a full moon day. The banyan tree holds a deific significance in all the scriptures and in the legend of Vat Purnima, women who observe the Vat Purnima fast worship the tree. On Vat Purnima, women wake up before sunrise and take a bath with sesame and gooseberry added in water which is considered a beatific cleanser which gives benefits to both physical and mental body.
Women dress up in nine-yard sarees (especially in Maharashtra) and worship the banyan tree. They also place idols of Satyavan and Savitri, offer vermilion (sindoor) while performing the puja. Women do parikrama(encircle) around the banyan tree, chanting and winding yellow and red holy thread around it. The women also observe a fast for one whole day and they are expected to break the fast the following morning. In Maharashtra, the offering to God includes 5, 7 or 11 mini plates of five types of fruits (usually banana, jackfruit, karvanda, chickoo, apple or mango) on small pieces of banana leaves. These plates are offered while they worship the banyan tree and post-rituals are exchanged or distributed among the other ladies who have to worship the tree.
A peek into the Legend:
Savitri was born to King Asvapati and his wife Malavi as a blessing from "Lord Savitr". She grew up to be a strong, intimidating woman. On being told by her father, she set out to find herself a husband. On her pilgrimage, Savitri met Satyavan, who was destined to die within a year, but she married him nonetheless.
Since it had been foretold that Satyavan won't live long, when the day of his death arrived Satyavan was said to be lying on Savitri’s lap under the banyan tree waiting for death. The messenger of death came to take Satyavan away but Savitri refused to give away her beloved husband, several messengers tried in vain and failed in taking away Satyavan’s life because Savitri wasn’t ready to let them succeed, finally the God of Death (Yamraj) himself stepped down on earth to take Satyavan with him but Savitri followed him as he took away Satyavan’s life. Yamraj warned Savitri that she won’t make it alive, to Yamlok but no warning was able to stop her. Impressed by Savitri’s conviction, Yamraj offered her three boons. As the first boon she asked for the well-being of her in-laws and Yamraj granted it to her. The second boon she asked for the well being of her parents. When it came to the third and the final boon she asked for a child with her husband, Yamraj wasn’t hesitant at all and granted the boon. After the third boon had been granted Yamraj expected Savitri to go back but instead Savitri waited there, when Yamraj questioned her, she simply smiled and said that she was waiting for him to return the life of her husband without whom she would not be able to have the child she had asked for! Startled but helpless Yamraj had to return the life of Satyavan, after Satyavan came back to life Savitri worshiped the banyan tree by performing a Pradakshina as she expressed her gratitude to the trinity of Gods.
The significance of Vat Purnima in the olden times:
As per the old and rigid Hindu norms, it was not appropriate for a widow to get married, it was considered a shame. The life of women who had lost their husbands was considered a vain life as a spiritual and religious solution to this problem, women started observing Vat Purnima to pray for the long life of their husbands to lead what they thought was a happy and fruitful life.
Through the eyes of science:
Fasting is something that is very common to us Indians because every month calls for us to fast for some festival or religious practice. Most of the Gen-Z individuals have concluded it to be stupid, but our scriptures have been strongly backed with science if we keenly observe them. Vat Purnima has a pretty fascinating scientific perspective for the female anatomy and functioning. It bestows a host of positive effects at physical and psychological levels. These benefits are both immediate and long-term. This fasting can relax the body and mind, and in combination with the prayers made to the divine, it can recharge and refresh the entire human system. The long-term effects include the balancing of the metabolism of the body, having in check the acid content in the system, cleansing of the digestive systems, enhancing the vitality, improving the endurance and resistance powers. It induces positive energy in the body, tranquilizing the mind and our emotions. A number of studies have also proved that fasting on a Purnima brings an abundance of health benefits due to the gravitational force from the sun and the moon.
Women of the new generation observing Vat Purnima:
In today’s world with all the knowledge and advancements there has been a shift in mindset about gender equality and hence the life of no woman is considered vain if she loses her husband or wishes to lead an independent life even after marriage. But there is an observation that the most educated women also observe the fast and perform all the rituals of Vat Purnima and this today is an act of honouring the culture, respecting our traditions and most importantly being grateful for having a person, a partner who has vowed to be there for her through her ups and downs and be an effectual and firm support.
Today it isn’t about solely protecting his life but more about being there for him and gratifying the fact that he is there too for creating a beautiful life. This also shows the significance of a marriage especially in our Indian culture as such a festival shows that marriage is not just a social agreement but full acceptance and devotion towards your partner in joy or pain.
Give it a thought:
The world is changing and so are many beliefs and perceptions, a woman is no more expected to be solely devoted to her husband and nor is the husband considered superior in the marriage, do you think it is time to nurture and inculcate the thoughts and practices where the husbands fast for the well being for their wives? Or would it be safer to scrape off the practice of Vat Purnima altogether? It should also be a husband’s duty to care, nurture, gratify and most importantly respect their wives’ sacrifices and not just label it as their daily routine. Let us know your opinions on this in the comments!
Thank you for reading!
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