Chhath Puja, an outdoor religious ritual and celebration, is an environmental necessity. With roots in the Rig Veda, Chhath Puja celebration holds great significance in today’s context. Its salience goes beyond its religious identity, underscoring covalent correlations between the environment and people’s lifestyles.
Historically native to the regions of Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern UP in India, Chhath Puja is now observed worldwide, from Mumbai to Mauritius, America to Australia; thanks to Poorvanchali migrants, Chhath culture is spreading across the globe.
In the Mithila belt, where Goddess Sita was born, gratitude is expressed to all natural elements that assist us. Worshipping plants, trees, the Sun and Moon, animals and so on demonstrates how we interact and connect with them as part of our dharm.
In Indic philosophy and mythology, worshipping the Sun is highly valued and meaningful. Before winter arrives and waterlogging subsides, devotees of Chhath, which falls on the sixth day of ‘Kartik’ in the Hindu calendar, meticulously clean ponds, rivers, water bodies, environs, and human habitations. Furthermore, the Sun becomes more important in winter as it protects us from the cold and energises the body.
Devotees, being conscious of environmental concerns, pay minute attention to cleanliness during Chhath celebrations. They observe complete abstinence from sense indulgence and maintain cordial relationships, which are crucial for mankind. If Chhath Puja is declared a national festival, it will entail many benefits. One of them is that govt’s sanitation drives will see a fillip spontaneously. Religious activity has a binding and multiplying effect. Devotees across the country will work together to clean banks of rivers, ponds, and water bodies, as locations of worship are cleaned everywhere during the festival.
The Sun, regarded as God in Hindu mythology, is worshipped when it rises and sets. Biologically, it is a powerful source of vitamin D, which people in the West remain somewhat deprived of because of lower temperatures. However, sunlight is abundant in India. In days to come, solar energy will be the best possible source of electricity.
Sunrays neutralise germs, which augurs well for healthy human life. Every Indian festival has tales, anecdotes, specialities, values and mythological stories. So is the case with Chhath Puja. Whether it is Delhi, Mumbai or Patna, Chhath culture is rising exponentially because of its purity and pertinence. It has the potential to safeguard the sanctum sanctorum of the environment. Kati snan, standing in waist-deep water, is an age-old practice in naturopathy; it is believed to cure many diseases and increase longevity.
During the puja, routes to worshipping sites on banks, rivers, ponds or other water bodies are made so clean and smooth that many devotees take prostration marches to designated places of worship.
Dharm paves the way for meaningful living, peace and tranquillity, which everybody aspires to achieve. Hence, it is imperative to follow dharm as it has many tangible benefits, not just for us but also for the environment.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
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