Vrishabha Sankranti

In the Hindu Solar Calendar, the festival of Vrishabha Sankranti marks the onset of the second month. During this the planetary shift of Sun to the Vrishabha rashi from Mesha rashi, takes place. This transit of Sun corresponds to the movement from Aries Zodiac sign to Taurus Zodiac sign. Vrushabha Sankranti occurs during the month of ‘Vaishakh’ in Marathi, Kannada, Gujarati and Telugu calendars and in the North Indian calendar, it is observed during the Hindu month of ‘Jyeshta'. Vrishabha Sankranti is also famous as Vrushabha Sankraman in the Southern states of India and signifies the beginning of the Vrishabha season as per the solar calendar. It also marks the arrival of Vaigasi Masam in Tamil calendar, ‘Edavam masam’ in Malayalam calendar and ‘Jyeshto mash’ in the Bengali calendar. In the state of Orissa, this day is celebrated as ‘Brusha Sankranti’.

The word ‘vrushabha’ in Sanskrit implies ‘a bull’. Also in Hindu religion, ‘Nandi’, Lord Shiva’s carrier is thought to be a bull and the religious scriptures show some form of relation between these two. Therefore the celebration of Vrishabha Sankranti has immense religious significance for Hindu devotees. People worship Lord Vishnu on this propitious day to be blessed with a happy and prosperous life. They also plead the lord to get freedom from the continuous cycle of re-birth and attain salvation.

Significance of Vrishabha Sankranti:

In the Indian Vedic Astrology, Sankranti is personified of being approximately 432 Km long and wide. This personification, in accordance with Indian belief is considered to be inauspicious and therefore the Sankranti window is believed to be unsuitable for performing auspicious activities. Yet the duration of Sankranti is highly momentous for penance, charity and shradh rituals. Hindu devotees take a dip in the holy rivers, perform Shradh rituals for their forefathers and offer some form of charity to the needy.

Just like other 12 Sankrantis in the Hindu calendar, the day of Vrishabha Sankranti is also favourable for performing Daan or Punya activities. However, only specific time just prior to or after the Sankranti moment is considered most favourable for observing all Sankranti related activities. On Vrishabha Sankranti, the duration between 16 Ghati (with 1 day equals 60 Ghatis) prior to Sankranti till the actual Sankranti moment is the best time for carrying out Daan or any good activities.

Rituals on Vrishabha Sankranti:

• On the auspicious day of Vrishabha Sankranti, Hindu devotees do Daan as it is considered very fortunate. ‘Godan’, a practice of donating holy cow to a respected Brahmin when done on Vrishabha Sankranti is believed to be very auspicious.
• Some devotees also observe a fast on this day, known as ‘Vrishabha Sankranti vrat’. They get up before sunrise and take a sanctified bath. The devotees worship ‘Rishabharudar’, a name of Lord Shiva and prepare a special ‘Bhog’ from payasham and rice. After praying to Lord Shiva, the bhog is distributed and eaten together with other family members. The observer of the Vrishabha Sankranti vrat should sleep on the floor during the night.
• Devotees visit temples of Lord Vishnu temples on Vrishabha Sankranti and pray to their lord to seek wisdom to be able to differentiate between good and evil. Special arrangements are made for this day in the Lord Jagannath Temple, located in Puri.
• Hindu pilgrimages remain crowded on this day as the devotees undertake the Sankramana Snan on this day. By performing this pious snan they pay homage to Sun God and also their forefathers. On Vrishabha Sankranti people also perform Pitra Tarpan to offer peace to their dead ancestors.

2016 Date : 14^th May, Saturday.