The "oshas" and the "bratas" are an integral and indispensable part of Odia culture. In fact there is a popular saying in Odia, "Baara maase, tera parba" (13 festivals in 12 months of a year), literally meaning that the state of Odisha remains in a festive spirit all through the year, with a string of festivals dotting the Odia calendar over the year with at least one major ceremony or festival celebrated each month. One such important religious festival is
Sabitri Brata (ସାବିତ୍ରୀ ବ୍ରତ) that will be observed on 22nd of May, 2020 (i.e. on Friday) by married Odia women all across the state. They keep fast on this day and offer prayers to Lakshmi Narayan and Maa Sabitri, seeking sound health and long life for their husbands. It is also known as Sabitri Uwaans in the western part of Odisha and "Vat Savitri Puja" in some other states.
However, personally speaking, I am not in favour of gender-specific religious rituals and I am not alone - quite a few other men too have recognised this fact. Although traditionally only wives were the ones who kept fast and observed this brata, but husbands too can do likewise (in fact, several men have now started breaking the traditional norms by keeping this fast along with their wives and it's such a welcome change). Nothing can be more sweet and romantic than when both the life companions wholeheartedly reciprocate each other's warm sentiments! A relationship in which the feelings are mutual, will only grow stronger, after all
!
Background story:
Sabitri was born to Queen Kaushalya and King Aswapati (the childless monarch of Madra Desh), after they performed sacrificial fire (Sabitri Yajna) over a period of eighteen years. She grew up into a very beautiful, intelligent and virtuous girl. After she reached maidenhood, her parents began searching for a suitable groom for their daughter's marriage but couldn't find one. Therefore, they asked Sabitri to choose her life partner herself, which she did - choosing Satyaban (Satyavan), the exiled prince of Shalwa kingdom, who was equally virtuous and good looking. So steadfast was her love for him that in spite of being warned by Sage Narada that Satyaban shall not live for more than a year, Sabitri chose to marry Satyaban because she had already taken him to be her husband and wouldn't choose anyone else.
And since her husband and her in-laws - the erstwhile King Dyumatsen and his wife - lived in exile in a forest, she too started living with them in the forest giving up all luxuries and comforts of palace life. But as had been predestined, within one year of their marriage, one day Satyaban fell down from the tree while cutting wood and died. However not to give up, Sabitri was determined to bring her husband back to life. When Lord Yamraj, the god of death, came to take away her husband's soul, Sabitri kept pleading with him to revive his dead husband's life and not separate her from her husband.
Moved by her determination and steadfast love for her husband, Lord Yamraj finally relented and revived her husband's life. No wonder, Devi Sabitri is regarded as an epitome of wifely devotion and unwavering faith - someone who could snatch back her husband's life from the jaws of death! Therefore she is revered as a Goddess and is worshiped on this day.
RELATED BLOG POST: Sudasha Brata - A Fast Observed By Women In Odisha For The Well-being And Prosperity Of Their Family
Unique to the state of Odisha, Sudasha Brata is dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi and is observed by Odia married women who keep fast the entire day and pray to the Goddess for the well-being and prosperity of their family. This brata is observed on each of those Thursdays that is concurrent with Dashami tithi while being in Shukla Pakhya (waxing phase of the moon). Thus there could be more than one Sudasha Brata day in a year (or even could be none if no Thursday coincides with Dashami tithi while being in Shukla Pakhya).
On Sudasha Brata day, Hindu married women in Odisha first worship Maa Lakshmi following the prescribed rituals and then tie a sacred thread (brata) on their right arm after giving the thread a ritualistic bath with turmeric and water. The thread is then given 10 knots, uttering 10 different names of Maa Lakshmi -- one name for each knot -- and keep the thread tied on their arm until the next Sudasha Brata day when they replace this thread with a new one, performing the same ritual. Click here to READ MORE...
The "Sabitri Brata Katha" (ସାବିତ୍ରୀ ବ୍ରତ କଥା) PDFs available online at some other sites contain quite a few errors and therefore I thought to retype the entire booklet, after making the corrections. So I guess, those of you residing outside of Odisha (or are settled abroad) and who do not have the "Sabitri Brata Katha" (ସାବିତ୍ରୀ ବ୍ରତ କଥା) book, may find this PDF helpful.
CLICK HERE to download the ebook.
(Upon clicking the link, once the PDF opens up, as you scroll your mouse over the text, you will find the print option (a printer like symbol) at the right bottom corner. Click on it and you will have the option to download. Or else look for this symbol at the top right corner - arrow pointing downwards on a line, right beside SIGN IN button.
That's also the download button. Click on it and your download will start.)
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| Sabitri Brata Puja (Savitri Vrat) In Odisha |
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