Basant Panchami or Saraswati Puja, is a Hindu festival celebrated all across Bharat and even Nepal.
Usually, it is celebrated on the first day of the spring season, which is the fifth day of the month of Magha. In 2024, the festival falls on February 14.
Sarawati Puja is an important part of Basant Panchami. Goddess ‘Saraswati’ is worshipped on this day as she’s the Goddess of knowledge, music, arts and wisdom.
On this day, People wake up early in the morning to worship the goddess and dress up in white or yellow clothes. Fasts are also observed on this day. Homes are decorated with marigold flowers and rangoli. Sweets and fruits are offered to the goddess during puja, distributed among family and friends.
Basant Panchami is derived from two Sanskrit words: “Basant” means spring and “Panchami” refers to the fifth day of the lunar fortnight.
The festival marks the arrival of spring and new beginnings and is celebrated with great zeal. However, the date shifts annually due to the differences between the lunar and solar calendars but the exact date can be determined by consulting astrologers and Hindu calendars.
This year, Basant Panchami falls on February 14. ‘Panchami Tithi will start at 2.41 pm on February 13 and will end at 12.09 pm on February 14’, according to Drik Panchang.
The celebration of Basant Panchami is steeped in legends. One tale revolves around poet Kalidasa, who tried to commit suicide in a river after his wife’s departure.
However, at the very moment, Goddess Saraswati appeared and urged him to take a bath in the water. Post his bath, Kalidasa was endowed with wisdom and insight that transformed him into a great poet.
Another legend features Kama, the Hindu god of love. Kama once interrupted Lord Shiva, deep in meditation after the death of his wife Sati.
The seers intervened, urging Kama to rouse Shiva from his meditation so that he could connect with the outside world and acknowledge Maa Parvati’s efforts for him.
So, Kama shot flowers and beeswax arrows at Shiva using his sugarcane bow. However, his actions antagonised Lord Shiva who opened his third eye and reduced Kama to ashes. On the day of Basant Panchami, Shiva promised to resurrect his wife, Rati, after 40 days of punishment.
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