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Jitiya Parwa
The jibitputrika Wrat for wellbeing and long life of family members.
Meaning:
Jivit Putrika' in Sanskrit, Jiyatiya in Hindi, and Terai Madhesi women in Nepal observe 'Jitiya' as an exciting festival celebrated for the happiness, joy, and progress of their children and it is celebrated as Jivit Putra Parva. Jivit means living and Putra means son or a generic connotation for children, be it son or daughter. Putra means son but not confined to male connotation, in general, Putra resembles to the reliable and responsible children, Jitiya is a celebration of wrata anticipating a responsible son and daughter and their wellbeing.
This festival is celebrated on Krishna Paksha on the eighth day of Ashwin. This festival is especially celebrated by mothers for their surviving sons. It has been a tradition for women to worship Lord 'Jeetmahan Gonsai' and fast for 24 hours without even drinking water.
Glory of Jitia:
Once upon a time, on the banks of the river Narmada, there was a village called Kanchanavati, which was ruled by King Malayaketu. On the west bank of the river was a desert called Valuhata, on the same bank was a winged tree inhabited by a female eagle, under which lived a female fox.
Eagle and fox became friends and one day, like other women in the village, they decided to observe the waterless fast of Lord Jeetmahan Gonsai, but coincidentally on the same day the dead son of a rich merchant was buried underneath their shelter tree.
Although the eagle maintains the fast like other women, the fox breaks the fast by not being able to suppress the strong desire to eat the carcass. In the next birth, both the eagle and the fox are born in the same house and as sisters in a Brahmin family.
Eagle is born as Shilvati and the fox is born as Kapurvati. Shilvati marries a man named Buddhisen and sister Kapurvati marries King Malayaketu. Shilvati has seven beautiful sons and Kapurvati's son is dead, so she is very sad and disappointed. Kapurvati is jealous of her sister, she conspires to kill the seven sons of Shilvati and telling the king to their head in a red cloth and send it to sister Shilvati. But when Lord Jeetmahan Gonsai finds out about this, he saves Shilvati's seven sons and immortalizes them by giving them nectar (Amrit). In this way, when the pot wrapped in red cloth reaches Shilvati's house, it turns into a gift full of fruits instead of human heads.
Unable to bear her sister's happiness, Kapurvati now arrives at her house and tells her everything. While saying this, Shilvati remembers the story of her previous birth where she observed the wrata as an eagle for the grace if Lord Jeetmahan Gonsai.
From this time onwards, it is believed that mothers started the tradition of fasting in Jitia festival for the protection of their children in a reverent manner of Lord Jeetmahan Gonsai.
This fast is a wonderful example of motherly love and motherhood, not just confined for any wealth or prosperity. On the first day of this festival, which is celebrated for three days from the seventh to the ninth of Ashwin Krishna Paksha side, it is customary to get up in the morning and take a bath in a nearby reservoir or river and offer mustard oil and 'khar'. Mothers only eat clean food on this day after bathing.
Jivitputrika's second day is 'Ashtami' and this day is also called 'Khar Din'. Khar is a type of grass and is found abundantly on the banks of the river in the Terai. It is used for various religious and social activities as well as to cover the roofs of houses in the villages. The third day is called Paran and food is eaten on this day. Sometimes mothers have to fast for three days without water especially when singular Tithi resembles for two days.
How the Tharu community celebrate Jitiya?
Similarly, Jitiya is taken with equal importance in the Tharu community. The women of Nawalparasi and Chitwan celebrate Jitiya with importance for three days, taking Jitiya as a victory. Lord Bishnu, Shiva, and Lord Surya are worshiped. Jitia festival is celebrated with traditional attires, music, and dance songs. The worship of nature is also an important part of the victory of the Tharu community. The dance performed by the Tharu community in Jitiya is called 'Zyamta'.
This community has a special song of the water deity sung in Brahmathan which is called 'Jatsari'. There is another traditional special song sung by Tharu women after cutting the branches of the people called 'Darkatoni'. All the songs and dances are performed under the open sky in Jitia festival. In the Tharu community, the branches of the peepal are cut and the rice plants are uprooted along with Peepal branches and kept in the middle of the village. The place thus prepared is called 'That'. In our multi-lingual and multi-cultural country of Nepal, the Jitia festival brings together people from many communities, languages , and cultures.
Especially the special dishes of this festival, which is very popular in the Mithilanchal of Nepal, are 'Jhor Bhat' i.e. Jhol means soup of vegetables and ordinary rice and 'Noniko Saag' and 'Maduwa' i.e. Kodo bread.
The taste of food may change with time and in the kitchen, but a mother's love for her child has been equally sacred and full of motherly sweetness for centuries. May all the children of the mother be protected, may all the children love the mother, may Jitia's offerings and blessings help to make the entire Nepali society strong and strong in cooperation, Jitia's best wishes!
Sorha Shradhha: Nawami Shradhha
Pitri Gayatri Mantra:
देवताभ्यः पितृभ्यश्च महायोगिभ्यः एव च। नमः स्वाहायै स्वधायै नित्यमेव नमोनमः।।
It means salutations to the gods, pitras, great yogis, svaha and svadha all the time.
Pitri, Baitarni and Salvation
With the commencement of the Sorha Saddha may all the godlike Pitri in the Pitri realm between heaven and earth obtain salvation, may all the Pitri cross the Baitarni River, and may the ancestral love be maintained.
May the blessings of the ancestors be maintained, May goodness and good wishes are maintained, and we are the remnants of the ancestors in today's form, aren't we?
Tarpan, Diyo Puja, Vishwedeva Brahman, and other pujas can be performed before the appointed time. There is a belief that if the Pinda is not donated at this time, the Pitris will not get it. Sanatana Philosophy largely acknowledges the importance of Pitri in the existence of life and the universe.
In Vedic Sanatan Sanskrit, Pitrikarma i.e. shraddha is usually performed twice, regular shraddha is performed on the tithi of death and another shraddha is performed during the period of Sorha shraddhas. May peace and happiness prevail in every family with the commencement of this year's Sorha Shraddha Wishing for the salvation of the Pitri who passed away on the nawami Shraddha date.
Suyog Dhakal
