Đ word 'Sankranti' literally means 'movement'.
Almost all Hindu festivals are dependent on the position of d moon; however,Mākāra Sankrāntī is based on the position of the Sun.
There are twelve Sankrantis in a year. These are twelve days in a year when the Sun moves from one constellation to another. From Makar Sankranti, Sun starts moving towards the North direction which is also known as Uttarayana.
The sun on this day ends it's southward journey,
that is dakshinayan, and starts moving northwards ie uttarayan, Hence, the festival precisely denotes the movement of the Sun into Makar zodiac. Uttarayana is regarded as the period of Divinity.
On the day of Makar Sankranti festival, the duration of the day and that of the night
Bhogi- The Festival of Bonfire
The Pedda Pandaga - పెద్ద పండగ
Another Hindu festival whose rituals showcases that we are not only Culturally Unmatchable but also Scientifically Ingenious ;
‘Parama Pujaniya’ are our ancestors & elders who laid these for us.
Let's look at 3 important rituals associated with Bhogi Panduga :-
~ Bhogi Mantalu
~ Bhogi Pallu
~ Muggulu
Bhogi Mantalu :
Mantalu is the telugu word for Fire, On Bhogi day, early morning before sunrise, a bonfire is set in front of the house. This bonfire is called
'Bhogi Mantalu' in Telugu. this is set either ndividually by each household or set at the community level. Dry Cow dung cakes, Cow ghee, Banyan, Peepal & Neem tree wood were used in Bonfire, This holy smoke will purify the environment by their medicinal properties.
As Śaṅkarā walked on enquiring the whereabouts of Govinda Bhagavatpāda, the sadhus of Ōṃkārēśvar praised the glory of the Brahmanishtha in superlative terms, reminiscent of the Upanishadic mantra, which says ‘people view with wonder the ‘Brahmajnani’. They showed Śaṅkarā the
cave where he lived. It was in the middle of a hill in a village near Ōṃkārēśvar. Here & there ‘sanyasis’ were found engaged in ‘Sadhana’ & ‘Sastravichara’. Śaṅkarā felt the peace of Brahmanirvana filling the entire area. A Brahmavid is not simply a knower of Brahman, but
12 Centuries apart ; in late 19th Century he instilled a pride among Hindus of being a Hindu ;
He thundered 'Arise' 'Awake' !
He was the chief force behind the strengthening & revival of Sanātana dharma!
If then it was Adi Śaṅkarācārya ; Now It was Swami Vivekananda !
Of the Dharma śāstras ; Sandhyā Vandanam is the basic and most fundamental Nitya karma to be followed by us.
To understand why this act is important, let’s delve in detail.
"I bow to the Savitr who is the Eye of the world, the reason for creation, sustenance and destruction of the universe, the embodiment of three Gunas and the holder of the power of the Trimurtis -
Virinja (Brahma), Narayana and Shankara."
If we carefully go through the ancient Indian literature, we will find that prayer to the Sun occupies most prominence, Sandhyā Vandanam being one, albeit important element. The celebrated Aruna Praśnaḥ (also known as Sūrya Namaskāram),