Basant Panchami: The Herald of Spring

 

Welcome to Vasant (or Basant) Panchami….the festival that heralds the end of winter chill and signals the arrival of Rituraj Vasant or Spring, the King of Seasons. 

On every fifth (panchami) of the moonlit-half of Magha in the Hindu lunisolar calendar (which generally coincides with late January or the first half of February), the balmy breeze and the warmth of the sun trumpet “Let it be known throughout the land that His Royal Highness, Spring, the King of all Seasons, has set out from the abode seasons and shall arrive 40 days hence!” 

This clarion call goes out to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and (hold your breath) far-flung Indonesia and Bali too, believe it or not!

In the subcontinent, Basant Panchami marks the 40-day countdown to Holi, when Spring is said to officially arrive. Celebrated as the ‘Great Day of Saraswati’ or ‘Hari Raya Saraswati’ in Bali and Indonesia, it marks the beginning of Pawukon, the Balinese calendar that has 210 days. 

The puranas narrate an interesting tale about the origin of Saraswati. The story goes that when Brahma created the universe, it was completely soundless; filled with an all-pervading stillness and  silence. He realized there was something vital that was missing, and called upon Vishnu, the sustainer of the universe. Together they tried to identify what it was that was lacking, but they couldn’t quite put a finger on the missing element. He summoned Devi Adi Shakti, who with her feminine empathy, understood what they were hinting at.  Even as they spoke, a blinding light emanated from her that revealed itself to be a divine, celestial female form. It sat on a swan, radiating a calm, serene, beauty, full of repose -- seemingly focused on consciousness deep within herself.  She held a veena in one hand and a book in the other. Another hand held a rosary.

This radiant avatar of Durga then struck the chords of her veena, and lo and behold! Everything in the universe found a voice. 

The Gods named the creator of the divine musical note, “Saraswati” -- the Goddess of Expression, of all that lends enjoyment, taste and flavor to life and living, who would be variously called Sharda, Bhagwati, Vagishwari, Veenadevi, Veenavadini; she would personify the highest form of consciousness, and be the custodian of all human tendencies, behaviors, intelligence, learning, knowledge and instinct.  Devi Adi Shakti departed but not before prophesying that Saraswati would someday become Brahma’s wife and assist him with his powers in the same way Lakshmi assisted Vishnu and Parvati, Shiva.

Vishnu was beside himself with happiness, and he decreed that from then on, Saraswati would be worshipped on this day, and it would be celebrated as Basant Panchami. 

This is the story behind Saraswati puja performed today in Bengal and Odisha, the north-eastern states and even Bangladesh; students and teachers in  their homes, schools and colleges, prepare to worship the fount of learning, inspiration and sadhana; books, pens, inkpots, anklets, musical instruments of their daily use are placed at Her feet before they can be used for initiation to gain her blessing. 

This day is of great significance for children; those that are beginning to speak have a drop of honey placed on their tongues and taught to say “Om” as their first learned word; those who attain school going age have chalks or pencils or new books placed into their hands for the first time. This is called hatey khori/vidyarambha/khadi chuan.  

The significance that Vijayadashmi holds for soldiers and their weapons, that Deepawali holds for traders/businessmen, their weighing scales, weights and book-keeping, Vasant Panchami holds for artists – whether they are poets or playwrights or authors, singers or musicians, dancers or performers, all of them begin the day with the worship of the objects that they use in the practice of their art, and offer prayers to Goddess Saraswati.  She symbolizes creative power, energy and inspiration.

Basant Panchami is also celebrated as “Madan Panchami.” Madan is another name for Kamadeva, the God of Love. He is said to arouse and awaken the passions in the earth that fills it with new life in the form of greenery, flowers, crops and seeds.

This is the day when Gods approached Kamadeva to break the penance of Shiva by arousing desire in him. He shoots arrows of love made of strings of fragrant flowers with bees trailing them from his bow of sugarcane, so that Shiva opens his eyes and becomes conscious of Parvati’s efforts to woo him. 

But it also makes Shiva open his third eye and Kama is burnt to ashes. Due to the prayers of his wife Rati, Shiva then grants him rebirth as Pradyumna, the son of Krishna and Rukmini.

In Gujarat, people sing songs dedicated to Kama and Rati, to Krishna and Radha who are worshipped as the avataars of the former and offer garlands of yellow flowers and mango leaves. All over Chhattisgarh, UP, MP and even Maharashtra, people worship Shiva and Parvati, similarly offering flowers of the mango tree that begins to flower in this season as well as the first ears of wheat from their fields. South of the Vindhyas, in Andhra Pradesh, it is celebrated as Sri Panchami, also dedicated to the worship of Saraswati. 

In Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh empire in times of the British rule, encouraged Sikhs to celebrate Basant Panchami in gurudwaras and would organize and sponsor Basant fairs in various towns of Punjab such as, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Patiala and Hoshiarpur. 

This tradition of Basant melas continues to this day, when kite-flying competitions and military sports are held. Due to a part of Punjab having gone to Pakistan as a result of the Partition, kite-flying from rooftops has continued to be a major feature of celebration in the Pakistani towns of Lahore for example, where there is a large concentration of Punjabi Muslims.

 

Sufi Indian Muslims, particularly those who follow the saint Nizamuddin Aulia in Delhi, also observe the practice of wearing yellow and offering yellow flowers at the grave of the saint. 

But by and large, the day is celebrated as a harvest festival all over North India and Nepal, marking the ripening of the mustard crop. 

Everywhere people wear yellow/orange/gold-coloured saris, lehengas, dupattas and head-dresses or turbans.

It is the colour of the flowers of the mustard plant, and also said to be Saraswati’s favourite color.  All things yellow are considered auspicious on this day.

People prepare and eat yellow-coloured snacks and sweets, adding kesar or saffron to foods such as rice, sandesh, jalebis and laddus.  Special offering of the jujube (ber) is made to Saraswati as the fruit of the season. From the day before, the Goddess’ temples are filled with offerings of such fruits/dishes so that she can join her devotees in the feasting and celebration in the morning.

How did  you find this post on Basant Panchami ? Do let us know in the comment section. And as always, do not forget to read, share, follow and subscribe to leftrightthodasacenter.blogspot.com

Photo and image credits: Google/Pinterest