Angarika Chaturthi 2013: Worship The Lord of Wisdom

Angarika Chaturthi 2013 will be celebrated on three dates. Angarika Chaturthi comes on 1st January. Angarika Sankashti Chaturthi will come on 28th May and Angarika Sankashti will come on the 22nd October.

Any ritual or religious celebration is not possible without worshipping Lord Ganesha at the beginning of it. The worship of Lord Ganesha is considered auspicious to start an event or ceremony.

Lord Ganesha is the God of intelligence and it is believed that by worshipping him we are granted wisdom and intellect. It is also believed that a person fasting and praying on Angarika Chaturthi will get all his desires fulfilled.

Angarika Chaturthi: The Legend

As per the legend, Angarak was the son of Mother Earth and Bhardwaj Rishi. Angara is actually the planet Mars which is known as Angarak because of it color. His father Rishi Bhardwaj was a devout follower of Lord Ganesha.

Like his father Angarak also became a great follower of Lord Ganesha. With all the devotion and dedication he also worshipped the Ganesha. Seeing this, Lord was really impressed and he granted him a wish.

Ecstatic, he wished that he wanted to associate his name with the Supreme Lord Ganesha forever. Granting his wish the Lord declared that whoever worshipped him on the sacred day of Angarikha Chaturthi will get all his desires fulfilled.

From that day onwards Angarika Chaturthi of Magh Krishna Chaturthi is called as the Angarika Chaturthi. Angarika Chaturthi is celebrated by fasting and performing the ritualistic worship of Lord Ganesha.

At night the Moon or the idol of Lord Ganesha is worshipped. This fast consists of 5 Prahars (parts), four during the day and one at night. As per the ritual, food should be taken at the Moon rise. Though, it should be noted that the food intake is not the end of the fast but a part of it.

Story of Angarika Sankashti Chaturthi

Once, Lord Indra�s Vayu Yaan (divine aircraft) landed in the Kingdom of King Surasena. The King was really pleased to receive the Lord and offered him prayers. He then asked Indra the purpose of his visit. To which Indra replied that his Yaan was automatically stopped and landed because an immoral person had seen it.

The Indra then asked the king to bring someone highly virtuous so that his Yaan could fly again. The King sent his entire army to get one virtuous person but could not find anyone. When the Army was returning empty handed they saw Ganesha Doots taking a dead body of an old woman.

She had fasted the previous day for Chaturthi. The soldiers asked the Doots for her virtues but they refused. While the argument was happening, the Yaan started flying again. The Yaan flew again due to the virtues of the woman which had reached the Yaan through the air.

Procedure To Worship Ganesha

To worship Lord Ganesha we should fast on this sacred day of Angarika Chaturthi and connect to him on a personal level. A copper, gold or a mud idol of Lord Ganesha is established. A mud pot should be filled with water and it mouth should be covered with a plain cloth.

The idol should also be put on a clean cloth. At the moon rise the water is offered to Ganesha idol. Other than water, milk, betel nut and rice are also offered to the idol. Therefore, by observing this fast in a proper way we are able to get rid of all the obstacles that come our way. These rituals spiritually enhance and enlighten us.

It is also advisable to chant the following Mantra while worshipping the Lord Ganesha on the Angarika Chaturthi and Angarika Sankashti.

Ganeshaya Namastubhyam Sarva Siddha Pradayak |
Sankashta Harmedeva Grahana Ghrayanmo Stute ||

Krishna Pakshe Chaturthyatu Sampujit Vidhudaye |
Kshi Pranprasi Dadevesh Grahana Ghrayanmo Stute ||

Lord Ganesha is worshipped at beginning of any auspicious ceremony or ritual. It is not considered auspicious to begin a ceremony without worshipping Ganesha. Lord Shiva had granted him a wish that he would be worshipped at the auspicious start of any ceremony.

We wish all of you a very happy and fruitful Angarika Chaturthi 2013. We pray to the Almighty that he guides you and shows you the path. Let us all transcend the worldly boundaries to reach the supreme being.