Kathmandu. The Haritalika (Teej) festival, celebrated on the day of Bhadra Shukla Tritiya, is being celebrated today by worshipping Devadidev Mahadev. It is believed that if you fast on Bhadra Shukla Tritiya and worship Shiva Parvati, you will achieve family happiness, peace and well-being. It is believed that this fast began in the Satya Yuga, when the daughter of Himalaya, Parvati, sat at Gaurighat and did penance and received the boon of getting Shri Mahadev as her husband.
According to the same belief, after Parvati’s father Himalaya tried to marry her to Vishnu against her wishes, she told her friends about her problem and when Parvati came to know that she was in trouble, her friends kidnapped her and hid her in a place where no one would see her. Parvati fasted and got Mahadev as her husband in the same place where her friends hid her. The day Parvati was kidnapped by her friends falls on the Tritiya of the third day of the first lunar month of Bhadra, so it is believed that the practice of observing the fast of Haritalika (Teej) began from that time.
The word Haritalika is formed from the combination of two Sanskrit words ‘Harit’ and ‘Alika’. In which the word ‘Harit’ means kidnapped and the word ‘Alika’ means friend.
Since Parvati obtained Lord Mahadev Swami by observing a fast on this day in the Satya Yuga, it is believed that if one fasts on this day, one’s wishes will be fulfilled, but this does not mean that all women should observe a fast of fasting, said religious scholar Prada Ramchandra Gautam. “There are three types of fasts: non-fasting, jalahar and falahar. It is better for those who can do it without fasting, for those who cannot do it, it is better for those who cannot do it, and for those who cannot do it, it is better to fast by considering the scripture verse ‘Sarvatah Atmanan Gopayet’, meaning protect the soul from all sides and only then observe the fast.”
He said that those who are not in good health can also fast by eating wheat or corn bread, apples, oranges, and bananas. He, who is also the former head of the Department of Theology at Valmiki Vidyapeeth, said that there is a false propaganda that Teej fast is observed only for the long life of the husband. “There is a scriptural law that Teej fast is observed for the wish of unwavering good fortune, the birth of children, and unmarried girls and boys to get a good groom and bride,” said Prof. Dr. Gautam.
Since women fast as the guardians of the family, men also fast when they are unable to do so. In this sense, theologians say that Teej is not a discriminatory fast tradition as raised by some feminists.
According to theologians and former member-chairman of the Nepal Panchanga Nirikh Bikash Samiti, there is a scriptural promise that men who fast do not have to be widowers, women get unwavering good fortune and unmarried boys and girls get a good groom or bride.
There are five types of fasts: voluntary, non-voluntary, non-permanent, and voluntary. It is believed in the scriptures that the fast of Teej is both voluntary and voluntary. It is also mentioned in the scriptures that the fast of Teej is not only for Hindus but also for humans.
One should eat the dar before dawn
Since those who observe this fast are fasting, on Monday, the fasters prepare for today’s fast by eating sweet dishes as dar. Especially, relatives and brothers call their daughters and sisters and feed them dar. There is a scripture that says that the dar should be eaten after two nights.
Women also use it as a festival to express the sorrow, pain, and suffering they have experienced throughout the year. On the occasion of Teej, women make such suffering public through songs. Recently, there has been a lot of disorder and chaos in the name of Teej. Many say that activities such as eating dar, displaying ornaments and costumes have been distorting the culture of Teej since a month ago.
Cultural experts and theologians emphasize that distortions should be stopped because such activities make those who do not have them sad. Although the practice of eating dar has recently increased since a month ago, the evening of Bhadra Shukla Dwitiya is classically designated for this.
Teej, which officially begins after eating dar on Monday, is celebrated until Rishi Panchami. Teej concludes with a fast on the day of Haritalika, worship of Lord Ganesha on the day of Chauthi, and bathing on the day of Panchami, worship of the Sapta Rishis including Arundhati. (RSS)