Happy Makara Sankranti in advance, dear readers, and Pongal, Lohri, and Bhogali Bihu. The festival marks the sun’s entry into Makara (Capricorn), signifying longer days, thanks for harvests and, especially, gratitude to Lord Surya, the sun god, by whose light we live. He embarks this day on his north-bound course, the Uttarayan.
Beyond its festive traditions like kite-flying and special food, this ancient holy date is deeply layered in Indian theology with stories. The best-known is probably in the Mahabharata. Bhishma Pitamah was struck down by Arjuna’s arrows on the tenth day of the battle of Kurukshetra. But he had the boon of ichha mrityu, of choosing when to die. So, Arjuna shot a bed of arrows under him, on which he lay for fifty-eight days, waiting for Makara Sankaranti. This was because the holy day, when Surya commences his Uttarayan, is considered an auspicious period for souls to attain liberation. During his time on the arrow bed, though enduring great pain, he shared profound knowledge on governance and dharma with Yudhishthira. Especially, he imparted the precious gift of the Vishnu Sahasranaamam, the Thousand Names of Lord Vishnu, that we still hear today, and many of us memorise.
The story that goes straight to the Indian heart is about Surya meeting his son Shani, whose domain is Capricorn. A father goes to his son’s house on this day, healing their long rift and annually renewing their ties, for Shani comes from a broken home. His busy father didn’t care for him as a boy, and his mother was sent away for deception.
This is actually a teaching story for us mortals, offering relatives, friends, and colleagues who have quarrelled an auspicious opportunity to reconnect without loss of face and resolve their various conflicts. Sweets made of nourishing til and gud (sesame and jaggery) are shared across the land, some with the pleasant words, “eat til-gud and speak sweetly”.
Here, it seems worthwhile to reflect a little on Shani Dev, the lord of Makara. Shani, or Saturn, is a powerful figure among the nine planets, or Navagraha, that are hailed as influencers of frail human destiny. He is ‘the deity of karma, justice, time and retribution’, and delivers consequences according to one’s attitude and behaviour.
Ego revolts him. A story has it that when Ravana subdued the celestials, he arrogantly ordered the Navagraha to lie face down on the steps of his throne so that he could walk up on their backs. But Sage Narada dropped by and casually observed that Ravana lacked the guts to step on them face-up. Ravana fell into the trap and told the Navagraha to turn over. They did, and Shani glared at him with the full force of his malefic gaze. Ravana’s downfall began right then, with Surpanakha rushing in, shrieking.
Shani is also distinguished as ‘Shanishvara’, the Lord Shani. Ishvara is a name reserved exclusively for Lord Shiva, so how did that happen? The tale goes that Shani showed up on Dasha duty even for Shiva, humbly apologetic but wholly unafraid. Delighted by Shani’s sincerity, our Ashutosh or the readily pleased Lord, pretended that even he could not avoid Shani. He ‘hid’ inside a rudraksha on Parvati’s neck for a token seven-and-a-half nazhigai or ghadi, units of 24 minutes, and blessed Shani forevermore with the title ‘Shanishvara’.
Shani is a very real persona for many, whom they’re deeply invested in. You have only to see the throng of devotees outside his shrines, the long lines for prasad, and the atmosphere of intense fervour to recognise his importance in our lives even today. I don’t see it as superstition but as a cultural connection to a stern yet just concept that demands that we upgrade our better selves. Shani has a refined taste, loves sapphires and blue flowers, and is said to have a glowing dark skin, with an intelligent crow for a vehicle. So, plaintiffs often wear black or dark blue clothes on Saturdays and give away black sesame, iron, black cloth, and dark oils like mustard and gingelly in an offering.
However, I wonder if people know how sad it is to give money to beggar children asking for alms in Shani’s name on Saturdays. They’re innocently inviting us to transfer our bad luck to them, as if they were not wretched enough already. When told about this symbolism, I decided not to dump my woes on others symbolically but to responsibly try to work off my prarabdha, or ongoing karma, myself, with a prayer to God to accept my effort.
The name Shanaishchara means slow-moving. His Sadeysati is dreaded, the long seven-and-a-half years of bad luck called Shani Dasha or Shani’s phase that is believed to afflict every person at some point. One-third of the Sadeysati sees the onset of trouble, the next sees stagnation, and the last sees improvement. However, Shani Dasha is actually a huge window of opportunity for spiritual growth by making that extra effort to be kind and good, because that’s what really moves him and lessens our troubles. There’s also the cheerful conviction that Shani gives our horoscopes a parting kick towards good luck.
Turns out the stern lord of Makarai is a big softie underneath, brimming with sympathy for flailing humanity, for he knows a lot about bad times through experience. He encourages us to resolve quarrels, expel toxicity, and be nice to others as the bright, new season begins. These are his very personal messages to us, embedded in Makara Sankranti.
Renuka Narayanan | FAITHLINE | Senior journalist
(Views are personal)
(shebaba09@gmail.com)