Hyderabad: Although more than 2 crore devotees have already taken holy dips in the Godavari during the on-going Pushkaralu, scholars say that they can take a dip any day in the next one year. “People can take a dip at noon on any day.
The Pushkarudu (God of fate) will stay for exactly 96 minutes from noon onwards. It is a sacred time and all sins will be washed away. People will get the same benefit as they get during bathing on these days” said Akella Vibheeshana Sarma, Vedic scholar at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.
If the God will be present throughout the year, why is there a rush to have a dip only during this period? “Pushkarudu and the 3 crore deities will stay day and night during these 12 days, and a dip will naturally be more sacred. During the rest of the year, the God will be there for just 96 minutes,” he pointed out.
“A dip in abhijitllagnam will satisfy not just the deities but one’s forefathers as well. That’s why noon every day during the next one year is suggested. Brihaspati will stay in Leo for a year and when he leaves for Kanya rashi (Virgo), Krishna Pushkaram will commence. The present 12-day period is said to be more auspicious in more ways than one,” said Swamy Swarupanandendra Saraswati, seer of Sarada Peetham at Visakhapatnam.
But Garikapati Narasimha Rao, eminent Telugu scholar and Sahasravadhani, felt that too much commercialism was the main reason for specifying the period. “If a 12-day period is specified, there will be revenue for all sections during that time. In fact, Pushkaralus were once meant for people residing along the banks of the river. They performed rituals for their forefathers and took care of the customs, culture and protection of the river. Now, religious obstinateness and irrationality have taken centre stage and protection of the environment and river have taken a backseat,” he said.
Echoing the same sentiments, Swamy Swarupanandendra said, “For 12 years, governments simply ignored the sanctity of ghats and at the time of the Pushkar, they are renovated, that too for only 12 days. People use the areas for defecation and convert them into garbage yards. Why doesn’t the endowments department conserve them like a temple?” Currently, Aadi pushkaralu (the starting 12 days) is going on and there will be antya pushkaralu (the ending 12 days) in July next year.
