India is a land of diversity and massive cultural richness. And this is expressed in the multitude of festivals that are celebrated. One of the important festivals celebrated with much stir in India is Anant Chaturthi. This festival marks the end of the 10-day-long Ganesh Festival. Ganesha Chaturthi – the festival that acknowledges the greatness of the herald of all things fabulous, i.e. Lord Ganesha, is now on the verge of an end. This year, the grand day of Anant Chaturdashi falls on Sept 17, 2024, Thursday. The Ganesh Visarjan Vidhi, or bidding farewell to the great Lord, is done with as much fanfare and spirit as the Ganesha Pooja.
Date, Tithi & Muhurat
In the context of Anant Chaturdashi, a “Muhurat” refers to an auspicious time window to perform rituals, puja and ceremonies. For the Anant Chaturdashi on Thursday, 17 September 2024, the following Muhurats are significant:
Anant Chaturdashi is on Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Anant Chaturdashi Puja Muhurat
Puja Muhurat Begins: September 16 | 10:06 PM in (New_York).
Puja Muhurat Ends: September 17 | 2:14 AM in (New_York).
Chaturdashi Tithi Begins: September 16 | 5:40 AM in (New_York).
Chaturdashi Tithi Ends: September 17 | 2:14 AM in (New_York).
Story Of Anant Chaturdashi
There is also a story connected to the God Anant. A girl named Sushila was a Brahmin’s daughter. Her father remarried Karkash after Sushila’s mother passed away. Karkash was not so lovely to Sushila. Therefore, Sushila moved away from her house after she got married. Her husband was called Kaundinya. On their way home, they found a river and went to take a bath. Sushila saw some women praying, bonded with them, and asked them about their prayers. Women explained Lord Anant and the significance of the vow. Since Sushila was about to start a new life with her husband, she thought it would be best to pray and take Lord Ananat for a thriving future. She took the vow, followed all the rituals, and tied a ceremonial thread on her left hand.
One day Kaundinya re-examines the blessings of Ananta as he believes that whatever he achieved is due to his hard work and intelligence. Sushila and Kaundinya argued over this point, took away the Anant string, and threw it in the fire. After that, they experienced many misfortunes, resulting in them being driven to poverty. Hence, Kaundinya realized that the Ananta strings and rituals were the reason behind happiness and prosperity. As per the story, Kaundinya went into the forest to search for the string. He asked everybody on the way, even the animals, lakes, and trees.
He finally decided to hang himself; he was in so much grief. A Brahmin saw him and rescued him. He took Kaundinya to a cave. When they walked in, they reached a palace, presided over by Lord Vishnu himself in the form of Ananta. He realized that Lord Vishnu had saved him by transforming him into a Brahmin. He fell on Lord’s feet and apologized. Lord Vishnu advised him to take a 14-year vow to wash his sins away.
Lord Vishnu is worshipped in his Yoga Nidra form as Lord Ananta on this day. Ananta Chaturthi reminds us to be peaceful and stable in all life situations.
Ganesh Visarjan Vidhi & How to Perform Anant Puja?
- Perform Aarti before Ganesha Visarjan.
- Start the Ganpati Visarjan Vidhi with the Morning Aarti.
- Sing “Jai Ganesh Deva” chants while doing Aartis
- Distribute Prasad among the family members.
- Offer five items – Flowers, Incense, Fragrance, Oil lamps, and well-prepared food items to Lord Ganpati.
- On-time for Ganpati Visarjan, the family should gather again to perform Aarti before leaving the House.
- Five minutes before leaving the House, move the idol slowly and gradually, about 1 inch forward. In other words, you have to change the position of the idol a bit, which symbolizes the finalization of the Lord’s stay at your place. It is essential to take Him to Visarjan with all the family members.
- Gratitude matters the most to the Lord. Be grateful to Lord Ganesha as he visited your home and conveyed your heart’s word to the Lord. Thank him for bringing well-being and auspiciousness to your home.
- Sprinkle some raw rice mixed with turmeric (Akshat) upon the Lord.
- Take a red cloth, and keep dry coconut stuffed with jaggery and five different grains. Tie it in a knot around Ganesha’s hand. This is the food put together for His journey.
- Please take a little water and sprinkle it on the person who will perform the Ganesh Visarjan.
- Pick up the Lord Ganesha’s idol and take Him around the House, so His Holy Gaze and Blessings fall on the full House.
- Chant Ganesha slokas like “Ganapati Bappa Moriya”.
- Walk out of home and start moving towards the immersion point.
- Take a Coconut, revolve it on the head of the Idol three times break the coconut on the ground, and leave it on one side.
- Please don’t take this as a prasad; immerse it with the idol.
- Once done, family members should proceed to the Ganesh Visarjan area, where the Aartis should be performed before finally letting him go.
- The person who performs the Ganesh Visarjan should remove all garlands and other decorations on the Ganesha idol.
- Do not throw the used decorations and garlands in the river. You can dispose of or donate them to the appropriate place.
- Now, immerse in the idol of Lord Ganesha.
What should you immerse, and what should you take back with you after Ganesh Visarjan?
Immerse the Following Things:
- The Kalash
- The Main Idol
- The contents
- The water in the Kalash
Take back the following:
- The new coconut.
- Sand near the immersion site.
Significant Attractions Of Anant Chaturdashi
Ganesh Chaturthi ends on this day and now comes the time for Ganesh Visarjan. Devotees take the murti of Lord Ganesh to nearby water bodies such as lakes, rivers, or oceans for Visarjan.
There are colourful parades in which people who had invited Lord Ganesha to their homes take the idol to inundate it with water. The vibe of the parade is simply captivating. One can watch the people dancing in pure godliness.
We wish you a very prosperous and spirited Anant Chaturdashi!
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