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The ten-day festival of the first revered Lord Shri Ganesha, who is present in every house and grand public pandals from the Chaturthi date of Shukla Paksha of Bhadrapada month, is moving towards completion today with the immersion on the auspicious occasion of Anant Chaturdashi. Devotees across the country are bidding farewell to the destroyer of obstacles with deafening cheers and teary eyes of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya, Agle Baras Tu Jaldi Aa’. According to well-known astrologer Chandresh Sharma of Astropatri, today has double significance from the spiritual point of view because along with the immersion of Ganesh, the Anant Chaturdashi puja of Lord Shri Hari Vishnu, the presiding deity of the fourteen worlds, is also being conducted. Due to the coincidence of two major religious rituals on the same day, it becomes very important for the devotees to take care of the rules and timings. For those working people who have not been able to do Visarjan during the day’s Muhurat due to being busy during the day or going to office, a special and last Choghadiya Muhurat will be available tonight, within which Bappa can be immersed with full rituals.
According to astrology and Vedic calendar, four major Choghadiya Muhurtas were fixed throughout the day for Ganesh idol immersion on 25th September. After the morning and afternoon auspicious times have passed, now the process of immersion continues in the evening and night. According to Panchang calculations, the first auspicious time was from 6.11 am to 10.42 am, in which the best combination of Char, Labh and Amrit’s Choghadiya was formed. After this, the auspicious Choghadiya time was from 12.13 pm to 1.44 pm. The auspicious time of Char Choghadiya was present from 4.45 pm to 6.15 pm in the evening. For those devotees who have not been able to do the immersion even in the evening, tonight between 9.14 pm to 10.44 pm will be a very auspicious time of ‘Labh’ Choghadiya. Immersion during this time period of 1 hour 30 minutes at night is considered extremely auspicious and brings happiness and prosperity to the householders.
Before immersing Lord Ganesha in water, it is mandatory to perform his last farewell puja at home or place of worship. First of all, ensure the purity of the place of worship and purify yourself by bathing in Ganga water. After this, offer kumkum, sandalwood, akshat and fresh yellow-red flowers to Lord Ganesha. Offer 21 lumps of Durva and his most favorite modak or laddu to Bappa. Along with this, seasonal fruits, betel leaves and Dakshina should be offered. After the puja, light incense sticks and sing the aarti of Lord Ganesha with the whole family. Immediately after the Aarti, chant the mantra ‘Aavahanam Na Janami Na Janami Visarjanam, Poojaam Chaiva Na Janami Kshamsva Parmeshwar’ or in a simple gesture, fold your hands and seek forgiveness for any mistake or omission committed knowingly or unknowingly within 10 days. Visarjan is considered incomplete without prayer for forgiveness.
There are some very esoteric and scriptural rules related to Ganesh Visarjan which every devotee must follow. In our scriptures, Lord Ganesha is considered an honored guest of the house for these ten days. The meaning of immersion is not only to put the idol in water, but to send them off respectfully and make arrangements for their return to heaven. As soon as the puja is over, the idol should be gently moved from its original position towards the north, which is called ‘lifting the idol’. This is a spiritual sign that now their worship has been completed and they are ready to depart. After this, a small ‘potli’ of cotton or silk cloth is made for Bappa’s traveling expenses, in which Durva, Akshat, betel nut, modak, some coins and dry fruits are tied and kept along with the idol. It is believed that while leaving on a journey, a guest is not sent off without food and drink.
The farewell of Lord Ganesha should be very peaceful, dignified and with reverence. It is necessary to avoid any kind of haste or disrespect. If you are going for immersion in natural water sources like river, pond or sea, then use only the safety rules and immersion ponds set by the administration so that water pollution does not spread. Those devotees who have installed an eco-friendly clay idol at home can immerse Bappa in a large copper or brass water vessel filled with pure water and a little Ganga water in the courtyard or balcony of their home. When the idol completely dissolves in water, then that sacred soil and water should be immersed in the pots of the house or in the roots of flower plants other than Tulsi. With this method, Bappa’s blessings always remain in the house and the environment is also completely protected.