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Janmashtami 2024: Shravan month is not only the month of special worship of Lord Shiva but this month also has continuous festivals from Bolchoth to Janmashtami, which are celebrated with great enthusiasm. Every day has its own special significance, how to worship on these days, what to eat, all these have different significance. Chhath will be celebrated in Gujarat today, Satham tomorrow and then Ashtami. There is a custom of eating Vaasi on the seventh day in Gujarat. But do you know how the practice of eating Vaasi on this day started? Let's find out.
Vrat Katha and worship of Sheetla Mata have special significance on Sheetla Satam. The festival of Shravan Vada Satam is celebrated as Sheetla Satam. Special worship is done on Sheetla Satam. It is said that the person who observes fast on the day of Sheetla Satama performs special worship and recites it, this pleases Sheetla Mata and that person experiences coolness throughout life.
Fast story of Shitala Satam:
According to the story, in a village, the sister-in-law and the elder sister-in-law lived with their mother-in-law. At home, both the daughters-in-law of the mother-in-law had one son each. Among the sisters-in-law, the elder sister-in-law was jealous while the elder sister-in-law was kind and calm by nature. Once the day of Ranghanachath came in the month of Shravan. The mother-in-law forced the younger daughter-in-law to crawl, the younger daughter-in-law kept crawling till late at night. In the midst of all this, the boy sleeping in the horse started crying. Seeing her child crying, the mother stopped all work and took the son and slept near him, the younger daughter-in-law was tired from the day's work and fell asleep due to fatigue. To save the child, the daughter-in-law forgot to turn off the stove.
The stove keeps burning, Madyar comes out to roam in Sheetala after nightfall and they reach Choti Bahu's house, Sheetala starts resting in the stove but instead of cooling her body her skin starts burning and she burns completely on her body. Angry Sheetala curses Choti Bahu that 'Just like my body is burnt, let your stomach also burn.'
In the morning when the son-in-law woke up, he saw that the stove was burning and the boy sleeping on the bed was dead, his whole body was burnt. Seeing the child in this condition, the younger daughter-in-law started crying, she realized that she must have cursed her mother-in-law, the younger daughter-in-law went to her mother-in-law crying and told everything. The mother-in-law consoled her and said that if she goes to Sheetla Mata and prays, everything will be fine. The younger daughter-in-law put the child in the basket and left. On the way, she saw two ponds, both these ponds were full of water, no one was drinking their water because whoever drank the water would die.
Seeing the younger daughter-in-law leaving, Talavdi said, “Where are you going sister?” Then the younger daughter-in-law says – I am going to Sheetla Mata to remove the curse. Talavdi said to the younger daughter-in-law, sister, what sin have we committed that someone dies by drinking our water? Come and pray to remove our curse.
The young bride moves forward, on the way she meets two bulls, bells are hanging on their laps and both fight. Seeing Nani Bahu, both the bulls asked where are you going sister? Vahu said that I am going to remove my curse. The bulls said what sin have we committed that we always keep fighting, you come and pray for the removal of our curse.
As the daughter-in-law moves forward, at a short distance from there she sees a Doshima picking lice from her hair under a Bordi tree. Doshima seeing the daughter-in-law says sister my head is itching, please remove the lice… The younger daughter-in-law was kind, despite being in a hurry, she made her son sit on Doshima’s lap and removed the lice from Doshi’s head. Doshima’s itching subsides in a few minutes. He blesses the daughter-in-law and says, “Just as my head got cured, your stomach will also get cured.” As soon as he says this, a miracle happens, the boy sitting on Doshima’s lap comes back to life. It is well known that this Doshima is none other than Shetelamata. So he takes her blessings.
The son-in-law asked Mata Sheetla to remove the curse of the talavadi. Mata Sheetla told that in the previous birth these two talavadi used to quarrel daily, they did not give vegetables and milk to anyone and if they did, they gave it with water. That is why no one drinks their water, but if you drink their water, their sins will be destroyed. Then the groom asked about the curse of the bulls, in response she said in a cold voice that in the previous birth both of them were sisters-in-law, they were so jealous that they did not allow anyone to threaten them. Therefore, in this birth both have become bulls and have earrings around their necks. If you stop ringing this bell, their sins will be removed.
The younger daughter-in-law was happy and took the boy back with the blessings of Sheetala Maa. On the way she found bulls. The groom dropped the khanti from his hand and they stopped fighting. Going further, the bride came to the pond and drank water from a vessel to remove her curse. The curse of both the ponds was removed. When she came home she told all this to her mother-in-law and on hearing this her mother-in-law became jealous.
Then in the second month of Shravan when Kuchan Chhath came, the elder sister-in-law thought that she should also do the same as her sister-in-law. So that Mother Sheetla sees her, that night she slept after lighting the stove. In the evening Sheetla came to the elder brother-in-law's house and started playing in the stove. Mother Sheetla's body got burnt, she cursed that just like her body got burnt, her stomach should also burn.
In the morning when the sister-in-law woke up, she saw that the boy was lying dead on the horse, instead of being sad, the sister-in-law became happy and took the boy in a basket like a derani. On the way, the sister-in-law meets Talawadi and asks where is the sister going? The sister-in-law turned her face and said, “What do you want?” Can't you see that my son has died and I am going to meet mother. Talawadi said that sister should come and do one thing for us.. but the sister-in-law refused immediately. Ahead she found two bulls, the sister-in-law also refused the bulls to do their work, going ahead, Sheetala Mata was sitting under a tree in the form of Doshima Mata scratching her head. She asked this sister-in-law to look at her head. The sister-in-law refused angrily and said, I am a Nawari that I will remove lice from your head? Don't look, my son has died. The sister-in-law searched the whole day but she could not find mother Thandi. So she came home crying. Hey give fruits to all those who have given birth to a mother like a cold mother.
Method of fasting:
Married women observe this fast on the day of Shravan Vad Satam. The women fasting wake up early in the morning and take a bath with cold water and eat curd the whole day. The stove is not lit on this day. The story of Sheetla Mata is heard after lighting a lamp of ghee. Observing this fast brings wealth, children and good fortune.