Ahmedabad: Dashama Vrat is considered a very gracious vrat that is observed every year by people of the Hindu community in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, and South India. This Vrat is devoted to Goddess Dashama (Ashapura Maa or Momai Maa) and is generally observed for ten days. The Dashama Vrat every year begins on the first day of Shravan. This year this vrat will start on July 29 and end on August 7.

Goddess Dashama is an incarnation of Mother Goddess Shakti and is often depicted as a form of feminine power, mounted on a camel, with four hands. Devotees often refer to this vrat as Dashama Na Naurta or Navaratri. Devotees worship Dashama along with Peepal Tree and Nagbai Maa.

WHEN IS IT CELEBRATED IN OTHER STATES?

Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan observe this Vrat during the month of Chaitra of Vikram Samvat, which is after Holi. The ten days of this Vrat are celebrated as a festival, and some households purchase brooms to clean the surroundings.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS VRAT

The name Dashama means the Goddess of Adversity. She is considered to be the one who betters the living condition of the people and help them to put an end to adversities in life. People every year worship her for peace and prosperity. Devotees bring her idols (Murti) home for worshipping and On the tenth day, Murti of Dashama is submerged in the river.

During these ten days, married women keep fasts, recite the Dashama story, and perform a pooja with Aarti.

STORY OF VRAT

Once there lived a King named Vijay Singh in Gujarat along with his beautiful and spiritually oriented wife Roopmati. They owned a palace popularly known as Jal Mahal, which was located on the outskirts of their kingdom.

One day, when the Queen was at Jal Palace standing at a window, she noticed a few ladies performing rituals and worshipping Goddess Dashama. Out of her spiritual interest and curiosity, the queen asked her maids about the ritual. Surprised after listening about the ritual, Queen got impressed and decided to worship Dashama.

While performing the Vrat, King notices the queen doing rituals and got angry. He asked the queen to stop doing the vrat, saying Dashama was the deity of poor people.

Hearing the king’s words, Dashama gets offended and devastates King Vijay Singh’s kingdom. King starts to face misfortune, if he enters the fruit orchard, all fruits become dry. With all the adversities, the king visits his sister and offers some dry sweets which at the moment turned into stones.

Facing all the downfalls, the king was sent to jail by his neighboring king. Where he realizes that he faced all the sadness and failure because he offended Dashama, after realizing his mistakes, he starts worshipping Dashama in Jail, he also performed Vrat for ten days and got back his lost glory.

In the world of rising adversities and calamities, everyone has the struggle to find peace and happiness. We hope, that this year Dashama Vrat fills everyone’s life with more happiness and good fortune.

DeshGujarat