RISHIPANCHAMI

• Vrat Name : Rishipanchami
• Vrat Tithi : Bhadrapad Shu. Panchami

सा माध्यान्ह व्यापिनी ग्राह्या |
दिनद्वये मध्यान्ह व्याप्तौ तदव्याप्तौ च पूर्वा ||

Puja Structure

Take a table covered by cotton covering and make  eight groups of rice grains on it. Then put eight Supari (Areca nuts) on it. Seven for Saptarshis and One for Arundhati.

Puja Procedure

The traditional worshiping method of this festival can be explained as follows,

• Vandan : Respect to all the seniors of the house and parents before starting the puja and go ahead with their permission.
• Achaman / Pranayam : Do Achaman (process of self purification) and Pranayam (process of body purification)
• Devata Smaran : Remember all the deities and idols who made you able to reach this sacred moment of doing this Vrat.

कुलदेवताभ्यो नमः| ग्रामदेवताभ्यो नमः| एतत् कर्म प्रधान देवताभ्यो नमः| सर्वेभ्यो देवेभ्यो नमो नमः|

• Sankalp : Taking Oath which describes  your motive behind performing this Vrat and Main Deity of this Vrata. (It is taken by holding water in your hand and then releasing it in any pot before you.)

मया इह जन्मनि जन्मान्तरे च ज्ञानतो अज्ञानतो व रजस्वला अवस्थायां कृत संपर्क जनित दोषपरिहारार्थं
अरुन्धती सहित कश्यपादि सप्तर्षि प्रीतिद्वारा श्री परमेश्वर प्रीत्यर्थं यथाज्ञानेन पूजनं अहं करिष्ये |

• Shri Ganesh Pujanam :

वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सुर्यकोटि समप्रभ |निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा || श्रीगणेशाय नमः ||

• Pruthvi Pujanam :

पृथ्वी त्वया धृता लोका देवि त्वं विष्णुना धृता | त्वं च धारय मां देवी पवित्रं कुरु चासनम् || भूम्यै नमः ||

• Nyas Vidhi : Purification of mind and body are attained by uttering “विष्णवे नमः |”, 12 times.

• Kalash Pujanam :

कलशस्य मुखे विष्णुः कण्ठे रुद्रः समाश्रितः |
मूले तत्रस्थितो ब्रह्मा मध्ये मातृगणाः स्मृताः || कलशाय नमः ||

• Shankh Pujanam :

त्वं पुरा सागरोत्पन्नो विष्णुना विधृतः करे |
नमितः सर्व देवैश्च पाञ्चजन्य नमोस्तुते || शङ्खाय नमः ||

• Ghanta Pujanam :

आगमार्थं तु देवानां गमनार्थं तु राक्षसाम् |
कुर्वे घण्टारवं तत्र देवताव्हान लक्षणम् || घण्टायै नमः ||

• Deep Pujanam :

भो दीप ब्रह्म रूपस्त्वं ज्योतिषां प्रभुरव्ययः |
आरोग्यं देहि पुत्रांश्च सर्वान्कामान्प्रयच्छ मे || दीपदेवताभ्यो नमः ||

• Dhyanam : Take akshat (rice grain), flowers  in your hand and utter the following Shlokas Praising the main deity of this Vrat. Then put it on the devata.

मूर्तं ब्रह्मण्य देवस्य ब्रह्मणस्तेज उत्तमम् | सुर्यकोटि प्रतिकाशं ऋषिवृन्दं विचिन्तये ||अरुन्धतिसहित कश्यपादि सप्त ऋषिभ्यो नमः ||

• Avahan (Invitation to God) : Take Akshat (rice grain) and by uttering each Shloka put it on every Supari (Areca Nut) from North to south.

श्रीकश्यप ऋषि – कश्यपः सर्व लोकेशः सर्व देवेषु संस्थितः | नराणां पापनाशाय ऋषिरूपेण तिष्ठति ||
श्रीअत्रि ऋषि – अत्रये च नमस्तुभ्यं सर्वभूत हितैषिणे | तपोरुपाय सत्याय ब्रह्मणेsमित तेजसे ||
श्रीभरद्वाज ऋषि – भरद्वाज नमस्तुभ्यं सदाध्यान परायण | महाजटील धर्मात्मा पापं हरतु मे सदा ||
श्रीविश्वामित्र ऋषि – विश्वामित्र नमस्तुभ्यं बलिंमखम् महाव्रतम् | अध्यक्षीकृत गायत्री तपोरूपेण संस्थितम् ||
श्रीगौतम ऋषि – गौतमः सर्वभूतानां ऋषीणां च महाप्रियः | श्रौतानां कर्मणां चैव संप्रदाय प्रवर्तकः ||
श्रीजामदग्नी ऋषि – जमदग्निर्महातेजाः तपसा ज्वलितप्रभः | लोकेषु सर्व सिद्ध्यर्थं सर्वपाप निवर्तकः ||
श्रीवसिष्ठ ऋषि – नमस्तुभ्यं वसिष्ठाय लोकानां वरदाय च | सर्वपाप प्रणाशाय सूर्यान्वय हितैषिणे ||
श्रीअरुन्धती देवी – अरुन्धति नमस्तुभ्यं महापाप प्रणाशिनि | पतिव्रतानां सर्वासांग धर्मशील प्रवर्तके ||

Other Formal Rituals

Then perform आसन (Giving Seat), पाद्य (Washing Gods legs), अर्घ्य (Washing Hands), आचमन (Water to drink), पंचामृतस्नान, गंधोदक स्नान, मांगलिक स्नान, शुद्धोदक स्नान (All these are various baths followed by pure water every time) by uttering “श्रीअरुन्धतीसहित कश्यपादि सप्तऋषिभ्यो नमः|” every time.

• Pre-Pujan : Then worship the God with dhup, deep and Naivedyam of ‘panchamruta’ and start the Abhisheka by offering some flowers.
• Abhisheka : (It is performed by sprinkling water on the image of the God by flower.) The following Shloka is chanted at this occasion.

कश्यपोsत्रिर्भरद्वाजो विश्वामित्रोsथ गौतमः | जमदग्निर्वसिष्ठश्च साध्वी चैवाप्यरुन्धती ||

Post-pujan

Again यज्ञोपवीत (offering sacred thread), कापसाचे वस्त्र (clothes), गंध (Tilak), अक्षत (Rice), फुले (Flowers), हळद-कुंकू , अलंकार (Garlands and scents) are offered to the lord Shiva by chanting  “श्रीअरुन्धतीसहित कश्यपादि सप्तऋषिभ्यो नमः|”

Arati  

Then perform Arati with this Shloka and perform Mantrapushpam, Pradakshina and Namaskaar.

चक्षुर्दं सर्वलोकानां तिमिरस्य निवारणम् |महादीपं प्रयच्छामि सप्तर्षीन्प्रतिवः शुभम् ||

Prayer to God

एते सप्तर्षयः सर्वे भक्त्या संपूजिता मया | सर्व पापं व्यपोहन्तु ज्ञानतोsज्ञानतः कृतं ||
येषां प्रभावेण दिवौकराश्च महाप्रभावास्तपसो बलेन | लोकत्रयारिष्ट विनाशकानां पुर्णास्तु ऋषीणां इयमल्पपूजा ||

Arghya-pradanam

Now its time to offer Arghya (Taking गंध, अक्षत, पुष्प, सुपारी, नाणे in hand and releasing water on it .) This action should be performed by uttering this Shloka, “श्रीअरुन्धतीसहित कश्यपादि सप्तऋषिभ्यो नमः | इदं अर्घ्यं समर्पयामि ||“

Completion of Puja

Water is released from the hand by saying, “अनेन यथाज्ञानेन कृत श्रीअरुन्धतीसहित कश्यपादिसप्तर्षि देवताः प्रीयताम् ||”

Importance

• It worships great hermit and sages Kashyap, Bharadvaj, Vishvamitra, Gautam, Jamadagni, Vasishtha, Atri and Vasishthas wife Arundhati.
• This fast is specifically observed by women. Women eat tubers only and avoid eating anything which get from the labour of oxen.
• There have been many great soul (pious souls) in Indian culture and history, honored by society with the titles of Rishi (Hermit), Muni (sages), Saint and greatmen etc.
• It is a strong belief that even the remembrance of all these hermit sages all sins are destroyed that is why different sections of society worship and remember them through these vratas and rituals.
• Rishipanchami is one of such festivals where women are seen observing this fast as refinement of their faults.(shortcomings)
• This festival is a wonderful way of representing gratitude towards former sages. (hermit)