ANANT CHATURDASHI VRAT KATHA, POOJA VIDHI And Significance

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When is Anant Chaturthi in 2024?

Anant Chaturdashi or Anant Chaudas is celebrated every year on Bhadrapada Chaturdashi, In this year Anant Chaturdashi 2024 shall fall on Tuesday, September 17, 2024. The Anant Chaturdashi 2024 puja muhurat shall begin at 06:07 am and continue until 11:44 pm.

What Is Anant Chaturdashi Significance And Why Anant Chaturdashi Celebrated?

Anant Chaturdashi in Anant means infinte, and Chaturdashi indicates 14 loka. This is the most significant day to worship Lord Anant i.e. Shri Hari Vishnu in Anant form according to the Agani Purana. Regarding Anant Purana, it is believed that Lord Anat resides in this thread. On Anant Chaturdashi, Anant Purana is tied on the arm after worshiping Lord Vishnu. There should be 14 knots in Anant Sutra, these 14 knots are representation of 14 worlds.On this day devotees of Lord Vishnu observe a day long fast.

There is a famous folklorein regards to this fast that when Yudhishthira was in exile after losing his kingdom, Lord Krishna came to meet him. After listening to his tale of suffering, Shri Krishna advised him to observe Anant Vrat and Worship Lord Anant , After which he became free from suffering.

How to do Anant Chaturdashi fast

• On the day of Anant Chaturdashi, first of all, after taking a bath, wear clean clothes, meditate on Lord Vishnu, and take a resolution for this fast.
• After this, clean the worship place of the house and purify it with Ganga water. Draw a Swastika on a small wooden post at the place of worship, and spread a yellow-colored cloth or seat on it.
• Install the idol or picture of Lord Vishnu on the post. Install a kalash in front of it keep an octagonal lotus in the kalash.
• There is a tradition of tying a string with fourteen knots on Anant Chaturdashi, it is called Anant Sutra. There are 14 knots in Anant Sutra. These 14 knots are seen to be connected to the 14 worlds.
• Now soak the raw cotton thread in raw milk in a bowl, add saffron and turmeric to it and tie 14 knots in it, this is called Anant Sutra. Keep as many Raksha Sutras as there are people in the house, offer this infinite Raksha Sutra to Lord Vishnu.
• Along with this, offer things like Tilak, rice, flowers, incense, perfume, sandalwood, lamp, naivedya (fruits, sweets), and Panchamrit etc. to Lord Vishnu as per your capacity.
• Now worship Lord Vishnu and the Ananta Sutra with the mantra ‘Om Anantaya Namah’.
• After worshiping, after chanting the mantra of Anant Sutra, men should tie it on their right hand and women should tie it on their left hand
  अनंत सागर महासमुद्रेमग्नान्समभ्युद्धर वासुदेव।
  अनंत रूपे विनियोजितात्माह्यनन्त रूपाय नमोनमस्ते॥
• Recite Anant Chaturdashi Vrat Katha and also narrate it to family members.
• After this, perform the Aarti of Lord Vishnu, and after distributing Prasad, the family receives the Prasad.

Anant Chaturdashi Vrat Katha/Fasting Story

In Dwapar Yuga, when Pandavas had lost everything from Kauravas in Chaupar, and as per the condition, they had to undergo exile for twelve years. While living in the forest, all the Pandavas and their wife Draupadi continued to suffer many hardships.

One day when Lord Shri Krishna came to the forest to meet him. As soon as he saw Shri Krishna, Yudhishthir narrated his sorrow to him and asked for a solution to remove his sorrow.

Then Shri Govind said, O Dharmaraj! You worship the infinite God, you should observe the fast of Anant Chaturdashi as per the rituals to please the infinite God. With the effect of this fast, all your sins will be destroyed and all the troubles will go away. By observing this fast you will become victorious in all the worlds.

Shri Krishna told him the story of an Anant Chaturdashi fast:

In Satyayuga, there was a Vashishtha gotriya sage Sumantu, his wife’s name was Deeksha and he had a beautiful daughter, whose name was Sheela. When Sheela grew up, her mother Diksha passed away. After Diksha’s death, Sumanth remarried another woman named Karkasha to raise Sushila. But see the game of fate, Karkasha did not like Sushila at all. Sushila was deeply saddened by her stepmother’s behaviour, but she was helpless.

As Sushila grew up, Brahmin Sumant started worrying about his daughter’s marriage. He requested the great sage Rishi Kaudinya, an expert in the Vedas, to marry his virtuous daughter. Sage Kaudinya accepted his request, and married Sushila. When Sheela was leaving her in-laws’ house with her husband Kaundinya, Karkasha filled a box with many bricks and stones and sent it along with her.

Kaundinya Muni was returning home after marrying Sumantu Muni’s daughter, when he got tired and stopped on the banks of river Yamuna on the way. Where he stayed, some women were worshiping Lord Anant nearby. Newly married Sheela went to them and asked them about it, then the women told that they were fasting on Anant Chaturdashi. This is a very virtuous and fruitful fast and due to its effect one attains wealth.And hearing this, Sushila also took a vow to fast and after performing the ritual worship, wore the Anant Sutra and tied it in her hand. As soon as Sheela came home, due to the glory of this fast, sage Kaudinya’s house was filled with wealth and happiness and prosperity resided in his house.

One day Kaundinya opened the box he had received from his in-laws. He became very angry after seeing the bricks and stones kept in it. Seeing the yellow thread tied on Sheela’s hand, he thought that Sheela had tied some device to control him. Kaundinya Muni, intoxicated with opulence, broke it and threw it in the fire. As a result, their condition became miserable within a short time.

After this, all the glory and happiness of Rishi Kaudinya gradually got destroyed. Disturbed by this, he wanted to know the reason from his wife Sushila. Then Sushila made him aware of his mistake. Realizing his mistake, Rishi Kaudinya set out towards the forest. And by remaining fasting he started remembering God.

There in the forest path they found a mango tree, a cow, a bull, a pushkarini, an elephant and a donkey. Kaudinya asked all of them whether they found Lord Anant? Everyone refused one by one, then sage Kaudinya in despair decided to sacrifice his life. Just as Kaudinya was about to sacrifice his life, Lord Anant appeared before him in the form of an old Brahmin and took him by the hand and took him to his Puri/lok.

Seeing the splendor and peaceful atmosphere of that Puri, Kaundinya felt very satisfied and asked the old Brahmin, “Lord! Who are you and which city is this?” Hearing this, the Lord removed his disguise of an old Brahmin and appeared in the cosmic form of four-armed Vishnu holding the conch, chakra, mace and lotus.

Kaundinya bowed and asked, “O God! You are so rare that no creature we met on the way could tell anything about you. What is the reason for this? Sri Bhagwan Anant Dev told him that all the living beings he found in the forest were in their present form due to their sinful deeds in the previous birth, just as the tree was earlier an arrogant Brahmin, who did not teach complete knowledge to his disciples, The elephant found was a fanatic and the donkey was a greedy Brahmin.

Sage Kaudinya apologized to Lord Anant for his sin and resolved to observe Anant Chaturdashi fast. With the effect of this fast he soon got back his lost glory.

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Anant Chaturdashi Vrat Udyapan or Completion of the Fast

According to the scriptures, on the occasion of Udyapan of Anant Chaturdashi fast, Havan is performed along with the ritual worship at home. After puja-havan and other auspicious activities, men or women observing Anant Chaturdashi fast should provide food to 14 fasting people at their home. Only after this this Udyapan is completed.