Rishi Panchami in the year 2023 will be celebrated on Wednesday, 20th September 2023
Rishi Panchami is
observed on the fifth day of the
waxing moon fortnight of Bhadrapada month
(August – September) according to Hindu Vikrami Samvat Calander
. It is celebrated on the next day of Ganesh chaturti. In
Maheshwari Community this day is also observed as Bhai Panchami.
On this day women who belong to this community tie rakhi on
their brothers hand and pray for their long life and prosperity and happiness in
their life. That rakhi must be in Red, Yellow or Orange colour.
On that day women observe fast and
completes the fast after tieing rakhi at their
brother wrist. In morning they do Bhai Panchami puja.
Methods to perform Rishi Panchami Fast :
Devotee make Seven brothers with seven small sticks and white
cloth and a white thread to
tie clothes to the sticks. And then they make one sister with a small stick and
a red
cloth and moli to tie it.
Then they put them together on a small wodden platform with the sister in middle.
Now they do their puja by putting Kumkum and Rice to their foreheads and
offer sweets and rakhi or moli to them. And then they begin their Bhai Panchami Vrat
Katha accompanied with a Lord
Ganesh ji story of fast. After finishing this they bow down to them and pray for
their brrothers long life, prosperity and
happiness.
While listening or reading the Bhai Panchami Vrat Katha they
have to keep some cotton in their hand and
have to make thread from it.
While doing this they should be very careful about the
thread should not break from
the middle. And then this thread is offered to them. Some women also do Rishi
Panchami Fast. On this day they should
eat only those fruits, which grow below the earth (soil)
and strictly avoid eating any eatables,
which are prepared from the grains grown from
the toiling of bullocks. Fruits should be eaten only once in
a day.
They can drink Cow Milk and Curd and fruits or vegetables which are grown by themselves at their home. Women observe this fast by paying homage to Sapta Rishis. They observe strict fast on this day. They go to water bodies like rivers and take holy bath. They clean their hands 108 times and listen to the story of Ganesh, Navagreh, Saptarishi and worship Arundhati.
Saptarishi Worship Mantra :
Worship mantra that is used on the day of rishi panchami is...
कश्यपोत्रिर्भरद्वाजो विश्वामित्रोथ गौतमः।
जमदग्निर्वसिष्ठश्च सप्तैते ऋषयः स्मृताः॥
दहन्तु पापं सर्व गृह्नन्त्वर्ध्यं नमो नमः॥
This saptrishi worship mantra chanted on the day of rishi panchami for the blessings of
saptarishi.
Significance of Rishi
Panchami or Bhai Panchami : It is told to remember the Seven
Sages of Sapta Rishi like Kashyap, Atri, Bharadwaj, Vishwamitra, Gautam, Janadagni and Vashishtha. During the
observance of this Vrata, the women should visit river or
any water storage in the afternoon, take cow dungwith them,
clean their teeth with medicinal herbal stick,
take cold-water bath. They should arrange the idol of Saptarshi on
small wooden platform in the form of seven bettlenuts and
perform pooja. This is what is told as a procedure. A certain king Sitasale
asked Brahma to tell him of a fast, which
would bestow the quickest result. Brahma replied that Rishi Panchami fast was
the one such by virtue of which
all sins are washed away.
