From Heaven to Earth: Origin of river Ganga and its significance on Meena Sankranti

Here is a story of river ganga falling from heaven to earth and how Meena Sankranti became a significant day for ganga maiya.

Table of Contents
1. What is Meena Sankranti?
2. Meena Sankranti: Date and time
3. Rituals
4. The story of Ganga falling from heaven to earth
5. Significance of Meena Sankranti
6. Celebrations

What is Meena Sankranti?

The start of the twelfth month in the Hindu calendar is celebrated as Meena Sankranti.
This is the last month and the sun enters the house of Pisces on this day. This day is also known as Meena Sankramanam in Southern India. Like all other Sankranti festivals, on this day it is auspicious to donate articles and receive blessings.
It is said that the sixteen ghatis that follow the Sankranti are considered shubh ghatis. There are many types of holy chanting and pujas done in families to free oneself from sins of the past. Bathing in the Holy waters of Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati are considered auspicious. Sankranti means the onset of a new month according to all other Hindu cultures except Bengali and so it is believed that good deeds of today will pay off throughout the coming month.

Meena Sankranti 2024: Date and Time

In 2024, Meena Sankranti will take place on Thursday, March 14, the time is 12:46 PM. 

Rituals

1. On all twelve Sankranti including meena Sankranti devotees should take holy bath as per the muhurat.
2. While taking bath one should offer namaskar to the sun God and pray to him for your well- being. This should be preferably done at the time of sunrise.
3. This day is celebrated in different ways to get blessings happiness and prosperous life for one’s family.
4. Temples and mandirs at home are decorated with flowers and incense stick, lamp, and sweets are offered to the God.
5. Brahmins and needy people are given daan that includes ann daan ( cereals donation), dhana daan ( money donation) and vastra daan (clothes donation). It is especially beneficial for the devotee to donate land on this particular day.

The Story of Ganga falling from Heaven to Earth

Once King Sagar was performing Ashwamedh yagna, released a horse. Indra is watching this from heaven and gets insecure about the king’s yagya. He thinks if King Sagar succeeds in the yagya, he might conquer his Swargaloka. So, to disturb the yagya, he steals the ritual horse. King Sagar, thus, sends his 60 thousand sons in all directions to relocate the horse. After searching everywhere, they find the horse next to a meditating sage, Kapil. The horse was tied next to him by Indra. Believing that Kapil Muni stole the horse, they disturb him from his meditation. Angered by this act, Kapil Muni curses them, and the 60 thousand sons of Sagar are burnt to death. For the moksha of those 60 thousand sons of Sagar, Anshuman, who is Sagar’s grandson, performs many rituals but fails. Later, Anshuman’s son, King Dilip, also tries his whole life but can’t succeed. After the failed attempts of 3 generations, Dilip’s son Bhagirath takes up the task of providing deliverance to his ancestors. He goes to Kapil Muni and asks him if there is any way by which his ancestors can attain moksha. Kapil muni suggests that Sagar’s sons will attain moksha only if their ashes are to be immersed into the Ganga, for this Ganga would have to descend from heaven to earth. For this, Bhagirath does extreme tapasyā and pleads with Brahmā that Ganga comes down to Earth. Brahmā agrees, and he orders her to go down to Earth so that the souls of Bhagirath’s ancestors could be freed. She agrees, but she says that the force of her fall would end up destroying the Earth. Bhagirath then prays to Lord Shiva and requests him to hold her on his head. Then Ganga, with all her might, falls on Shiva’s head, and he contains the force of the Ganga in his locks and lets her out in small streams. Bhagirath successfully immerses the ashes of his ancestors in the river, and eventually, the 60 thousand sons of Sagar are freed from the cycle of birth and death.
According to religious beliefs, this was the day when the Sun enters Pisces. Therefore this day is celebrated as Meen Sankranti to remind us of balance and harmony in the world.

Significance of Meena Sankranti

Meena Sankranti is an important event as it signifies the beginning of Spring and the change in weather from cold to warm. At this time due to short nights, negative forces also decrease and energy is gain during the day. There’s a change in nature as flowers bloom, birds migrate and the energy around us changes.
Apart from the seasonal shift, this day is also seen as a good time for religious practices and rituals. Donating unique items on this particular day is regarded as having greater significance, reflecting the auspicious nature of Meena Sankranti.

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Celebrations

The festival of Meena Sankranti is not celebrated as some cultural event; it is signified as a religious and astrological event.
The temples are cleaned and decorated with flowers. People visit them and lit the incense sticks and lamps of oil in the temples and homes. They offer sweets and fruits to their diety along with the hymns and chants during the worship.
Lord Surya is especially worshipped and revered on this day. The Konark Sun temple of Orissa is visited by many devotees on the day of Meena Sankranti.
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