Jabar Janda-Haras awu Wandha" (Jabar the rag-man, winter came in July).
Lord
Shiva is omnipotent and omnipresent, being beyond all emptiness, the
primal source of all. He has five functions: evolution sustenance,
involution, preservation and assimilation. Just as a seed evolves into a
tree, and in due course of time involutes back to seed, likewise the
universal divine Shakti, the energy aspect, has to return to the
absolute transcendental rest (Parma Shiva state). An interpretation for
the significance of Shiva-ratri may thus be the celebration of the union
of Shiva and Shakti, also referred to as Shiva's marriage to Parvati.
The 9th century Kashmiri saint-poet Utpaldeva describing Shiva-ratri
wrote, "When the sun, the moon and all the other stars set at the same
time, there arises the radiant night of Shiva spreading a splendor of
its own."
The
worship of Vatuka is dealt within several Tantric works. Vatuka, like
Ganesha, has been described as a mind bom son of the Mother Goddess. He
is the deity who saves his devotees from all sorts of misfortunes and
calamities. When Kashmiri Pandits were driven out if the valley in the
first half of the fifteenth century, a few families in the remote
villages stayed back. It is speculated that these people may have
started worship of Vatuka for their protection, the custom having been
continued by others when they retumed to the valley in the later part of
that century.
Kashmiri
Pandits used to clebrate Shiv-ratri festival over a period of 23 days.
First six days (hurye okdoh to hurye shayam) were devoted to cleaning of
the house and buying puja articles. Next 2-3 days were the days for
devotional prayers. Dyara daham was designated for giving presents to
married daughters and newly weds. Gadkah and Vager bah were special days
for the worship of Bhairavas. Herath truvah is the day for Shiva
worship. Herath Kharch (gift of money) is given by the eldest person to
all members of the family on the following day. Herath truvah is the day
for lord Shiva's worship. On Doon mavas, the prasad of walnuts and rice
cakes (tomala-chuut) are distributed, in past, this often continued
until Tila ashtami. The latter day also marks the end of winter, and is
celebrated by burning kangris and singing the chorus of 'ja-tun-tn'. On
the social side, there used to be great joy all around. People wore new
and their nicest clothes, and families would sit together and enjoy the
game with sea shells.
Since
a number of us have migrated to far off places, all over the world, it
is rather diffucult to perform the Vatak-puja in the traditional way.
However, we need to maintain the spirit of this, the most important
festival of ours. Jotshi Prem Nath Shastriji has recently produced an
audio tape for a relatively simple Vatak-puja together with a Mahimna
Stotram. Offering and eating meat and fish on Shiv-ratri is stictly a
Kashmiri Pandit ritual, probably to please 'Bhairavas'. However, there
were people like Gurtus and Razdans, who observed strict vegetarinism
during the Shiv-ratri festival. Most of us have given up the tradition
of offering and eating meat on Shiv-ratri day.
One
other practice was the celebration of salam on the day following
Shiv-ratri. Muslim neighbors and friends used to visit us and wish happy
Shivratri. People would also invite their relatives and friends for a
sumptous dinner. Since for us the significance of this day is gone, we
can either do away with it or at least call it by a different name.ite, ''Jabar Janda-Haras awu Wandha" (Jabar the rag-man, winter came in July).
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