Angarika Sankasthi Chaturthi Vrata is Objerved of Lord Ganesha Vrata.If Sankashti Chaturthi comes on Tuesday, it is called Angarika. The vow is completed on the same day. Devotees have their meal in the night after having darshan of lord moon.According to smriti kaustubha, the sankashti vrata has to be done without eating food. The common vrata paribhasha says, “Drinking too much fluid (often, even water), eating tobacco, or betel nuts, or betel leaves, or any other activity prohibited by vrata” will break the fast. Now smriti kaustubha grantha says that the vratha has to be broken at the moonrise time after doing puja to ganesha and argya to ganesha. One needs to celibate during vrata period. One can drink water but not too often. One cannot smoke or consume alchohol or eat meat of anykind during vrata or after breaking the fast, and the fast cannot be broken with meat products.
Angarika Sankasthi Chaturthi Vratkatha
Once there lived a king by the name of Surasena. On one occasion God Indra the king of Gods was flying over the kingdom of Surasena. People of the kingdom could see the plane and suddenly the plane starts to descend and lands. The king seeing the plane, in curiosity to meet the person aboard on it approaches the plane. The king realizes that the person in the plane is God Indra. The king approaches God Indra, prays to him and enquires him the reason for landing in his Kingdom.
Indra pleased with the kings prayer, tells him that, a person who has done countless sins saw his plane and hence the plane has landed. Indra continues that the plane would fly only if a person who has a lot of virtue would come forward and donate his virtue.
The king prays to Indra to show him a way, through which he can send his soldiers to find a man with lot of virtue. God Indra replies that today is Panchami and yesterday was Bahula Chaturthi or Sankashti Chaturi which is also known as Sankata Hara Chaturthi. God Indra tells the king to find a person who has fasted yesterday and by mere fasting on Sankashti Chaturthi, the person would enmasses limtless virtue and if he could part with the virtue, his plane would fly.
The king orders his soldiers to search for a person who knowingly or unknowingly has fasted on the day before or on Sankashti Chaturthi. As fasting on Sankashti Chaturthi is itself enough to gather a lot of virtue. The soldiers search the whole kingdom and fail to find even a single person. On their way back to palace, the soldiers spot the servants of Lord Ganesha, known as Ganesha Duutas, taking a old woman who died with them.
The soldiers ask the Ganesh Duutas, who they were and where are they taking the woman. Ganesha Duutas explain the soldiers that they were servants of Lord Ganesha and were taking the woman to Swanand Loka the abode of Lord Ganesha. The soldiers were astonished and were curious to know the reason for taking the women to the abode of Lord Ganesha. The Ganesha Duutas, reply that the woman was sleeping yesterday and hence was not able to eat or drink. She died today and because of the fasting had gained so much virtue that she was to be taken to Swanand Loka.
The soldiers request the Ganesha Duutas to give some virtue of the woman, but the Ganesh Duutas refuse.
In the mean time, the plane suddenly starts and everyone is astonished. Lord Indra realizes that the wind that has blown over the old womans dead body has also blown over the plane. This wind gained a virtue just by blowing over the dead body that the wind by just blowing over the plane was able to start it.
The significance of the story is that one would gain virtue that one cannot imagine by simply observing a fast. And if a puja of Lord Ganesha is done, after observing the fast and seeing the moon in the evening, the virtue would increase much more.
Angarika Sankasthi Chaturthi Vrata Pooja Process
To start with as soon as you get up have your head bath. Clean the sacred place/temple at your house. Do your morning prayers. Always hum Om Ganeshaya namaha 108 times daily. I always hum the 108 names of Vinayaka. They are called the Ganesha Ashtothara (see below) of Lord Ganesh which is put up in the next paragraph. On the Sankashti day one can hum the 108 names and bow to the lord 21 times either in the morning or at night just before the moon rise however convenient. During the fasting period, Sabudana kitchadi , fruits /curds with Beaten rice are permitted. If one cannot utter the 108 names due to shortage of time or any reason, he/she can byheart this song which is Sankashta Nashana Sthothraand is written underneath.
Decorate the photo of Lord Ganesh with available flowers. The red Hibiscus is the favorite flower of the Lord. The five petalled flower placed on the photo of the lord is usually prefered. The doorva is a must if it is available. Doorva is a 3 bladed grass (creeper). The fern in one’s garden is not Doorva. One can keep this in a bunch of 21 with a Hybiscus flower tied with it as shown in the image below. One can even make a long garland (mala) with doorva and decorate the photo along with flowers. It’s one’s option depending upon the availability & convinience.
At night just before moon rise finish cooking and hum the Ashtothra , the sankashta nashana sthothra. (either both or only the Sankashta nashana sthothra however convinient) offer 2 coconuts, banana, flowers to the Lord, also offer some fragrance sticks, offer the prasad prepared and then Aarathi also. Sing the song Jaya dev jaya dev or switch on the C.D. for the song and ask for his blessings.
Ganesha Ashtothara
Om Vinayakaya namaha, Om Vighnarajaya namaha, Om Gowri puthraya namaha, Om Ganeshwaraya namaha, Om Skhandagrajaya namaha, Om Awyayaya namaha, Om Puthaya namaha, Om Dhakshadhkshaya namaha, Om Dwijapriyaya namaha, Om Agnigarvachidhe namaha, Om Indrashri pradaya namaha, Om Vanibala pradaya namaha, Om Sarva Siddi pradayakaya namaha, Om Sharvathanayaya namaha, Om Sharvapriyaya namaha, Om Sarvathmakaya namaha, Om Srashtikarthre namaha, Om Devanikarchitaya namaha, Om Shivaya namaha, Om Shudhaya namaha, Om Budhipriyaya namaha, Om Shanthaya namaha, Om Dwaimathuraya namaha, Om Munisthuthyaya namaha, Om Bhakthavighna vinashakaya namaha, Om Ekadanthaya namaha, Om Chathurbahave namaha, Om Shakthisamyuthaya namaha, Om Chathuraya namaha, Om Lambodaraya namaha, Om Shoorpakarnaya namaha, Om Herambhaya namaha, Om Brahmaviththamaya namaha, Om Kalaya namaha, Om Grahapathaye namaha, Om Kamine namaha, Om Somasuryagni lochanaya namaha, Om Pashankushadharaya namaha, Om Chandaya namaha, Om Gunatheeshaya namaha, Om Niranjanaya namaha, Om Akalmashaya namaha, Om Swayam Sidharchitha padaya namaha, Om Beeja Poorakaya namaha, Om Avyakthya namaha, Om Gadhine namaha, Om Varadaya namaha, Om Shashwathaya namaha, Om Krathine namaha, Om Vidvathpriyaya namaha, Om Veethabhayaya namaha, Om Chakrine namaha, Om Ikshuchapadhruthe namaha, Om Achochalakaraya namaha, Om Sridaya namaha, Om Sripathaye namaha, Om Sthuthiharshithaya namaha, Om Kuladribrathe namaha, Om Jatine namaha, Om Chandrachoodaya namaha, Om Amareshwaraya namaha, Om Nagayajhnopaveethine namaha, Om Srikantaya namaha, Om Ramarjithapadaya namaha, Om Vrathine namaha, Om Sthulathundaya namaha, Om Thrayikarthre namaha, Om Samaghosha priyaya namaha, Om Purushothamaya namaha, Om Sthulathundaya namaha, Om Agraganyaya namaha, Om Gramanye namaha, Om Ganapaya namaha, Om Sthiraya namaha, Om Vradhidaya namaha, Om Subhagaya namaha, Om Shooraya namaha, Om Vageeshaya namaha, Om Sidhidayakaya namaha, Om Dhoorvabilwapriyaya namaha, Om Kanthaya namaha, Om Papaharine namaha, Om Krathagamaya namaha, Om Samahithaya namaha, Om Vakrathundaya namaha, Om Sripradaya namaha, Om Sowmyaya namaha, Om Bhakthakankshithadaya namaha, Om Achuthaya namaha, oam kevalaya namaha, Om Sidhaya namaha, Om Sachidanandavigrahaya namaha, Om Jhnanine namaha, Om Mayayukthaya namaha, Om Dhanthaya namaha, Om Bramhishtaya namaha, Om Bhayavarjithaya namaha, Om Pramathadwaithyabhayadaya namaha, Om Vyakthamurthaye namaha, Om Amurthakaya namaha, Om Parvathishankarothsunga-khelanothsavalalanaya namaha, Om Samasthajagadadharaya namaha, Om Varamooshakavahanaya namaha, Om Hrashtasthuthaya namaha, Om Prasannathmane namaha, Om Sarvasidhipradayakaya namaha. Sri Ganesha ashtothara namavali samapthi.
