नवीनतम
Rituals and significance of Anvadhan and Ishti
Anvadhan and Ishti are two significant days for people who belong to the Vaishnava Sampradaya, or devotees of Shri Vishnu. These two days are observed both on the New Moon Day (Amavasya) and the Full Moon day (Purnima). Therefore, devotees celebrate these auspicious days twice in a month.
Anvadhan in Sanskrit means the ritual of adding fuel to keep the sacred fire burning after performing the Agnihotra (a havan or a homam). On this day, those belonging to the Vaishnava Sampradaya keep a day-long fast.
Ishti is a ritual that devotees perform for a short duration to pray for the fulfilment of their desires. It is like a 'havan' that lasts for a few hours, unlike those that last for an entire day, weeks, months or years. Ishti in colloquial term means desire. The Sanskrit word Ishti, in the broader sense, refers to the act of doing a deed and invoking a deity to obtain something.
Ishti significance
Ishti is one of the significant events according to the Hindu calendar. The event is celebrated by followers of Hinduism, especially by the followers of Vaishnava Sampradaya. The followers celebrate the event by performing Yajna on the day of Ishti.
There are a lot of confusions regarding Ishti and Anvadhan, which are two different events in the Hindu calendar. People often confuse the two events and believe the two significant days to be one. There are several points of view on observing the events, that is, Ishti and Anvadhan, which creates some doubts amongst the observers. There are two significant events according to the Hindu calendar. One is Ishti and the other is Anvadhan and the two are connected to each other with the rituals that devotees perform.
Anvadhan is observed before Ishti. On the day of Anvadhan, followers of Hinduism observe a fast all day long. And on the day of Ishti, followers perform Yajna. For this month, Anvadhan event will be observed on the 20nd of April, which is a Saturday. Ishti, the other significant event, will be observed on the 21rd of April, which is on Sunday.
What is Vaishnava Sampradaya?
Vaishnava Sampradaya, popularly known as Vaishnavism is a sect in Hinduism that hails Lord Vishnu as the Supreme Power. Lord Vishnu is one of the deities that form the Hindu Trinity, with the other two Gods being Brahma and Mahesh (Lord Shiva). Brahma is believed to be the creator, Vishnu is the protector and Shiva, the destroyer. But for the Vaishnavites, their world revolves around Vishnu. The various main incarnations or avatars of Lord Vishnu are celebrated as the Dashavataram. He has already appeared in nine different forms and is yet to arrive as Kalki, in the present Yuga, i.e. Kaliyuga.
Anvadhan and Ishti Date and Tithi
Anvadhan will be observed on June 20 while Ishti will be celebrated on the following day, i.e. June 21.
Ashadha, Krishna Amavasya begins at 11:52 AM on June 20 and shall end at 12:10 PM on June 21.
