Skanda Sashti Vrat is held on the sixth day of Shukla Paksha in Jyeshta month according to the traditional Hindu calendar practiced in North India and is dedicated to Skanda Mata.
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The Skanda Sashti Vrat 2023 date is May 25. The magnificence of this vrat is highlighted in the Skanda Purana. It is considered that completing this vrat is extremely advantageous for couples who do not have children.
Skanda Sashti Vrat is devoted to Skanda Mata. It is thought that doing Skanda Sashti Vrat by parents will provide relief to children suffering from various ailments.
The Vrat is traditionally begun on Jyeshtha Shukla Paksha Sashti and continues for a year on each Shukla Paksha Sashti after that.
Days of Skanda Sashti
Although all Suklapaksha Shashtis are devoted to Lord Murugan, the one in the lunar month Kartika (which falls during the solar month Aippasi) is the most important. Skanda Sashti in Kartika month is also known as Soorasamharam – the day Surapadman was killed. During this occasion, worshippers would fast for six days, ending on Soorasamharam day. Tiru Kalyanam, the day after Soorasamharam, commemorates Murugan and Devasena’s marriage. Subramanya Sashti or Kukke Subramanya Sashti is the Skanda Sashti that occurs after Soorasamharam in the lunar month Margashirsha.
Skanda Sashti Vrutam is a significant ritual conducted on Skanda Sashti days. Fasting shall be observed on the day when Panchami tithi (5th lunar day) finishes and Sashti tithi (6th lunar day) begins between dawn and dusk. Skanda Sashti Vrutam shall be observed on Panchami tithi on such occasions. This regulation is followed by several Murugan temples in Tamil Nadu, including the well-known Sri Subrahmanya Swami Devasthanam in Tiruchendur. If Shashti tithi coincides with Panchami tithi on a preceding day, Soorasamharam will be held one day before Shashti tithi. The 2020 Skanda Sashti days are as follows.
Chennai
Shasti Tithi Begins – 05:49 AM on Oct 30, 2022
Shasti Tithi Ends – 03:27 AM on Oct 31, 2022
The Festivities
Skanda Sashti is a festival that is widely observed in Tamil Nadu and neighboring states. It is a ten-day ceremony in most Murugan Temples that concludes with the enactment of the death of a demon known as Soorasamharam. The event is celebrated with zeal in Tiruchendur’s temple dedicated to Lord Subramanya this is the site of the final battle between Murugan and Surapadman. Devotees travel from all over to attend the Tiruchendur temple and witness the magnificent event of the demon’s slaying.
Every year on Skanda Sashti, large fairs are held in the prominent Murugan temples of South India, such as Thiruparamkunram, Tiruchendur, Palani, and Udupi, as well as those in Malaysia and Sri Lanka. The magnificent festivities in Thirupparamkunram and Tiruchendur temples, two of Murugan’s Arupadai Veedu temples, deserve special note. The lord’s deeds and the circumstances leading up to the demons’ triumph are dramatized and enacted here. A day before the festival’s climax, the Subramanya deity at the Sikkal Singaravelan temple gets a Vel (symbolizing Mother Parvati’s offering of Vel) from the Ambal shrine and bursts out in a sweat.
Fasting is observed, temples are visited, devotional songs are sung, and hymns and prayers to Lord Subramanya are recited. On this day, hymns from Kavadichindu, Skanda Shashti Kavacham, and Tiruppugal are chanted. A common worship is the giving of Kavadi on Skanda Sashti. It is a traditional penance in which devotees would stab their cheeks, lips, and tongue with long needles while holding the Kavadi. They fall into a frenzy as a result of the force of Muruga.
Sashti Skanda Vrutam
Muruga worshippers place a high value on Skanda Shashti fasting. On the Skanda Sashti days, worshippers fast from dawn to sunset. This brutality is thought to grant Lord Muruga’s favor and is useful to people wanting children. On the occasion of Skanda Sashti in Kartika month, some devotees fast for 6 days, beginning with Pratama the day following the new moon) and ending with Sashti. Because there is no universal technique of Skanda Sashti fasting, the degree of severity differs from person to person. The devotees who observe Skanda Sashti Vrutam adhere to the following regulations.
- On this day, just one meal is permitted. Some believers eat around midday, while others eat after dusk.
- Non-vegetarian foods are absolutely prohibited. Some adherents forego onions and garlic as well, while others limit themselves to fruits and fluids solely.
- Visitors to the Muruga temples can offer prayers.
- Muruga-related scriptures such as Kanta Shashti Kavasam and Subramaniya Bhujangam are chanted.
- Vrutam is also a pledge not to submit to emotions like wrath or desire, as well as not to speak lies.
Many devotees use this vrutam to cleanse their bodies and rid themselves of poisonous things. The vrutam should be observed voluntarily in order to instill discipline into one’s life.
Skanda Shashti's Importance
Skanda Shashti is an opportunity to invoke Lord Muruga’s spiritual strength in order to overcome life’s negatives and challenges. By keeping a strict 6-day fast, one can gain the power to overcome the three basic human hindrances, namely, Muruga defeats three demons representing Karma, Maya, and Ego.
Muruga is also known as the God of Siddhas and Wisdom. He is the Lord of Kundalini (primal energy at the base of the spine), and he has the capacity to grant the Siddhis (supernormal powers). Worshiping the Lord during the six-day Skanda Sashti festival is thought to confer the following advantages.
- Worship on the first day of the week helps business and relationships.
- Worship on Days 2, 3, and 4 alleviates health problems and generates a good turn of events.
- Worship on Days 5 and 6 results in money gains, professional advancement, and spiritual joy.