Vaishakha Amavasya 2020: Check out its significance and history

Vaishakh or Vaishakha is the second month of the Hindu calendar. Vaishakh Amavasya falls on the No-Moon day in the Hindu month of Vaishakh. According to the Gregorian calendar, it falls around April/May. This year Vaishakha Amavasya will be observed from April 22 morning 05:37 to April 23 morning 07:55. Read ahead and check out the significance and history of Vaishakha Amavasya. 

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Vaishakha Amavasya Significance

The auspicious day is vital for paying respect to our ancestors and praying for the salvation of their souls. According to Vedic traditions and sayings, invocations from our fore-fathers play a significant role in the well-being of the family. Vaishakha Amavasya is also important from the astrological point of view. The day gets rid of any Kaal Sarp Dosh, that is time, snake and fault, that one is suffering from. In some states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, this day is also celebrated as Shani Jayanti.

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Vaishakha Amavasya History

According to Hindu writings, there lived a brahmin named Dharmavarna who was a religious man by his nature. The brahmin led an austere life, keeping fasts, performing yajnas and imbibing knowledge from sages and monks. During one of his learnings, Dharmavarna learned about Kalyug from his professor. He discovered that in Kalyug, nothing can be more comprehensive than the worship of Lord Vishnu. Just chanting the name of the Lord is equal to performing other difficult religious ceremonies. This knowledge led him out for a tour with renunciation where he completely surrendered his mind and senses to Lord Vishnu.

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One day while travelling, he reached Pitrulok and saw his father in a bad state. Bothered on seeing this, he asked what the reason could be. His father told him that it was due to the forswearing of Dharmavarna, no one in the family who could perform rites to bring salvation to the deviated souls of the family. They also requested him to go back home, get married and have children. Only then the conditions of his ancestors would improve. They also urged him to perform rites on every Vaishakh Amavasya to grant them redemption. On this, he went back, got married and on every Vaishakh Amavasya, he performed the rituals.

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