Shree Panchami: The Day of Triple Religious Importance

Shree Panchami: The Day of Triple Religious Importance

Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

A large number of Nepalis visit the shrines of Goddess of Sarasvoti for Hindus and Manju Shree for Nepalese Buddhists on the eve of the fifth day of the bright fortnight of Magha (Jan-Feb) in the Nepal Samvat (Nepal calendar) to give a massage to the idol of the deity believing the deity of art, crafts, and learning must be very tired traveling from Lhasa to Nepal on this night. Next morning, people again rush to the shrines of the deity to make offerings. This day is the day for children to start learning and writing. So, parents take their young ones to the shrines of the deity and let them start writing first alphabets on this day. Usually, they write by chalk on the walls of the shrines of the deity. This day is so auspicious that anybody could perform weddings, and adulthood ceremonies to the children, and start up a new business venture without consulting an astrologer.

For Nepalis, the fifth day of the bright fortnight of Magha in the Nepal Samvat is the day of triple religious importance. On this day Hindus perform worship to Sarasvoti: Goddess of Learning; Buddhists make offerings to Lord Manju Shree: God of Knowledge and craftsmanship; State priests perform special rituals to welcome the spring season and to announce the beginning of spring at Nasalchovak in Kathmandu. We call this day Shree Panchami means the fifth day of Shree another name of Mahalaksmi Deity.

Shree is also the female form of preserver of the Hindu world, and is also known as Mahalaksmi: the combined form of Goddess Sarasvoti and Goddess Laksmi. Goddess Shree is the supreme authority of learning of art, music and literacy. Shree also is Goddess Sarasvoti for Hindus and Lord Manju Shree for Buddhists. Panchami means the fifth day; thus, Shree Panchami means the fifth day of Sarasvoti means the Goddess of Learning.

Goddess of Learning Sarasvoti is a four-limbed female Goddess riding on a white swan. Her first right arm and the first left arm together hold a musical instrument called ‘vina’ in the position of playing it whereas the second right hand holds a book, and the second left hand a rosary.

Nepalis believe that Shree came from Lhasa to the Nepal Valley on the eve of Shree Panchami. Before reaching the valley, the goddess for Hindus and the god for Buddhists resides at the shrine built at the mid hill of the Nagarkot hill in the northeastern part of Bhaktapur about 20 km from Kathmandu. Devotees visit the shrine in the month of Magha until the day s/he travels to the valley. We call this goddess Lhasapa Sarasvoti means the goddess from Lhasa. We believe that the goddess flies to the valley on her white swan from the shrine at the mid hill of Nagarkot in Bhaktapur every year on the eve of the fifth day of bright fortnight of Magha.

On the night she reaches Nepal, men, women and children devotees visit shrines to Goddess Sarasvoti to give Her a relaxing massage with mustard oil. Next day, they visit Her to make offerings and receive blessings from Her.

Hindus celebrate Shree Panchami holding religious events to welcome the Goddess of Learning Sarasvoti at all the shrines elsewhere in Nepal. They hold religious events at all shrines to Sarasvoti but a major event they hold is at three main shrines. These shrines are Sarasvoti/Manju Shree at Svoyambhu, Lele Sarasvoti in the Lalitpur district, and Nil Sarasvoti at Lazimpat in Kathmandu.

On the Shree Panchami day, scholars, artists, teachers, students, artisans, craftsmen and professionals bring the product of their skills and offer such items to the Goddess and receive blessings from Her to be more skillful in their job. They believe that by doing so the Goddess makes them more skillful in their work.

Parents take their children to one of the shrines to Goddess Sarasvoti for beginning their first lesson of learning alphabets. Children write something in the praise of Goddess Sarasvoti on the walls of the shrine with a piece of chalk or talc as the beginning of the first lesson of learning in their lives. Parents believe that such writings will inspire their children to learn.

Some students take seven unbroken manually husked rice, and touch those rice grains to the image of Goddess Sarasvoti and then swallow them not touching the teeth. They believe that by doing so their memory power will be strengthened.

Nepalese Buddhists call this day ‘Manju Panchami’ and celebrate it performing worship to Lord Manju Shree: the God of Learning and craftsmanship. According to the Vajrayan mythology, Manju Shree came from Lhasa to pay homage to Lord Svoyambhu when the Kathmandu Valley was still a lake.

When Lord Manju Shree reached the top of the Maha-manda-giri: the current Nagarkot, he saw the beautiful landscape of the Kathmandu Valley. At that time the lake was the domain of Nagas (serpent deities). The Serpent king called Kakort Naga ruled over it.

Fascinated by the beauty of the valley, Lord Manju Shree thought that if the water were released from the lake, the valley would be a beautiful place for people to live in. So, the Lord went to the lowest part of the surrounding hills and cut the rock with his divine sword and let the water flow out of the valley. The lowest area happened to be the current Covar.

Taudaha became the domain of Serpent King Karkot Naga. After the Kathmandu Valley Lake became dry, Nagas found nowhere to dwell. So, Serpent King Karkot Naga pleaded with Lord Manju Shree for providing him with a domain for sheltering his subjects. Lord Manju Shree made a small lake for the Naga King and his subjects to live in to the south of the Kathmandu Valley. The lake is known as Taudaha even today. Once a year a religious festival is held there on the day of Naga Panchami to revere Nagas.

After draining off the water from the lake, the valley became the beautiful land for people to live in. So, Lord Manju Shree built a city-state called Manjupatan, and crowned his disciple called Dharmakar the ruler of Manjupatan. Thereafter, he taught the people various crafts, arts, music and dances to make Manjupatan the most prosperous city-state. Thus, original dwellers of the Kathmandu Valley were the students of Lord Manju Shree. Some Nepalis still believe that the valley has inherited so much of different cultures from the teachings of Lord Manju Shree.

Manjupatan is widely described in ancient chronicles of Nepal. Some people believe that the current Majipat was Manjupatan. There is a shrine to Lord Manju Shree at Majipat. Others believe that the current Deupatan was Manjupatan and Goddess Bagesvari is Lord Manju Shree. A shrine to Lord Manju Shree just behind the Svoyambhu hill is the place for the Nepalese Buddhists to worship the deity as Lord Manju Shree and for Hindus to worship as Goddess Sarasvoti. So, this deity symbolizes the coexistence of Buddhism and Hinduism in Nepal.

For Nepalese Buddhists, Goddess Sarasvoti is Lord Manju Shree. For example, the image of Goddess Sarasvoti near the Buddhist shrine at Cavahil in Kathmandu has one of Her hands holding ‘khadga’: a divine sword and a symbol of power by which Lord Manju Shree made an opening at Covar to release the waters from the Kathmandu Valley.

Nepalis celebrate Shree Panchami as the first day of the spring season. On this day, Nepalese high officials such as President, Vice-president, Prime Minister, ministers and other high government officials assemble at Nasalchovak of the ancient palace complex in Kathmandu to celebrate ‘Vasanta Sravon’ literally meaning listening to the announcement of the beginning of the spring season. So, Shree Panchami is also known as Vasanta Panchami.

On this occasion, state priests perform worship to the Goddess of Learning Sarasvoti and to the Spring Season in the courtyard called Nasalchovak. A musical band plays an auspicious tune in praise of the season. Thereafter, the priests offer the season’s blessings to all the officials present there.

Shree Panchami is the most auspicious day for businessmen, craftsmen and artisans for new start-ups. They wait for this day to begin a new venture believing the day ensures them success.

This day is also the most auspicious day for performing various social events. So, on this day, Nepalis perform most of the auspicious ceremonies such as weddings, adulthood ceremonies to sons and pre-puberty marriage called E-he to young daughters without consulting astrologers for finding a best auspicious moment.

The Nepalese life is colorful because of the Hindu and Buddhist festivals and festivities dedicated to one deity or another and sometimes to one natural phenomenon or another, and celebrated by both the Hindus and Buddhists in their own tradition and belief at the same shrine. Shree Panchami, or Manju Panchami or Vasanta Panchami is one such day that marks the advent of the Spring Season, and arrival of Goddess Sarasvoti or God Manju Shree. Hindus celebrate this day as the day of arrival of Goddess Sarasvoti, and the first day of spring season. Buddhists mark this day as the arrival of Lord Manju Shree: God of knowledge and craftsmanship. Each name has its own meaning and significance for Nepalis. All these different names for one auspicious day celebrated by the people of different faiths suggest the religious harmony in Nepal.

Thus, the first day of the spring is the special day for the Nepalis when the Goddess of Learning and the God of Knowledge and Craftsmanship step in. Thus, Basanta Panchami or Shree Panchami is not only the harbinger of spring but also it is at one time the harbinger of the Nepalese civilization.

Revised on January 28, 2012

Note: When the water in the Kathmandu Lake gradually subsided, the first landmass to appear from the lake was the tip of the current hillock called Svoyambhu means self-appearing.

Index

Bagesvari, 2

Cavahil, 2

Covar, 2

Deupatan, 2

Dharmakar, 2

Kakort, 2

khadga’, 2

Laksmi, 1

Lele Sarasvoti, 1

Lhasa, 1, 2

Lhasapa, 1

Mahalaksmi, 1

Maha-manda-giri, 2

Majipat, 2

Manju Panchami, 2, 3

Manju Shree, 1, 2, 3

Manjupatan, 2

Naga Panchami, 2

Nagarkot, 1, 2

Nagas, 2

Nasalchovak, 1, 2, 3

Nil Sarasvoti, 1

Sarasvoti, 1, 2, 3, 4

Svoyambhu, 1, 2, 3

Taudaha, 2

Vajrayan mythology, 2

Vasanta Sravon, 3