UTTARAYAN WISDOM

HAPPY Makara Sankranti in advance, dear readers, and Pongal, Lohri, and Bhogali Bihu.

- RENUKA NARAYANAN

The festival marks the sun's entry into Makara (Capricorn), signifying longer days, thanks for harvests and, especially, gratitude to Lord Surya, the sun god, by whose light we live. He embarks this day on his northbound course, the Uttarayan.

Beyond its festive traditions like kite-flying and special food, this ancient holy date is deeply layered in Indian theology with stories. The best-known is probably in the Mahabharata. Bhishma Pitamah was struck down by Arjuna's arrows on the tenth day of the battle of Kurukshetra. But he had the boon of ichha mrityu, of choosing when to die. So, Arjuna shot a bed of arrows under him, on which he lay for fifty-eight days, waiting for Makara Sankaranti. This was because the holy day, when Surya commences his Uttarayan, is considered an auspicious period for souls to attain liberation. During his time on the arrow bed, though enduring great pain, he shared profound knowledge on governance and dharma with Yudhishthira. Especially, he imparted the precious gift of the Vishnu Sahasranaamam, the Thousand Names of Lord Vishnu, that we still hear today, and many of us memorise.

The story that goes straight to the Indian heart is about Surya meeting his son Shani, whose domain is Capricorn. A father goes to his son's house on this day, healing their long rift and annually renewing their ties, for Shani comes from a broken home. His busy father didn't care for him as a boy, and his mother was sent away for deception.