shitala satam

This blog is in response to the task given by kavisha maam. In this blog i am sharing my own understanding and belief of celebration of shitala satam. 

 Shitala Satam festival is celebrated on the 7th day of the Shravan month, i.e., the day before Krishna Janmashtami, and a day after Randhan Chhath. It is also referred to as Shitla Saptami or Shitala Satam. The benefits of worshipping Mata Shitala have been explained in the Skanda Puranam that consists of the Shitala Mata Strotra, also known as ‘Shitalaashtak’ written by Lord Shiva.

Shitala Satam Significance:

Shitala Satam is observed in honor of Goddess Shitala, who is known to be the Goddess of measles and pox. It is celebrated to receive protection against smallpox or similar diseases. This is a significant day for the people of India, especially Gujaratis.

Known to be an incarnation of Goddess Durga, Shitala Devi is highly regarded and worshipped as a form of Shakti in Hinduism. Goddess Sheetla is said to be a natural healer, and in Sanskrit, the name Sheetala truly means one who cools. The Goddess is worshiped by several names in different parts of India. Many Hindus, Buddhists, and tribal communities worship her, and address her with the words Ma and Mata (mother).

Shitala Mata is mainly popular across North Indian states. She is also revered and viewed as the Goddess Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva. While, in South India, Goddess incarnated as Mariamman is believed to have taken Shitala Mata’s role and is worshiped by the Dravidians.

Shitala Satam Rituals and Puja Vidhi:

The ceremonial tradition of Shitala Satam is similarly followed as Basoda and Shitala Ashtami that are celebrated after Holi in North India. The most important ritual of Shitala Satam is to avoid cooking food on that day. Family members must not consume fresh food, and hence, on the day of Randhan Chhath just before Sheetala Satam, most Gujaratis prepare food in abundance. This food is sufficient enough to be taken the next day, i.e., the day of Shitala Satam. Below are the rituals to be followed on this day:

• On the pious occasion of Shitala Satam, devotees take bath in a lake or river before sunrise and establish an image or idol of Shitala Ma. Then it is decorated using turmeric powder, sandalwood paste, vermillion (Sindoor), or Kumkum.
• Devotees who can afford it, also make a golden sculpture of Shitala Mata who is seated on her vehicle (a donkey).
• Join palms and offer homage to Shitla devi by doing puja with Aarti.
• After the puja, offer fruits with 16 varieties of naivedyams. Some devotees also offer flour and gud (jaggery), or rice mixed with ghee (butter) which was prepared on Randhan Chhath.
• People read Sheetla Mata Vrat Katha or story to gain blessings of the goddess.
• As per the customs, only one meal should be taken on this day.
• People also visit the Shitala Mata temple, where the Devi is worshipped using turmeric powder and Bajra (Pearl millet).
• In Rajasthan, people celebrate this festival with full fervor and immense devotion. Also, a huge fair is organized, and many musical programs are also conducted on this day.

Smallpox vs shitala satam:

Between the second and sixth centuries, a series of pandemics destabilized the Roman empire. The first of these was the Antonine Plague, between 165-180 AD, and the second was the Plague of Justinian, between 541-542 AD. The first outbreak killed some five million people across Europe and Asia while the latter was even more deadly, killing close to 50 million people. Historians have concluded that the first outbreak would have been either smallpox or measles, while the second one was probably bubonic plague. What’s clear is that these pandemics contributed to the decline and eventual decimation of the Roman empire.

So what do these pandemics have to do with India? The outbreak of the Antonine Plague coincided with the first artistic depictions of South Asia’s first “epidemic" goddess, Hariti. This demonic yakshi-turned-protector of Buddhism was a well-known figure around the turn of the Christian Era. The Mother of Demons, as she was called in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, Hariti and her demonic progeny were notorious for stealing and eating newborn children. According to Buddhist legends, she was made to see the error of her ways by the Buddha and converted into the chief protector of the Buddhist sangha. In her new avatar as a benevolent goddess of plenty, among other roles, she would grant boons of healthy childbirth.And she was also a protector from diseases, mainly smallpox.

There have been many other “fever" goddesses in India but I will mention two other, related goddesses: Parnashavari and Shitala. Parnashavari is a Buddhist tantric or Vajrayana deity, most likely borrowed from tribal sources (her name translates to “the leaf-clad tribal lady"). Her cult as a goddess who heals fevers and smallpox coincided with the same areas where the goddess Shitala is venerated for similar attributes—eastern India, primarily Bengal and Odisha.

"Sitala is not to be identified with disease, as the label ‘smallpox goddess’ seems to imply. Smallpox, measles and fevers exist independently, and they are already in our body—though inactive. Sitala simply controls them, as many of her names suggest,"

(Parnashavari)

In the end of this blog i can say that shitala satam is celebrated without any logical reason and in shitala satam many women become weak and ill because of cold food. 

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