Bheemana Amavasye

Introduction

Bheemana Amavasya, also known as Pathi Sanjeevini Vratha or Jyothirbheemeshwara Vrata, is an important Hindu ritual performed by women in Karnataka. Bheemana Amavasya is observed on the no moon day (Ashada bahula Amavasye). This vratha is mentioned in Skanda Purana, which is one of the largest of the eighteen puranas.

It is believed that on this day Lord Shiva, is taken over by Parvathi's devotion towards him and accepts her as his wife.

Purpose:

To pray for the welfare, happiness and long life of husbands, brothers and other male members in the family.

 Performed by:

Married woman for 9 years. (Many women carry out this vratha even after this period).

Also, unmarried girls perform to seek welfare of male members as well as to seek divine blessings for a virtuous husband.

Preparations:

1.    On this day girls and women are allowed to take head bath all though it is Amavasye.

2.    The shrine is prepared by filling the tray with Rice. Two lamps(brass, silver anything,even mud) with ghee are placed next to each other. The  Lamps represents the Lord Shiva and Parvathi.  Tie a turmeric root to hasidhara which is smeared with turmeric and with 9 knots and then tie this around both the lamps. Idols/photos of Lord Shiva, Parvathi, Lord Ganesha is kept on this tray.

3.    Keep for Ganapathi Naivedhya beetel leaves, beetal nuts, and any fruit. For the pooja naivedhya you can offer variety of fruits, coconut and karigadabu(bhandara). And for Panchamrutha arrange for small cups with milk, curds, ghee, honey, tender coconut water, sugar.

4.    Other pooja items are agarbathi, hoobathi, karpoora, bidi hoovu, kattida hoovu, two gejje vastras. (one for ganesha pooje and other for lamps).

5.    Prepare similar threads like before with flowers for every girl/woman in the house and place it on the right side of the lamps (left side to you), facing you on 9 betel leaves, with 9 betel nuts.

 

6.    Light the lamps before commencing the pooja.

7.    Prepare panchapaatre with water and on the three sides smear gandha. And put akshathe and hoovu in the water.

8.    Firstly offer pooja to kalasha, and then do the Ganpathi pooja. (Offer arishina, kumkuma, bidihoovu, gejjevastra, agarbathi, naivedhya,and arathi).

9.   Next, similarly do the same for the Lamps, which symbolize Lord Shiva and Parvathi.

10. After performing the pooja, threads that are prepared and prayed should be tied to     the right wrist of woman and girls performing the pooja. If you have invited priest to perform this vratha, then these threads shall be tied from them and Upayana Dhana must be given and blessings has to be taken. If not, threads can be tied from the other married women.

11. After the ninth year of pooja, a pair of lamp is given away to elderly man of the family, like brother or to a priest.

 

Bhandara Hodiyuvudu:

For Bheemana Amavasye, Naivedhya to be prepared is Karigadabu. Bhandara needs to be prepared with this. A Coin is put in the dough prepared with wheat/rice with little salt and water and is pressed like  pattis and two stips of the dough is criss crossed to make a plus sign on the dough to seal.

This is kept on the either side of Hosthilu of Devaramane. Apply arishina, kumkuma to hosthilu. Elder or younger brothers are made to stand with legs on either side of the hostile(bottom of doorsill) on beetel leaves and nuts and he has to break the Bandara with his elbows. After this is done, it is a practice to give dhakshina to brothers. After this, arathi has to be done for these brothers.

 
After this Bheemana Amavasye story needs to be read.

Story of Bheemana Amavasye:

Once a Brahmin couple who had seven daughters decided to get their youngest girl married to the dead son of King of Saurashtra in exchange of wealth.  After the marriage ceremony, the king, the soldiers and the young bride carried the corpse to Bhagirathi River to burn it. But suddenly there was a heavy rain and thunder and all the people except the young bride left. She decided to stay with her dead husband.

Looking at the dead body of the prince she thought this would not have happened had her parents were here. The night passed and she is made to remember that the and next day was Ashada Amavasye. The girl remembered that it was the day of Jyothirbheemeshwara vratha, which her mother made her perform without fail every year. She took bath in the river and molded two lamps and rolled out a leaf to make the wick for the lamps. And prepared bandara with mud balls instead of the wheat  or rice steamed cakes. The girl lighted the lamps with water and performed the pooja using wild flowers and leaves. While she was performing the puja, a young couple appeared there and asked her what she was doing with the corpse and what this puja was for. She explained her fate and said she was now alone and there was no one to break her Bhandara or mud balls. The young man agreed to break it. He smashed the balls and blessed her – Dheerga Sumangali Bhava (Have a long and happy married life).She then asks him how it is possible as her husband is already dead. He then in turn asked her to go wake up her husband. When she goes near the corpse and shakes him, he comes back to life. Soon she realized who the couple were but when she looked up they were gone. Then she offers prayers to the divine couple – Shiva and Parvati – and narrated to the prince all that happened.

When the king and the courtiers returned to burn the corpse, they found the young girl and prince praying to Lord Shiva and Parvati. The word soon spread and from that day people started strictly observing Bheema Amavasi in Ashada month.

Bheemana Amavasye Story Song in Kannada 
as given by My dearest Grand Mom: Shrimathi Jayamma

Dhareya mele obba vaideeka brahmanage

Iruvarelu mandi kannikeyaru II

Elakintha kiriyola dhareya neredhare I

Alida kumarage I Hanavinasege II

Aa mathru pithrugalu I Athi dukhapaduthiralu I

Aranyadolagavariralu II Boremba kaarmaleyu I

Eduraagi baruthiralu I Aa arasu bandane nija rajyake II

Aranyadolagobba I Govgalanu hodekondu I

Govgalu baruvuda taruni kandu I Idenu Karanavendu I

Govalana kelalu Bheemanaamavasye vrathavu rajyadhali II

Hoda varushadi namma thande thaayi maneyalli I

Madidda vrathavanaa marethenendu I

Eega Govgalu bandu nenapu maadidavendu I

Maanunee mani sambhrama pattalu I

Aaga munna thadeghogi I

Bega Snanava maadi devanga patti vastravanuttalu II

Share maralanu thegedu kaaladeevige maadi I

Naaru bathige neeru enne neredhalu II

Dunda maralane thegedu I Bhandaravane maadi I

Gandhakshathe dhoopa deepagalindhale I

Chendadim I Govgalane edirgondu pooje maadi I

Mangalaarathi thandu belagidhaalu II

Hoda varushadi namma thande thaayi mane yalli I

Bhandaravanu thamma odedanendu II

Indu bhandaravanu I Odevaryaruillavendu I

Anganeyu thumbidale I Araluganna I

Nudida mathanu keli Odeya Shankara thanu

Madadi Parvathiya mukha nodutha I

Thegedu kamandalada Udukavane I

Taliyalu alida kumaaranu edurige ninthanu I

Eduridge nintha Magana thakaiyisi I

He! Magane ninna pranavanu I

Padedaryaare II ariye kaani thaye I

Nimma soseyanu Keli endu Jananiya Shri paada kadigeregida II

Baaramma soseyendu I Bega thodeyolgittu I

Pranadhollabhana Prana hyage padede II

Parvathi Devi maadida munnina bheemanaamavasye vrathagalam maadide I

Ee nohiyanu kori enu sukruthada phala I

Enu bekada sampathu siriyu II

Oole Soubhagyavanu I Odahuttidavaranu kottu I

Rakshisuva namma parameshwara I

Jaya Mangalam Nithya Shubha Mangalam II