Purattasi Significance
Purattasi is a Tamil month, well-known for Vishnu worship, when people, especially in the Southern parts of the country, flock to Vishnu Temples and offer prayers to him. This is the 6th month of the Tamil calendar, corresponding to September-October when devotees in large numbers particularly visit the famous Temple of Lord Venkateshwara on the holy hill of Tirupati and offer prayers.
Also known by many other names such as Venkatesa, Srinivasa, Balaji, and the Lord of 7 Hills, Venkateshwara is widely worshiped across the length and breadth of the country and also many parts of the world. According to legends, Vishnu descended on earth in human form as Venkateshwara only during Purattasi month, and hence, that month is held highly Sacred for praying to Lord Venkateshwara.
Besides, the weekday of Saturday is special for Venkateshwara worship; hence, Purattasi Saturdays are held very holy for visiting Tirupati or any other Temple of Venkateshwara or Vishnu, when devotees flock to these places of worship seeking the Lord's grace and also perform special rituals and prayers at home.
This Year, Purattasi Saturday 2023 falls on September 23, 30, and October 7 and 14, which remain ideal for people to seek Divine grace.
Lord Venkateshwara
Venkateshwara, the Vishnu incarnate, is the savior of the people during the present challenging times of Kaliyuga when he rewards sincere devotion with beneficial boons and blesses people with wealth and prosperity. Purattasi month, especially, its Saturdays are ideal for seeking his blessings, when many devotees visit his hill Temple at Tirupati and offer worship. It is also believed that Purattasi Saturday worship can mitigate the adverse effects of planet Saturn.
People can utilize Purattasi Saturday 2023 to propitiate the Lord for his blessings for universal welfare.
The Purattasi Story of Venkateshwara's Grace
Once, a poor potter lived in the holy town of Tirupati, famous as the abode of Lord Venkateshwara. His name was Bheeman. He worked on clay, made small utility items like pots, plates, bowls, etc., sold them in the market, and earned his living. He was also a staunch devotee of Lord Venkateshwara, remembered him always, prayed to him silently in his heart, and dedicated all his activities to his holy feet. He was too poor to do any regular worship or ritual to his Lord, so he took a vow of fasting on Saturdays, the weekday special for Venkateshwara worship, and adhered to it without fail, week after week. Besides, he had to work very hard from dawn to dusk daily to maintain his family and make both ends meet, so he could not afford the luxury of visiting the Temple and worshiping his God in person.
But longing to see Venkateshwara's Divine form with his own eyes as he pleased, he made an image of the Lord in clay. As his poverty didn't allow him to buy flowers for the Lord, he made flowers out of clay, strung them together, and adorned his deity with his unique garland of clay flowers. He wanted to make some offerings to his God, but as he had no money to buy fruits or prepare a sweet dish, he simply shared the humble curd rice that he himself consumed along with his family to the Lord in a mud pot as an oblation.
Thondaiman, the ruler of the region, was also an ardent Venkateshwara devotee who visited the Tirupati Temple every Saturday and offered many precious items like jewels and necklaces to the Lord. But one Saturday, he was shocked to find the idol adorned, not with the ornaments he had offered, but only with the strange and lowly garland of clay flowers! Unable to explain this unexpected turn, the king stood there confused, with the needle of his suspicion about the missing precious items resting on the priests. But he said nothing to anyone and returned to his palace worried.
But the Lord didn't want to keep this devotee guessing for long, so he appeared in his dream and revealed to the king the sincerity of his humble potter devotee and the Lord's acceptance of the potter's pure devotion in the form of the clay flowers he offered.
Deeply moved to learn what happened, Thondaiman managed to locate Bheeman, embraced him, shared the miracle the Lord played, and requested him to accept his financial assistance. The poor man, touched by the Lord's grace, politely refused the king's offer and made clear his intention of remaining only a humble devotee of his Lord forever. As per belief, the time this incredible incident happened was in the month of Purattasi.
But the king wanted the world to know about the recognition the Lord himself gave to pure love and piety and ordained that thenceforth, they will make oblations to the Lord in the Temple only in clay pots during Purattasi and that curd rice in a clay pot will always find a place among all other food offerings made to the deity.
Devotees can understand the spiritual significance of this marvelous story, offer prayers to his compassionate Divinity on the special occasion of Purattasi Saturday 2023, and receive his immensely beneficial blessings.
Purattasi Saturday 2023 Rituals
Many devotees observe Vrat on Purattasi Saturdays, when they fast during the Day and devote the time to prayers and reading/reciting scriptures. It is also a practice in the southern parts of the country to light a special ghee lamp in a unique sweet dish made primarily of rice flour, mixed with jaggery and ghee, chant hymns, and offer prayers to Lord Venkateshwara and subsequently distribute it as Prasad to the family members and others.
Let us also observe such Purattasi Saturday 2023 worships and seek the Divine grace of the all-powerful but highly compassionate Venkateshwara for the well-being of everyone.