We Hindus, worship everything that supports life on this planet Earth such as: sun, moon, plants, trees, water etc. Earth is our mother, but life is not possible without the sun.
Even though the creator of universe is one God; we worship many gods and goddesses. The reason for that is when a devotee worships God with a pure heart with His an image; the Lord appears in the same form. That form of the Lord is worshipped always, and the place where God appears becomes the site of pilgrimage. Like energy (invisible), presence of God is everywhere. Appearance and disappearance of God is just the conversion of energy into mass and vice versa (Einstein’s mass-energy relation)
It is believed that when we call God with pure heart, He could appear from even a stone!
When I was a baby, just like everyone, I was also dependent upon my mother’s milk to survive. Even after breastfeeding, I always used to cry and was in discomfort. My grandfather consulted various local physicians but there was no solution to my problem. My grandmother made a wish to Chhathi Maiya and prayed to resolve my issue.
One day a lady came to my house and took me in her arms and started breastfeeding me. That day I did not cry and was happy. My grandfather noticed that my crying was due to hunger. My family believed that chhathi maiya saved my life. The lady was the wife of our family servant. My late grandfather and mother told me about this while I was growing up.
I believe the lady came to save my life was my second mother.For some people this could be just a myth and for some it could be true devotion to the Lord.
Chhath is one of the most important festivals of our culture and religion. Just like life, where birth and death are the ultimate truth, we worship sunrise and sunset of suriya devta for end and new beginning!
May Chhathi Maiya bless all for prosperous life and health.
Vijay Kumar Singh ,
EC member NECC
Immediate past president, ANTA
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