ROLE OF ASHGOURD IN AYUDHA POOJA

  

 

Ash gourd/ white pumpkin, lemon, camphor, flowers, and fruits, are all in high demand and the rates are skyrocketing.

Today Ayudha Pooja is being celebrated.

It's again a Thanksgiving festival- to everything that comes with us to make our day perfect and fine.

All the household items-  electrical and electronic appliances, vehicles we use to commute, the books that help us gain knowledge to sustain our lives, musical instruments that entertain us, gadgets that aid in our professional tasks, every object that lives with us in our house and beyond are dusted, cleaned, decorated and offered a ceremonial thanks.

The essence of Ayudha Pooja is simple yet powerful — a day of thanksgiving for the tools and instruments that empower people in their work.

Role of ash gourd in Ayudha Pooja:

Ash gourd is a key part of Ayudha Puja, a Hindu festival where people worship tools used for success and prosperity

 Since the Goddess is an embodiment of Shakti, sacrifice was a part of it. There was a time it used to be the animal sacrifice. But over time, ash gourd replaced the fauna life as a symbolic sacrifice.

 Ash gourd is used as a substitute for animal sacrifice in rituals. Its shape resembles an animal torso, and it's often pierced with sticks to represent legs and a tail. Vermilion is sprinkled on the exposed flesh to mimic blood. 

 After the puja, it's customary to break the ash gourd outside the house. This symbolizes the animal sacrifice offered during new beginnings and is believed to ward off the evil eye.

Ayudha Puja is the day we celebrate to express gratitude to all the instruments that add value to our lives. It takes into consideration small things like knives, scissors, spanners, etc as well as bigger devices such as computers, machinery, books, and vehicles.

Thus Ayudha Pooja is a Hindu festival celebrated with grandeur and is observed as a public holiday in most regions of India. On this day, devotees worship the tools and instruments that help them in life.