Religious fervour and A Tale of Tub
Hello readers, this blog is in response to the task assigned by Kavisha Ma'am, the department of English, MKBU. In this blog I am going to discuss the myth and science behind the festival "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 '"coolness"', also spelled as Shitala and Seetla, is a Hindu goddess venerated primarily in North India.She is regarded to be an incarnation of the goddess Parvati. She is believed to cure smallpoxes, and diseases, and most directly linked with the disease smallpox. Sheetala is worshipped Saptami (the seventh day of a Hindu month), followed by Shashthi in the month of Shravana according to the Gujarati Calendar.
The deity is principally featured as a woman goddess, portrayed as a mother who defends children from pediatric ailments. According to religious beliefs, The Goddess carries a 'Kalash' and a 'broom' in her hand. Legends say that around 33 crore Gods and Goddesses reside in the Kalash of Mata Shitala. Shitala Satam is a festival celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm and zeal across India, especially in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The custom of Shitala Satam is similar to that of 'Basoda' and 'Sheetala Ashtami' which is observed just after Holi in the northern parts of India. In Gujarat, Shitala Satam is observed a day before Krishna Janmashtami. Families, especially in Gujarat, observe Shitala Satam rituals to obtain blessings from the goddess. According to mythology, it is believed that Goddess Shitala protects her devotees from health-related problems like measles and chickenpox. She also serves as a fertility goddess, who assists women in finding good husbands and the conception of healthy sons. Her auspicious presence promises the welfare of the family and is also considered to protect the devotee's sources of livelihood. Sheetala is also summoned to ensure refreshing rainfall and the prevention of famines, droughts, as well as cattle diseases. There is one temple of Shitala in each village.
On the occasion women observe Vrat. The Katha of Vrat is given in Bhavishyottara Purana . The story is associated with the legend of Indraluma, the king of Hastinapur and his wife Pralima who had great faith in performing religious ceremonies. The whole story is about the Vrat and the outcome of it of the Daughter of Indraluma, Shubhankar. Click here to read the full story. Like this story, so many stories are woven around the deity. All these are about Chamatkar and there is no touch of science.
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,
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