The Anant Chaturdashi involves praying and seeking the favor of Lord Vishnu by worshipping an image or idol of him reclining on the serpent Sheshnaga (a mythical creature).

The festival of Anant Chaturdashi is a festival of purification celebrated by Jain and Hindus. Because this festival falls on the fourteenth day of the waxing moon period, the dates of the festival vary from year to year. In 2018, the Anant Chaturdashi will fall on September 23rd.

There are important items that are required when worshiping Lord Vishnu. These are: flowers, oil lamps, incense sticks, a paste of sandalwood, vermilion and turmeric. Once these items have been availed, the worshipers can then offer milk, fruits and sweets to the eternal Lord Vishnu.

In parts of Bihar and Eastern UP, the festival is closely linked to Ocean of Milk (kshirsagar) and Lord Vishnu’s Anant Roopa. The ritual is as follows:

Fourteen tilaks (small vertical strips) of vermilion are made on a wooden plank. Fourteen puri (fried wheat bread) and fourteen pua (deep fried sweet wheat bread) are placed on these vermilion strips. A bowl containing Panchamrit (made of Milk, Curd, Jaggery, Honey and Ghee) symbolizing kshirsagar (Ocean of Milk) is placed on this wooden plank.

A thread having fourteen knots, symbolizing Lord Anant is wrapped on a cucumber and is swirled five times in this “Ocean of Milk”. Later this Anant thread is tied on the right arm above the elbow by men. Women tie this on their left arm.

Anant’s Vow

A thread colored with turmeric and kumkum, knotted in 14 different places and considered sacred by Hindus/Jains is worn on the right and left wrists of men and women respectively. This Anant thread is removed after fourteen days. It is a visible sign of the vow that is being made on this day, and the following words are chanted by the worshipers while wearing this thread known as Anant Sutra:

“Ananta Sansar Maha Samudre Magnan Samabhyuddhar Vasudeva Ananta Rupey Viniyojitatmamahya Ananta Rupey Namoh Namastute.”

The women of the family fast on this auspicious day while the men make a vow. This vow is to be kept for 14 years, in the hope of gaining wealth, protection and knowledge from Vishnu. Some men also make this vow so as to regain lost wealth.

Worshipers and devotees of the festival wake up at dawn, take a bath and engage in the puja after which they can partake of the milk and fruits. The only caveat is that they have to avoid taking salt during this period.

Lord Ganesha Departs

One may note that Chaturthi is the fourth day of the lunar fortnight, while Chaturdashi is the fourteenth. In the normal course, Anant Chaturdashi falls 12 days after Ganesh Chaturthi.

Anant Chaturdashi is also the last day of the Hindu festival of Ganeshotsav. It is generally the tenth or eleventh day after Ganesh Chaturthi, and all the Ganesh idols brought into homes and communities are immersed in the sea or nearby lakes and rivers.

On this day, people travel to the waterfront with the idols, large and small, dancing and singing in large processions. Lord Ganesha is departed, only to be welcomed the next year with equal excitement.

The story behind this festival:

There was a Brahmin named Sumant. From his wife Diksha he had a daughter named Sushila. After the death of Diksha Sumant married Karkash, who began to give a lot of trouble to Sushila. Sushila married Kaundinya, and both decided to leave the house to avoid the harassment of the step-mother. On the way they stopped near a river.

Kaundinya went to take bath, and Sushila joined a group of women who were performing worship. They told Sushila that they were worshipping “Anant”. “What kind of worship is this?” Sushila asked. “Anant’s Vow”

They told her that it was Anant’s vow. Then they explained to her the importance of that vow. Some fried “Gharga” (made of flour) and “anarase” (special food) are prepared. Half of them have to be given to the Brahmins. A hooded snake (cobra) made of “darbha” (sacred grass) is put in a bamboo basket. Then the snake (“shesh”) is worshipped with scented flowers, oil lamp and incense sticks. Food is offered to the snake and a silk string is kept before the god, and tied to the wrist. This string is called “anant”, it has 14 knots, and is coloured with “Kunkum”. Women tie the “anant” on their left hand and men on their right. The purpose of this vow is to obtain divinity and wealth, and is kept for 14 years.

After listening to this explanation Sushila decided to take the Anant vow. From that day she and her husband Kaundinya began to prosper and became very rich.

One day Kaundinya, noticed the Anant string on Sushila’s left hand. When he heard the story of the Anant vow, he was displeased and maintained that they had become rich, not because of any power of Anant, but because of the wisdom he had acquired by his own efforts. A heated argument followed, and at the end Kaundinya took the Anant string from Sushila’s hand and threw it into the fire.

After this all sorts of calamities happened in their life, and finally they were reduced to extreme poverty. Kaundinya understood that it was the punishment for having dishonoured “Anant”, and decided that he would undergo rigorous penance until God Himself appeared to him.

Kaundinya went into the forest. There he saw a tree full of mangoes, but no one was eating the mangoes. The entire tree was attacked by worms. He asked the tree if he had seen Anant, but got a negative reply. Then Kaundinya saw a cow with her calf, then a bull standing on a field of grass without eating the grass. Then he saw two big lakes joined to each other with their waters mixing with one another. Further he saw a donkey and an elephant. To every one Kaundinya asked about Anant, but no one had even heard this name. Then he became desperate and prepared a rope to hang himself.

Then suddenly an old venerable Brahmin appeared before him. He removed the rope from Kaundinya’s neck and led him into a cave. At first it was very dark. But then a bright light appeared and they reached a big palace. A great assembly of men and women had gathered. The old Brahmin went straight towards the throne.

Then Kaundinya could no longer see the Brahmin, but only Vishnu instead. Kaundinya realized that Vishnu himself had come to save him, and that Vishnu was Anant, the Eternal One. He confessed his sin in failing to recognize the Eternal in the string on Sushila’s hand. Anant promised Kaundinya that if he made the 14-year-vow, he would be free from all his sins, and would obtain wealth, children and happiness.

Anant explained that the mango tree was a Brahmin, who in a previous life had acquired plenty of knowledge, but had not communicated it to anyone. The cow was the earth, which at the beginning had eaten all the seeds of plants. The bull was religion itself. Now he was standing on a field of green grass. The two Lakes were two sisters who loved each other very much, but all their alms were spent on each other only. The donkey was cruelty and anger. Finally the elephant Kaundinya’s pride.

From: Wikipedia and World Religion News