Sharad Purnima 2020 Dates, time, Significance and Rituals

BY : STARZSPEAK

By: Manmeet Kaur Tura

Sharad Purnima 2020- Dates and Time
2020 Sharad Purnima falls on Friday, 30th October 2020. The Purnima tithi Starts at 17:45 on 30th October 2020 and ends at 20:18 on 31st October 2020. Kojagara Purnima is a very important fast and prayers that people observe on this day in order to gratify Goddess Maha Lakshmi. 


Significance of Sharad Purnima
It is believed that the moon is in full brilliance on the day of  Sharad Purnima. According to mythological beliefs, it is said that the moon trips Amrit on the earth on this day which makes it a very auspicious day for the believers. The moonlight on the night of Sharad Purnima is believed to have healing medical and nourishing properties. The devotees stay awake all night under the moonlight and have the belief that it rejuvenates their bodies. People prepare kheer or milk rice and place it under the open sky to be absorbed by the moonlight.  In the morning it is consumed to get the phenomenal powers of moonlight for health and happiness.

Solid foods should be avoided while practicing the Kojagara Purnima fast. Once the fast is completed, the devotees must end the fast with a mixture of cold milk and rice flakes. Cold milk is significant in this fasting ritual as it has its importance in Sharad Ritu. In the Sharad season, the days are hot and the nights are cold and in such weather, acidity is a common occurrence. Therefore, cold milk mixed with rice flakes is an effective remedy to keep this problem at bay.

This festival is celebrated with great fervor in Gujarat as well as West Bengal and is known as Sharad Poonam on the west coast.  It is one of the key festivals celebrated in the east after Durga Puja. In Odisha, it is renowned as Kumar Purnima, i.e. the birthday of Lord Kartikeya.

Sharad Purnima ritual to get a suitable groom
Sharad Purnima has great significance for unmarried girls. On this day unmarried girls observe fast and perform rituals and worship Lord Kartikeya to seek a perfect husband. Many believe this is a day of the worship of the sun and the moon. No particular god is worshipped on this day but nature itself. All can observe the Purnima fast. The fast begins on the morning of the Purnima day and ends on the next day morning during sunrise. 

Sri Krishna’s Rasaleela on Sharad Purnima 
Another belief attached to Sharad Purnima is that on this day Lord Krishna began his Raasleela with his Radha and his Gopis. Rasaleela is a very fascinating miracle performed by Krishna. It is said that the gods who had to be blessed with the fruits of their merits were born as Gopis to get pleasure from the divine leelas of Krishna. So on this day, Krishna played his divine flute for all the Gopis and with his miraculous powers, he multiplied himself and danced with each Gopi throughout the night. It is believed in the mythological stories that through his divine powers, Krishna prolonged the night for so long that it made the Gopis feel as if they enjoyed the dance with Krishna for over a thousand years.