The demon Muran, whose death at the hands of The Feminine Energy of Vishnu on the Eka-Dashi (11th day of lunar month during the sun's journey in the Dhanur Rashi),

Impressed by the act, Vishnu names her as 'Ekadashi' and gives her the boon that those who worship 'Ekadashi' on the day of her victory over Muran would reach 'Vaikunth' (His abode).

Muran stands for the Rajasic and Tamasic qualities in people, attributed to lust, passion, inertia, arrogance etc.
Burning Muran to ashes signifies conquering these tendencies, when one attains the purity of mind, Satva, indispensable for attaining of moksha, the liberation or realization of the self. For realizing the self as pure awareness, purity of mind is required.
Fasting helps to keep at bay tendencies which could be triggered by intake of certain foods.
Keeping vigil in the night is symbolic of awareness, or being watchful of the contents of the mind.
When the mind is looked at, it becomes still. To abide in the stillness is to attain freedom or peace, acquired through merging of the mind with the self.
This is symbolic of the mind automatically being absorbed at the sight of Vishnu after the arduous fast and vigil.
The belief that rice is prohibited, because Muran dwells in it, symbolically signifies that the eating of rice makes one feel heavy and hampers the vigil.
This signifies that entertaining negative tendencies could hamper one's progress towards self awareness or consciousness.

Hence the merit accrued through observing them with piety is believed to be immeasurable.

In the Mahabarata, Bhagavad Gita the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna at the beginning of Kurukshetra War is said to have occurred on this day.

Hence imbibing of the message of Bhagvad Gita is path and opening of the northern door (representative of Kapala- the soft spot door on the skull through with Jiva enter at birth and exit at death)-
The door to Liberation from being limited to limitless; from exclusivity to inclusivity; from bondage to liberation; from soul to collective consciousness.

Today- is the ideal Kaala - time, to liberate oneself by burning all the negativity and ignorance by surrendering and connecting to the collective consciousness.

Muran means Contradiction- in Tamil we say ‘Muran Padu’- the conflict arising out of contradiction within oneself- between ones true self and the what we think as ourselves.
Burning this conflict to ashes is Moksha or Liberation.
Bhogi is symbolic of this.

Happy beginning of the 4 day harvest festival Pongal

Blessed Vaikunta Ekadasi.
13 Jan 2022

Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan or Maghi or simply Sankranti, also known in Bangladesh and West Bengal as Poush Sankranti, and in Nepal as Maghe Sankranti, sam(n)kranti here means ‘transfer’, this day is considered as the transition day of Sun into the Capricorn. Now the sun moves northwards in the Hindu calendar, dedicated to the deity Surya (sun), many native festivals are organised all over India. It is observed each year the day Sun enters the Capricorn zodiac which corresponds with the month of January as per the Gregorian calendar.
It marks the first day of the sun's transit into Makara rashi (Capricorn).
Uttarayan, Sankranti, Magha
Môkôr Sôngkrānti, Mela, Maghi
Ghughuti, Bhogi

Songkran (Thailand), Thingyan (Myanmar), Mohan Songkran (Cambodia), and Shishur Saenkraath (Kashmir).

On Makar Sankranti the Sun god is worshipped along with Lord Vishnu and goddess Lakshmi throughout India.

First day of makara masa (15 Jan in leap years; 14 Jan in all other years)

Every year Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the month of January. This festival is dedicated to the sun god Surya.
This significance of Surya is traceable to the Vedic texts, particularly the Gayatri Mantra, a sacred hymn of Hinduism found in its scripture named the Rigveda.

Religious and cultural, harvest festival, welcome longer days, sun worship

Makar Sankranti is observed with social festivities such as colourful decorations, rural children going house to house, singing and asking for treats in some areas, melas (fairs), dances, kite flying, bonfires and feasts.
The Magha Mela, is mentioned in the Hindu epic Mahabharata.
Many observers go to sacred rivers or lakes and bathe in a ceremony of thanks to the sun.

Every twelve years, the Hindus observe Makar Sankranti with Kumbha Mela – one of the world's largest mass pilgrimage, with an estimated 60 to 100 million people attending the event.

At this event, they say a prayer to the sun and bathe at the Prayagaraj confluence of the River Ganga and River Yamuna, a tradition attributed to Adi Shankaracharya.

Makara Sankranti is regarded as important for spiritual practices and accordingly, people take a holy dip in rivers, especially Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri. The bathing is believed to result in merit or absolution of past sins. They also pray to the sun and thank for their successes and prosperity.
A shared festival cultural practices.

The festival Sankranti is celebrated for four days.
Women decorate the entrance of their homes by geometric patterns drawn using colored rice flour, called Kola Mavu.

* Day 1 – Bhogi
* Day 2 – Sankranti the main festival day -Pongal
* Day 3 – Maattu Pongal
* Day 4 – Kaanum Pongal
Bhogi
Bhogi is the first day of the four-day festival. It is celebrated with a bonfire with logs of wood, other solid-fuels, and wooden furniture at home that are no longer useful. In the evening, a ceremony called Bhogi Pallu, fruits of the harvest such as regi pallu and sugarcane are collected along with flowers of the season. Money is often placed into a mixture of treats and is poured over children. The children then collect the money and sweet fruits.
Sankranti - Pongal
The second and main day of the four-day festival, and is dedicated to the Hindu god Surya.
The day marks the start of the Uttarayana, when the sun enters the 10th house of the zodiac Makara.
It is commonly called as (Big festival). Day of Thanksgiving, festivities and celebration of Natures benevolence.
Maattu Pongal
The third day of the four-day festival, it is dedicated to the cattle and other domestic animals. The cattle are decorated, especially cows, they are offered bananas, a special meal and worshipped.
Kaanum Pongal
It is the fourth and last day of the four-day festival. Many families hold reunions on this day.

Flying kites, Symbolic of the message that if you are light within, supported as an arched bow, grounded by the string of ancestral blessings, willing to trust and fly, aided by the five elements of Earth, Moisture, Fire(Sun), Air(favourable wind) and Space.

Pongal - literally the overflow of abundance of natures goodness as food is the season of harvest of rice and sugarcane.
Sugarcane - ‘Ikshu kothandam’ the bow of nature is symbolic of being a beneficial energy provider by one ability to be humble and flexible like a bow. Knotted in between it denotes a natural portion control, with a message it to be shared.
The earthen pot, detoxed by an overnight storage in water, rice from the new harvest, jaggery from palm, ghee from the benevolent cow…
All these make Pongal unique.

Kite flying, bonfires, fairs, surya puja in river, feast, arts, dance, socialization, Cow Pooja, Singing, dancing, sharing, respecting, worshipping are embedded in this festival of Sun’s northern journey.

Happy Pongal and Makara Sankranthi to all