Fasts of The Hindus Around the Week - Background Stories, Ways of Performance and Their Importance

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Preserving national culture should be a matter of pride because the edifice of the present society stands on the foundation laid by our ancestors. The importance of our cultural heritage has rightly been emphasized in our National Policy of Education (1986).

The Indian culture has been preserved and handed over to progenies through oral preachings. The main aim and objective of this practice was to inculcate in people eternal values like chastity, truthfulness, donation to the needy, helping and serving the elders, good family relations, respect for women, kindness towards all creatures - big or small, preserving nature and natural objects, accepting the nature's gifts as boons, fair dealing with all, devotion or bhakti, shedding hatred, pride, jealousy, anger etc. This was attained through observing fasts and leading a disciplined life and controlling diet and food habits.

The present collection of cultural and religious stories is an attempt to bring to light our oral culture. There is every possibility that some critics may find in these stories certain dogmas, misbeliefs or unscientific attitude towards life. But this is a literature which was meant for an average folk who had no time for higher thoughts or pursuits of life. These stories need fresh interpretations.

The Week Days' stories have special significance in as much as they propose a weekly engagement for the common folk and specially for the women folk. Each day of the week brings a special message. These stories have given solace to millions of people from time immemorial.

Before concluding, it would be worthwhile to explain as to how a particular day of the week was allotted to particular star or planet. According to Indian astronomers, the position of the planets, in order of their placement in the sky, is Shani, Vrihaspati, Mangal, Ravi, Shukra, Budha and Chandrama. They rotate in their own orbits or paths.

The sun was visible on the first dawn upon this earth. This 'hora' or hour was dedicated to this planet. People called it Ravivar or Adityavar i.e. Sun's day. In the second 'hora' or hour, the other planets appeared in quick succession in the rotation as referred to above. In the 24th 'hora' or hour, moon appeared in the sky. So this day was named as Somvar, Chandravar or Moon's day. Likewise other planets followed this pattern and the days were named after them which appeared in the first hour of the succeeding dawn. So 'Shani' was the deity of the dawn on the 7th day.

These stories are mainly related in the Central part of India and especially in the Hindi and Punjabi speaking belts.

**Contents and Sample Pages**