Kush Amavasya
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Kusha Amavasya is a special
Amavasya Amāvásyā () is the lunar phase of the new moon in Sanskrit. Indian calendars use 30 lunar phases, called tithi in India. The dark moon tithi is when the Moon is within 12 degrees of the angular distance between the Sun and Moon before conj ...
in the month of '' Bhadrapada'' in
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
tradition. It is also known as ''Kushotpatini'' or ''Kushagrahani'' ''Amavasya'' or ''Pithori Amavasya''. In the
Mithila region Mithila (), also known as Tirhut, Tirabhukti and Mithilanchal, is a geographical and cultural region of the Indian subcontinent bounded by the Mahananda River in the east, the Ganges in the south, the Gandaki River in the west and by the foothil ...
, it is called ''Kushi Amavasya''. On this day, the sacred grass
Kush KUSH 1600 AM is a radio station licensed to Cushing, Oklahoma. The station broadcasts a Full service format, consisting of local and national talk, sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, tha ...
in
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
is uprooted and collected by adherents for religious functions, rituals, Karmakanda and Shraddha etc. performed throughout the year.


Description

On the auspicious day of Kushi Amavasya the adherents after taking sacred bath go for uprooting Kushas in farm fields. Then charity, chanting of
mantra A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...
s, penance and fasting etc. throughout the day are performed. While plucking Kusha, some attentions are given that its leaves are not broken, Kush should not be broken with any weapon or iron and it should be broken with the right hand while facing towards the east or north direction. Kush is an ordinary long and thin grass considered as sacred grass in the Vedic tradition. Kush is very important for religious, Vedic rituals, devine and ancestral rites like ''Shraadha'' and Pitripaksha. In
Atharvaveda The Atharvaveda or Atharva Veda (, , from ''wikt:अथर्वन्, अथर्वन्'', "priest" and ''wikt:वेद, वेद'', "knowledge") or is the "knowledge storehouse of ''wikt:अथर्वन्, atharvans'', the proced ...
it has been described as anger calming and evil prevention. The tradition of uprooting ‘Kusha’ is called ''Kushotpatan'' which has been practiced and followed for centuries in the
Mithila region Mithila (), also known as Tirhut, Tirabhukti and Mithilanchal, is a geographical and cultural region of the Indian subcontinent bounded by the Mahananda River in the east, the Ganges in the south, the Gandaki River in the west and by the foothil ...
. According to Panditas, before uprooting the sacred grass Kush, a Vedic mantra is chanted as The meaning of this mantra is related to the request with the earth. The Earth in the mantra is called as Medini, which is requested to grant the sacred grass Kush. According to the mantra Rudra resides at the tip, Lord Vishnu in the middle, and Lord Brahma at the root of the Kush. And the mantra chanted during uprooting the Kusha is Similarly another mantra chanted during uprooting the Kusha is After ''Bhadra Purnima'' this sacred Kusha is used in the oblations performed for the Vedic sage
Agastya Agastya was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the Indian tradition, he is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages of the Indian subcontinent. He is regarded in some traditions to be a Chiranjivi. He and his wife ...
which marks the beginning of Pitrapaksha in
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
.


References

Amavasya Hindu festivals Hindu traditions {{Hinduism-stub