The festival of Rishi Panchami is considered special for the worship of our legendary sages Muni Vasishtha, Kashyapa, Vishwamitra, Atri, Jamadagni, Gautama and Bharadwaja. And the fast observed on this day is called Rishi Panchami Vrata. According to Brahma Purana, women of four castes should observe this fast on this day.
So do this quickly-
This fast is observed as an atonement for touching and other sins committed by the body in an impure state. If women knowingly or unknowingly perform puja, housework, touch of husband etc. their sins are destroyed by this fast. This day is considered special for the worship of our legendary sages Muni Vasishtha, Kasyapa, Vishwamitra, Atri, Jamadagni, Gautama and Bharadwaja.
Those who observe this fast should purify the place of worship by bathing in the river or at home with the teeth of Apamarga in the morning and putting earth on the body. Now make a mandala with the colors of Rangoli, fill an earthen or copper pot with barley and place cloths, pancharatnas, flowers, scents, akshats etc. on it and take a vow at the beginning of the fast. Bharadwaj, Vishwamitra, Gautama. , the seven sages Jamadagni and Vasishtha and Goddess Arundhati should be worshipped. After that these sages should be worshiped according to the rules. On this day people usually eat curd and sathi rice, use of salt is prohibited. All things produced from plowed fields are considered forbidden during this fast, so the produce of plowed fields should not be eaten even in the form of fruit food.
In the Satya Yuga, a Brahmin named Sumitra, who knew the Vedas and Vedangas, lived with his wife Jayasri. They earned their living by farming. His son’s name was Sumati, who was a thorough scholar and hospitable. In due course both died at the same time. Jayashree gave birth to a dog and her husband Sumitra became a bull. Fortunately they both started staying at their son Sumati’s house. Once Sumati performed Shraddha for her parents. His wife cooked kheer for a Brahmin meal, which was unknowingly crushed by a snake. The dog was watching this. Thinking that Brahmins who eat kheer will die, he himself touched the kheer. Enraged by this, Sumati beat the dog a lot. Then he cleaned all the utensils and again made kheer and fed it to the Brahmins and buried the remains in the ground. This is why the dog was hungry that day. At midnight the dog came to the bull and told the whole story. The bull was sad and said – ‘Today Sumati used to plow me with her face tied to the plough, and did not even let me graze on the grass. I am also suffering from this.’ Sumati was listening to both of them and she knew that dog and bull are our parents. He offered food to both of them and went to the sages and asked to know the cause of the birth of the parents in the animal vagina and the remedy for their welfare. Rishis asked them to observe fast on Rishi Panchami for their liberation. As per the order of the sages, Sumati devoutly fasted on Rishi Panchami, thereby freeing her parents from the animal vagina.
