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Today marks the celebration of Chhath, a festival embodying purity, goodwill, and faith, observed with great enthusiasm.

The main ritual will take place this evening, as devotees worship and make offerings to the setting sun.

Though traditionally observed in the Terai districts, Chhath has recently gained popularity in hilly and mountainous areas, including the Kathmandu Valley.

During the festival, participants fast, take holy baths, and offer prasad and argha to the sun while standing in water.

In Janakpurdham, large gatherings are occurring at historic ponds like Ganga Sagar, Dhanus Sagar, Ram Sagar, Ratna Sagar, Bihar Kunda, Argaja, Maharaj Sagar, and Agni Kunda.

Preparations include bamboo fencing, banana trees, and vibrant lighting, enhancing the celebratory atmosphere.

Water is life.

“O water of the seas, of the rivers, of the tanks, of wells and of any other place, hear favorably my prayers and vows. As the traveler, fatigued with the heat, finds rest and comfort under a tree’s shade, so may I find solace and assistance in all my ills, and pardon for all my sins.”

“O water, you are the eye of sacrifice and battle.You have an agreeable flavor; you have the bowels of a mother for us, and all her feelings toward us. I call upon you with the same confidence with which a child at the approach of danger flies to the arms of a loving mother. Cleanse me from my sins, and all other men of their sins. O water, at the time of the flood, Brahma the omniscient, whose name is spelt with one letter, existed alone, and existed under your form. Brooding over you and mingling with you, this Brahma did penance, and by the merits of his penance created night. The waters, which covered the Earth, were drawn into one place and formed the sea. Out of the sea were created the day, the years, the sun, the moon, and Brahma with his four countenances. Brahma created the firmament, the Earth, the air, the smaller worlds and everything that was in existence before the flood.”

Water is called life. No living being can survive on this planet without it. Water is essential for life. Many diseases can be cured through its proper application. Vedic scriptures mention that proper use and application of water can cure several ‘incurable’ diseases. 

In modern times, many scholars and researchers like Vincent, Father Sebastian Kneipp and Louis Kuhne have used it for the treatment of almost all waterborne diseases. So, they are revered and remembered today like medical doctors.

Ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Hebrews and Chinese are said to have used water for the treatment of many diseases. The Greek physician Hippocrates (400-500 BC), known as the ‘Father of Medicine’, used water for treating many incurable diseases. Apart from bodily cleanliness, water is used internally to quench many parts of the body and as Enema for internal cleaning of the body. It is also useful for the treatment of  uric acid, salts and surplus sugar in the body. It can also be used in indigestion.

Water is an extraordinary substance, anomalous in nearly all of its physical-chemical properties and easily the most complex of all the familiar substances that are single chemical compounds. 

Water plays a pivotal role in the life of human beings and life is not possible without it. 

In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on the right to water and sanitation. It is the first UN resolution that explicitly recognizes the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.

Albert Szent Gyorgy has also thrown light on the importance of water in the following lines: “Water is life’s matrix, mother and medium.There is no life without water.”

After taking a holy bath, worshipers offer water in the form of Arghya or Tarpan to the rising and setting Sun by standing in rivers, ponds and  rivulets in the morning and in the evening. This way, they pay respect to the Sun in their daily life. I would like to quote here: “Glory to the Sun and to the planet Venus. May the water that I now offer you find favor in your sight.”

Water is closely related to Maithili culture. Almost all Maithili folk festivals are  solemnized on the banks of rivers. In India also the case is the same. There is a very popular saying that all roads lead towards the Ganges river on the auspicious occasion of Chhath which is celebrated with pomp and show for  four days  every year.It can not be celebrated without water bodies. There is a long tradition of worshiping the sun god in  neighboring country India. The sun worshiping tradition was very popular in Western and Central India, even extending to Bihar. The Chhath celebration of Patna is very famous in India. Patna is the capital city of Bihar.Reference may be made to the Sahapur image inscription of Adityasena (in the district of Patna) and the Deo Baranaka record of Jivitagupts 11 (in the district of Shahababad). They both mention Solar worship in Bihar.It may be that with the migration of Skadvipi Brahmanas to Magadh, the Solar cult was transferred from West Multan and Rajputana to Eastern India. This statement has been supported by later archaeological evidence which testifies to the above mentioned fact. It is celebrated in the ‘Bright Fortnight’ in the month of Kartik for consecutive four days in India and Nepal. Similarly there is no basic difference in the celebration of this festival. This festival fosters age-old cultural bonds between the two countries.The season is also very sweet and soothing.

The very word Chhath consists of two words—Chah (six) and Hath, the Hath Yog, which is a kind of Yog (austerity). So, ‘Chhath’ refers to the process of consciously obtaining solar energy through six stages via methods similar to Hath Yog. Hath here refers to the austerities like fasting for days, standing in cold water and chanting the names of god and also singing folk songs dedicated to the Sun as well as Goddess Chhath Parmeshwari for achieving a certain objective.

According to another point of view, the word Chhath comes from number six. which signifies its starting date(the sixth day of  the lunar month of Kartik in the Hindu calendar), which corresponds to October-November.

• Stage 1: Fasting and the discipline of cleanliness leads to detoxification of the body and mind. This stage prepares the body and mind of the devotee to receive the cosmic solar energy.
• Stage 2: Standing in a body of water (pond, river, etc) with half the body (navel deep) in the water minimizes the leak of energy and helps the prana (psychic energy) to move up the Sushumna (psychic channel in the spine.)
• Stage 3: Cosmic solar energy enters the devotee’s pineal, pituitary and hypothalamus glands (Triveni) through retina and optic nerves.
• Stage 4: Activation of Triveni (tri-glandular complex)—pineal, pituitary and hypothalamus glands—begins.
• Stage 5: A kind of polarization happens in the spine, which results in the devotee’s gross and subtle bodies getting transformed into a cosmic powerhouse. This can also lead to the awakening of the latent psychic energy popularly known as the Kundalini Shakti.
• Stage 6: The body of devotees becomes a channel, which conducts, recycles and transmits the energy into the entire universe

The science of Chhath

The physical bodies of all living beings are highly-sophisticated energy conduits. Solar bioelectricity starts flowing in the human body when it is exposed to solar radiations of specific wavelength. Under favorable physical and mental conditions, the absorption and conduction of this solar bioelectricity increases. The processes and the rituals of Chhath puja prepare the body and the mind of the devotee for cosmic solar energy infusion. The scientific process of Chhath produces photo-electro-chemical, photo-electro-pranic and photo-electro-psychic effects on the devotee. The intake of solar energy using Chhath rituals has a revitalizing effect upon the devotee. Not many people are aware that the Rishis of the yore used to adhere to a scientific process similar to Chhath for their sustenance by avoiding solid or liquid diet. To unlock the mysteries of Chhath, research should be conducted with a focus on photochemistry, photobiology and biochemistry.

As described by the Yogis, cosmic solar energy enters the devotee’s body during the conscious Photo energization process of the Chhath. With the body purified through the prescribed method of fasting, the devotee stands with half the body (navel deep) in water and facing Bhagwan Surya (the sun). During this meditation in the sun, millions of photoreceptor cells present in the retina (in the eye) absorb the light energy (photons) present in the rays.

Retina is a kind of photoelectric material, which emits subtle energy when exposed to light. Hence, very subtle electric energy starts flowing from the retina. This energy (photo-bioelectricity) is transmitted from retina to the Pineal gland by the optic nerves connecting the retina to the pineal gland. This leads to activation of the pineal gland, which is in close proximity with the pituitary and hypothalamus glands (the three glands are collectively called Triveni). 

The energy generated in this process starts impacting these glands positively giving the devotee good health and a calm mind. With the solar charge in the pineal gland rising beyond a certain limit, the top and the bottom ends of the spine start acting like two poles of the energy channel. All these changes transform the devotee into a cosmic powerhouse of subtle energy and this powerhouse starts transmitting the cosmic energy into the universe. 

Preparations

Commoners, along with traders, begin to store and stock necessary materials for Chhath about two months before the festival. Devotees need bamboo-made baskets, earthen lamps, idols of elephants, new clothes like dhoti and saree and also decoration lights, bangles, mirrors, blouses, sacred incense, sandalwood vegetables, fruits and banana trees. Sweets like Thekuwa, Kasar and Khajuria, which are made of wheat flour and rice, are a must. 

Making Prasad

There are different ways to prepare Thekuwa. One can prepare it by mixing flour with ghee, shakkhar (jaggery) and sprinkling some water in the mixture (preferably from the Ganga) and giving it a desired shape. This mixture is deep-fried in ghee (preferably) or oil. 

If you want to make Thekuwa tastier with aromatic smell, coconut, cashew, dates, and raisins in the mixture. Besides Thekuwa, another important item required during Chhath is Bhuswa—a rice flour ball. First of all one should wash rice,heat it, grind it and mix it with the melted molasses. And then make small balls out of the mixture. Khajuriya is also a very important item. These food items are very popular among people of all ages. The food items are so delicious that one can easily imagine  that Chhath Paemeshwari and the sun god also like them and they are pleased by  offering  them. The worshippers prepare food varieties, work in groups and enjoy. They are busy in decoration and cooking. They used to wash wheat in groups,sing songs and grind them in Dhiki (a traditional grinding equipment).

Festive celebrations go on for about a month but the last four days are especially important. Catchy, sweet-sounding and popular festive songs dedicated mainly to the Sun and Chathi Mai (a goddess) echo on the toles (Mohalla) of villages in Madhes. This festival, though chiefly religious, is of multi-caste, multilingual and multi-religious nature. It is above petty politics with maintenance and promotion of communal harmony as its main motto. 

During the month of Kartik, devotees observe a fast, take strictly vegetarian food and maintain personal hygiene for purifying the mind and the body.

Maintaining and promoting communal harmony is the common goal of all our festivals. These festivals boost enthusiasm and encouragement, and play a pivotal role in strengthening unity and fraternity among the people of a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious Nepal.

Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the US Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.

With a win in Wisconsin, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency.

The victory validates his bare-knuckle approach to politics. He attacked his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, in deeply personal—often misogynistic and racist—terms as he pushed an apocalyptic picture of a country overrun by violent migrants.

The coarse rhetoric, paired with an image of hypermasculinity, resonated with angry voters—particularly men—in a deeply polarized nation. As president, he’s vowed to pursue an agenda centered on dramatically reshaping the federal government and retribution against his perceived enemies.

“It’s a political victory that our country has never seen before,” Trump told a victory party in Florida.

Vice-president Kamala Harris, who only entered the race in July after President Joe Biden dropped out, ran a centrist campaign that highlighted Trump’s inflammatory messaging and use of openly racist and sexist tropes.

But his apocalyptic warnings about immigration and championing of isolationism found their mark with voters battered by the post-Covid economy and eager for a change from the Biden years.

The campaign pointed to a nail-bitingly close contest, but the results came surprisingly fast, delivering a crushing victory that included wins in the swing states of Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Trump is the first president in more than a century to win a non-consecutive second term.

He is also the only person to be elected as a convicted felon—he will face sentencing in a New York court for fraud on Nov 26.

Already 78, Trump is on course to break another record as the oldest-ever sitting president during his four-year term. He will surpass Biden who is set to step down in January at the age of 82.

The US dollar surged and bitcoin hit a record high while most equity markets advanced, with traders betting on a victory for Trump as the results rolled in.

But turmoil likely lies ahead.

Trump’s victory comes with his promise of radical policy shifts—not just at home but also abroad, where his unrestrained isolationist and nationalist ‘America First’ stance is likely to have enormous consequences.

He has repeatedly suggested he would end the conflict in Ukraine by pressuring Kyiv to make territorial concessions to Russia, and his threat of mass deportations of illegal immigrants has stirred deep concern in Latin America.

He also returns to the White House as a climate change denier, poised to dismantle his predecessor Biden’s green policies and jeopardize global efforts to curb human-caused warming.

Even before Trump’s stunning victory was fully confirmed, foreign leaders rushed to send congratulations.

AFP

Washington: Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016 because of the Electoral College. So did George W Bush in 2000.

The Electoral College is the unique American system of electing presidents. It is different from the popular vote, and it has an outsize impact on how candidates run and win campaigns. Republicans Trump and Bush lost the popular vote during their presidential runs but won the Electoral College to claim the nation’s top office.

Some Democrats charge that the system favors Republicans and they would rather the United States elect presidents by a simple majority vote. But the country’s framers set up the system in the Constitution, and it would require a constitutional amendment to change.

A look at the Electoral College and how it works, as Trump and Vice-president Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, compete for the White House on Election Day, Nov 5:

What is the Electoral College?

The Electoral College is a 538-member body that elects a president. The framers of the Constitution set it up to give more power to the states and as a compromise to avoid having Congress decide the winner.

Each state’s electors vote for the candidate who won the popular vote in that state. The runner-up gets nothing—except in Nebraska and Maine where elector votes are awarded based on congressional district and statewide results.

To win the presidency, a candidate must secure 270 electoral votes—a majority of the 538 possible votes.

How is it different from the popular vote?

Under the Electoral College system, more weight is given to a single vote in a small state than to the vote of someone in a large state, leading to outcomes at times that have been at odds with the popular vote.

It also affects how candidates campaign. Because the outcome is almost certain in solidly Republican states and solidly Democratic states, candidates tend to focus most of their efforts on a handful of swing states that have split their votes in recent elections.

Who are the electors?

Electors are allocated based on how many representatives a state has in the House of Representatives, plus its two senators. The District of Columbia gets three, despite the fact that the home to Congress has no vote in Congress.

It varies by state, but often the electors are picked by state parties. Members of Congress cannot serve as electors.

How and when are the votes counted?

After state election officials certify their elections, electors meet in their individual states—never as one body—to certify the election. This year, that will happen on Dec 17.

If the two candidates have a tied number of votes, the election is thrown to the House, where each state’s congressional delegation gets one vote. That has happened only twice, in 1801 and 1825.

Once a state’s electors have certified the vote, they send a certificate to Congress. Congress then formally counts and certifies the vote at a special session on Jan 6. The Vice-president presides as the envelopes for each state are opened and verified.

Can lawmakers object?

Lawmakers can object to a state’s results during the congressional certification, as several Republicans did after the 2020 election. On 6 Jan 2021, the House and Senate both voted to reject GOP objections to the Arizona and Pennsylvania results.

After Trump tried to overturn his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden and his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan 6, Congress updated the 1800s-era Electoral Count Act to make it harder to object and to more clearly lay out the vice president’s ceremonial role, among other changes. Trump had pressured Vice-president Mike Pence to try and object to the results—something the Vice-president has no legal standing to do.

Once Congress certifies the vote, the new or returning president will be inaugurated Jan 20 on the steps of the Capitol.

AP