When a thursday coincides with a dashami tithi in the shukla paksha, the ritual of Sudasha vrata is observed by married women in Orissa.
This ritual propitiates goddess Lakshmi the goddess of wealth, for granting prosperity and well-being to all members of the family.
The origin of this vrata is rooted in the Padma Purana texts, in a story narrated by Sage Agasteya of how a king regained his lost glory when his queen performed the Sudasha vrata. This legend blesses the reader of the legend who is performing the vrata, with all ‘siddhis’ and a place in heaven, besides granting her family prosperity and well-being.
The most important part of this vrata is the making of the ‘vrata’ or sacred thread that is tied on the arm after it is duly consecrated during the ritual. This vrata is made of ten strands of white thread twisted together (each strand made by twisting together three strands of thread so total thirty strands of thread are used). Each strand of the ten has a knot; while making the knot, one name of the forms of goddess Lakshmi is recited. These ten forms are Mahalakshmi, Kamala, Padma, Haripriya, Daridryabhanjini, Koumadaki, Gajavahini, Chalaa, Janaki, and Rukmini.
Once knotted, the ‘vrata’ is placed in the altar before a picture of goddess Lakshmi. A lotus motif is drawn with rice paste (chita). A ‘kalash’ is placed. Ten whole betel nuts, ten leaves of durva grass, ten flowers of ten colours, a lamp made with pure ghee and a wick made of ten strands of thread, haldi powder, ten manda pithas made with a stuffing of coconut, paneer, moong, jeera, karpoora, – these are the essential ingredients for the puja. The lamp is lit and the ‘sudasha vrata katha’ from the Padma Purana is read. Then the ‘vrata’ is wound around the left arm and remains there until the next auspicious date of sudasha vrata when a new one replaces it.
Today is Sudasha Vrata.
