Ananta Chaturdashi अनन्त चतुर्दशी
Lord Vishnu (Ananta Padmanabha) · Full-day vrat
The 14th day of Bhadrapada Shukla Paksha — marking the worship of Vishnu in his Ananta-Shesha reclining form, and also the immersion (visarjan) day for Ganesh murtis after 10 days of Ganesh Chaturthi. Devotees tie the sacred Ananta-sutra — a 14-knotted yellow or red cotton thread — on the right wrist (men) or left wrist (women), invoking Vishnu’s 14 lokas of protection. Mumbai sees its largest visarjan procession of the year at Girgaum Chowpatty with over 200,000 Ganesh murtis immersed.
Rituals (vidhi)
- 1.Tying the 14-knotted Ananta-sutra after Vishnu puja
- 2.Vishnu Sahasranama parayana
- 3.Ganesh visarjan procession (final day of Ganesh Chaturthi 10-day cycle)
- 4.Vrat of fasting until the puja is concluded at noon
- 5.Reading of Ananta Vrat Katha from the Bhavishyottara Purana
Significance
The Bhavishyottara Purana narrates Yudhishthira learning the Ananta Vrat from Krishna himself during the Pandavas’ vanavasa — restoring their fortunes lost at the dice game. The 14 knots symbolise the 14 manvantaras and the 14 worlds. The convergence with Ganesh visarjan makes it Mumbai and Pune’s largest single-day spiritual gathering — 1.5 million devotees on the streets.
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