Odisha’s Kartika Brata Prepares Your Body For The Harsh Winter!

Odisha is known for its treasure of  traditions like Oshas and Brata. The ceremony and sanctity of these traditional religious festivities is unparalleled.

In Kartika or autumn, nature is bedecked as a bride with lush green surroundings, adorned with colourful flowers and trees laden with bountiful fruits and chirping birds. Odisha has a predominantly agrarian society, which loves and respects mother nature by celebrating nature-based festivals, that have a connect with Ayurveda.

In Kartika Brata or Rai Damodara Brata,  devotees worship Lord Jagannath for one  month. During this time, Odia women who observe this Brata follow some rituals, important among them being partial fasting and reading of  Karika Mahatmya  and Padma Puran. Many religious events like “Habisha” and ”Baluka Puja” are observed during this period.

Sambalpur Jagannatha Temple devotee Pankajini Padee says, ”Kartik is a spiritual time for us. For one month, our daily routine is distinct. The morning begins early with a prayer in the temple, a lighted lamp is offered to Lord Jagannath and bhajans are sung for long hours. The whole atmosphere is mesmerising and positive energy radiates to all family members. Due to our family responsibilities, we sought to ignore some dos and don’t of Brata but have made an effort to maintain its authenticity. ln this puja, tulsi and amla are the most essential  element. The food is satvik and specific to requirements during Kartik Masha.”

Ayurveda Supports

Yat Pinde, Tat brahmande, which means, “whatever is in the environment is also there in the human body”

Ayurveda recognises changes in the human body according to seasons or ritu. To promptly combat the varying effects of changing seasons on the human body, Ayurveda advocates a Ritucharya. The Indian system follows six seasons in a year Sisira, Vasanta, Grisma, Varsa, Sarad and Hemanta. This time of the year comes under Sharad ritu, when the weather is mild, pleasant and refreshing.

Ayurvedic physician Dr. Sreekanth Ramanan from Ayur Kerala puts forward how Ayurveda works on the principle of  Tridosa – vata, pitta and kapha. All the dosas have different dimensions in our human system. This time of the year, pitta dosa increases as it is deranged. It is derived from the elements of fire and water. Thus, pitta regulates the metabolic process in the body as well as other dimensions like body temperature and our hormonal balance. Hunger, thirst and even intelligence are associated with pitta.

During this season, the pitta of our body is in an unstable condition, so it is advised to take light food. It is prescribed to take things that cool down our body and those that are easily digestable. Before the harsh winter sets in, we should prepare our body to adapt to these changes.

 Sharad ritu lifestyle

• Eat food only when you feel hungry.
• Avoid taking a full meal during any time of the day.
• The food advised for this season is predominantly bitter (tikta), sweet (madhura) and astringent (kashaya) in taste.
• Well-cooked food, which is light to digest in the form of porridge, stew or soup preparation is soothing in this season.
• Food item that is pitta pacifying or cold in potency such as rice, green gram, honey, amla, wheat, pumpkin, white gourd, carrot etc should be included in the diet.
• Fried, spicy, salty food, hot in potency e.g. curd, meat of marine animals, garlic, groundnut, black gram, frozen food is heavy to digest. These are best avoidable.
• Meats of animals from dry land like chicken, turkey, fresh water fish can be part of the diet. On the contrary, for the coastal belt, animal or fish is not recommended .
• Cow milk, butter, jaggery, cumin, cardamom etc can be used in ample quantity.
• Exposure to direct sun light and sleeping during the day should be avoided
• Enjoy a stroll in moonlight as it is beneficial for health.