Relevance & Significance of Makar Sankranti
*Makar Sankranti*
The auspicious day of Makar Sankranti which falls in the Krishna paksha of Magha maas, in the month of January, is considered a very auspicious day, and marks the entering of the sun into the sign of Capricorn or ‘Makar’. Although in ancient times all Sankrantis were observed and celebrated, Makar sankranti is of special importance, as it also marks the beginning of the auspicious six month period of Uttarayan, the Sannyasa thithi of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and also the descent of the river Ganges on this earthly planet.
After the war on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, when Bhishma Dev was lying on a bed of arrows and was about to leave his body, at that time he was waiting for the sun to enter into Uttarayan, as it is considered to be an auspicious time, and therefore it may be understood that he left his body on the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti while beholding the beautiful face of Lord Krishna in the holy place of Kurukshetra which is also known as Dharmakshetra.
*This glorious day also marks the descent of mother Ganges on this earthly planet,* after the austere penances performed by King Bhageerath with the aspiration to free his ancestors from the curse of Kapil Rishi.
Another significant event that took place on this day was the *acceptance of the _sannyas_ order of life by Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu* for the purpose of preaching and propagating the path of devotional service and delivering all the fallen conditioned souls in this age of Kali.
*Ganga Sagar mela* is also held today.More than a million pilgrims dip themselves in the holy water of the Ganges in Bengal.
The auspicious day of Makar Sankranti which falls in the Krishna paksha of Magha maas, in the month of January, is considered a very auspicious day, and marks the entering of the sun into the sign of Capricorn or ‘Makar’. Although in ancient times all Sankrantis were observed and celebrated, Makar sankranti is of special importance, as it also marks the beginning of the auspicious six month period of Uttarayan, the Sannyasa thithi of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and also the descent of the river Ganges on this earthly planet.
After the war on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, when Bhishma Dev was lying on a bed of arrows and was about to leave his body, at that time he was waiting for the sun to enter into Uttarayan, as it is considered to be an auspicious time, and therefore it may be understood that he left his body on the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti while beholding the beautiful face of Lord Krishna in the holy place of Kurukshetra which is also known as Dharmakshetra.
*This glorious day also marks the descent of mother Ganges on this earthly planet,* after the austere penances performed by King Bhageerath with the aspiration to free his ancestors from the curse of Kapil Rishi.
Another significant event that took place on this day was the *acceptance of the _sannyas_ order of life by Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu* for the purpose of preaching and propagating the path of devotional service and delivering all the fallen conditioned souls in this age of Kali.
*Ganga Sagar mela* is also held today.More than a million pilgrims dip themselves in the holy water of the Ganges in Bengal.
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