Devi saraswati is a very endearing goddess to all kids and nostalgic adults of Bengal. Like many other pujo [worship] the ever popular saraswati pujo bring forth a lot of myths and ritual practices along with it.
The mythology says, Rishi Vyasdeva once prayed to Goddess Saraswati to be blessed with her wisdom. To test Rishi’s sincerity, Devi Saraswati asked him to plant a seed to grow a fruit-bearing tree and said that she will bless him only when the seed from its ripe fruit would drop on his head. So, Vyasdeva planted a kul [jujube] seed and settled down beside and continued praying. After years and years, a seed dropped on Rishi Vyasdeva, granting him the boon of 'vaak sidhhi' [the ability of making spoken words come true]. The day Rishi received the blessing is known as Vasant Panchami. Goddess Saraswati is worshipped on this auspicious day as this is the day Vyasdeva satisfied the goddess. And as Kul is the fruit that helped Vyasdeva receive Devi Saraswati's blessings, it is said that if one consumes kul on Vasant Panchami they get the blessings of the Goddess of Wisdom.
These mythologies are usually followed by various ritual practises. One such is savouring kul [jujube] only after offering it to the goddess. If one devours it beforehand, they might end up being dumb or worse, flunk exam papers. Though many of our religious practices are shrouded with superstitions, some of them actually hold a very scientific and logical reasoning behind it. The ban on Kul before Vasant Panchami is also one of them. Every year Vasant Panchami comes just before spring, thus always amidst of climate change. As we all know that every season bears fruit, containing elements to fight off the adversity of that particular season. Kul [jujube] also comes with a bunch of booster element to strengthen our immunity against common cold or viral infections. But those benefits are only available in the ripe fruit. The unripe ones on the other hand might be the reason for common cold or at times stomach infections. So More than Vaak sidhhi, the ban on kul was made for blessing of general health.
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