SHANTHA(CHOPAL)- All roads and Pakdandis of Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh lead to Shantha here for a week-long religious congregation- Shrimad Bhagwat Katha Gyan Yagya.
Arrival of Kulla Maharaj Dev- lord of land- from its temple treasury, Bateuri village on May 24 in this village here will give a sacred start to this divine feast of seven days.
As a tradition, Shrimad Bhagwat will begin with a religious Kalash Yatra in the early hours of May 25 in the premises of Kul Devi known as Shadbahi here.
Legendary history of Bhagwat will come alive here on May 25.
Katha Vachak and Yagya Vyas, Maneesh Dev Sharma and a galaxy of Brahmins will invoke the Holy Universe of Lord Vishnu and His Avatars Lord Krishana and Lord Rama at this Shaktisthal, which has been decorated for the religious event by the villagers.
In a Mantra-mugdh mudra, Katha Vachak will narrate Bhagwat Katha to thousands of Shradhalu in his magical voice. Acharya Dev comes from the family of Kul Purohits of Badhan.
The roots of the Bhagwat Katha can be traced back to the sacred realm of the gods.
According to Hindu legends, Lord Shiva himself first narrated the divine Bhagwat Katha to Sukhdev Muni in Dev Lok for the first time.
Passed down through generations, the Bhagwat Katha has endured as a beacon of wisdom, illuminating the minds and hearts of countless individuals.
In Prithvi Lok, the story of Bhagwat was narrated by Sangkadit Rishi for the first time in the distant past.
The sages had narrated this Divine Katha at Sidhstrot, a remote dense lush green forest located at the base of Neel Mountain in Haridwar, a Holy centre of the Hindus.
It is believed that it is at Sidhstrot that human life begins for the first time on Earth.
This is how a legendary history of Bhagwat Katha begins.
Once again, recital of Katha will come alive at Shantha known as Hastinapur of Panshis Rajputs, who are the descendants of Pandav, from May 24 to May 31 in 2023.
Bhagwat Katha is not new for people. It has been organised umpteen times by umpteen villages or individuals over the years by the devotees across India.
In Shantha itself, Bhagwat is being held for the second time by Badhaan Biradari.
But this time Bhagwat is different as it is being organised by the new generation of village elders.
It is believed that the Bhagwat Katha has the power to dispel negativity, evil influences, and ill-will, replacing them with positivity and harmony.
The Katha acts as a purifier, cleansing the souls of the listeners and ensuring the well-being of future generations.
In fact, there are a series of Bhagwat being organised in different parts of Shimla and other districts in the post-Corona pandemic period to redeem people from their Rog, Dosh and Paap.
It also speaks of revival of ‘Bhagwatism’ among hill people. Bhagwat dispels “negativities” in human mind and body brought about by Covid Pandemic.
The believers say that Bhagwat Katha, when it is performed with devotion, humility and unity, ushers into an era of prosperity and compassion within the village community.
Hindu Acharyas say Shrimad Bhagwat Katha is Holy Granth of entire Hindu fraternity that guide and inspire them in all of their endeavours in their daily religious, social and economic life down the Millennium.
Bhagwat Puran is a Vishvakosh. It contains the gist of four Vedas, Upanishads and philosophical texts of Hindus and deal with all subtle subjects of Human life on Earth in a simple way so that everybody understands it.
The scholars agree that Bhagwatam was compiled in the 10th century in the southern state of Tamil Nadu by alvar Brahmin.
Alvars were Hindu mystics who went from temple to temple singing hymns in praise of their Lord Vishnu.
Their counter parts were the Nayanar who are followers of Lord Shiva.
There are 18 Hindu Maha Puran. Matsya Puran is the oldest- It is half-Human and Half-fish Avatar of Lord Vishnu.
Other Puran are: Vishnu, Naradiya, Padma, Garud, Varaha, Bhagavat, Kurma, Linga, Shiva, Skand, Agni, Brahmanda, Brahmavaivarta, Markandeya, Bhavishya, Vamana, Brahma.
They are recited for the right cause, on the right occasion and at right time as directed by Hindu liturgy.
There is no concrete evidence on exact date of genesis of Bhagwat. But it is believed that Bhagwat has originated between 950 C.E. and 1015 C.E in its present form. 
This ancient book tells a story of Mahabharata (Krishna Avatar) Ramayan (Ramavatar) and Bhagwan Vishnu’s Narasimha avatar.
Shrimad Bhagwat Puran has 333 Adhayay, 12 books (Skand) that narrate various stories for believers on how to live and deal with universe.
Hindu Acharyas say that Shrimad Bhagwat Katha is not only Hindu Granth: It is a Granth in which Bhagwan narrates all of “His Lilas” to millions of devotees down the Millennium on this Earth.
But most important of all is this: Audience should listen to the Bhagwat Katha, imbibe its true spirit and then put them into practice in their day-to-day life.
It is this one and the only way that Shrimad Bhagwat Katha delivers its power to the devotees, not otherwise.
As far as Bhagwat Katha congregation at Shantha is concerned, Badhan Biradari has left no stone untuned to make this congregation fruitful for every Shradhalu. The village women from every household also joined hands with the men counterparts and contributed their hard-earned money and time out of their devotion and goodwill.
So is the case with other people including elders and youngsters, who have made an all-out efforts to make Bhagwat memorable for all the ‘Shradhalus’, says Shantha Nambardar, Umesh Banchaik.
“We expect Shradhalus coming here from all over Chopal and other parts of Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts”, he adds.
Entire Badhaan Biradari has come together for Shrimad Bhagwat with devotion and humility. They are giving their precious time and raising funds and making arrangement for Bhagwat and Bhandara for the visitors expected to come here for seven days.
From cleaning and renovating the premises of the Patangan here, all men and women and even younger lot have joined hands, he adds.
“We had paucity of funds as we needed money to raise two new Sarai, logistics and catering arrangements for the Acharyas and Pandits and hundreds of Shradhalus expected to participate in the weeklong Congregation here”.
“But people from all walks of life in the villages especially village women made their contribution”, he added.
“We have made sperate committees for different tasks and have made wide publicity. Bhagwat Katha is katha of Bhagwan himself and we request people from all over region to participate in this Katha and earn Punya”, says Gopal Dilaik, the district language officer(retd), who is also a local resident. 
Panchayat Pradhan Rajinder Chauhan says that they have also got support from the BDO and local administration and panchayat samiti. “We have to make parking points near the village so that the visitors do not face problem and traffic runs smoothly”, he adds.
So, come and saviour divine Prasad and be a part of mood of divinity and devotion at this land of Kulla Maharaj and Devi Thaur!
