Parva - Adiparva (त्रिषष्टितमो अध्यायः)
Gudi Padva, practiced in the peculiar way by raising a bamboo staff decorated with new clothes, garlands and a copper pot, is done today only in Maharashtra.
This practice has a very ancient precedent, which is discussed in an earlier chapter of Mahabharata. This post is an attempt at making everyone interested in knowing about the antiquity of this practice.
Conversation between Indra and Uparichara Vasu (as told by Sage Vaishampayana to Janmejaya in Mahabharata - त्रिषष्टितमो अध्यायः)
Uparichara Vasu has been described as a Pauravanandana, which means he was a king who belonged to the Puru Dynasty.
He undertakes rigorous penance, which alarms all the Indraadi Devatas, who feel that he is after Indra's throne. So all of them come down and initiate a dialogue with him.
Indra asks him to rule over the land to ensure Dharma. He recommends the land of Chedi as the people there are Dharmik and the land is prosperous. He also gifts him a Vimana made of quartz (Sphatika) and a garland of ever-blooming lotuses (Vaijayantimala) which would make him invincible.
(The Mahabharata Shlokas follow now...the Hindi to English translations being mine, the mistakes are also mine)
यष्टिं च वैष्णवीं तस्मै ददौ वृत्रनिषूदनः |
इष्टप्रदानमुद्दिश्य शिष्टानां प्रतिपालिनीम् ||17||
Having said so, the slayer of Vritrasura (Indra) gifted a bamboo staff to Uparichara, as a token of love, which was meant to protect the righteous
तस्याः श्क्रस्य पूजार्थे भूमौ भूमिपतिस्तदा |
प्रवेशं कारयामास गते संवत्सरे तदा ||18||
Thereafter, on passage of a year, Uparichara Vasu (referred here as Bhumipati) performed the worship of Indra Deva by affixing this bamboo staff in the ground.
ततः प्रभृति चाद्यापि यष्टेः क्षितिपसत्त्मैः |
प्रवेशः क्रियते राजन् यथा तेन प्रवर्तितः ||19||
(Vaishampayana to Janamejaya) O Rajan, this tradition of affixing the staff in the ground started by Vasu has been followed to this day by all Supreme Kings.
अपरेद्युस्ततस्तस्याः क्रियतेअत्युच्छ्र्यो नृपैः |
अलंकृतायाः पिट्कैर्गन्ध्माल्यैश्च भूष्णैः ||20||
माल्यदाम्परिक्षिप्ता विधिवत् क्रियतेअपि च |
भगवान् पूज्यते चात्र हंसरूपेण चेश्वरः ||21||
On the next day i.e. the first day of the new Samvatsara a.k.a. Pratipada/Padva/Padvo, the bamboo staff is taken to a very high location; then it is decorated with clothes, fragrant garlands and jewellery. Following all rituals, it is annointed with floral garlands and sanctified threads. After decorating it thus, this staff is worshipped as Lord Indra in the form of a Swan.
Vaishampayana follows with description of Lord Indra accepting the worship and granting prosperity and well being to Chedi Kingdom. This ritual done on the first day of a new year is termed as Indrotsava and is a very meritorious one.
Ref - Mahabharata 01_ Sanskrit-Hindi_Pandit Ramnarayan_Gita Press
