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The method of celebrating Gudhipadva:
| 1. |
Ablution with
oil (abhyangasnan) - an auspicious bath: On this
day, one should wake up early in the morning and take
an oil bath. With an ordinary bath the raja and tama components decrease by 1/100,000 % and the sattva component
increases by the same amount for only three hours.
However with an oil bath it lasts for four to five
hours. An oil bath consists of an oil massage to facilitate
the absorption of oil by the skin, followed by a warm
water bath. Oil should be applied to retain the elasticity
of the skin. Warm water is auspicious and pleasing
to the body. |
| 2. |
One should narrate
the description of the time period (deshkal) during
the oil bath. The manner of narration of the time
period should include everything from the birth of
Lord Brahma to the duration of His reign, the current
time cycle (manvantar), the main era (mahayug) in that
cycle and the sub-era (upayug) in the main era. This
gives an idea of the vast amount of time that has elapsed
and is yet to come, serving to reduce one's ego by
reminding one how small (insignificant) and subtle
one is in comparison to time! |
| 3. |
Decorating the
doorstep: After the bath one should decorate the
lintel of every door with a bunting of mango leaves
and red flowers. Red flowers are used because red color
indicates auspiciousness. |
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