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Shashtiabdapoorthi - (60th Birth Anniversary)

Shashti Abda Poorthi (Sanskrit meaning: Sashti == 60, Abda == years, Poorthi == completion) is also known as 'Sashti Poorthi'. It is a Hindu ceremony that is celebrated to commemorate the 60th birthday of a person. From the Western perspective, it is close to the sliver-wedding anniversary. As per the Hindu culture, the age sixty is of great significance because it is considered as a turning point in a man's life for at this age one has usually fulfilled his commitments to family and home and so he can turn his mind to spirituality. We can say that, the period before he reached sixty is defined by materialistic pursuits and thereafter it is to be defined by his strive towards spiritualism.

Meaningful and elaborate rituals have been included to mark this milestone in a person's life. Some of the wedding rituals are performed. Some call this ceremony as Ugra Ratha Shanthi, which literally means appeasement of harsh times.

The couple seek the blessings of elders who have themselves completed their Shashti Abda Poorthi and in turn bless the ones who are younger to them.

Janmaabde, Janmamaasecha Swajanmadivase tathaa Janmarshe chaiva kartavyaa shanti rugrarathaahvayaa Devaalaye nadeeteere swagruhe vaa shubhasthale

As per the above-mentioned mantra, Sashti Abda Poorthi could be conducted in the year, month and the day a person completes 60 years of age. If this is not possible then an auspicious day as per the person's birth chart is fixed during the year before the completion of sixty years. Usually, Sashti poorthi is celebrated at the completion of the 60th year and the ushering in of the 61st year.

The Rituals Involved

Even before commencing the ceremony, the morning rituals like bath and sandhya vandhanam are carried out to purify the body. Vedic Pundits will now give permission to start the rituals, this is referred to as 'ANUKJNA'.

• Ganapathi Pooja is done as in all the Hindu rituals.
• Sankalpam: The couple prays to the almighty to grant them a healthy and contented life. They also seek blessings from God to free from the sins committed and bad effects of forthcoming planetary periods.
• Graha Preethi Dhana and Vaishna Sradham are conducted at this stage.
• 'Abyuthaya Sradham' or 'Nandee Sradham' is performed to seek the blessings of the ancestors.
• Punyaham is done so as to sanctify the venue. It is also symbolic of purifying one's body and mind.
• Repetition of Wedding Rituals

In the ceremony, the couple who is celebrating the ritual repeats their marriage vows; they perform the wedding rituals like malai marral (exchange of garlands), Mangalya Dharanam (tying of the mangalyam) and taking Manthra Snanam with the water blessed with the udhaka sayana manthras. The Vedas are recited for about four days and discourses on the epic Ramayana are conducted to remind people of the Vedic way of life.

Kalasha Sthapana and Kalasha Pooja

The Mrityunjayadevata Kalasa Sthapana and Pratima Sthapana form an essential part, while archanas are also performed.

The procedure for Kalasa Sthapanam varies from place to place, the main difference being in the number of kalashas used, it can be 60, 33 or 12. After Kalasa Sthapana, Shodasa Upachara Pooja is performed with the chanting of Vedic mantras in order to invoke the deities.

Pujas

The worship of Gowri or Ma Durga and Lord Vishnu too form an integral part of the ritual. This is called the Paratpara Puja. Prayers and pujas to Samvathsara devatas- the gods of the sixty Tamil/Sanskrit years, the Nakshathra devatas- the gods for all the stars, Thithi Devatas- the gods for the phases of the moon and Dikpalakas the gods for the eight cardinal directions. The deities are invoked in the Mandalam or Kumbhams.

Chanting of various Vedic mantras including Varuna Sookhtha, Purusha Sooktha, Nakshatra Sookhta and Dik Palaka Mantrasare done and concluding with the performance of Dosha Shaanthi.

Sasti-abda-poorthi

Socio-Religious Graduageing

Turning sixty is a social-religious event in India especially in south. Shashtiabdapoorthi is a family event , when a 'remarriage 'of the couple, is performed .This unusual custom marked by rituals, reverberating with the 'mantras ' is spiritually and mentally rejuvenating for a couple who are 'graduageing' .Witnessed by the next generation, it is a social event that reflects continuity.

The social, religious and spiritual connotations of this function

When a man turns sixty it is not just another birthday that is to be celebrated with usual greetings,,gifts,cards,flowers,cake and candles. While it may include all that ,it also calls for no less than a sacred Vedic celebration called Shshtiabdapoorti:'Shasti' being 60,'Abdam' the year, with Poorti signifying the completion of 60 years in a man's lifetime. It is also a happy event that reinforces the existing bond between the man and his wife and is expressed in the unusual custom of a remarriage of the couple watched fondly by a retinue of children grandchildren ,relations and friends.

At sixty ,man had crossed only 50% of his life because the actual span of his life is 120 years according to Vedas. A sixtieth year, which is just half the span of time originally given to man is considered a critical period .According to the science of Hindu numerology ,6 happens to be an uneasy number and therefore 60 is a time when the ruling planet of a person may have an adverse effect on a man's life; He performs a religious Shanti, a measure undertaken to ensure good health, peace and longevity.

How does it feel to be sixty? For most of us it is conscious ageing, an increasing awareness that though the body is ephemeral the spirit on the contrary ,can soar! It can take us through hitherto unexplored paths, for sixty is certainly a time when man pauses to take stock of the life gone by and to begin a new chapter in life, unfettered by professional commitments. Now he is free to answer his own inner calling for things beyond the material domain. In this frame of mind, he is equipped to combat the physical fatigue that sets in with age, to counter a certain slowness and exhaustion which overtakes those who are prepared to comprehend the implications of age . For the mentally alert, it is a time for thinking about the new options in life , a wonderful chance of using one's freedom from the daily grind in office for pleasurable and spiritually nourishing activities.