Kushe Aunsi or Father’s Day Being Observed Today

Dragon Media Correspondent

Followers of the Vedic Sanatan tradition are observing Kushe Aunsi today by bringing sacred kusha grass into their homes for use throughout the year in religious rituals and ancestral rites.

The festival is observed every year on Bhadra Krishna Aunsi. According to religious tradition, kusha grass that is ritually worshipped and uprooted by a Brahmin before being taken to the homes of devotees is believed to bring welfare and prosperity to the family.

Prof. Dr. Devmani Bhattarai said that kusha grass collected on this day can be used throughout the year, while grass collected on other days is traditionally considered suitable for use only on the same day.

Sanatan followers regard kusha, tulsi, peepal and shaligram as sacred symbols associated with Lord Vishnu. Religious tradition also holds that the creator Brahma brought forth sacred kusha along with sentient beings. The kusha brought into homes today is used during religious ceremonies and ancestral rituals throughout the year.

Kushe Aunsi is also observed as a day to honour fathers. Children traditionally offer their living fathers favourite foods and sweets, show respect and seek their blessings. The occasion is widely known as the day of “seeing one’s father’s face.”

Those whose fathers have passed away visit sacred places to perform tarpan, pindadan, shraddha and other ancestral offerings in their memory. A major religious gathering is traditionally held at the Gokarneshwar Mahadev Temple in the northeastern part of Kathmandu, also known as Uttargaya. For this reason, the day is also popularly called Gokarne Aunsi.

Large numbers of devotees visit the Gokarneshwar temple premises to perform rituals and offerings in memory of their deceased fathers. Jayaram Mahat, chair of Ward No. 4 of Gokarneshwar Municipality and also chair of the temple area management committee, said preparations for the gathering have been completed.

A similar religious fair is traditionally held at Betravati, the confluence area of Rasuwa and Nuwakot. People whose fathers have passed away travel there to perform tarpan, pindadan and other rituals. This year, however, uncertainty remains over whether the fair will be held because of the Bhotekoshi flood.

In accordance with the religious principle of “Pitridevo Bhava,” showing devotion and respect to one’s living father and performing rituals in memory of a deceased father are considered highly meritorious. Religious texts also describe donations made on this day as especially rewarding, making Kushe Aunsi an important sacred observance in the Vedic Sanatan tradition.