INTRODUCTION
Bhaga is a god for wealth, marriage and prosperity similar to goddess Lakshmi. He is a main deity who gives our necessities and fulfils our wishes. He is also a vedic god, and contains powers equivalent to that of Lord Indra. But generally he obeys and executes his duty as per the instructions given by Lord Indra. He is referred in various puranas and in several ancient hindu texts, and is considered as a supreme manifestation of Lord Vishnu. He is the brother of USHAS (The Dawn Goddess).
During the yagna performed by Lord Daksha, he stood by his side, and helped him to perform the fire sacrifices without any disturbance from others. He also fought with Lord Veerabadra, as aspect of Lord Shiva but finally was defeated by him. Rigveda, praises him along with Lord Agni, Indra, Chandra, Surya, Pushan and the great divine physicians Lord Ashwini Kumarars, twin sons of Lord Surya. Rigveda praises his valour, power and strength and describes him as a main demi god among the other demi gods in the heaven. He wilfully carries out his duties, and also receives his share during the performance of fire sacrifices, similar to Lord Indra, Agni, Vayu and other gods and demi gods.
Bhaga is also described as the god of the morning. As per the Rigveda, the Bhaga is one among the adityas. He is also mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana and in Buddhist texts. His appearance is mentioned in the puranas, “He contains a gigantic body with a bright and a smiling face and carries flowers in his two hands, and glitters like that of the sun and sitting in a big lotus flower”.
IMPORTANCE
While some demi gods are worshipped for getting satisfied for certain wants, Lord Bhaga can be worshipped for getting all types of benefits in our life. But he is mainly worshipped for getting married and for having good children. He also removes the obstacles caused by the nine planets (NAVAGRAHAS), based on our karmic deeds. Though there are no temples, dedicated for him, we can worship him by keeping his picture at our home, and decorate it with flowers and offer fruits and pulses as naivedyam (HOLY PRASAD) to him. After performing the puja, we can distribute the Prasad to the participants of the puja. While doing the puja, we have to chant the mantra “OM SREE BHAGAYA NAMAHA”, in order to get good fortunes in our life. He also removes the sickness from our body and makes our mind to work actively and our career path will also be improved through his grace.
Let us worship the great Demi god “BHAGA” and be blessed.
