Kazhakoottam (Thiruvananthapuram): The seven-day Srimad Bhagavata Saptaham at the sacred Pullattukari Sree Bhagavati Temple began on Saturday with the traditional Annadanam, as hundreds of devotees gathered with hearts full of faith to receive the divine blessings of the Mother and participate in the holy week-long congregation of Shravanam.
Speaking to our reporter, Mr. Vinod, a member of the temple’s managing committee, said that local MLA and senior BJP leader V. Muraleedharan inaugurated the Saptaham. Muraleedharan was a minister of state in the Modi cabinet at the Centre.
In his inaugural address, Muraleedharan observed that such sacred assemblies are the very heartbeat of our spiritual and cultural heritage. He reminded the gathering that the ancient sages had declared truth to be one, though expressed in many ways — a message that filled the hearts of devotees with renewed faith as they prepared to listen to the eternal glories of the Lord over the coming seven days.
Bhagavata Saptaham is a sacred seven-day congregational listening to the divine pastimes of the Lord as narrated in the Srimad Bhagavata Purana. According to tradition, listening to the sacred text with complete devotion purifies the mind, removes worldly anxieties, and bestows the supreme blessing of inner peace. It is revered as a spiritual cleansing for both the individual soul and the entire community.
Historically, King Parikshit attained liberation within seven days by listening with rapt attention to the Bhagavata from the lips of Sage Shukadeva. Organisers said the ritual continues to serve three vital purposes in contemporary times: awakening individual peace by helping devotees rise above the turmoil of daily life and connect with the higher consciousness, preserving cultural continuity by passing down profound philosophical wisdom and eternal moral values to the next generation, and fostering social harmony by uniting people from all walks of life in the sanctity of shared prayers and communal meals offered in devotion.
As the chief acharya began chanting the opening verses, a profound and sacred silence descended upon the assembly. In that divine moment, the distractions of the outer world faded, and the gathered devotees were immersed in a collective quest for peace, unity, and the grace of the Divine Mother.
The Saptaham will continue for the next six days at the Pullattukari Sree Bhagavati Temple premises, with daily discourses, prayers, and Annadanam.