Dhanteras marks the first day of the Diwali celebrations. ‘Dhan’ means money or wealth and ‘Teras’ signifies the thirteenth day of the Krishna Paksh, the dark aspect of the Lunar Month Kartik.
People worship Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth on Dhanteras. The story goes that if you purchase valuable products like ornaments, gemstones, and metal household products then you are effectively bringing Lakshmi or wealth into your home. So the year following will bring prosperity to your home and your life. The Indian business community always celebrates Dhanteras by purchasing something valuable which can be kept throughout the year. An ancient legend describes the occasion of Dhanteras to an interesting story about the 16 year old son of King Hima. His horoscope predicted his death by snake-bite on the fourth day of his marriage. On that particular day, his newly-wed wife did not allow him to sleep. She laid out all her ornaments and lots of gold and silver coins in a heap at the entrance of the sleeping chamber and lit lamps all over the place.
Then she narrated stories and sang songs to keep her husband from falling asleep. The next day, when Yama, the god of Death, arrived at the prince’s doorstep in the guise of a Serpent, his eyes were dazzled and blinded by the brilliance of the lamps and the jewelry. Yam could not enter the Prince’s chamber, so he climbed on top of the heap of gold coins and sat there the entire night listening to the stories and songs. In the morning, he silently went away.Thus, the young prince was saved from the clutches of death by the cleverness of his new bride, and the day came to be celebrated as Dhanteras. And the following days came to be called Naraka Chaturdashi (‘Naraka’ means hell and Chaturdashi means 14th). It is also know as ‘Yamadeepdaan’ as the ladies of the house light earthen lamps or ‘deep’ and these are kept burning throughout the night glorifying Yama, the god of Death.
Date, Time, Muhurat of Dhanteras:Dhanteras Puja on Friday, October 25, 2019
Dhanteras Puja Muhurat - 07:08 PM to 08:15 PM
Duration - 01 Hour 07 Mins
Yama Deepam on Saturday, October 26, 2019
Pradosh Kaal - 05:42 PM to 08:15 PM
Vrishabha Kaal - 06:50 PM to 08:45 PM
Trayodashi Tithi Begins - 07:08 PM on Oct 25, 2019
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Trayodashi Tithi Ends - 03:46 PM on Oct 26, 2019