Hyderabad: Chilkur Balaji chief priest CS Rangarajan on Tuesday initiated celebrations of Bhishma Ekadashi with Sanatana Sampradaya Gangaputra – fishermen community – on a large scale in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
At Tilaknagar in the city, Ganga Gourishwara Bhajana Sangham, Gangaputra Chaitanya Samithi and other organisations participated in huge numbers. The community elders expressed happiness at the initiative and participated in the festivities.
Speaking with the community elders and members, Rangarajan, who is also the convenor of Temples Protection Movement enunciated the greatness of Bhishma Pitamaha and called the elders not to allow the discontinuity and disconnect with Sanatana Dharma.
Bhishma was Gangaputra and traditional fishermen were all Gangaputras. In the Mahabharata, Bhishma also known as Bhishma Pitamaha and Gangaputra Bhishma was well known for his pledge of celibacy. In Andhra Pradesh, organisations like Matsyakara Samskema Samithi, Gangaputra Sanghams had village level celebrations for the beginning in a small scale.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad City Gangaputra Sangham, Nagara Yuvajana Gangaputra Sangham jointly organised Bheeshma Ekadashi celebrations at City Gangaputra Sangham community hall, Afzalgunj.
Gudaboina Shiva Ratnam, president, Hyderabad City Gangaputra Sangham said devotees of Lord Vishnu believe that listening to the Vishnu Sahastranama Stotram on Bheeshma Ekadashi leads to Moksha, and devotees keep fasting on the day. Sharanarthi Chandra Prakash, president, Nagara Yuvajana Gangaputra Sangham, said children should follow the dharma path of Bheeshma and follow his ideologies.
Essay writing competition for children was held on the occasion and prizes were given away to winners, a press release said.
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