(MENAFN- Live Mint) Sandhya Arghya, the third day of Chhath Puja, holds great significance in the four-day festival dedicated to the Sun God (Surya Dev) and Chhathi Maiya.

The third day of Chhath Puja is marked by the grand evening offering to the setting sun, symbolising gratitude, purity, and the eternal balance of life.

On this day, the setting sun is worshipped for sustaining life on earth and for seeking blessings of health, prosperity, and happiness.

Devotees observe a rigorous Nirjala Vrat (fast without food or water) from sunrise until the completion of the rituals after sunset.

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Sandhya Arghya will be offered in the evening, between 5:15 PM and 5:45 PM (approximately), when the sun is close to the horizon. The main Arghya offering is done during or just after sunset, when the sun is touching or about to go below the horizon.

According to Drik Panchang, in Delhi, the muhurat time is 5:40 PM.

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• Unlike most Hindu rituals that focus on worshipping the rising sun, Chhath Puja honours both the setting and the rising sun, signifying the eternal balance of nature and the cyclical rhythm of life and death.
• The offering of Arghya (water oblation) during sunset represents surrender, humility, and thanksgiving. It acknowledges that every end is followed by a new beginning, just as dusk is followed by dawn.
• By worshipping the setting sun, devotees thank Surya Dev for his continuous benevolence and seek his blessings to remove sorrows, heal ailments, and purify the body and soul.
• Spiritually, the Sandhya Arghya symbolises letting go of negativity, ego, and past burdens as the day comes to a close.

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• Families clean their homes, decorate soop (bamboo baskets) with fruits, sugarcane, thekua (a traditional sweet), rice, and other offerings.
• The banks of rivers, ponds, and ghats are beautifully decorated with lights and flowers, creating a divine and serene atmosphere
• As the sun begins to set, devotees, dressed in traditional attire, gather near the water bodies carrying their offerings in bamboo baskets.
• Standing knee-deep in water, they offer Arghya-a ritual of offering water, milk, and flowers-to the setting sun while singing folk songs and chanting mantras.

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