Do you ever question yourself why light fourteen candles / diyas and spread them across your house lighting up the darkest corners on Bhoot Chaturdoshi? While the answers have always been to ward off evil or to please 14 generations of ancestors, does it never strike you why only 14? On top of it, mothers and grandmothers get busy in the kitchen preparing 14 types of shaak and it’s also the 14th day of the Krishna Paksha in the Bengali month of Kartik. There are too many knots and 14 is the key. Here’s unraveling the significance of the number 14.
Namesake
If one is to breakdown the name of the occasion Chaturdoshi, one would be pointed to its translation, which means 14. The day itself falls on the 14th lunar day of the fortnight after which the world is encapsulated by Amavasya or the new moon. Could this be the origin of everything happening in fourteens for this special day?
The homecoming of the 14 ancestors
It is said that one this day, 14 generations of our ancestors descend upon Earth to check on us. Thus, 14 lamps/diyas/candles called Choddoprodeep are meant for each of them, guiding them home. Lighting up the house is also a tribute, a way of remembering the ancestors and praying for their soul.
The popular belief always stays put that fire scares the 14 popular ghosts of Bengali folk - the Meccho (fish eater), Geccho (tree-dweller), Petni ( a woman who died unnaturally) , Nishi (a spirit whose calls lure men) , Brahmadaitya (a Brahmin ghost), Shakchuni ( a married woman ghost), Skondhokata (the headless ghost) , Aleya (floating lights over marshes), Kanabhulo (one who confuses travelers), Ekanore (one-legged ghost), Chorachunni (troublesome ghost), Deu (water dweller), Begho ( forest dweller) and Mamdo (associated with Muslim Men).
A light for every loka
According to Hindu Cosmology, the world has 14 lokas or realms. The seven upper realms include Bhulok, Bhuvarlok, Svarlok, Maharlok, Janalok, Tapolok and Satyalok. The seven lower realms include Atla, Vitala, sutala, Talatala, Mahatala, Rasatala and Patal. It is believed that14 lamps are lighted to appease the spirits residing in 14 lokas.
Keeping Yama at bay
In Hindu mythology, Yama is known as the harbinger of death. Thus lamps are lit to seek protection from untimely death. Moreover, many communities celebrate Yama Deepam or Naraka Chaturdashi during this time referring to the appeasement of Lord Yama. Thus, lighting the lamps not only mean illumination but is also a plea for protection.
The Vamana- Bali episode
Moving away from the typical Bengal–oriented beliefs is the story of Asur Raaj Mahabali. He had acquired control over all three realms and to defeat him Lord Vishnu took the Vamana avatar. It is said that when he placed his third step on Mahabali’s head and vanquished him to hell, the ideal of Chaturdoshi stemmed from it.
The arrival of Chamunda
It is said that while The Supreme Goddess was fighting against the evil, there was a time in the battlefield that she lost her cool and took the incarnation of the fiercest Goddess Chamunda. During this incarnation she finally destroyed the Asuras Chand and munda which gave her the name Chamunda or Chanda Munda Vinashini. During Bhoot Chaturdoshi, Chamunda descends with her 14 ghostly spirits and wipes away any evil forces on Earth. This sums up as the longer explaination of ‘warding off evil spirits’. This also joins the dots between Bhoot Chaturdoshi and Kali Puja. However, it is important to note that this is more of a folk belief than a popular established logic.
Choddoshaak wards off evil?
Another episode from Bengali folklore talks about a Brahmin couple who kept their house so untidy that it became a den for the ghosts. One day, they gathered 14 types of green leaves, washed them and sprinkled this water around their house, which said to have removed all the spirits. Thus the practice of eating choddoshaak may also mean to keep oneself healthy and oppose any chances of possession or evil intentions. Other explanations also mean, using the leafy vegetables to cleanse the body before the new season arrives and remembering 14 generations of their ancestors. These shaaks include Ol (elephant foot yam leaves), kochu (taro), Beto (wild geens) , Sorshe (mustard leaves), palong (spinach), Pui (Malabar Spinach), Methi (Fenugreek leaves), neem, Gima, Helencha (water cress), Kolmi (water spinach), Lau (bottle gourd leaves), Kumro (pumpkin leaves), and Shushni (water clover).
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