What is the idea behind a सप्ताह? सप्ताह or a week has seven days and this cycle of seven days keeps getting repeated all our life. Does the idea of seven days have any meaning within the धर्म परम्परा? Like many numbers, apart from the time period allotted for a week, seven as a number also signifies सप्त  कुण्डलिनी (मूलाधार, स्वाधिष्ठान, मणिपुर, अनाहत, विशुद्ध, आज्ञ and सहस्रार), seven rays of the Sun or seven types of अग्नि (during यज्ञ). In the course of one of his talks, Sri Shanmukha Samaveda Sarma shared a few words of how a सप्ताह has been conceived in our tradition – this is reproduced here for those who may be interested. This is a brief overview only since Guruji mentioned this in the course of a long lecture on another topic – however, even as a brief overview, the idea is interesting enough for seekers – hence sharing here. 

Activity Cycle

Before we get into talking about a सप्ताह, let us lay out how the idea of a सप्ताह can be fitted to an activity cycle:

1. A person living in a state of completeness and satisfaction. All is good and complete.
2. A need for action or activity comes to mind. Such an action may be seen as an adventure just for fun, or a route for knowing one’s own capabilities or driven by a past संस्कार.
3. The general need for action then translates into a decision, a सङकल्प, for a specific drive  or action that is concretized and articulated in a clearer manner. 
4. Next, the सङकल्प deepens within oneself completely and becomes a firm conviction to undertake the specific action.
5. Post-conviction being established, the action begins. Action includes a concrete plan, creating conditions for such an action (including use of instruments, mental resolve and other physical conditions to facilitate the action) and actual engagement in the activity. 
6. Success (or failure) is attained from the action performed. Outcome in the form of satisfaction or material attainments is achieved as the outcome of all the efforts made.
7. Lastly, one reflects, analyses the work done and outcomes attained. Outcome of the reflection may be to either continue the current course of action or change to take up a new venture.

If the above looks obvious and reasonable, the idea of a सप्ताह replicates this, albeit using a different language and variables. To talk about सप्ताह, let me begin with a श्लोक from the 15^th chapter of the श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता – 

यदादित्यगतं तेजो जगद्भासयतेऽखिलम्। यच्चन्द्रमसि यच्चाग्नौ तत्तेजो विद्धि मामकम्।।15.12।।

15.12 The brilliance (तेज:) which (यद्), obtaining in the सूर्य (आदित्य-गतं) which illumines (भासयते) the whole world (अखिलम् जगत्) , that in the चंद्र (यद् चन्द्रमसि) and that in अग्नि (यद् च अग्नौ), know that (विद्धि) brilliance (तद् तेज:) as Mine (मामकम्).

How is the श्लोक relevant here? You will see this explained below:

रविवार or भानुवासर or Sunday: From the standpoint of धर्म, week begins on Sunday. (not Monday). परमात्मा is the eternal truth of the Universe. परमात्मा is likened to आदित्य in the above श्लोक. It is from the state of आदित्य that everything else that follows comes from. आदित्य may therefore be seen as the state when परमात्मा is in सत्-चित्-आनन्द – this is the original and eternal state of being, Whatever सृष्टि happens later, it begins from this original state of आदित्य. भगवान् also therefore states here –  यदादित्यगतं तेजो जगद्भासयतेऽखिलम् meaning the whole universe is illumined from Me as आदित्य. Therefore, best and deepest of prayers as per धर्मare reserved for Sunday. Each tradition will therefore focus their deepest पूजा for Sunday by seeing their own इष्टदेवता seen or expressed as परमात्मा – for example, शैव tradition will take शिव as the अधिदेवता for this day or the वैश्णव tradition will take नारायणas the अधिदेवता for this day.

सोमवार or Monday: चंद्र or Moon is the ग्रह associated with Monday. सोम can also be broken into स + उमा which also means “with उमा”. So, while शिव is referred to as परमात्मा, when the उमा तत्व becomes dominant within शिव, it means सृष्टि is about to begin. And for universe to begin, रस is necessary, सोम represents रस viz the liquidity as well as cooling aspect – these attributes are associated with the Moon too. For सृष्टि to happen therefore, आदित्य alone is not enough – it has to cool down, develop रस, etc as a necessary condition for the creative impulse to kick off. महादेवी (उमा) or महालक्ष्मी thus becomes the अधिदेवता for सोमवार. 

मङ्गलवार or Tuesday – Mars (मङ्गल) is the ग्रह associated with Tuesday. श्रीकृष्ण also states above – यच्चन्द्रमसि यच्चाग्नौ meaning I am the चंद्र and I am अग्नि. आदित्य and सोमा come together and become red in colour – they are ready for सृष्टि. One may see this as the concentrated state before a new aspect begins in the Universe. There is another saying in the वेद – अग्नि सोमात्मकम् जगत् meaning that the entire visible universe is combination of अग्नि and सोम only. Mars is Red and अग्नि is red too. Some of the important prayers are usually done for नृसिंह, गणपति, हनुमान् and कार्तिकेय on Tuesday – they too are likened to अग्नि in various पुराण. Equally, the word राम also has two शब्द – र viz अग्नि-वाचक and म viz सोम-वाचक thereby stating that राम is the ईश्वर of the जगत्. Thus, we started the journey with the परमात्मा, then महादेवी got activated followed by ईश्वर. So, what next?

बुधवासर or Wednesday: The will of परमात्मा that had taken shape as अग्नि now spreads out all around. विष्णु itself means that which is spread out everywhere. चैतन्य is into everything in the Universe. विष्णु is everywhere. विष्णु is thus the अधिदेवता of this day. बुधग्रहis associated with Mercury. Mercury gives the power to discriminate between beneficial and harmful ideas, or good and evil and thus represents intelligence, communication and elegance. विष्णु rules बुधग्रह that blesses with healing of all kinds of diseases, happiness, wealth. In the activity cycle we have given above, we have stated that the will of परमात्मा and महादेवी deepens and turns into a full-blown conviction for सृष्टि to come about. Now what? 

गुरुवार or बृहस्पतिवार or Thursday – Projection of the सङ्कल्प happens in a specific form, shape, colour, etc. ब्रह्मा is the one who is credited to giving shape to विश्व. ब्रह्मा is thus the original गुरू of all inhabitants of everyone in the विश्व. The विश्व चैतन्य is given a particular shape/ form to enable all जीव to have specific अनुभव or experience as per their कर्म. And the moment the word कर्म is used, देवता comes about since all देवता are the trigger or force behind all कर्म. Thursday is also referred to as बृहस्पतिवार and as you all may know, बृहस्पति is the गुरू of all देवता. From the गुरू came the वेद and thus all learning comes from the original गुरू in this विश्व viz ब्रह्मा. And the संहिता part of the वेद is full of देवता स्तुति only – implying clearly, that ब्रह्मा thus becomes the vehicle to project this विश्व to enable देवता (meaning triggers for actions based on previous संस्कार or वासना) to fulfil themselves in the विश्व. Thursday thus becomes the day reserved for गुरू. In the later tradition come गुरूs like श्रीदत्तात्रेय and the special day reserved for them is also Thursday.

शुक्रवार or Friday –  लक्ष्मी देवी or दुर्गा देवी is the अधिदेवता of this day. शुक्र is the son of the sage भृगु and his wife ख्याति, who is an incarnation of Goddess लक्ष्मी, the goddess of wealth and luxury. Pleasing देवी लक्ष्मी can attract the positive qualities associated with Venus, such as grace, charm and generosity. Those who have करुणा of लक्ष्मी will therefore acquire prosperity – material and intellectual. Note clearly the distinction between महालक्ष्मी (named against सोमवार) and लक्ष्मी for Friday – they are not the same. महालक्ष्मी is the more primal state; being the very शक्ति of the परमात्मा while लक्ष्मी because a more gross manifestation within विश्व. दुर्गा is the देवी associated with protection, power and security – and both लक्ष्मी and दुर्गा thus become the outcome of the actions taken by life in this विश्व. Friday thus becomes the अधिदेवता for the देवी

शनिवार or Saturday – यम is expressed as the अधिदेवता of this day. यम signifies conclusion as well as change. यम as per पतंजलियोगसूत्र refers to discipline. The word used by पतंजलि for discipline is तप which also comes under the list of यम and नियम in the योगसूत्र. Simply put, Saturday thus becomes the day to experience the outcomes from the material gains/ or losses one may have experienced on Friday. शनि also is seen as the dispenser of कर्म. Saturn is associated with justice and the principle of cause and effect. It is believed that Saturn’s influence in a person’s life is a reflection of their past actions, deeds, and कार्मिक balance. The planet is seen as an agent that delivers the consequences of one’s actions, whether positive or negative. Thus, शनि is regarded as the enforcer of कार्मिक justice.

To conclude, the structure conceived for a सप्ताह may be seen as a mini-expression of the will of परमात्मा Herself and it is true both at a universal level as well as the level of an individual. Living a week with these macro दृष्टि will enable one to tailor one’s life or align with the will of the परमात्मा Herself and be conscious of every action one does (or does not do), understand consequences of the action and reflect appropriately so that any correctives required can be undertaken from the next week (or the one after next and so on..) so that life becomes aligned to the will of the परमात्मा.

Om Tat Sat