ORIGIN OF WORD POSHTE

                                         

ORIGIN OF WORD POSHTE

अहम् तव उत्सवं पश्यताम् इच्छामि 

I wish to see your celebration .

Kashmiri Pandits say  Poshte instead of Mubarak  to  send ongratulations, or good wishes on birthdays, festivals like , onset of spring ( Sonth) , ,Bikrami New Year ( Navreh) ,  Deepawali, Raksha Bandhan, Pann ( Ganesh Chaturthi) , Shivratri( Herath ) , Janamashtami, and rituals and ceremonies  like Mekhla( sacred thread ceremony ) and marriages .Word Poshte conveys a feeling that is deeply  rooted in Kashmiri tradition .

A Sanskrit scholar from Karnataka clarified this to me :-

"During the  Vedic age , after every Homa, the Head Priest performing the Yajna would say ,अहम् तव उत्सवं पश्यताम् इच्छामि to every guest at the time of distribution of Sacrificial Food or Prasada. The word Poshte may be a corrupt form of पश्यताम्."

Another Sanskrit scholar from Pune has  in-boxed me this :-

"Here's a specific Shloka for Pushti from the Vedas that was recited during Homas :"पुष्टिं वाजं च मे देहि" (Pushtim vājam cha me dehi) meaning "Give me prosperity and strength". Poshte appears to have originated from this Shloka . However , अहम् तव उत्सवं पश्यताम् इच्छामि  or" I wish to see your celebration " too appears to be the appropriate origin of word Poshte  since you say that the translation of  line 'अहम् तव उत्सवं पश्यताम् इच्छामि 'was spoken in Kashmiri during festivities , Mekhla or Marriages . I believe it could be both. "

Possibly,  Kashmiri Pandits carried forward this tradition from Vedic period by saying ," Vaen yezsin vaarkaar chon ti vuchhun.( Let us now see you too performing it ) during a festivity get-together or Mekhla or marriage celebration. My belief is that Poshte word used by Kashmiri Pandits  is a short cut of this line and has incorporated word पश्यताम्  alone . And  over centuries, पश्यताम् has become Poshte . Poshte  may  have come from Sanskrit word Pushti as well. I am not sure and clear about it .

( Avtar Mota)

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