Festivals
Hindu Festivals are much more than celebrations. They are windows into the history of rich Hindu legends. They reveal the mind and philosophy of a nation through the different ages. Festivals have a cultural and social aspect which many feel transcends even their spiritual significance. They bring people together in friendship and love, and help heal broken relationships.
- Ganesh Chaturthi, 19 September 2012
- Krishna Janmashtami, 12 August 2012
Ganesh Chaturthi
19 September 2012
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on the birthday of Lord Ganesh (Ganesha), the god of wisdom and prosperity on the fourth day of the moons bright fortnight, or period from new moon in the lunar month of Bhadrapada. The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi continue for five, seven, or ten days. Some even stretch it to twenty one days, but ten the most popularly celebrated. In the tradition of the right hand path the first day is the most important. In the left hand path tradition the final day is most important.
Legend
Ganesha is the god of wisdom and prosperity and is invoked before the beginning of any auspicious work by the Hindus. It is believed that for the fulfillment of one's desires, his blessing is absolutely necessary. According to the mythology, he is the son of Shiva and Parvati, brother of Kartikeya - the general of the gods, Lakshmi - the goddess of wealth and Saraswati-the goddess of learning. There are numerous stories in Hindu mythology, associated with the birth of this elephant-headed god, whose vehicle is the Mooshak or rat and who loves Modaks (droplet shaped Indian sweet). Legend has it that Parvati created Ganesha out of the sandalwood dough that she used for her bath and breathed life into him. Letting him stand guard at the door she went to have her bath. When her husband, Shiva returned, the child who had never seen him stopped him. Shiva severed the head of the child and entered his house. Parvati, learning that her son was dead, was distraught and asked Shiva to revive him. Shiva cut off the head of an elephant and fixed it on the body of Ganesha. Another tale tells of how one day the Gods decided to choose their leader and a race was to be held between the brothers- Kartikeya and Ganesh. Whoever took three rounds of the earth first would be made the Ganaadhipati or the leader. Kartikeya seated on a peacock as his vehicle, started off for the test. Ganesh was given a rat, which moved swiftly. Ganesh realised that the test was not easy, but he would not disobey his father. He reverently paid obeisance to his parents and went around them three times and thus completed the test before Kartikeya. He said, " my parents pervade the whole universe and going around them, is more than going round the earth." Everybody was pleasantly surprised to hear Ganesha's logic and intelligence and hence he came to be known as the Ganaadhipati or leader, now referred to as Ganpati.
There is also a story behind the symbolic snake, rat and the singular tusk. During one of his birthdays, His mother, Parvati, cooked for him twenty-one types of delicious food and a lot of sweet porridge. Ganesha ate so much that even his big belly could not contain it. Mounting his little mouse, he embarked on his nightly rounds. His mouse suddenly stumbled upon seeing a huge snake. To adjust His belly, Ganesha put the snake on as a belt around his stomach. All of a sudden, he heard laughter emanating form the sky. He looked up and saw the moon mocking him. Ganesha infuriated, broke off one of his tusks and hurled it at the moon. Parvati, seeing this, immediately cursed the moon that whoever looks at it on Ganesh Chaturthi will be accused of a wrong doing. The symbology behind the mouse and snake and Ganesha's big belly and its relationship to the moon on his birthday is highly philosophic. The whole cosmos is known to be the belly of Ganesha. Parvati is the primordial energy. The seven realms above, seven realms below and seven oceans, are inside the cosmic belly of Ganesha, held together by the cosmic energy (kundalini) symbolized as a huge snake which Ganesha ties around Him. The mouse is nothing but our ego. Ganesha, using the mouse as a vehicle, exemplifies the need to control our ego. One who has controlled the ego has Ganesha consciousness or God-consciousness.
The Celebrations
The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated the states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and many other parts of India. Started by Shivaji, the great Maratha ruler, to promote culture and nationalism, the festival was revived by Lokmanya Tilak (a freedom fighter) to spread the message of freedom struggle and to defy the British who had banned public assemblies. The festival gave the Indians a feeling of unity and revived their patriotic spirit and faith. This public festival formed the background for political leaders who delivered speeches to inspire people against the Western rule.
The festival is so popular that the preparations begin months in advance. Ganesha statues installed in street corners and in homes, and elaborate arrangements are made for lighting, decoration, mirrors and the most common of flowers. Poojas (prayer services) are performed daily. The artists who make the idols of Ganesh compete with each other to make bigger and more magnificent and elegant idols. The relevantly larger ones are anything from 10 meters to 30 meters in height. These statues are then carried on decorated floats to be immersed in the sea after one, three, five, seven and ten days. Thousands of processions converge on the beaches to immerse the holy idols in the sea. This procession and immersion is accompanied by drum- beats, devotional songs and dancing.
It is still forbidden to look at the moon on that day as the moon had laughed at Ganesha when he fell from his vehicle, the rat. With the immersion of the idol amidst the chanting of "Ganesh Maharaj Ki Jai!" (Hail Lord Ganesh). The festival ends with pleas to Ganesha to return the next year with chants of "Ganpati bappa morya, pudcha varshi laukar ya" (Hail Lord Ganesh, return again soon next year).
Krishna Janmashtami
10 August 2012
The birth of Lord Krishna, the incarnation of Vishnu in the Dwapar Yuga, is celebrated all over India as Krishna Janmashtami. This day is marked by religious festivity and devotion. Lord Krishna or "He who is all-attractive", descended on this earth to subdue the rakshasas ruthlessly and save mankind from all evils. He is regarded as the epitome of transcendental qualities which made him the most loved one.
As per mythology, the birth of Lord Krishna is as follows. Kamsa, who ruled Mathura after usurping it from his father Ugrasena, was a wicked king. None could stop his atrocities and save themselves from his torcherous deeds. One day, after the marriage of Devaki (his sister) and Vasudeva, Kamsa was charioteering, when suddenly a voice from the sky warned him that the eighth child of Devaki would one day destroy him and put an end to all his sinful deeds. Perturbed and furious, Kamsa ordered the imprisonment of his sister and brother-in-law at Vajra, a village eight miles across river Yamuna near Mathura.
When the first child was born to Devaki, Kamsa killed it immediately. Thus, everytime an infant was born it met with the same fate. However, before the birth of the eighth child, a voice from heaven instructed Vasudeva to exchange the child-to-be-born with his friend Nand's yet-to-be-born baby. On the fateful midnight when Devaki delivered her eighth child, there occurred a tempest with dark thundering clouds drowning the cries of the little-born. It was a divine ordain. Vasudeva put the baby boy in a cushion of leaves within a basket and carried him on his head. Braving the storm, he waded across the gushing waters of the Yamuna. Miraculously, the snake adisesha appeared around the basket and with its hood protected the infant from hail and storm.
Vasudeva reached Gokulam, where Yasodha had just given birth to a baby girl. His friend Nand, the ruler of Gokulam, took Vasudeva's boy and gave his own infant, promising to keep it a secret. With Nand's child in the basket, Vasudeva returned to the prison and suddenly the rage of the hurricane calmed down.
At the crack of dawn, the cries of the new-born filled the air and brought Kamsa straight to the prison. There, he saw the eighth child - his destroyer, with Devaki and Vasudeva and his blood curdled. He lifted the baby and threw her against the ceiling. Lo and behold, the infant, who was actually "Shakti" or "Durga", flew out of sight and a thunderous voice once again reverberated in the sky. It scorned at Kamsa's foolish killings and warned him that his destroyer was alive and will one day put him to death. The thought of an insecure life sent chills down his spine.
Meanwhile, at Gokulam (the place where cowherds and cowboys inhabited), news spread about the birth of a baby boy to Yasodha. The gopis or cowherds rushed to take a glimpse of the dusky new- born child. There was revelling all around to mark the birth of the little one who was named Krishna - the attractive one.
Since His early days itself, Krishna showed qualities of His supernatural being. He was frivolous and notorius for stealing His favorite "venna"/"maakhan" or butter. He was the apple of everyone's eyes. Every woman called Him her own child and held Him dear to their heart.
Krishna spent His adolescence at Brindavan where He won the hearts of the gopikas, the women who milked the cows. He aroused feelings of love in them and they were steeped in His devotion. For them, He was the embodiment of love and manhood and every woman wanted a husband like Krishna.
At every stage Krishna fulfilled the purpose of his reincarnation. He slayed Kamsa, exhibited incredible feats to save the people of Brindavan from disasters and went on to deliver the holy preachings of "Bhagwad Gita". Krishna was born on the "ashtami" day - the middle of a fortnight in the Lunar system. Any person born on this day exhibits extreme qualities, either very strong and handsome or cruel. The object of Krishna's birth was to bring about a victory of good over evil.
Thus, Janmashtami marks the celebrations of Krishna's birth, the incarnation of Vishnu, one of the Hindu Triumvarate, who came onto earth to cleanse the sins of the human beings. The modern day festivity recreates the birth of the Lord. It is celebrated with utmost gaiety and fervor in Mathura and Brindavan. The towns are colorfully decorated wearing a festive look. The main temple at Mathura and Brindavan are bedecked with flowers and Lord Krishna is clothed in jewellery. The rituals begin ahead of time in the evening and culminate at midnight, the time of Krishna's birth. A crawling image of Krishna is cradled amidst singing of bhajans and chantings of Hare Rama Hare Krishna.
In South India, Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, as it is called, is celebrated with prayers, devotional renditions and offering of fruits and special prasadams to Lord Krishna. People usually observe fast on this day. In the houses, mango leaves are tied to the doorways to mark the auspicious occasion. Colorful floral designs are drawn on the front yard. Inside the house, a small woodden mandapam is erected and decorated with flowers and plantain leaves. An icon of a crawling Krishna in a silver cradle or leaf is placed in the mandapam. In some houses, a typical setting of Gokulam is arranged with mud images of Devaki, Vasudeva with little Krishna perched in a basketon his head, a cow, besides other things related to Krishna's legends. Small foot marks produced by impressions with rice powder mixed with water are believed to symbolically recreate the coming of Krishna into peoples' homes. Janmashtami is thus yet another celebration of God's omnipresence.
Krishna Janmashtami
The birth of Lord Krishna, the incarnation of Vishnu in the Dwapar Yuga, is celebrated all over India as Krishna Janmashtami. This day is marked by religious festivity and devotion. Lord Krishna or "He who is all-attractive", descended on this earth to subdue the rakshasas ruthlessly and save mankind from all evils. He is regarded as the epitome of transcendental qualities which made him the most loved one.
As per mythology, the birth of Lord Krishna is as follows. Kamsa, who ruled Mathura after usurping it from his father Ugrasena, was a wicked king. None could stop his atrocities and save themselves from his torcherous deeds. One day, after the marriage of Devaki (his sister) and Vasudeva, Kamsa was charioteering, when suddenly a voice from the sky warned him that the eighth child of Devaki would one day destroy him and put an end to all his sinful deeds. Perturbed and furious, Kamsa ordered the imprisonment of his sister and brother-in-law at Vajra, a village eight miles across river Yamuna near Mathura.
When the first child was born to Devaki, Kamsa killed it immediately. Thus, everytime an infant was born it met with the same fate. However, before the birth of the eighth child, a voice from heaven instructed Vasudeva to exchange the child-to-be-born with his friend Nand's yet-to-be-born baby. On the fateful midnight when Devaki delivered her eighth child, there occurred a tempest with dark thundering clouds drowning the cries of the little-born. It was a divine ordain. Vasudeva put the baby boy in a cushion of leaves within a basket and carried him on his head. Braving the storm, he waded across the gushing waters of the Yamuna. Miraculously, the snake adisesha appeared around the basket and with its hood protected the infant from hail and storm.
Vasudeva reached Gokulam, where Yasodha had just given birth to a baby girl. His friend Nand, the ruler of Gokulam, took Vasudeva's boy and gave his own infant, promising to keep it a secret. With Nand's child in the basket, Vasudeva returned to the prison and suddenly the rage of the hurricane calmed down.
At the crack of dawn, the cries of the new-born filled the air and brought Kamsa straight to the prison. There, he saw the eighth child - his destroyer, with Devaki and Vasudeva and his blood curdled. He lifted the baby and threw her against the ceiling. Lo and behold, the infant, who was actually "Shakti" or "Durga", flew out of sight and a thunderous voice once again reverberated in the sky. It scorned at Kamsa's foolish killings and warned him that his destroyer was alive and will one day put him to death. The thought of an insecure life sent chills down his spine.
Meanwhile, at Gokulam (the place where cowherds and cowboys inhabited), news spread about the birth of a baby boy to Yasodha. The gopis or cowherds rushed to take a glimpse of the dusky new- born child. There was revelling all around to mark the birth of the little one who was named Krishna - the attractive one.
Since His early days itself, Krishna showed qualities of His supernatural being. He was frivolous and notorius for stealing His favorite "venna"/"maakhan" or butter. He was the apple of everyone's eyes. Every woman called Him her own child and held Him dear to their heart.
Krishna spent His adolescence at Brindavan where He won the hearts of the gopikas, the women who milked the cows. He aroused feelings of love in them and they were steeped in His devotion. For them, He was the embodiment of love and manhood and every woman wanted a husband like Krishna.
At every stage Krishna fulfilled the purpose of his reincarnation. He slayed Kamsa, exhibited incredible feats to save the people of Brindavan from disasters and went on to deliver the holy preachings of "Bhagwad Gita". Krishna was born on the "ashtami" day - the middle of a fortnight in the Lunar system. Any person born on this day exhibits extreme qualities, either very strong and handsome or cruel. The object of Krishna's birth was to bring about a victory of good over evil.
Thus, Janmashtami marks the celebrations of Krishna's birth, the incarnation of Vishnu, one of the Hindu Triumvarate, who came onto earth to cleanse the sins of the human beings. The modern day festivity recreates the birth of the Lord. It is celebrated with utmost gaiety and fervor in Mathura and Brindavan. The towns are colorfully decorated wearing a festive look. The main temple at Mathura and Brindavan are bedecked with flowers and Lord Krishna is clothed in jewellery. The rituals begin ahead of time in the evening and culminate at midnight, the time of Krishna's birth. A crawling image of Krishna is cradled amidst singing of bhajans and chantings of Hare Rama Hare Krishna.
In South India, Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, as it is called, is celebrated with prayers, devotional renditions and offering of fruits and special prasadams to Lord Krishna. People usually observe fast on this day. In the houses, mango leaves are tied to the doorways to mark the auspicious occasion. Colorful floral designs are drawn on the front yard. Inside the house, a small woodden mandapam is erected and decorated with flowers and plantain leaves. An icon of a crawling Krishna in a silver cradle or leaf is placed in the mandapam. In some houses, a typical setting of Gokulam is arranged with mud images of Devaki, Vasudeva with little Krishna perched in a basketon his head, a cow, besides other things related to Krishna's legends. Small foot marks produced by impressions with rice powder mixed with water are believed to symbolically recreate the coming of Krishna into peoples' homes. Janmashtami is thus yet another celebration of God's omnipresence.