Janmashtami

What is Janmashtami?

Janmashtami commemorates the earthly appearance of Krishna, who is described in India’s sacred writings as God Himself. One of the biggest religious festivals in the world, it is celebrated by nine hundred and thirty million people around the world--and two million in the US alone. To devotees, it’s Christmas and New Year’s in one, a day of deep spiritual renewal and celebration that effectively finishes an old year and begins a fresh one.

But why Janmashtami, you may ask? What’s so special about Krishna, as opposed to any other form of God? It’s His personable-ness. He reciprocates in unique, personal ways with every devotee who offers Him love—He is the most adorable, mischievous son, the most romantic lover, the most compassionate friend. And on Janmashtami, devotees celebrate Krishna in all of these aspects. For just as Krishna reciprocates individually with His relatives and confidantes, he responds to the distinct feelings and desires held most deeply in the heart of every single worshipper.

So remember that whatever way you worship Krishna on Janmashtami, He will reciprocate with you accordingly. It’s a meditation that makes for an extremely rewarding devotional experience.

How is Janmashtami Celebrated?

Where Vaishnava temples exist, festivities begin before dawn and extend all day until midnight, the exact moment of the anniversary of Krishna’s appearance. Events include kirtan, singing the Lord’s name along with other devotees; and japa, private, more intimate prayer. Some devotees cook a feast of over one hundred dishes, while others perform drama and dance. Some clothe and decorate the deity of Krishna while others string enormous flower garlands and other decorations for the temple. Incense burns, scriptures are read, and all but the young and the infirm fast all day. The deities are also bathed with a variety of auspicious liquids in a kind of ablution

ceremony called abhisheka. Sometimes taking over two hours, this is performed with great pomp.
Finally, at midnight, priests pull apart the curtains to reveal the freshly dressed deity of Krishna on a creatively festooned and colored altar. The excitement builds, and a rousing kirtan ensues.

 

 

Shitala Satam

Shitala Satam Vrat2013 Coming Date

Shitala Satam Vrat Coming  (After Randhan Chhath)  in Gujarat and india and Gujarati Month in Shravan vad Satam or Day of Seven.

About Shitala Satam Vrat

Shitala Satam Vrat is observed in the month of Sravana on the seventh day of the dark fortnight. On this day Shitalamata’s puja is performed after taking bath with cold water. One cold meal is eaten during the day.

Shitala Satam, popularly known as Shitala Shasti, is dedicated to Goddes Shitla. the goddess of pox and measles. It is observed for the welfare of children and others and to escape from measles and small pox.

It is written in the Skand Purana that donkey is the vehicle of Shitalamata. Shitalamata holds a broom in her one hand and a kalash (container with water) in her other hand. The one who observes the Shitala vrat bathes in a river or in a lake. There Shitaladevi’s image (murti) is placed on the banks of river or lake. Shitaladevi is offered cooked food and ghee. On this day cold food is eaten; the food that was cooked the previous day (cooked on chhatthi or sixth day). For the vratdhari (one who observes this vrat), it is forbidden to eat warmed or hot food on this day.

Those who can afford it, can make golden image of Shitaladevi and together with the image of the vehicle (donkey) place the devi’s image on eight petalled lotus flower. Offer obeisance with joined palms saying ‘My pranam to Shitaladevi’ and make puja. In some places people offer raw flour and gor (molasses) as naivedya to the devi. It is customary to eat only one meal on Shitala Saptami day.

Shitala Satam Vratkatha

Mothers perform special pujas and offer prayers to Shitla Mata. There is a popular belief that with the blessings of Goddess Shitala, children and other will be protected from numerous contagious diseases like chicken pox etc.  Food cooked on previous day is eaten on theShitala Satam day. The Vrat Katha is .....

In the olden days, Hastinapur was ruled by king Indralumna. His wife’s name was Pramila who was full of faith and devotion and was keen on performing religious ceremonies and rituals. They had a son, Mahadharma by name and their daughter’s name was Shubhakaari. She was given in marriage to prince Gunvaan, son of king Sumati who ruled Kaundinyanagar.

 Prince Gunvaan lived up to his name. He was a virtuous prince. A year after the wedding, Gunvaan went to his in-laws to fetch his wife. The king (his wife’s father) asked his son-in-law to stay over because the next day was the day of Shitala Saptami vrat. The king invited a Brahmin and his wife for the ceremony of Shitala Saptami vrat. The king’s daughter Shubhakari mounted a chariot and with her female friends set out for the puja ceremony of Shitaladevi. The puja was to take place by some lake.

Unfortunately, they took a wrong turn and got lost. Leaving the chariot, they started walking on foot, and dispersed in different directions. Princess Shubhakari was overcome by fatigue and sat under a tree. She saw an elderly woman approaching her and asked her for directions.

 “O girl, follow me and I will lead you to a lake”  said the old woman and took them to a lake. The princess bathed in the lake and with devotion and faith, placed the image of Shitaladevi on a makeshift platform of stone. The old lady was herself Shitaladevi. She was well pleased. Placing her hand on the head of Princess Shubhakari she asked her to state her wish.

 The princess said: “Mother, I shall surely ask when the need arises”.

Then the old lady (Shitaladevi) escorted the princess and her female friends to the lake where they were to meet the Brahmin and his wife. The Brahmin’s wife was heard crying aloud. Princess Subhakari went to her and saw that her husband was lying dead, apparently bitten by a snake.

Princess Shubhakari again bathed in the lake and concentrated her mind upon Shitaladevi and stated her wish: “Mother, please bring back to life this Brahmin”.

Bhagavati Shitaladevi was pleased and restored life to the Brahmin. Everybody was full of joy. They all performed Shitaladevi’s puja and returned home.

People of Hastinapur were filled with awe on hearing that the dead Brahmin was brought back to life. The citizens together with the parents of the princess made a murti of Shitaladevi and celebrated this day in the manner of a festival. After staying for a few more days, Princess Shubhakari went with Prince Gunvaan to her in-laws. There also, being impressed by Shitalamata, they developed faith and devotion. It is said that the children of those who are Shitala vratdhai (who observe this vrat) do not suffer from smallpox and that their wishes get fulfilled.

Randhan Chhath

Randhan Chhath Vrat Coming Date2013

Randhan Chhath is Coming on 26 August 2013.

Randhan Chhath Celebration

Randhan Chhath is a Hindu Festival. It is observed on the previous day of Sheetala Satam in Shravan month as Gujarati Tithi Calander. Actually it is not any vrat day, but it is the preparation day for Sheetala Satam Vrat. Randhan Chhath 2013 is comes on date of 26th August. On this day women cook many foods for Sheetala Satam.

Randhan Chhath is not a ritual but is a preparation day for the Shitala Satam day. No food is cooked on Shitala Satam, people eat only what is prepared on Randan Chat.

Food items that are prepared on Randhan Chath are those that will stay for 24-hours. All women in the family participate in the cooking. Some people opt for spicy and fried  Recipe.

After the cooking is over on Randan Chat, the earthen hearth is cleaned using cow dung. The ash remains in the hearth.

Randhan Chath Sms2013

1) We wish u happy chhath puja to all.

Chhath maiya ki jai,

Maa sabhi ki wish and manokamana puri kare.

(2) Chhat festival is one of the mahaparva,

chhati mayya apram parrr hai,

chath miya ko main sat sat bar pranam karta hu!

Nag Panchami

Hinduism as a religion is many-sided yet bound by a common search for Truth and to Hindus it means a way of life and a fellowship of faiths. With the advent of the Aryans, it originated as a simple form of worship of the forces of Nature, drawing in its system action in social organisations, local cults, deities’ diverse beliefs and modes of worship.

Nag-Panchami is an important all-India festival and is celebrated on the fifth day of the moonlit-fortnight in the month of Shravan (July /August). This is the time when serpents invariably come out of their holes that get inundated with rain-water to seek shelter in gardens and many times in houses. As such they pose a great danger to man.

May be therefore, snakes are worshiped on this day. Right from the times when mankind started acquiring some sort of culture, Sun and Snake have been invoked with prayers and ritual worship in most of the countries. In India even before the Vedic times, the tradition of snake-worship was in vogue.

The Legend

In ancient India, there lived a clan by the name of "NAGAS" whose culture was highly developed. The Indus Valley civilisation of 3000 B.C. gives ample proof of the popularity of snake-worship amongst the Nagas, whose culture was fairly wide-spread in India even before the Aryans came. After the Naga culture got incorporated into Hinduism, the Indo-Aryans themselves accepted many of the snake deities of the Nagas in their pantheon and some of them even enjoyed a pride of place in the Puranic Hinduism.

The prominent Cobra snakes mentioned in the Puranas are Anant, Vasuki, Shesh, Padma, Kanwal, Karkotak, Kalia, Aswatar, Takshak, Sankhpal, Dhritarashtra and Pingal. Some historians state that these were not snakes but Naga Kings of various regions with immerse power.

The thousand-headed Shesh Nag who symbolises Eternity is the couch of Lord Vishnu. It is on this couch that the Lord reclines between the time of the dissolution of one Universe and creation of another. Hindus believe in the immortality of the snake because of its habit of sloughing its skin. As such Eternity in Hinduism is often represented by a serpent eating its own tail.

In Jainism and Buddhism snake is regarded as sacred having divine qualities. It is believed that a Cobra snake saved the life of Buddha and another protected the Jain Muni Parshwanath. To-day as an evidence of this belief, we find a huge serpent carved above the head of the statue of Muni Parshwanath. In medieval India figures of snakes were carved or painted on the walls of many Hindu temples. In the carves at Ajanta images of the rituals of snake worship are found. Kautilya, in his "Arthashastra" has given detailed description of the cobra snakes.

Fascinating, frightening, sleek and virtually death-less, the cobra snake has always held a peculiar charm of its own since the time when man and snake confronted each other. As the cobra unfolded its qualities, extra-ordinary legends grew around it enveloping it in the garble of divinity. Most of these legends are in relation with Lord Vishnu, Shiv and Subramanyam.

The most popular legend is about Lord Krishna when he was just a young boy. When playing the game of throwing the ball with his cowherd friends, the legend goes to tell how the ball fell into Yamuna River and how Krishna vanquished Kalia Serpent and saved the people from drinking the poisonous water by forcing Kalia to go away.

It is an age-old religious belief that serpents are loved and blessed by Lord Shiv. May be therefore, he always wears them as ornamentation around his neck. Most of the festivals that fall in the month of Shravan are celebrated in honour of Lord Shiv, whose blessings are sought by devotees, and along with the Lord, snakes are also worshiped. Particularly on the Nag-Panchami day live cobras or their pictures are revered and religious rights are performed to seek their good will. To seek immunity from snake bites, they are bathed with milk, haldi-kumkum is sprinkled on their heads and milk and rice are offered as "naivedya". The Brahmin who is called to do the religious ritual is given "dakshina" in silver or gold coins some times, even a cow is given away as gift.

Naag Panchami Video

Raksha Bandhan - Messages

May The Blessings Of This Raksha Bandhan Day
Rest With You,
Bring You Lots Of Peace And Happiness,
And On This Auspicious Occasion
Let There Be Lots Of Fun
And Happiness In Your Life

Felicitations And Warm Greetings
To A Dear Brother On This Raksha Bandhan Day
On This Day To You My Brother
The Heavens Will Open And Rain
All Its Choicest Blessings
Bringing You Great Joy And Prosperity

Greatest Joy Of The Rakhi Greeting
For A Dear Sister
Who Brings Happiness To The Life
Of Her Brother May This Auspicious Day
Bring Great Joy And Happiness To You
And Keep You Peaceful
Throughout The Rest Of The Days

To The Greatest Sister In The World
My Warmest Rakhi Greetings
On The Raksha Bandhan Day;
We Pray For A Long And Peaceful
Prosperous Life For You
Filled With All Kinds Of Joy

May Heavens Bless The
Wonderful Rakhi Occasion And You;
Raksha Bandhan Time Is The Time
For Your Blessings Dear Brother
And My Warmest Thoughts And Prayers
For You On This Occasion

Raksha Bandhan Is Rakhi Time;
A Time For Rejoicing And For Your Blessings,
Here Is To You Dear The Best Rakhi Wishes,
A Glorious And Prosperous Time,
And A Long And Happy Life In The Days To Come

Raksha Bandhan - History

History Of Raksha Bandhan

Raksha Bandhan, (the bond of protection) or Rakhi is a Hindu festival primarily observed in India, Mauritius and Nepal, which celebrates the relationship between brothers (shaurya), cousins and sisters (shreya). It is also called Rakhi Purnima in most of India.It is also celebrated in some parts of Pakistan. The festival is observed by Hindus, Jains, and some Sikhs.

The festival is marked by the tying of a rakhi, or holy thread, which comes in many colors and designs, by the sister on the wrist of her brother. The brother in return offers a gift to his sister and vows to look after her as she presents sweets to him. The brother usually presents his sister with an envelope filled with money, though other presents such as saris and clothing can be given. The brother and sister traditionally feed one another sweets. These sweets include anything from Jalebi, Kaju Katli, and Burfi. Since Indian kinship practices give cousins a status similar to siblings, girls and women often tie the rakhi to their male cousins as well (referred to as "cousin-brothers" in regional parlance) in several communities.Unrelated boys and men who are considered to be brothers (munh-bola bhai or adopted brothers) can be tied rakhis, provided they commit to a lifelong obligation to provide protection to the woman or girl.

n fact, the popular practice of Raksha Bandhan has its historical associations also. The Rajput queens practised the custom of sending rakhi threads to neighbouring rulers as token of brotherhood. The central ceremony involves the tying of a rakhi (sacred thread) by a sister on her brother's wrist. This symbolizes the sister's love and prayers for her brother's well-being, and the brother's lifelong vow to protect her.The festival falls on the full moon day (Shravan Poornima) of the Shravan month of the Hindu lunisolar calendar.One Islamic Scholar believes that Raksha Bandhan grew in popularity after Rani Karnavati, the widowed queen of Chittor, sent a rakhi to the Mughal emperor Humayun when she required his help.

Stories About Raksha Bandhan

King Bali and Goddess Lakshmi

The demon king Mahabali was a great devotee of lord Vishnu. Because of his immense devotion, Vishnu has taken the task of protecting bali's Kingdom leaving his normal place in Vikundam. Goddess lakshmi - the wife of lord Vishnu - has became sad because of this as she wanted lord Vishnu along with her. So she went to Bali and discussed as a Brahmin woman and taken refuge in his palace. On Shravana purnima, she tied Rakhi on King Bali's wrist. Goddess Lakshmi revealed who she is and why she is there. The king was touched by Her and Lord Vishnu's good will and affection towards him and his family, Bali requested Lord Vishnu to accompany her to vaikuntam. Due to this festival is also called Baleva as Bali Raja's devotion to the Lord vishnu. It is said that since that day it has become a tradition to invite sisters on sravan pournima to tie sacred thread of Rakhi or Raksha bandan.

Lord Krishna and Draupathi

In order to protect the good people, Lord Krishna killed the evil King Shishupal. Krishna was hurt during the war and left with bleeding finger. Seeing this, Draupathi had torn a strip of cloth from her sari and tied around his wrist to stop the bleeding. Lord Krishna, realizing her affections and concern about him, declared himself bounded by her sisterly love. He promised her to repay this debt whenever she need in future. Many years later, when the pandavas lost Draupathi in the game of dice and Kauravas were removing her saari, Krishna helped her divinely elongating the saari so that they could not remove it.

Rani Karnawati and Emperor Humayun

The story of Rani Karnavati and Emperor Humayun is the most significant evidence in the history. During the medieval era, Rajputs were fighting Muslim invasions. Rakhi at that time meant a spiritual binding and protection of sisters was foremost. When Rani Karnawati the widowed queen of the king of Chittor realised that she could in no way defend the invasion of the Sultan of Gujarat, Bahadur Shah, she sent a rakhi to Emperor Humayun. The Emperor touched by the gesture started off with his troops without wasting any time.

Alexander The Great and King Puru

The oldest reference to the festival of rakhi goes back to 300 B.C. at the time when Alexander invaded India. It is said that the great conqueror, King Alexander of Macedonia was shaken by the fury of the Indian king Puru in his first attempt. Upset by this, Alexander's wife, who had heard of the Rakhi festival, approached King Puru. King Puru accepted her as his sister and when the opportunity came during the war, he refrained from Alexander.

15 August - Independence Day E-Card