What is Krishna Janmashtami !

 What is Krishna Janmashtami?

Janmashtami will be celebrated occasioning the birth of Supreme personality Lord Sri Krishna.

According to Hindu Mythology Janmashtami is one of the most renowned festivals celebrated across the world. It is estimated that close to 50 million people across the world celebrate this festival, at home, Temples, or at places which are specially organized to celebrate this occasion. It’s like a new years eve to all the Hindu’s as it is celebrated at the biggest scale across the World / Country.

Now the most important question is on what is that special thing about Krishna, to celebrate his Birthday! This actually happens to be a question which every individual has [the one who belongs to other religion i.e. Non Hindu]

It is said that the Heart of Human beings [Hurdy] is the Birth Place of Lord Krishna, it is said that only when the hearts of people become pure, filled with peace, and as cool as Himachala that is the True Birth Day of Krishna.

Lord Sri Krishna who always gives back to all the individuals who love with pure heart and worship him without any worldly requests

Lord Sri Krishna is the only adorable and the Most romantic and compassionate Lover the world have ever witnessed, during his child hood he was the mischievous son to matha yashoda and Krishna always surprised her with new things in life.

During his entire life lord sri Krishna had no. of wars with people in order to save his country and devotes, hence it is also believed that the B’day of Krishna [AShtami] is the day of bad luck by some people and rumors float around to say that everybody who is born janmashtami will end his life in troubles, however with the other section of society believe that the person who is born on janmashtami will be a RULER and would be protector of Dharma

How is Janmastami Celebrated?

The Birth day of Lord Krishna [Janmashtami] is celebrated most uniquely than any other festival. Unlike other festivals janmastami is not celebrated by wearing new clothes on the day of janmastami or by going to relatives houses to celebrate it, is it celebrated in a different way altogether.

Janmashtami is the festival which is celebrated with utmost zeal and enthusiasm among people on the day of Lord Sri Krishna.

the other name for celebrating the birth of Lord Sri Krishna [janmashtami ] is DAHIHANDI it is known as dahi handi in the business capital of India i.e  Mumbai and the growing city of the country Pune along with some western part of Indian states.

On the Day of Janmashtami people gather at one place, most preferable in and around the temple premises, the Handi [Pot] will be fully filled with Curd / butter milk and it will be positioned at a height which can only be reached with the help of ladder, and to reach it all the youngsters together form the human Pyramid to reach the Handi which is already positioned at a height.

The Top most person in the pyramid will get a chance to break the HANDI by hitting it with either a coconut which he would carry along with him while he climbs the pyramid or with anything which is blunt in nature. When the person breaks the handi the curd / butter milk will be spilled on the entire pyramid which is formed with Humans, it is the symbol of UNITY and ACHIEVEMENT IN TOGETHER NESS this would only be possible when people trust each other.

During the formation of Pyramid, people chant / shout the name of lord Sri Krishna as Govinda, hare Krishna / bal Krishna, etc and dance in the trans of lord Krishna            

Meaning of Bhaja Govindam Song !

Meaning of Bhaja govindam Song:

Every hindu might have definitely at one point of time in his life time might have definitely heard the song “bhajagovindam” sung by the Veteran Singer Mrs. M.S. Subbalakshmi, it is the song which is sung in praise of lord Vishnu and it has its own meaning to explain the true way of life and its real essence on how it can be lived in the best way suggested by lord.

Below is brief explanation of the different Stanza’s used in the song explaining the real meaning of life.

The below explanation is divided into parts based on how it is sung, post reading this request you to please listen to the song and relate to its meaning given below.

Meaning of Bhaja Govindam Song: [according to stanza’z Sung]

Oh Fool Worship Lord Govinda for his kindness and love on you. – oh Fool oh fool

Worship / Seek / Pray  Govinda till the last second of your life until you reach to the last second of your breath , these utter praises of this false world will not save you, only Govinda can save you.

Oh Fool never be in the False world filled with Desires and never be a slave to your desires, Give those up and pray Govinda, remove this thirst from your heart for desire.

Occupy your mind only and only Good and holy & Healthy Thoughts, and always be filled with  content and only react to through the actions of past.

As long as you have the ability to earn money and wealth you will be attached to your dependents,

once your body and soul becomes old and you wander with your inability to move at home no one cares to speak a word with the old soul

Hence never take pride in your possessions or wealth which comes from people when you are Young and when you  have wealth with you

Time Changes everything and takes away all that which you have at the moment

As Govinda says, Please free your self from this false world of illusion and from the world of “Maya” and attarin the truth of timelessness

One who Shelters in Temples and sleeps under the Trees by wearing a deer skin and who rest on the naked ground, thus will renounce all the ideas of attachement along with possession.

For whom this indifference will not bring happiness ?

Read a little pieces of Bhagavad Gita or atleast take few drops from River Ganga and worship the lord Krishna [murari] atleast once and hence you will have no quarrel with Lord Yama [the god of Death]

As said in Bhagavad Gita, birth and Death are the two things which are bound to happen, Rebirth, Re death and rebirth will happen

Samsara is the toughest path to corss, Save me oh Lord Krishna / murari with your infinite Kindness

Regularly Read few stanzas from the Bhagavad Gita, continuously perform meditation, Fill your heart with Lord Vishnu by chanting his glories he will come to rescue you.

Only take pride in the noble and holy Causes and share your wealth with the needy in this world

Wealth would only stay for some time in life and there is no joy in it, reflect on this ideal truth in your entire life.

With the wealth even a rich man with un imaginable wealth has to fear with his own son, this is the cruelty of having wealth and it is the way

By worshipping Lord, may your be pass through Samsara in all well fashion

It can only happen through continous efforts to control your mind and training your senses, only though which you can fill your heart with lord and purify your soul

Life of Chaitanya Maha Prabhu

Life of Chaitanya Maha Prabhu - Part 2

The Adolescent Scholar

The Young Scholar:

 After the death of Sri Jagannatha Misra, the father of Sri Chaitanya Prabhu there was lot of change which took place in the life and thought process of Sri Chaitanya Prabhu. The Naughty behavior of caitanya prabhu has changed to a more matured approach towards life,

Post death of his father caitanya prabhu’s naughty behavior has subsidized and he has started moving towards more structural way of living by religiously following all the duties which are prescribed by brahminical order one of those was to regularly perform SANDHYA VANDANA

Later in his life through his journey of structural living lord Chaitanya Prabhu, opened a Sanskrit School Teaching the True Form and language of Sanskrit and also ensured his students followed the standards

Caitanya Prabhu was truly dedicated and diligent through his vision and never wasted time in Idle Gossip and also avoided the association of Irreligious Persons

He Soon became “Nimai Pandita” In spite being the youngest Pandita Caitanya prabhu never showed arrogance with people and he would always get mingled with all kinds of people in the society be it Milkman, Merchants, Flower Seller etc he mingled up with everybody.

One Day During his visit to Market Caitanya Prabhu had to meet an Astrologer, upon his meet prabhu tried enquiring about his past life post looking at prabhu and his “Jathaka” Astrologer was astonished and said he was the supreme persona of god in his past life which prabhu did not accept and kept moving on.

The Marriage:

Caitanya Prabhu married to a girl named Laxmipriya show as the same girl whom Nimai [caitanya Prabhu] met during his child hood days on the river banks of River Ganga and both Lived Happily

Laxmi priya as a faithful wife was very happily taking care of house without any complaint and served food to all the guests who lord chaitanya prabhu used to get everyday to his home to serve food and give necessary clothing

Laxmi Priya never complained on the charity which Nimai did, however mother sacidevi, raised concerns and always asked on his future would sustain as they did not have any land to their name.

The Answer from Nimai was “KRSNA IS THE CREATOR OF THIS WORLD AND HE WOULD TAKE CARE OF ALL THE NECESSITIES OF THE NEEDY”

Moving to East Bengal:

 On the Push of Mother Sacidevi to make some earning Nimai moved to East Bengal, However his ideal aim was to spread the word of Krsna in the area.

Looking at his spiritual Vision and Scriptural Explanation, all those who heard him could not take their eyes off and where very much impressed and were attracted towards the word of Prabhu and started worshipping Krsna and started chanting the name of Lord Srihari.

There lived a Brahmana with the name Tapana Misra who was eager to determine and know the real meaning of Life and to achieve the same he was always with books the more he read the books more he got confused, looking at his confusion people suggested him to meet Chaitanya Prabhu whos was in town and assured him to get an answer to all his confusions and questions

When he met [Nimai]Chaitanya prabhu explained him that the real meaning of life cannot be ascertained by Just Reading books rather only by chanting the name of Lord SRI HARI.

Chaitanya Prabhu suggested him to chant the MAHA MANTRA

HARE KRSNA HARE KRSNA; KRSNA KRSNA HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA; RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

Re Marriage:

During the Visit of Nimai to East Bengal Laxmi Priya had a snake bite which took her life

When Nimai Returned to Navadvipa he consoled his mother and as per her suggestion lord Chaitanya Prabhu married to Visnu priya and his marriage was celebrated as the biggest festival of the town.

 

Life of Chaitanya Maha Prabhu

Life of Chaitanya Maha Prabhu - PART 1 

THE BIRTH

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born during the period where the world has just started realizing the development and spiritual importance and strength, where Europe was running towards new milestones and in search of new heavens’, India was also under a difficult situation were castism was playing an upper hand and the Bhakti movement was just Started in the country.

During this period one person with the Name Sri Jagannatha Misra a thorough brahman and an ardent devotee of Lord Sri Krishna migrated from Bengal, due to the movement of upper castism and different religious concerns.

From East Bengal he migrated to the city on the banks of river Ganga in Mayapur which is one of the closest places to Navadvipa

Jagannatha Misra was married to Sri Sacidevi who is also ardent devotee of Lord Sri Krishna.

By the Time Sri Jagannatha Misra reached Mayapur the Educational Ambience of the city was by then spoiled and no one cared about the real traditional Rituals and even brahmans were little bothered about the tradition’s and the real aim and the word of Krishna Consciousness and there were only few seen who taught Bhagavad Gita.

The Only Person left to worship Lord Krishna ardently in and around the city was Sri Advaita Acarya who was the leader of the only Vaishnava Community in Navadvipa he used to preach the word of Krishna and Worship lord Krishna with Tulasi and Ganga Water.

During the Same period Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu entered the womb of Sacidevi and her pregnancy endured for 13 months.

On the Full moon day and Phalguna of the year, 18^th of February 1486 AD Sri Chaitanya MahaPrabhu was born. Previously Sacimata [Sacidevi] gave birth to eight daughters however none of the them could survive and all of them died immediately after birth.

The Family of Jagannatha Misra and Sacidevi named the new born as Visvarupa Visvambhara

The Grandfather of Lord Chaitanya was one of the Known learned astrologer of the city on making the Nimai chart of the child he discovered and found the boy to be the personality of God and his representation; however he kept this as a Secret to himself

As soon as Lord Chaitanya was born in the city the famine ended in the land, there were good rains and the farmlands flourished with crops and earth land again became happy and prosperous

During the naming Ceremony of the boy brahman’s chanted the mantra of Lord Hair and blowing counchshells and ringing bells, and as a part of the ceremony various objects such as Grains puffed Rice book, coin, gold, etc were placed before the new born [lord chaitanya mahaprabhu ] and was left alone to pick anything and leaving everything boy picked up the sacred Srimad Bhagavatam

Everyone cheered and claimed the boy to be a Distinguished Pandita,.

Festivals of AUGUST - 2012

Hindu Festivals for the month of AUGUST - 2012

Hinduism is so vast that we have so many important days in our life’s to Celebrate.

August is the month which is considered to be one of the most important months for Hindu’s as this is the month which immediately falls soon after the start of Monsoons in the Country

The Good Days start with the start of most important month for the year for all the married Women of this country, i.e. The Sharavan Month [Most important for the followers of Lord Shiva]

Below are the Dates on which the Most important Festivals are Celebrated for the Month of AUGUST - 2012

• August 1^st – Purnima [Poornima] Vrat – Also this falls on Shravan Star
• August 2^nd – Raksha Bandhan [The Festival for all the Sisters of this country, tieing Rakhi to their Brothers]
• August 2^{nd -}  Avani Avittam  - It is the day which comes after Dhanista nakshatram [Dhanishta Star], where in the Brahmins [iyers] as a ritual change their upanayana.
• August 2^nd - Few more Festivals / Important days which fall on 2^nd of August are to start with Gayatri Japam comes first, and then it’s followed by up karm ...It’s also the Purnima on August 2^nd of 2012
• August 3^rd – The VaralakshmiVratam which is the Most important day of Shravan month where women perform pooja to Goddess Lakshi [the consort of Vishnu]
• August 4^th – Ashunya Sayana Vrata – The Day Dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi and Vishnu.
• August 5^th - Kajari Teej Vratam or Kajari Teej Pooja – it is celebrated in the Bhadra month of the year... and this year it falls on     5^th of August 2012
• August 6^th – August 6^th Falls Monday, and across Maharashtra and Gujarat, it is Celebrated as Shravan Somvar [i.e. Somvar mean – Monday in Hindi] ..And across, Different States like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Hindu women perform MangalaGouri Pooja As well on the same day.
• August 9^th – The Birthday of Lord Krishna “Janmastami” is being celebrated in some parts of the Country.
• August 10^th – Due to the changing nakshtra’s and the time zones, the birth of Krishna “Janmastami” is celebrated at different days in the country, it starts on 9^th and on 10^th the Jan mastami is celebrated in Northern INDIA
• August 11^th – Goga Navami is celebrated across the Country
• August 13^th – Its again Monday, its again Celebrated as Shravan Somvar in Gujarat, this would continue for the entire month of ShravanAnd EKADASI also falls on the same day
• August 14^th – across Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Karnataka, MANGALA GOURI Pooja is celebrated on this Day
• August 17^th - It’s the Start of Chingam month for Keralites [people of Kerala]
•  It is also the AMAVASYA of the Month.
• August 18^th – According to Bengali Calendars’ 18^th is the start of Bhadrapad Month of the year
• August 21^st – The Most Famous Festival across the World “Vinayaka” Chaturthi [Ganesh Chaturthi] Celebrated on 21^st of August and would continue for next 11 days until the final Nimarjan of Ganesh Idle Takes Place
• August 27^th – It’s EKADASI
• August 28^th – The Most Important Festival for Kerelaites – “THE ONAM” falls on 28^th it’s the First Day of ONAM which is celebrated
• August 31^st – It’s Poornima Day [Purnima / Pournami]

Gopal Krishna

Bal Krishna

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu !

The Krsna Consciousness movement is now spread all over the world.Yet its originator, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu [Chaitanya Mahaprabhu] remains largely unknown across the World, even in India where at least the name of Lord Caitanya is widely familiar, most people know little about him, and about his activities or his message, Even persons who know something of Lord Caitanya mostly misunderstand him as merely a Great Devotee of LordKrishna, Where revealed Scriptures uphold that he is one of the supreme personality of God head which world knows

When looked into the voluminous original biographies Sri Caitanya-bhagavata and Sri Caitanya-caritamtra, which were scripted few hundreds of years ago it has revealed that Certain customs, attitudes and practices within Hindu society as recounted herein, and even the very personage of Lord Caitanya,  May seem strange to the Un acquainted .

Lord Caitanya [Lord Chaitanya / Sri Chaitanya] is known to world with many of his names, which were given to him along with his stages of life.

Lord Chaitanya’s  father  has Named him as Visvambhara, and  when he was young and by the time he entered his youth he was called Nimai Pandita by all his family, friends and his tutors. When he took Sannyasa, he was started being known as Sri Krsna Caitanya however he was known as Sri Krsna Caitanya, he was also known as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu or just Mahaprabhu. and throughout his pastimes he was known as “Gauranga”, or as “Gaurahari”, because of his Golden [awesomely beautiful] Complexion.

Sri Caitnaya prabhu spent his first 24 years in Navadvipa one of the known city of Nadia District in  West Bengal [one of the State of INDIA]. Thereafter he left his family life and accepted sannyasa. Making Puri his Headquarters, Caitanya Mahaprabhu then spent 6 years on travelling between “Vrndavana” [Vrindavana, Brindavana], West Bengal and parts of South India. For the remaining 18 years of His manifest presence he stayed in Puri, however he drifted into ever deeper trances of love of Krsna.

Biographers  have recorded that in the ecstasy of separation from Lord Krsna, sometimes the arms, legs and heard of Caitanya Mahaprabhu has found to be merged into His body in the manner [way] of a tortoise, or his limbs  would become disjointed from his body and remain connected only by skin. 

Often when Srichaitanya mahaprabhu chanted “Hare Krsna” and danced his body would be covered with goose bumps, tears would squirt from his eyes as if from a syringe, and foam would ooze from his mouth. He would jump high into the air and crash down so heavily that the earth would shake. But due to spiritual rhapsody he would feel no pain and would continue to chant Hare Krsna.

Gaudiya Vaisnava [Vaishnavism movement started by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Bengal] authorities say that such transformations are not among those which would be possible for an ordinary human beings or a trained person and thus classify or see or discover or make out lord Caitanya as non different person from the lord Krsna.

Lord Krsna is famous known as “Syamasundara”, or he who or the one who is blackish and Beautiful. And Lord Caitanya is most famously known to his followers as  “Gaurasundara”,  which mean to the one who is with Golden complexion and Awesomely Beautiful appearing in this wonderful fair feature due to combining of Radha. Thus Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the combined form of Radha and Krsna but with the mood and complexion of Srimati Radharani, come to teach the world the  adore of Sri Radha-Krsna.

Detailed knowledge may be gathered by studying Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.