2nd February, 2013: Shri Ramanandacharya
Jayanti
Shri Ramanandacharya ji
Ramananda (1299-1410) was a Vaishnava sant.
He is considered to be the reviver of the Ramanandi Sect. For the most
part of his life Ramananda lived in the holy city of Varanasi, was a pioneer of the Bhakti movement, and a social reformer
in Northern India. He was known for communicating in vernacular Hindi
and accepting disciples of all castes. His 12 disciples-Anantananda,
Bhavananda, Dhanna Bhagat, Kabir, Nabha, Naraharyanda, Pipa, Ravidas
(also known as Guru Ravidas), Bhagat Sain, Sukhanada, Ranka and Tulsidas
(the author of the Ramcharitmanas) are very famous.
3rd February, 2013: Kala Ashtami
Kala Bhairava
Kalashtami or Kala Bhairava Asthami is observed on the eighth day of Krishna
Paksha in each lunar month. This fast is dedicated to Lord Kala Bhairava.
Kala Bhairava is the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva associated with
annihilation.
Devotees observe a fast on this day which is considered ideal to propitiate
Kala Bhairava. Pinda daan and Pitru tarpan rituals can be performed
on this day. Feeding dogs is considered auspicious on this day.
6th February, 2013: Shat Tila Ekadashi
Vrata
Lord Vishnu
This ekadashi falls on the eleventh day of Krishnapaksh in the month of
Paush.Til means sesame seeds and shat stands for six. The entire offering
of six types of sesame seeds on Shat Tila Ekadasi is considered highly
meritorious. Reciting the Vishnu Sahasra Nama Stotram (the thousand
names of Vishnu) and worshipping Lord Vishnu is a must for devotees.
Please offer til-ladoos to Lord Vishnu, Ganesha, your family deity, the
child form of Krishna or Lord Rama at home. As til is considered beneficial
for the cold winter months, kindly give sesame seeds to needy students
and the poor, this season .
8th February, 2013: Pradosh Vrat
Lord Shiva
Pradosh means dusk and this fast is kept on the 13th day of each lunar fortnight
for propitiating Lord Shiva. With his blessings all desires are fulfilled
and one attains spiritual enlightenment. It is said that on this day
all gods and goddesses assemble at Mount Kailash to worship Lord Shiva.
Worship of Shiva throughout the night, bathing the Shivalinga with panchamrta
(milk, curd, ghee, sugar and honey), homa, chanting the mulamantra (Aum
Nama Shivaya) and praying for forgiveness are the other religious observances.
At the end of the vrata one must do parana (break the fast by partaking
the offerings).
10th February, 2013: Mauni Amavasya
And the famed holy dip in Prayag during the Magh Mela. Mauni Amavasya
is the no moon day in Magh(January to February) as per the traditional
Hindu calendar followed in North India. Several Hindus keep a vow of
absolute silence on this day. According to Hinduism, mauna or silence
is an integral part of spiritual discipline. Derived from the word muni,
mauna ideally symbolizes a state of oneness with the Self. Silence has
also been described by Adi Shankaracharya as one of the three essential
attributes of a sanyasi. In recent times Ramana Maharshi popularized
silence as a medium of spiritual instruction.
Devotees Bathing at the Sangam in Prayag
On Mauni Amavasi a large number of Hindu devotees join Kalpavasis at
Sangam in Prayag (Allahabad) and meditate the whole day in an attempt
to calm the restive mind. Bathing in the holy Ganges and other such
sacred rivers,frugally eating selective foodstuffs like fruits or items
made of kootu-flour, visiting religious shrines and listening to discourses
by holy men on this particular day is said to bestow great merit.
In fact the Magh Mela in Allahabad attracts millions of devout Hindus
to bathe at the confluence of rivers Ganga and Yamuna. Many mendicants
and aspirants stay on the banks of these rivers in Prayag. Aspirants
who come here and stay for the entire month of Magh while doing religious
observances are known as kalpavasis. Religious discourses, kirtans and
satsangs are held for the devotees. Brahmans and others are bestowed
with gifts and foods in charity.
On Mauni Amavasya traditionally Lord Vishnu is worshipped and the peepul
tree is religiously circumambulated.
Shri Banke Bihari ji Vrindavan
There is a great rush of devotees at the Shri Banke Bihari ji Temple in
Vrindavan on every Amavasya. Since this is the Mauni Amavasya of the
Magh Month, the devout Hindus thronging the shrine will be far greater.
12th February, 2013: Kumbh Sankranti
Kumbha Sankranti
For Kumbha Sankranti sixteen Ghatis before
the Sankranti moment are considered Shubh and the time window of sixteen
Ghati before Sankranti to Sankranti is taken for all Dan-Punya activities.
During Kumbha Sankranti offering to cows are
considered highly auspicious. Also taking bath in Ganges especially
in the Triveni where the Ganga and Yamuna converge is considered
highly auspicious.
13th February, 2013: Shri Ganesh Chaturthi
Vrat
Lord Ganesha
When people fast on Ganesh Chaturthi, they
either opt for the nirjal vrat (a stringent, waterless fast) or phalahar
vrat (a diet). Devotees are allowed to have sweets including til ke
ladoo , gajak and rewari along with tea and coffee. In order to concentrate,
the devotees chant mantras invoking Lord Ganesha and sing bhajans in
his praise. It is believed that if one observes a fast on Ganesha Chaturthi
with sincerity, he is blessed with health, wealth and prosperity.
15th February, 2013: Basant Panchami
Godess Saraswati
Basant Panchami is a Hindu festival celebrating
Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, music and art. It is celebrated every year on the panchami or fifth of Magh (January-February),
the first day of spring. Traditionally during this festival children
are taught to write their first words; brahmins are fed; ancestor worship
(Pitr-tarpan) is performed; Kamdev, the god of love, is worshipped;
and most educational institutions organise special prayers for Ma Saraswati.Notebooks,
pencils and pens are kept at the Devi's feet for blessings and used
by the students thereafter.
Celebrating Basant Panchami with Joyous
Abandon
The colour yellow has an important role to
play. People usually wear yellow garments, Ma Saraswati is dressed in
yellow and worshipped with puja and havan, and yellow-hued sweets are
relished and distributed amongst families.
The virtuous worship goddess Saraswati for spiritual enlightenment and the white swan
of Saraswati stands for sattva or the quality of goodness.
Seasons undergo change and Basant Panchami
heralds the arrival of spring.
Sprinkling of Gulal Starts in Vrindavan
From Basant Panchami the sprinkling of gulal or red coloured powder starts
in Braj-Vrindavan and continues up to 20th March that is Holi. In Braj
this festival of colours is celebrated for a span of 41 days (foreword
on Braj Bhoomi Mohini by Saint Ushaji).
Saint Usha ji's Yugal Sarkar
At Vrindavan our Sri Yugal Sarkar (the svarupas
of Shri Radha-Krishna) areAt Vrindavan our Sri Yugal Sarkar (the svarupas of Shri Radha-Krishna) are decked with mustard flowers specially brought from Sri Nandgaon and padas of Basant are joyously sung in the evening.
On Basant Panchami adorn your Thakurji or living presence of Lord Krishna with yellow or mustard flowers.Offer yellow rice (namkeen tahri/sweet pudding and halwa (including the one made of besan) or besan laddus to your Thakurji.
Mustard Flowers
21st February, 2013: Jaya Ekadashi Vrata
Lord Vishnu
Jaya Ekadasi is on a Monday and is observed
on the eleventh day of Shukla Paksha Magh.Though Magh is an auspicious
month for propitiating Shiva, this Ekadasi is auspicious for Vishnu Puja. On this day, Lord Vishnu and Shiva are both
worshipped. Keeping the Jaya Ekadasi Vrat gives devotees an opportunity
to get rid of their sins and attain salvation.
Lord Krishna Narada & Yudhistira
The legend of Jaya Ekadasi Vrata
is explained in the Padma Purana as a conversation between Lord Krishna
and Yudhistira.
decked with mustard flowers specially brought
from Sri Nandgaon and padas of Basant are joyously sung in the evening.
Mustard Flowers
On Basant Panchami adorn your Thakurji or living presence of Lord Krishna with yellow
or mustard flowers.Offer yellow rice (namkeen tahri/sweet pudding and
halwa (including the one made of besan) or besan laddus to your Thakurji.
18th February, 2013: Bhishma Ashtami
Bhishma Ashtami
This festival is associated with 'Bhishma Pitamaha, the legendary king of
Mahabharata whom Lord Krishna praised as the Lord of the lords. Bhishmashtami
ie Bhishma Ashtami,is the festival which is celebrated on the twenty-third
day of Magha (Jan-Feb) and eighth lunar day of the light half (waxing
phase of the moon).
Important part of this festival is the worship
of the Pitris, the ancestors.It is the next day to Ratha Saptami.It
is believed that Bhishma's soul departed on this day after the war of
Kurukshetra came to an end. Bhishmashtami is dedicated to Bhishma, the son of Ganga,
and great uncle of the Pandava and Kaurava.Bhishma died childless without
any direct descendant.
On this day devotees take bath early in the morning,perform the pooja and observe the
fast from sunrise to sunset.Being the 'Pitamaha', all the devotees come
together and make religious offerings of Ganga-water, to his spirit.Sesamum
seeds and boiled rice is offered to him.These rituals compensate the
sins of the whole year.
This offering is given to the childless hero
Bhishma of the race of Vyaghrapada. Then people pray saying, "May
Bhishma, the son of Santanu, the speaker of truth and defeater of his
passions, obtain by this water the oblations due by sons and grandsons."
21st February, 2013: Jaya Ekadashi Vrata
Lord Vishnu
Jaya Ekadasi is on a Monday and is observed
on the eleventh day of Shukla Paksha Magh.Though Magh is an auspicious
month for propitiating Shiva, this Ekadasi is auspicious for Vishnu Puja. On this day, Lord Vishnu and Shiva are both
worshipped. Keeping the Jaya Ekadasi Vrat gives devotees an opportunity
to get rid of their sins and attain salvation.
The legend of Jaya Ekadasi Vrata
is explained in the Padma Purana as a conversation between Lord Krishna
and Yudhistira.
22nd February, 2013: Bhishma Dvadashi
Bhihma Dvadashi
Bhishma Dvadasi, is observed on the 12th day
in the month of Magha (January – February) during the Shukla
Paksha (waxing phase of moon). Bhisma Dwadasi is also known as Magh Shukla Dwadasi. It
is widely believed that Pandavas performed the last rites of Bhishma,
the son of King Shantanu and Ganga in Mahabharata, on this day.
It is popularly believed that Bhisma who was
wounded and lying on a bed of arrows chose to leave the earth 58 days after
the beginning of the Great War in Mahabharata. Bhishma was blessed with
a boon that he could choose the day of his death. It is believed that
he chose Magh Shukla Ashtami day to leave the earth and merge with Brahman.
On the Bhishma Dwadasi day, Pandavas performed
the last rites of Bhishma Pitamah on the banks of Ganga.
There is a popular belief that offering Tarpan
and Shradh on the day to ancestors is highly beneficial. Some people
also perform Tarpan in the name of Bhishma as he had no children.
23rd Febraury, 2013: Shani Pradosh Vrata
Lord Shiva
Is an auspicious fast dedicated to Lord Shiva.
It is observed on the thirteenth day of every fortnight (Shukla Paksha
and Krishna Paksha) in the Hindu calendar. Shivalinga puja at the time of pradosha time and fasting
are the main rituals of Pradosham.
In all Pradosha vratas, Shani Pradosha which
falls on a Saturday and Soma Pradosham on a Monday are important days
25th February, 2013: Magh
Purnima
Devotees Bathe at the Triveni in Allahbad
Magh Purnima is the full moon day in the month of Magh (January –
February) during which the famous Kumbh Mela and annual Magh Mela take
place at the Triveni Sangam in Prayag, Allahabad. Thousands of Hindu
devotees converge to take a holy dip at the confluence of rivers Ganga,
Yamuna and Saraswati in Allahabad. It is an important day to bathe and
for some Hindus, the last date of Magh Snana. Please take a dip in the
Ganges, Yamuna or any other sacred river. There will be a great rush
at Goverdhan/Vrindavan and Kamad Giri at Chitrakoot for parikrama or
circumambulation.
It is believed that Vishwamitra II performed
a ritual bath during the Kumbh Mela on a Magh Purnima in 2382 BCE. Maghi
Purnima usually falls at the end of Magh and signals the end of the
Kumbh Mela. Most Kalpvasis start their return journey from the Sangam
on this day.
27th February, 2013: Saint Ushaji's Punya
Tithi
Saint Usha Bahenji Fondly Known as Bobo
(anniversary of her death) falls on a Wednesday and will be observed
at Gaura Nagar Colony, Vrindavan. Born on 30th July,1925, Usha Bahenji
gained entry into Gauloka (where Lord Krishna forever dwells) in 1992
after Basant Panchami but before Sri Shivratari. In this way both the
festivals were unaffected, a truly sublime happening!
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu & Swami Ramakrishna
Paramhansa were secular saints of India and inspired Saint Usha ji
fondly known as Bobo. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu embraced Haridas sji, a Muslim
whereas Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa though a great devotee of goddess
Kali, actually practised Islam and Christianity for some months.
28th February, 2013: Ganesh Chaturthi
Vrata
Lord Ganesha
When people fast on Ganesh Chaturthi, they
either opt for the nirjal vrat (a stringent, waterless fast) or phalahar
vrat (a diet). Devotees are allowed to have sweets including til ke
ladoo , gajak and rewari along with tea and coffee. In order to concentrate,
the devotees chant mantras invoking Lord Ganesha and sing bhajans in
his praise. It is believed that if one observes a fast on Ganesha Chaturthi
with sincerity, he is blessed with health, wealth and prosperity.
