Monday, December 30, 2013

Spiritual Calendar: January 2014

1st January, 2014: Amavasya 


Amavasya

The last day of the waning phase of the moon is called Amavasya. Amavasya is the end of the Krishna paksha of the Hindu month. A few festivals like Diwali are celebrated on this day. Amavasya is considered sacred for ancestor rituals.

According to Amavasyant calenders it is called Margashirsha Amavasya. As per Purnimant calenders it is called Paush Amavasya.

4th January, 2014: Masik Vinayak Chaturthi
 
Lord Ganesha

 It is an auspicious day dedicated to Lord Ganesha and falls on the 4th day of the Krishna Paksha (waning phase of the moon) of a lunar fortnight or on the fourth day after Purnima or full moon. Ganesha devotees observe a fast on Vinayak Chaturthi.



7th December, 2014: Guru Govind Singh Jayanti


Guru Gobind Singh

 A Sikh festival that commemorates the birthday of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs. It is a religious celebration in which prayers for prosperity are offered.

Guru Gobind Singh was the 10th Sikh Guru of Nanak. He was born at Patna, Bihar, India, on December 22, 1666.

Guru Gobind Singh was the son of Guru Tegh Bahadur, who gave his life to protect religious freedom. He succeeded his father and became a Guru at nine years of age. In his lifetime, he stood against the Mughal Rulers and fought against injustice. In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh took five men from the lower caste of society and baptized them as His Five Beloveds. It was his dedication to God, his fearlessness and his desire to protect the people from being oppressed that led Guru Gobind Singh to establish the Khalsa, a military force of saint-soldiers which he baptized.

Before his death in 1708, he declared the Guru Granth Sahib, which is Sikhism’s Holy Scripture to be the permanent Sikh Guru.

11th January, 2014: Putrada Ekadashi
is celebrated on the eleventh day of Shukla Paksha in the Paush Month.


Lord Vishnu

Rituals: On this day Lord Vishnu is worshipped and one keeps a fast for children. Devotees wake up early in the morning and bathing soon after, worship the Lord with due respect. Their children have long lives and childless couples are blessed with a child.

12th January, 2014: Swami Vivekananda Jayanti


Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda (January 12, 1863July 4, 1902),was the chief disciple of the 19th century Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and founded the Ramakrishna Mission. He introduced the Hindu philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga in Europe and America, and brought Hinduism to the status of a world religion by end of the 19th century. Swami Vivekananda was born in an aristocratic Bengali family of Calcutta in 1863. While searching for someone who could directly demonstrate the reality of God, he came to Ramakrishna and became his disciple. Ramakrishna taught him the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta or non-dualism and that service to man was the most effective worship of God.

13th January, 2014: Lohri


Punjabis, irrespective of their religion, continue to practice their Punjabi Folk Religion. Respect to the seasons and the natural elements of fire, wind, water and the earth is very important. Lohri is a festival dedicated to the end of the Winter season whereas Teej (known as Teeyan in Punjabi) is dedicated to the rain/Monsoon season and Basant is dedicated to Spring .


Over time, people have associated Lohri to the tale of Dulla Bhatti. The central character of most Lohri songs, Dulla Bhatti was a Muslim highway robber who had converted from Sikhism. He lived in Punjab during the reign of Emperor Akbar. Regarded as a hero in Punjab, he robbed the rich and rescued Sikh and Hindu girls being forcibly taken to be sold in the slave market of the Middle East. He arranged their marriages to Sikh and Hindu boys with the proper rituals and provided them with dowries. So every other Lohri song expresses gratitude to Dulla Bhatti.

14th January, 2013: Makar Sankranti



Worshipping the Sun God

Makar Sankranti is a major harvest festival celebrated in various parts of India. The movement of the earth from one zodiac sign into another is called Sankranti and as the Sun moves into the Capricorn Zodiac it is known as Makar in Hindi.


Bathing in the Ganges on Makar Sankranti

Makar Sankranti is also regarded as the beginning of an auspicious phase and any sacred ritual can be sanctified in a Hindu family from this day onwards.Sankranti marks the termination of the winter season and the onset of spring.

At Vrindavan, Rishikesh and Allahabad, millions of devotees will take a dip in the holy River Yamuna or the Ganges on this pious day. Invariably they will give charity to the needy .

Bhagwan Surya-Narayan is considered the ancestor of Lord Ramji and the very first disciple of Lord  Krishna in the Bhagavat Gita, and He will be worshipped with joyous abandon.



Shri Radha Vallabha Thakurs in Vrindavan


Today a bhoga of khichdi will be offered to Sri Yugal Sarkar particularly at the Radha Vallabhji Temple at the holy dham of Vrindavan. We must also offer khichdi bhoga to our ishtdev or family deity and liberally donate it to brahmins and the needy.


16th January, 2014: Paush Purnima, Magh Snan Begins


Paush Purnima Snan

The day occurs when the moon is full in the Hindu month of Paush. This is the last full moon of winter. By this time, the sadhus and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims arrive at the Kumbh Mela.

Paush Purnima Punya Snan is an importance event in Magh Mela. Every year, Thousands of devotees perform ritual baths in Prayag. Heavy rush is witnessed in Hindu temples across India on this day.

16th January: Birth Anniversary of Shri Radha Baba
 



Sri Sri Radha Baba

In 2012-2013, the birth centenary of Sri Sri Radha Baba (16th January 1913-13th October 1992) was being celebrated at His birthplace, Gorakhpur, Kolkatta and Delhi to spread the message of love. In quest of the divine, Shri Shri Radha Baba came in contact with Shri Hanuman Prasad Poddar through Jai Dayal Ji Goenka, a spiritual personality and the founder of Gitapress.

In 1987, highly revered Bobo sent the aunties of Vrindavan, her inner circle of devotees and me for his darshan.Today we feel truly blessed because we had stayed at Gita Vatika for full one week, in the year 1987.


19th January, 2014: Sankashti Chaturthi



Lord Ganesha


The most favourite day of the month for Lord Ganesh is the chaviti or the fourth day of the month. The chaviti of a month's Krishna Paksha or waning phase of the moon is known as Sankashti Cahturthi. Sankashti Chaturthi is also known as Sankata Hara Chaturthi or Sankata Vimochana Cahturthi.


Devotees of Lord Ganesha observe the Sankashti Chaturthi Vrat. It is believed that by doing so one is freed from all difficulties also known as Sankat.


Devotees observe a day long fast on Sankashti Chaturthi. In the night after seeing the Moon, they worship Lord Ganesha. After praying to Lord Ganesha, devotees eat the offering that is made to Lord Ganesha and take care to visit any Ganesha Temple on Sankashti Chaturthi Day.


27th January, 2014: Shat Tila Ekadashi


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 .


28th January, 2014: Pradosh Vrata

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).


30th January, 2014 : Mauni Amavasya


Devotees Bathing at the Sangam in Prayag

We have 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.