Year: 2016

Tula Sankranti is one amongst the 12 sankrantis that are traditionally observed as per the Hindu traditional calendar.

It is observed on the day when the Sun enters the Tula rashi or the Libra zodiac. This has been generally known to coincide with the Ashtami of the Durga Puja.

On this day of the Tula sankranti, the sun rests of the equator and the length of day and night remains absolutely equal. Tula sankranti is also known as Garbhana Sankranti and is observed with a lot of fanfare particularly in the states of Odisha and Karnataka. In 2019, the Tula Sankranti will be observed on the 18^th of October, Friday.

 

Rituals and traditions of Tula Sankranti

Observances of Tula Sankranti differ in various parts of the country. Some of the prominent ones are discussed below –

 

• Odisha–

In the state of Odisha, Tula sankranti is an extremely auspicious day when the paddy fields are full and yields the produce of the farmers’ hard labor and toil. The name of Garbhana sankranti has come from that that imagery only where the trees are pregnant with the ripe produces. The farmers envisage Goddess Lakshmi in these lush plants and thus worship her as such. They offer her fresh paddies and rice taken from the farmland. In certain parts of Odisha, wheat plants and Kara, which is a medicinal plant known to ward off insects; are also offered to the Goddess Lakshmi as a token of worship? This is essentially done to seek blessings from the Goddess so that the harvest remains good and the yield is also as good as it is now. This worship is also carried out to protect the farmland from floods and drought as well as protect them from insects, pests, locusts etc.

 

On this joyous occasion, in Odisha various different types of food are prepared. All the family members sit together and wish that the whole of the year should also follow suit in the same manner. People also wear new clothes on this auspicious occasion.

 

• Karnataka-

In Karnataka this auspicious day is more known by the name of the Kaveri Sankramana, observed on the middle of the month of October.  Kaveri because the river Kaveri is worshipped and plays an important role in this ritual and its source is Talakaveri which is important to the observance.

 

On this day, when the sun enters the Tula Rashi, a small fountain known as Brahmakundike; which is a small conclave shaped hole in the mountains of Brahmagiri Hills, starts filling up the Talakaveri and lots of devotees gather to collect water from the Takakaveri. It is believed that a dying person can attain salvation if this water preserved in a bottle through Kodagu is given to them.

 

It is believed that Goddess Parvati took the form of the river Kaveri. Thus on this day devotees worship the goddess Parvati with glass bangles, areca nuts, 3 sets of  betel leaves,vermillion, turmeric and sandalwood paste. The women wear silk sarees and perform puja. They wrap any natural produce- a fruit or vegetable, mostly a cucumber or coconut in a piece of bright red or green cloth and worship the same. They also decorate it with jewels and flowers. Jewels used are mostly known as Kodava Mangalsutra and this worship is known as Kanni Puje. Devotees worship the almighty by throwing rice and bowing themselves in front of the idol prepared. The elder of the house takes out water from the well to prepare food on this auspicious day. The menu includes Dhosha, a vegetarian side dish and Payasam. Only vegetarian food is consumed on this day.

In many other regions people take holy baths on this day and the Surya or the sun is worshipped. It is believed that performing shradh or last rites for a deceased soul is also extremely meritorious and yields great result.

Meerabai was the Rajput princess of Rajasthan whose love and devotion for Sri Krishna is legendary and miraculous. Despite being born and married in royal family she underwent tremendous mental torture due to her devotion and love towards Lord Krishna.

Her poems or padas written for Sri Krishna s remain some of the best and the most poignant in Indian literature. She was the Hindu mystic and the Krishna devotee who is said to be one of the major poetesses of the Bhakti cult.

In 2019, Meerabai Jayanti will be celebrated and observed on the 13th of October, Sunday.

 

• Early life of Meerabai

Meera was born to the Rajput king Ratansingh of Kurki, Udaipur. Born in the year 1499, she unfortunately lost her mother very early and grew up under the tutelage of her grandfather. She was taught religion, politics, governance and music. She grew up seeing her grandparents who were staunch Vishnu devotees and she too herself started worshipping Krishna from an early age.

She was married off to Bhoj Raj, the prince of Mewar in 1516. He was wounded in the battle in 1518 and died of his battle wounds in the year 1521. Both her father and her father in law passed away subsequently and Vikram Singh became the ruler of Mewar. From this point onwards there were numerous attempts on the life of Meera bai, but miraculously she remained unharmed.  Her intense devotion towards Sri Krishna was not favored and thus she was mentally harassed and coupled with other issues was tried to be killed too. It is said that once a poisonous snake was kept in the flower basket from which she was picking up flowers to string a garland for Sri Krishna, however, the snake turned into a garland when she picked it up. She believed herself to be married to Sri Krishna, she was that submerged in her devotion towards the Lord.

In midst of all odds, Meerabai went for a pilgrimage in Vrindavan. Here she composed some of her immortal lyrical poems dedicated to Sri Krishna. In Vrindavan she also came in touch with numerous Krishna devotees. It is widely believed that she was a disciple of Guru Ravidas, and also came in contact with Sant Tulsidas as well as Rupa Goswami. In the year 1546, in search of her Sri Krishna she went to Lord Krishna’s Kingdom Dwarka. According to legends, MeeraBai miraculously disappeared inside a temple by merging herself with a statue of Lord Sri Krishna in the year 1547.

 

• Meerabai’s poetic works

Though there are thousands of passionate and lyrical poems which are attributed to Meerabai, only a few hundred of them are considered to be genuinely hers. Her poems are all lyrical padas, or lyrical metric verses in which Sri Krishna is portrayed as a Yogi and also a lover. Meerbai sees herself as his yogini (devotee), and his companion. Meerabai’s poetry portrays love, longing,  impassioned mood, defiance against the societal norms, anticipation, joy  and the ecstasy of meeting her lover and lord Sri Krishna. In numerous of her padas, Meerabai speaks of Krishna as her lover and her lord who could lift mountains even.

 

• Celebration of Meerabai Jayanti

On the auspicious occasion of Meerabai’s birth each year  the Chittorgarh district officials along with Meera Smrithi Sansathan  or the Meera Memorial Trust, organize a 3 day long Meera Mahotsav, where eminent musicians  and singers take part in the maha sammelan (great congregation). There are puja, discussions, musicals etc held during the course of the 3 days.

In other parts of the country too, Lord Sri Krishna temples hold special pujas and kirtans featuring the beautiful lyrical poetries of Meerabai which are beautiful examples of the prema bhakti segment. There are special musical and discussions too conducted on this day.

Valmiki, the great Indian poet is revered to be the first ever Sanskrit poet and the harbinger poet. Ramayana, the great Indian epic can be attributed to him.

He is revered and called the Adi Kavi or the first poet in various texts as he invented and started various types of Shlokas. Shlokas are epic metre. He lived in the first half of the first millennium.

As mentioned earlier he created the shlokas, or the epic metres in which all the later epics came to be known, such as Mahabharta, Puranas and various other works. The Ramayana itself consists of 24,000 verses and 7 cantos or Kandas, which are episodes.

His birth time is difficult to be attributed; however he lived in the times of Lord Rama. Every year Ashwin Purnima is celebrated as this great poet’s birth anniversary. In 2019, the Valmiki Jayanti date is 13th of October, Sunday.

 

• Legend behind the name Valmiki

 

There is an interesting tale behind how Valmiki got his name. Though he was a Brahmin by birth, he grew up with a band of dacoits or robbers. A chance encounter with the Saptarhis and the sage Narada changed the course of his life forever. By chanting of the name of Rama he attained the supreme knowledge and salvation. He became the great Maharishi. While he was performing this severe penance and great austerity, an anthill or a Valmika had grown over his body, and thus he came to be known as Valmiki.

 

• Early life of Valmiki

 

It is from the Uttara Kanda of Ramayana that we get to know about the early life of Valmiki. Though born of a Brahmin family, situation made it so, that he was brought up by a band of robbers. He earlier life name was Ratnakar. He used to rob people on the highway, steal them off their money and then kill them. Once, Ratnakar tried to rob the sage Narada on a highway.  Narada asked him if he was doing it for his family and if his family will take a part of the sin that he was incurring by this heinous act. Ratnakar was certain that they will, however Narada asked him to go and check with his family. None of his family members agreed and then Ratnakar realized the futility of his committing such atrocious sins for his family. He realized his mistake and asked for Narada’s forgiveness. Narada taught him the path to salvation and taught him to chant the name of Rama to reach moksha. But as he was a robber, Rama’s name was beyond his reach and could not be given to him. Thus Narada asked him to chant Mara, which was nothing but an anagram of the word Rama. Thus started Ratnakar’s severe penance, during which ant hill grew over him and when he finally heard a divine voice declaring his penance successful and bestowed the name Valmiki to him.

 

 

• When is Valmiki believed to have lived

 

Valmiki is said to be contemporary of Rama and it is believed that when Rama had banished his wife Sita, she took refuge in the hermitage of Valmiki and the twins Lava and Kusa were born there only. Lava and Kusa were the first disciples to have been taught the Ramayana and they sang this divine saga in the court of Rama during the Ashyamedha Yajna celebration. The then King Rama upon questioning found out that the exile Sita is the mother of the children and following them to Valmiki’s hermitage was reunited with Sita and his two sons.

 

 

• Composing the Ramayana

 

After changing his ways and doing severe penance, in his hermitage, Valmiki asked the divine sage Narada, that who was an ideal man. In answer to this question, Narada replied in Samkshepa Ramayana which is believed to be the basis for the Ramayana that Valmiki composed. One day while he was about to bathe in the river Tamasa, Valmiki saw two cranes lovingly with each other and thought how beautiful this place was. Suddenly an arrow hit the male bird and it dies. Crying out in agony the other crane died too. Enraged and deeply grieved Valmiki uttered the following shloka for the first time –

 

mā niṣāda pratiṣṭhāṁ tvamagamaḥ śāśvatīḥ samāḥ

yat krauñcamithunādekam avadhīḥ kāmamohitam;

 

The sloka means that you will find no peace till eternity as you killed a loving and unsuspecting pair of birds.

This is the first ever shloka uttered in this metre, and Brahma appeared to Valmiki and ordered him to compose the saga of Rama in this metre and also gave him the boon of being able to have all visions necessary to compose the same.

 

The Ramayana, composed by Valmiki consists of 23,000shlokas and 7 cantoes or kandas. It consists of almost about 480,002 words and is almost 4 times lengthier than The Illiad. The Ramayana recounts the tale of Rama, prince of Ayodhya, who went into a vanavas, or in exile along with his younger brother Lakshmana and wife Sita. While in exile, his wife is abducted by the king of the demons, Ravana and taken to his island kingdom of Lanka.

 

 

• Celebration of Valmiki Jayanti

 

Valmiki Jayanti is observed with a lot of devotion as befitting the Adi Kavi. The Maharishi Valmiki community observes this auspicious day as the Pargat Divas and on this day various discussions and dissertations are held on the Ramayana. The Ramayana is distributed as well read and discussed in great detail in all the temples and institutions where Valmiki is worshipped and revered. His portrait is also taken out at many places and food and other charitable items are distributed.

Padmanabha Dwadashi is an observance celebrated by the Vaishnavites and Hindus. It is celebrated on the next day of the Papankusha Ekadashi.

On this auspicious day the great Lord Vishnu is worshipped in the form of Anantha Padmanava. It is believed that the devotees who observe the Padmanabha Dwadashi vrat attain prosperities throughout their lives and attain salvation.

 

• When is Padmanabha Dwadashi observed?

 

The   Padmanabha Dwadashi is observed on the shukla paksha Dwadashi of the month of Ashwin, according to the traditional Hindu calendar, and  as per the Gregorian calendar this is celebrated on the 12^th day of the waxing phase of the moon of the month of September October. In 2019, the   Padmanabha Dwadashi will be observed on the 9th of October.

 

• What observances mark the Padmanabha Dwadashi?

 

The   Padmanabha Dwadashi vrata is described and mentioned in the Varaha Purana. Devotees start their austerity in observation to this vrat from the morning of the dwadashi only. After having a cleansing ritual bath, the devotees should light incense and lamp in their puja room and also visit the Vishnu temples.  Lord Vishnu’s feet to his hair are worshipped. The worshipping is done by offering water, flowers, fruits and sandalwood paste to the God in the form of the   Padmanabha. Anant Padmanava Swamy is worshipped in all the Vishnu temples. To finish the auspicious vrat or ritual, alms or charity should be done towards a Brahman.

Papankusha Ekadashi is one of the most auspicious observances amongst the Hindus, mostly amongst the Vaishnava devotees.

It is observed on the ekadashi of the shukla paksha of the Ashwin month as per traditional Hindu calendar. According to the Gregorian calendar this is observed on the waxing phase of the moon of the month of October.

This is a vrat which is dedicated to Lord Padmanava , who is a an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that the result of observing this vrat is equivalent to the observance and performance of 100 Surya Yajna or 1000 AShwamedha Yajna. In 2019, the Papankusha Ekadashi will be observed on the October 9^th, Wednesday.

The story of   Papankusha Ekadashi

Long ago there lived a very cruel hunter in the name of Krodhana in the Vindhyachala Mountain area. He was an extremely wicked man, involved and engaged in all sorts of cruel deeds throughout his life. He was so wicked that finally Yamraj, the Lord of Death asked his messengers to fetch him.  Krodhana afraid to die and face the Yamraj, sought the great sage Angira’s help. Angira Muni advised Krodhana to observe the   Papankusha Ekadashi on the shukla paksha of the Ashwin month and to pray to Lord Padmanava to forgive him for all his sins. Krodhana, thus observed the   Papankusha Ekadashi with great devotion and his soul reached heaven upon death and he attained salvation.

Rituals of   Papankusha Ekadashi

• The Hindu and Vaishnava devotee keep a strict fasting on this auspicious day, some devotees also observe a maun vrat or silence on this day.
• The devotees wake early, have a ritual cleansing bath and the fasting begins of the dashami. On dashami devotees can have food and satvik ahar only once. The fasting continues till the end of the time of Ekadashi.
• Food consumed in the night of Dashami should not constitute salt at all.
• The devotees should also not consume wheat, moong, gram, rice and masoor, urad dal etc
• The devotees should offer food or dana or charity to a Brahmin before breaking fast.
• The devotee cannot fall asleep at any time during the day or night. Chanting Vishnu Sahasranam is also advised along with other Vishnu mantras.
• On the day of the Papankusha Ekadashi Lord Vishnu is prayed in the form where he is seated on the Garuda. The Lord is worshipped as per the Archana Vidhi.
• Lord Padmanava is worshipped with betel leaves, diyas or lamps, incense and flowers. An aarti is performed after the puja is over.
• Doing charity is greatly encouraged on the auspicious occasion of the Papankusha Ekadashi. It is believed that due to reasons, if a devotee cannot observe a fast charity of food, clothes other things can cause the same effect of fasting. Some devotees organize Brahman Bhoj on this day.

 

Significance of the Papankusha Ekadashi

The Papankusha Ekadashi holds great significance for the Hindus and more so for the Vaishnavites. It is believed that the fasting pleases Lord Padmanava or Lord Krishna and his consort Smt Radharani. Devotees believe that Radharani will bless all the devotees. The significance and the glorious observance is mentioned in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana and is a conversation between King Yudhisthira and Lord Sri Krishna.

It is believed that people who donate things such as sesame seeds, land, gold, cows, grains, drinking water or an umbrella on this auspicious day will never have to worry about going to Hell.

Madhavacharya was a Hindu philosopher and a chief propagator of the theory of Dvaita school of Vedanta. It is this great philosopher’s birth anniversary celebration that is observed as Madhavacharya Jayanti and is observed with a lot of devotion by his disciples.

Madhavacharya was born in the 13 th century. He was born in 1238 AD on the day of the Vijaya Dashami of the month of Aswayuja in a place called Pajaka near Udipi, which is a coastal Malabar region in Karnataka.

In 2019, the Madhavacharya Jayanti will be celebrated on the 8th of October.

 

Life of Madhavacharya

Madhavacharya was born in the year 1238 AD on the day of the Vijaya Dashami.  His father was a Vaishnavite called Naddantillaya and mother Vedavati. He was born after lot of prayers and dedication to Ananteswara. He was named Vasudeva during childhood.

Madhavacharya started his formal education after his Upanayana or the sacred thread ceremony at the age of seven. By the time he had reached his teenage, Madhava was ready to renounce the world and took sanyas. He joined the Advaita Vedanta Monastery in Dwarka and became the disciple of Achyutrapreksha, also known as Achyutraprajna. However, the ideology of Achyutraprajna diid not much appeal to the young disciple and though disappointed, he was still deeply impressed by the young Madhava’s energetic disposal. Achyutraprajna had also named the young Madhava as Purna prajna. He then began his own Dvaita movement of on the premises of Dvi propounding that God and human soul are two different issues. Madhavacharya took to pilgrimage in various places in order to hone his skills. Many other scholars came to challenge his views but came away defeated. After returning from one such pilgrimage Madhavacharya wrote a commentary on Bhagavadgita called Gita Bhasya, which is Madhavacharya’s first ever literary work.

Seven years after he took to sanyas, Madhavacharya or Purnaprajna went for a pilgrimage to the northern India, where he went to Benaras, Allahabad, Dwaraka and other places finally reaching Badrikshetra.

Madhavacharya proclaimed himself to be an incarnation of the Lord of wind, Vayu who was the son of Vishnu.  It is believed that he thought himself to be an intermediary between Lord Vishnu and the devotees , namely Dvaita devotees, whom he were guiding towards the true path of Vishnu worship.

After he returned to Udipi, Madhavacharya started to write about his own philosophy which he called the Dwaitasiddhanta. The main thought of this was that the Brahman is independent and all the rest are dependant. That is the reason why this philosophy has come to be known as the Dwaitasiddhanta.

He founded the Sri Krishna temple in Udipi and also eight mutts or monasteries.

It is believed that he travelled to the northern part of India where he met Jalaluddin Khalji and spoke to him in Urdu. However, in one of his visits to a place called Vishnumangala, he got into a debate with a pandit belonging to the Advaita School called Trivikramapanditacharya. The debate went on for 15 days, post which Trivikramapanditacharya conceded defeat and became Madhavacharya’s disciple.

His death is not documented as he vanished from his disciples at the age of 79 in the year 1317 CE.  He proceeded to Badri for the last phase of his life and this day is known by his disciples as Madhava Navami.

 

Madhavacharya’s literary works

• There are 37 texts in total which is attributed to Madhavacharya.
• 13 of these are review and commentary on Principal Upanishad, the Madhva-bhasya is based on the Brahma Sutras, which is the foundation of the Vedanta School.
• There is the Gita-bhasya base on the Bhagvad Gita, which is a commentary on the Rigveda.
• He also composed a review of the epic Mahabharata in a poetic style.
• A discourse on Bhagavata Purana called Bhagavata-tatparya-nirnaya along with a lot of stotras.
• However the work named Anu-Vyakhyana,a discourse on the Brahma Sutras is considered to be the best work of Madhavacharya.

 

Madhavacharya Jayanti celebrations

Madhavacharya Jayanti is celebrated by his devotees on the navami of the shukla paksha of the Ashwin month as per traditional Hindu calendar. As per the Gregorian calendar it falls in the waxing phase of the moon in the month of September or October. On this day in the mutts or the monasteries or various other places of learning his Dvaita Vedanta philosophy is discussed and various debates are held.

The Navpatrika Puja is essentially connected with the Durga Puja. It is carried out on the day of the Durga Puja Maha Saptami.

The Maha Saptami is the first day of the Durga Puja and is mostly observed in the states of West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and other parts of Eastern India.

On the day of Maha Saptami, Goddess Durga is invoked within nine plants, which are believed to be her manifestation, and that is Nava Patrika. In 2019, the Navpatrika will be observed in the month of October, 5^th

 

What is Navpatrika?

Navpatrika or Navpatrika are the leaves of nine plants which are used during the Puja and invocation of Ma Durga. It is a Sanskrit word built from 2 words; Nava or nine and patrika or leaves. The leaves of nine plants are installed in the pandal or in the puja mandap on the day of the saptami.

The nine plants are draped in a saree of white or red color and this is considered to be a manifestation of Goddess Durga or symbolically thought of as Ma Durga. The nine plants used are considered to be nine symbolic representation of Ma Durga.

 

The Navpatrika and their symbolism

 

The nine plants used are –

 

• Banana tree with leaves and stem. This represents the form of Brahmani
• Kachvi or Kachu or the Kacchi plant represents the Goddess Kali
• The bright yellow turmeric represents Goddess Durga
• The Jayanti represents the Goddess Karttiki
• The Bilwa patra or the wood apple represents Lord Shiva
• The Pomegranate , known as Dalim represents the goddess Raktadantika
• The Ashoka tree represents the Goddess Sokarahita
• The Manaka, also known as Arum represents the Goddess Chamunda
• The Rice Paddies represents the Goddess Lakshmi

 

The Navpatrika Puja Process

The Navpatrika puja is carried out right at the crack of dawn on the Saptami day. It ideally should take place just as the sun rises. The Banana plantain representing Brahmani is wrapped around with the other eight plants and is draped in a red or a white saree with a red border. This is the Navpatrika or the Kola( banana) bou or bride.

The Navpatrika is then taken for the Mahasnan to a nearby pond or river. For the Mahasnan , a mirror is placed at a place where the Goddess Durga’s face can be seen in that mirror. This reflection of Goddess Durga is then given a bath using a number of ingredients. Post the ritual bath, this reflection is divinized and consecrated in the Pran Pratistha ceremony. After the pran pratistha and the Ghat sthapana is done the Shodosopschara Puja begins. This puja means worshipping the Goddess with 16 types of items.

The Navpatrika or the Kola Bou is then draped in a red or orange colored saree, placed in the right side of the Goddess Durga.

Ekadashi s are the eleventh day of every lunar month, be they of Krishna paksha or shukla paksha. Utpanna Ekadashi is amongst one of the most important ekadashis observed in the entire year.

It is most auspicious and significant as it deals with the utpanna or origin of all ekadashis. Thus the Utpanna Ekadashi is considered to be the birth anniversary of all ekadashis and is thus observed with great devotion. The importance of Utpanna Ekadashi was recounted to Arjuna by Lord Sri Krishna.

This is celebrated on the Krishna paksha in the month of Kartick as per traditional Hindu calendar. According to Gregorian calendar, this is observed on the 11^th day of the waning phase of the moon and is celebrated in the month of November December. In 2019, the Utpanna Ekadashi will be celebrated on the 22^nd of November, Friday.

 

• Legend behind Utpanna Ekadashi

In the Satya yuga, there was a demon called the Mura Danav. He was extremely powerful and managed to defeat all the Gods along with Indra too. After defeating Indra, Mura Danav started ruling the Indraloka. Harassed and defeated all the Gods sought the help of Lord Shiva, who told them to go to Lord Vishnu to seek help. Lord Vishnu decided to help the Gods and went to Mura Danav’s kingdom, Chandravati. A terrible war followed where Vishnu annihilated the whole of Mura’s army but neither the Gada nor the Sudarshan Chakra could prove effective against the Mura Danav.

The battle turned Into Malla Yuddha or wrestling. It is believed that the battle between Vishnu and Mura Danav continued for 10,000 years. Seeing no end to this battle, Lord Vishnu went to rest in a cave called Sinhvati or Hemavati Caves in Badrikashram. Mura Danav too followed Lord Vishnu there.

Mura Danav saw Vishnu fast asleep in the caves and thought it was a great opportunity to kill Vishnu. To counter such attack, from the divine sense of Lord Vishnu, a powerful and the most glorious woman appeared. This woman had all sorts of weapons on her. Mur Danav was so entranced by her beauty that he asked her to marry him. The beautiful woman replied that they will fight a battle, and if Mur Danav wins, then she will marry him. Thus a battle ensued, in which the glorious power of Lord Vishnu killed Mura Danav by beheading him.

Vishnu arose from his sleep, saw the Mura Danav dead and asked the woman who she was. The girl said that she was born out of Vishnu’s Yoga Maya and luster. Vishnu was extremely impressed by his feminine power and asked the girl to seek reward for her great work. The glorious woman asked for the following boons –

• That she remains the chosen one, and is always blessed by Lord Vishnu
• That she remains the greatest of all astrological days and the destroyer of sins
• That she be able to grant health, wealth and wishes, ie  Dharma Dhanya and Moksha to all those who followed her

Vishnu was happy and blessed her with these three boons and said that she will be known as Ekadashi as she is born on the day of Ekadashi , and nothing will please Lord Vishnu more than Ekadashi fasting. Those who observed Ekadashi fasting will gain in health wealth and salvation.

 

• Observance of Utpanna Ekadashi

Hindu devotees keep a strict fast on the auspicious day of Utpanna Ekadashi.  In the northern part of India, Utpanna Ekadashi falls in the month of Margashirsh, and Kartick in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat according to their calendars.  According to the Tamil calendar, it occurs in the month of Aippasi or Karthigai Masam and in the Malayalam calendar it occurs in the Thulam or Vrischika Masam. All the devotees keep a fast from early morning, that is sunrise of the Ekadashi day and break it on the next day. On this day apart from Lord Vishnu, Ekadashi Mata is also worshipped.

Kalabhairav Jayanti is also known as Kala-Bhairava Ashtami or Bhairav Ashtami. The Kalabhairav Jayanti falls on the ashtami of the Krishna paksha in the month of Kartik as per traditional Hindu calendar.

According to the Gregorian calendar, it falls on the dark phase of the moon in the month of November December. It is the auspicious day on which the birth of Lord Kal BHairava is commemorated.

Kala Bhairava is the manifestation of Lord Shiva, and is a fierce manifestation. He is the vengeful, fearful and wrathful manifestation of Lord Shiva. In 2019, the Kalabhairav Jayanti will be observed on the 19^th of November, Tuesday.

 

• Legend of Kalabhairav

The legend behind Kalabhairav stems from the time when the three Gods or the Trimurti sat discussing who was the most powerful of them all.  Amidst the heated debate, Lord Shiva felt insulted and asked Bhairav to sever the head of Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma’s fifth head was severed by Bhairav whilst all the Gods trembled in anticipation and prayed to Lord Shiva and Bhairav to calm down. Thus Bhairav committed the grave sin of Brahma hatya or killing of a Brahmin.

In another version, it is told that when Brahma insulted Shiva, Kalabhairav emanated from the angry Shiva’s forehead and severed Brahma’s fifth head. But the head of Brahma kept stuck to Kalabhairav’s hand due to the killing of the most learned Brahmin. Bhairav then had to observe the vrat of Kapali, where he had to wander all over the world as a naked beggar with the skull of the murdered which acted as his begging bowl. In Varanasi, Bhairav could finally expiate himself of his sins. There is a temple dedicated to Kalabhairav in Varanasi.

 

• Benefits of Kalabhairav Jayanti

Bhairava Ashtrami is considered more auspicious if the day falls on a Sunday or a Tuesday, considered sacred for the worshipping of Bhairava. Kalabhairav is in particular worshipped for health, wealth, and success and obstacle removal from one’s path. It is believed that a devotee gets rid of the fear of death and also expiates himself of all other sins by observing Kalabhairav Jayanti.

 

• Rituals of observing Kalabhairav Jayanti

Devotees stay awake the whole night chanting prayer S, worshipping and listening to the tales of Bhairava along with Parvati and Shiva. An arati of Bhairava is held in the stroke of the mid night amidst blowing conches and ringing of bells and drums. In the morning, the Shaivaites in particular take a ritualistic cleansing bath and offer oblations to their dead ancestors. After this Bhairava, Bhirava’s pet, a dog, Shiva and Parvati are worshipped with garlands and flowers. Sweets, milk, curd and other food is given as offerings to them. Dogs are fed on this day as they are the vahanas or pets of Bhairav.

 

• Celebration of Kalabhairav Jayanti

In the Bhairav Prasad Temple in Vaishno Devi, the Kalabhairav Jayanti is celebrated amidst much splendor and devotion. For worshipping on this day, an image of Kala Bhairav is made of gold and silver. It is then immersed in a brass pot filled with water.  Mantras are chanted and scriptural prayers are offered to Lord Shiva. The priests are later given dans or gifts in charity.

In Varanasi an eight day pilgrimage constituting of the darshan of the eight temples or the Ashta Bhairava templ is undertaken by the devotee, before the  Kalabhairav ashtami. Bhairav is the guardian deity of the city of Varanashi. On this day the cloth covering his body is taken away.  The cloth keeps Bhairava’s body covered for the entire year. The deity is beautified with flowers and garlands.  A garland comprising of silver skulls adorns the image of Kalbhirav on this day. Lot of devotees come from afar to view this unique image. Lot of musical and cultural events too are held.

Sankranti is a day when the sun transits from one zodiac to the other. According to the Hindu calendar, there are 12 months and thus there are 12 sankrantis in a year. 

Almost all the sankrantis are auspicious time for performing the Shradh or the last rites, or for charity.

The Vrischika Sankranti marks the movement of the Sun from the Tula Rashi to the Vruschika Rashi. According to the Gregorian calendar, the Vrischika Sankranti corresponds with the movement of the sun from Libra to Scorpio Zodiac sign.

This offsets a new month in the calendar. The new month is known as Vrischikam month in Malayalam, Ôgrôhayôn in Bengali and Karthigai in Tamil.  In 2016 the Vrischika Sankranti will be observed on the 16^th of November, Wednesday.

 

Rituals of Vrischika Sankranti

Vrischika Sankranti is a day when the Sun God is worshipped. The devotees pray to DSurya to seek his blessings to fulfill their wishes. During the observance of the Vrischika Sankranti, Sankraman snan or the ritualistic bathing done on the sankraman day, daan or Charity and Vishnu Puja are the rituals mostly observed. Also as all Sankraman are auspicious day to do Shradh or Pitru Tarpan, the Vrischika Sankranti is also no different.

The maximum benefit of Daan or charity can be reaped if the Daan is performed between the start of the auspicious time till the sankranti moment. In the context of Daan or charity, is is said that the charity of a cow or Go-Daan brings great virtues to the devotees.

Reading and chanting of religious stotras are very beneficial on this day. Since Sura is worshipped during the Sankraman, Aditya Hrudyam or Suryashtakam are extremely beneficial. Vishnu Sahasranama is also an important religious text to be read on this day. Apart from this various other religious and Vedic texts chanting are considered to be beneficial.

 

Significance of the Vrischika Sankranti

Vrischika Sankranti is the most auspicious sankranti for the Hindus residing in the eastern part of the country. The word San in Hindi means plenty and Kranti literally means radical change. Thus the word Sankranti literally means a time for radical changes. Thus, sankrantis are expected to usher in quite a number of auspicious changes in our lives. Thus the sankrantis are generally observed.