Sunday, March 30, 2014

Ugadi or Gudipadava - the New Year Day Festivals of India


Panchanga Patanam: Priest reads out the 'panchangam' (almanac), at a temple Source: The Hindu

Womenfolk Rejoice on Ugadi

The term Ugadi has two syllables i.e., Yuga (Era) and aadi (commencement). So Ugadi marks the beginning of New Year according to Telugu calendar.

Pooja at Home

The New Year festival Ugadi (Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka) or Gudi Padava (Maharashtra) or Cheti Chand (Sindh) is being celebrated on the first day of the every Hindu calendar year by the people of Deccan region in India.

Chandramana: the Hindu Calendar System

According to the Hindu Panchang or ephemeris the first day of the Hindu lunar (Chandramana) calendar falls on the Chaitra sukla Padyami i.e., Pradhama thithi during Shukla Paksha or waxing cycle of the moon (bright moon fortnight) of Chaitra month (Corresponding month March). Sali vahana Saka (Era) is the Hindu lunar (Chandramana) calendar followed in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra states and hence it is rightly termed as 'Lunar Almanac of Deccan' (Wikipedia). It also marks the beginning of spring season.

Salivahana Era

Traditionally King Salivahana is being credited for initiating the calendar and hence the name Salvahana Saka. Historians corresponds the beginning if Salivahana to 78 AD of your Gregorian Calendar. Thus the current Salivahana year 1936 corresponds with the year 2014 AD.

Sowramana: the Hindu Calendar System

Please understand that only people from the three states celebrate new year on this day. People of Assam, Bengal, Kerala, Manipur, Orissa, Punjab and Tamil Nadu follow Hindu Solar (Sowramana) calendar.

Tamil New Year

The new year is celebrated in Tamil Nadu as Nirayana Mesha Sankranti (Sun's transition into Nirayana Aries). The day marks the enry of sun into Aries or Mesha sign / Rasi of the zodiac (Corresponding Gregorian calendar date April 13 or14).

Vishu

The new year (Vishu) day in Kerala is celebrated in Kerala as Thiruvonam (Sun's transition into Nirayana Margasira). The day marks the entry of sun into Leo or Simha sign / Rasi of the zodiac. This day coincides with Shravana or Thiruvonam star.

Sixty year Cycle

Another interesting information about the Tamil and Telugu calendar is the revolving cycle of years. Unlike other calendar system there is a name for every year. Thus there is a list of sixty calendar names. After the end of every sixty cycle the new cycle begins. Accordingly the name of the current new year is 'Virodhi' and it is the 23rd year in the list. It falls on Friday the 27th day of March 2009.

Holy Bath in Rivers

Fervor and gaiety mark Ugadi. The new year dawns with fanfare among the People of Deccan region. The households will clean their homes and decorate the entrance with mango leaf festoons. People go to holy rivers and take head bath. Worship sun god. Traditionally the bath is associated 'Surya Arkya' with sesame thil and hence the ritual is named as 'Thailabhyanganam.' People enjoy with this festival by dressing in colorful attire.

Rejoice with Neem recipes

Another interesting ritual of Ugadi is 'Nimba Kusuma Bhakshana.' The term 'Nimba' means neem and the term 'Kusuma' means flower. There is much importance to neem flower in Ugadi celebrations.

Nimba Kusuma Bhakshana

Neem is bitter in taste. People will rejoice in tasting the ingredients representing three tastes. The households will prepare Neem Sauce (Pachadi) and Neem Soup (Rasam). The ingredients of the recipes will represent six tastes i.e., jaggey (sweet), raw mango (sour), salt (salty), neem flower (bitter), chili (pungent) and tamarind (astingent). In Kannada the recipe is named as 'Bevu-Bella.'

Panchanga Sravanam

The traditional Panchanga Sravanam is an important event. People will assemble at temples in the morning and listen the new year prospects as described in the Panchangam i.e., regional ephemeris / almanac / calendar.

Reference Sources:

1) Gudi Padwa http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gudi_Padwa
2) Indian New Year's days http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_New_Year's_days
3) Ugadi & Gudi Padwa http://www.astrologyforu.com/others/events/ugadi.php
4) Ugadi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugadi
5) Usher in the New Year http://hinduism.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/a/hindunewyear.htm

Published by MUTHUSAMY R on Mar 27, 2009 in ASSOCIATED CONTENT
Ugadi or Gudipadava - the New Year Day Festivals of India http://voices.yahoo.com/ugadi-gudipadava-year-day-2950102.html

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Rama Navami or Sri Rama Navami : the Hindu Festival with Great Significance

Rama Navami (Sri Rama Navami) is one of the Hindu festivals celebrated with great significance. According to the Vedic Hindu calendar 'Shukla paksha' Navami, (ninth lunar day calculated from Amavasya) in the month of Chaitra marks the birth day of Lord Rama. Lord Rama is the son of the Ayodhya King Dasaratha and Queen Kausalya. Lord Rama is also considered as the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

In northern parts of India Rama Navami is celebrated for nine days. The nine days commencing from the first day of the Chaitra month (Vedic Hindu calendar) to the ninth day (Navami or ninth lunar day). The eight lunar day or Ashtami is also celebrated as Durgashtami or the day of goddess Durga. The ninth day is Rama Navami. The festival is also called Chitra Navratra or Chaitra Navratri. In some parts of India Chaitra Navratra is also termed as Vasant Navratri (Basant Navratri). In Sanskrit vasanth ritu means spring season and this festival also marks the end of spring season.

The festival commences exactly on the first day of the Chaitara month Hindu new year and the whole nine days will be marked by Akhand Path (continues recitation (without break) of the Rama Moola Mantra (Rama nama smaranam), Sankshepa Ramayana Parayanam, Sundarakandam Parayanam, Pravachan or Hindu religious discourse on Ramayana (Ramacharitramanas, Tulsi-krita Ramayana, Ramavataram), music events like naama sangeerthanams, bajans and so on. The events will also have pujas and aarti. There will also procession on Rama Navami. In some parts of south India, temples will arrange havans (Sankshepa Ramayana homam) and vedic mantras will be chanted by pundits. People as well as temples will offer a kind sweet drink called ‘panakam’ and vadapappu (blackgram dal jaggery mix).

Rama Navami festival is also celebrated to commemorate the wedding of Lord Rama and Devi Sita and the event is known as 'Sri Sitarama Kalyana Mahotsav.' The celestial wedding takes place in many temples. The wedding event is celebrated in a grand scale at Lord Rama temple at Bhatrachalam, Andhra Pradesh, South India. Important shrines of Lord Rama like Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) Rameshwaram (Jyotir Linga shrine in Tamil Nadu) and Bhatrachalam (Andhra Pradesh) there will be car (chariot) processions (also called as Rath Yatra or Shobha Yatra). Tens and thousands of pilgrims will have holy bath in rivers or sea.

Ayodhya Sarayu River

Ram Mandir Ayodhya

Sloka 1: Moola Mantra

Om, Sri Rama, Jaya Rama, Jaya Jaya Rama !

Sloka 2 : Rama (Healing Mantra)

Om Apadamapa Hataram Dataram Sarva Sampadam
Loka Bhi Ramam Sri Rama Bhuyo Bhuyo Namamyaham

The mantra is simple to recite phonetically. If you can, say it 108 times in a sitting.

Sloka 3

Yathra Yathra Raghunaatha Keerthanam Thathra Thathra Kritham Hasthaka Anjalim Bhaashpa Vaari Paripoorna Lochanam | Maarutim Namatha Raakshasa Anthakam

Sloka 4

"' Raamaya Raama bhadraaya Raama Chandraaya vedasey,
Raghu nathaaya naathayah Sitaayah patayeh namah.'''

Sloka 5

Kowsalya ajanayath ramam sarva lakshmana samyutham

vishno: arththam mahabaagam putram jakshvaaga varthanam

Chant this sloka wholeheartedly whenever you can to have a boy baby with all characteristic features of Sri Rama, the destroyer of miseries and the One with beautiful eyes like the petals of Lotus.

You may download Valmiki Ramayan from

1. http://www.valmikiramayan.net/

You may download Sankshepa Ramayana from

1. http://ebookbrowse.com/samkshepa-ramayana-doc-d23682458

2. http://sanskritdocuments.org/mirrors/ramayana/pdf/1_balakanda_1.pdf

3. http://valmiki.iitk.ac.in/index.php?id=sloka1

4. http://sanskrit.inria.fr/~anusaaraka/sanskrit/sankshipt_ramayan/

5. http://tinyurl.com/8ghv9

You may download Sundarakanda from

1. http://www.valmikiramayan.net/sundara_kanda_contents.html

2. http://www.indusladies.com/forums/pujas-prayers-and-slokas/2169-valmiki-sundara-kandam.html

3. http://www.khojhyderabad.com/ent/music/?File=Ms%20Rama%20Rao%20Sundarakanda.htm&Dir=Devotional