Muhurta for performing Dhanteras puja- http://www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/dhanteras/festivals-dhanteras-puja-timings.html (for Atlanta,Georgia. Please enter your city and state to know about the timings of muhurta)
The word Deepavali is derived from the confluence of ‘deep’ and ‘avali’. ‘Deep’ means a lamp. ‘Avali’ means a row. Thus, the meaning of Deepavali is ‘a row of lamps’. Among all the festivals, Deepavali holds utmost importance from both the social and religious viewpoints. ‘Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya’, i.e. ‘Go from darkness to light’ is the directive of Upanishads. When Shriram completed the 14-year exile in the forest and returned to Ayodhya, the subjects celebrated Deepotsav. Deepavali commenced since then.
Long before the arrival of Deepavali, people start cleaning their houses. They get the houses painted. This not only increases the life of the premise but its attractiveness too. Along with cleanliness, all the family members buy new clothes. Various types of sweets are prepared. It is believed that Shri Lakshmi is pleased when Deepavali is celebrated after the house is cleaned, purified and decorated in all respects and She then lives there on a permanent basis.
Rangoli
There are two objectives of rangolis – expression of beauty and acquisition of auspiciousness. Every day such rangolis should be drawn as would attract the Principles of Deities and through them we should acquire the benefit of the Deities Principles.
During Deepavali oil lamps are lit every evening in front of Deities, the Tulasi plant and other places like the main door and courtyard. Nowadays candles or electric lamps are lit; but according to Scriptures it is appropriate and beneficial to light oil lamps. The oil lamp attracts satvik frequencies. As against this, a candle emits raja-tama particles, whereas the electric lamp makes our attitude extrovert.
Govatsa Dwadashi or Vasubaras
Historical importance of Kartik Shukla Pratipada
Kartika Shukla Dwitiya is one of the three days of worshipping Yama to prevent untimely death. It is popularly known as Yamadwitiya and Bhaiduj.
The word Deepavali is derived from the confluence of ‘deep’ and ‘avali’. ‘Deep’ means a lamp. ‘Avali’ means a row. Thus, the meaning of Deepavali is ‘a row of lamps’. Among all the festivals, Deepavali holds utmost importance from both the social and religious viewpoints. ‘Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya’, i.e. ‘Go from darkness to light’ is the directive of Upanishads. When Shriram completed the 14-year exile in the forest and returned to Ayodhya, the subjects celebrated Deepotsav. Deepavali commenced since then.
Long before the arrival of Deepavali, people start cleaning their houses. They get the houses painted. This not only increases the life of the premise but its attractiveness too. Along with cleanliness, all the family members buy new clothes. Various types of sweets are prepared. It is believed that Shri Lakshmi is pleased when Deepavali is celebrated after the house is cleaned, purified and decorated in all respects and She then lives there on a permanent basis.
Rangoli
There are two objectives of rangolis – expression of beauty and acquisition of auspiciousness. Every day such rangolis should be drawn as would attract the Principles of Deities and through them we should acquire the benefit of the Deities Principles.
During Deepavali oil lamps are lit every evening in front of Deities, the Tulasi plant and other places like the main door and courtyard. Nowadays candles or electric lamps are lit; but according to Scriptures it is appropriate and beneficial to light oil lamps. The oil lamp attracts satvik frequencies. As against this, a candle emits raja-tama particles, whereas the electric lamp makes our attitude extrovert.
Govatsa Dwadashi or Vasubaras
Govatsa Dwadashi is the day to worship the cow along with her calf.
Importance of cow
Vrat associated with the cowA. Cow is a very useful animal: The cow, who is sattva-predominant, nourishes the society with her milk and lends fertility to the soil with the manure of her dung, is worthy of worship everywhere. The Hindus call the cow as Mother with gratitude. Where there is protection and nurture of cow, the person, society and nation do not lack in prosperity.B. Principles of all Deities are attracted in the cow: Bhagwan Srikrushna is fond of cows. Dattatreya is also accompanied by a cow. The feature of the cow is that it attracts the Principles of all the Deities. Hence, it is said that all Deities dwell in the cow. The components obtained from the cow namely, milk, ghee, cow-dung or cow’s urine have the Principle of Deities accumulated in them.C. The premise is purified by cow urine: Most of the Ayurvedic medicines contain cow urine. By sprinkling the cow urine in the premise, the destroyer frequencies of Deities’ Principles are emitted in the environment because of which the raja-tama predominant energies in the premise are driven away and the environment there becomes pure. The Panchagavya, that is, a mixture of five substances including cow urine, is important for internal and external purification during the ritual of worship.
According to Shaka Samvat the day of Ashwin Krushna Dwadashi and according to Vikram Samvat, Kartik Krushna Dwadashi is called Govatsa Dwadashi.
Spiritual importance of Govatsa Dwadashi:
On this day Shrikrushna started the worship of Govardhana in place of that of Indra. Govardhanapujan is done in memory of this. Scriptures prescribe that a summit of Govardhana mountain be done. It should be decorated with trees and flowers. However, in many places it is made in human form and decorated with flowers. Following prayer is offered:
गोवर्धन धराधार गोकुलत्राणकारक ।
विष्णुवाहुकृतोछ्राय गवां कोटिप्रदो भव ।। - धर्मसिंधु
विष्णुवाहुकृतोछ्राय गवां कोटिप्रदो भव ।। - धर्मसिंधु
Meaning: O, Govardhana, Who supports Earth! You are the protector of Gokul. Bhagawan Srikrushna had lifted You on His arms. Bestow crores of cows on me.
After Govardhanapujan cows are worshipped. Cow is considered to be Shri Lakshmi. After worshipping her a prayer is offered for obliteration of sins. In the Dharmasindhu, prayer is offered to the cow with the following verse:
लक्ष्मीर्या लोकपालानां धेनुरूपेण संस्थिता ।
घृतं वहति यज्ञार्थे मम पापं व्यपोहतु ।। - धर्मसिंधु
घृतं वहति यज्ञार्थे मम पापं व्यपोहतु ।। - धर्मसिंधु
Meaning: O cow, who is Lakshmi Herself in the form of a cow and who bestows ghee for yagnyas, obliterate my sins.
In some places picture of Govardhana along with Bhagawan Srikrushna, Gopal, Indra and cow with calf is drawn and worshipped.
This is the day of beginning of calculation of time as per Vikram Samvat. In the first century BC, Shakas attacked Bharat. The King of present Ujjain, King Vikramaditya, trained the youth of Malwa in martial arts. He attacked Shakas and drove them out of the country and established a kingdom based on Dharma. As a symbol of the victory, Emperor Vikramaditya started count of time named Vikram Samvat. This is prevalent since 57 B.C. This shows how ancient is the concept of time calculation in the Bharatiya culture. Kartik Shukla Pratipada is the half day of the three and half auspicious days falling within an year. This is one of its importance.
Yamadwitiya
Balipujan
Balipratipada is celebrated on Kartik Shukla Pratipada. On this day Bhagawan Vishnu sent the King of demons, Bali, to Hell and curbed the loss to the Universe due to his misplaced philantrophy. Due to the excessive philanthropy of King Bali, wealth was acquired by ineligible people. This adversely affected the world. Then, Vishnu incarnated as Vamana and requested land enough to place His three steps. Then Vamana assumed expansive form and covered entire Earth and outer space with two steps. King Bali offered Him his own head to place His third step. Before sending King Bali to Hell, Vamanadeva graced him with a boon. King Bali asked for three days of his kingdom on Earth. These three days are – Kartik Krushna Chaturdashi, Deepavali Amavasya and Pratipada.Kingdom of Bali: As per the religious Scriptures, in the kingdom of Bali, people should enjoy as per their wish barring the actions forbidden by the Scriptures. The actions forbidden by the Scripures are consuming non-vegetarian food, alcoholic drinks and company of inappropriate women. However, today we see an excess of this. On these days people burst firecrackers in excess and cause loss to national property. Some people engage in gambling. Most people keep up till late in the night eating, watching movies, plays etc.Method of celebrating Balipratipada: On Balipratipada, married women do arati of their husband after abhyangasnan. In the afternoon meal various dishes are made. Some people worship the image of King Bali along with his wife, Vindhyavali. The objective of this worship is that King Bali should not cause distress to people on Earth with his power and so that he pacifies the other negative energies.
Kartika Shukla Dwitiya is one of the three days of worshipping Yama to prevent untimely death. It is popularly known as Yamadwitiya and Bhaiduj.
As per Hindu scriptures, it is believed that on Kartika Shukla Dwitiya due to the presence of frequencies of Yama in the environment, one can face various distresses like untimely death, accident, sudden attack of mental illness due to amnesia, fit like attacks or many obstacles in the task in hand. To restrict the Yama frequencies worship of Yama and related Deities is performed.
On Kartika Shukla Dwitiya Yama leaves His home and enters His sister's home, that is Earth. Hence, it is known as Yamadwitiya. As a symbol of Yama visiting His sister, every man does not consume meals prepared at home, i.e. by his wife, but goes to the house of his sister to have the meal.
During Dipavali, Yama frequencies descend in higher proportion. During these days any action done with respect to Yama and related Deities gives spiritual benefit in a short time. Hence, Yama is worshipped on Kartika Shukla Dwitiya. Ritual is performed as follows:
- 3 betel nuts are placed on the 3 mounds of rice kept on the short wooden seat.
- For the worship of Yama and related Deities, the brother sips and releases water from the palm (Achaman), followed by utterance of place and time and resolve.
- For the worship of Yama and related Deities, from his right side, on the first betel nut Deity Yama, on the second Chitragupta and on the third Yamaduta are invoked by offering unbroken rice. They are offered seat (asan), padhya, arghya etc.
- They are offered string of beaded cotton and sacred thread (yadnyopavit).
- They are worshipped with sandalwood paste, turmeric, vermilion, unbroken rice and flower etc.
- Then incense, lamp and Holy sacrament (naivedya) are offered.
- After the brother, the sister sips and releases water from the palm and worships these Deities.
- She prays to the Deities to protect her brother form untimely death.
On this day, sisters do Aukshan of Yama in the form of brother and invoke Him. They felicitate Him appropriately and pray to him to restrict the frequencies of Yama moving on Earth and the unsatiated subtle bodies from Pitruloka.
Method of aukshan, that is, arati of brother by sister:
- The sister does aukshan of brother before the meal.
- She first applies vermilion mark and unbroken rice grains on his forehead.
- Then she waves a betel nut and gold ring around his face thrice in semicircular motion.
- Then she waves an arati thrice in semicircular motion.
- She felicitates the brother by giving him a gift.
- Subtle-effect of aukshan is as follows:
A flow of Chaitanya from the Universe is attracted towards the sister doing aukshan.
A spiral of this Chaitanya is generated in the sister.
Frequencies of Chaitanya flow from the hands of the sister to the platterand spread in it.
Flow of Chaitanya is attracted towards the brother.
Spiral of Chaitanya is generated in him.
Flow of Divine Energy is attracted in the oil lamp used for aukshan.
By waving an arati thrice in semicircular motion for aukshan, a spiral of active Energy is generated around the lamp.
From this spiral, active frequencies of Energy are emitted towards the brother. The Sun channel of the brother is activated.
The brother gains Energy to function and a spiral of Energy is generated in him.
Particles of Energy are spread in him.
A protective sheath is generated around him.
Due to the aukshan by sister, particles of Energy are spread in the environment.
Due to the aukshan, the brother is protected from the attacks of negative energies from Hell and the atmosphere.
Spiritual emotion (Bhav) is awakened in the brother.
From this it is clear, that by doing aukshan of brother by sister, both derive spiritual benefit.
- The distress to family members due to the Yama frequencies is reduced.
- The family members are protected from the Yama frequencies.
- The atmosphere of the premise is purified.
- The environment on Earth remains devoid of agony, that is, blissful for a limited period.
After aukshan brother consumes food cooked by his sister. If one does not have a sister, then meal should be consumed at the house of any cousin or assuming any known woman as sister.
Gift from brother to sister
After the meal, the brother felicitates the sister by giving her a gift like clothes, money etc as per his capacity. If the gift is sattvik, it is more appropriate. For example, Holy texts about spiritual practice or Dharma, clothes useful for ritualistic worship of Deities. The gift should not be tamasik. For example, a CD of an inappropriate movie.In some places women first do aukshan of the moon in the evening and only then do aukshan of their brother. In some places, if a woman does not have a brother, she assumes moon as her brother and does his arati.
Effects of aukshan of the moon by women on Bhaiduj: Due to invocation of the moon by the woman, frequencies of moon enter the atmosphere. Due to their coolness, frequencies of Yama get pacified and the heat in the environment is reduced. Due to this pleasantness of the environment, there is awakening of the Anahat-chakra of the woman.
On Yamadwitiya, that is, Bhaiduj frequencies of bliss are emitted from the Universe. There is 30 % more benefit of these frequencies to all beings compared to other days. A benefit gained by the brother is:
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