Anushthan-Ganesh Chaturthi

Dear readers,

Aug 27th. is Ganesh Chaturthi.

Wish all readers a peaceful and joyful Ganesh Chaturthi.

May Vighneshwer remove the obstacles in your life.

Regards,

Souvik

From here.

Festivals and Worship of Ganesha

In India, there is an important festival honouring Lord Ganesha. While it is most popular in the state of Maharashtra, it is performed all over India. It is celebrated for ten days starting from Ganesh Chaturthi. This was introduced by Balgangadhar Tilak as a means of promoting nationalist sentiment when India was ruled by the British. This festival is celebrated and it culminates on the day of Ananta Chaturdashi when the murti of Lord Ganesha is immersed into the most convenient body of water. In Mumbai (earlier known as Bombay), the murti is immersed in the Arabian Sea and in Pune the Mula-Mutha river. In various North and East Indian cities, like Kolkata, they are immersed in the holy Ganga river. One who really wants to taste the festival needs to come down to the city of Mumbai; particularly at Lalbaug where the divine idol of Lalbaugcha raja (The Lord Of Lalbaug, as Ganesha is fondly called) is set.

The Ganesha festival starts on Ganesh Chaturthi (fourth day of Hindu calendar month Bhadrapada) and ends on Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of Bhadrapada). It is widely believed that every wish one expresses to Lord Ganesha must come true. All devotees from every corner of the globe gather at Lalbaug for the festival.

Representations of Shri Ganesh are based on thousands of years of religious symbolism that resulted in the figure of an elephant-head god. In India, the statues are impressions of symbolic significance and thus have never been claimed to be exact replications of a living figure. Ganesh is seen not as a physical entity but a higher spiritual being, and murtis, or statue-representations, act as signifiers of him as an ideal. Thus, to refer to the murtis as idols betrays Western Judeo-Christian understandings of insubstantial object worship whereas in India, Hindu deities are seen to be accessed through points of symbolic focus known as murtis. For this reason, the immersion of the murtis of Ganesh in nearby holy rivers is undertaken since the murtis are acknowledged to be only temporal understandings of a higher being as opposed to being 'idols,' which have traditionally been seen as objects worshipped for their own sake as divine.

The worship of Ganesha in Japan has been traced back to 806.

Resurgence of Popularity

Recently, there has been a resurgence of Ganesha worship and an increased interest in the "Western world" due to a spate of alleged miracles in September 1995. On September 21 1995, according to Hinduism Today magazine (www.hinduismtoday.com), Ganesh statues (as well as other statues) in India began spontaneously drinking milk when a spoonful was placed near the mouth of statues honoring the elephant god. The phenomena spread from New Delhi to New York, Canada, Mauritius, Kenya, Australia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Hong Kong, Trinidad, Grenada and Italy among other reported places. This was seen as a miracle by many although skeptics contend that this was another example of collective hysteria. Some scientific experiments conducted in that time frame suggested capillary action as an explanation for this phenomenon. It had remained a mystery why such capillary action did not repeated itself [2] until the same thing happened again on 21 August 2006 [3]. Of course, now the question is why it happened again.
The book Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles by Manuela Dunn Mascetti is another of many resources that testify to the Hindu milk miracle.

Ganesha has two Siddhis (symbolically represented as wives or consorts): Siddhi (success) and Riddhi (prosperity). It is widely believed that "Wherever there is Ganesh, there is Success and Prosperity" and "Wherever there is Success and Prosperity there is Ganesh". This is why Ganesh is believed to be the harbinger of good fortune, and why he is invoked first at any ritual or ceremony. Whether it is diwali puja, a new house, a new vehicle, students praying before the exams, or people praying before job interviews, it is Ganesha they pray to, because it is believed that he will come to their aid and grant them success in their endeavor.
Ganesha is worshipped as Vinayak (knowledgeable) and Vighneshwer (remover of obstacles). It is believed that he blesses those who meditate upon him. Ganesha, in astrology, is believed to help people know what can be achieved and what cannot be.

Anushthan-Janmashtami

Dear readers,

Today is Janmashtami, the birthday of Krishna, the saviour in the dark ages of Kali Yuga.

Women have played a very important role in Krishna's life, be it his two mothers or his sixteen thousand wives.

This article is a tribute to Krishna and the women in his life.

The Primary Women in Krishna’s Life

1) Devaki (Image here)
2) Yashoda (Image here)
3) Radha (Image here)
4) Draupadi (Image here)
5) Subhadra (Image here)
6) Rukmini (Image here)
7) Satyabhama (Image here)
8) Mira (Image here)

Devaki:
The mother who gave birth to Krishna, who felt the grief of her children being killed one after another infront of her eyes is indeed the chosen one from whose womb Krishna took birth. She and her husband (Vasudeva) gave the reason to Krishna to kill evil Kamsa.

Devaki is the wife of Vasudeva and mother of Krishna and Balarama. She was the daughter of Devaka, the younger brother of King Ugrasena of Mathura. Devaki and Vasudeva were imprisoned by her cousin, Kamsa, due to a prophecy that one of their sons would kill him. Kamsa then killed six of their sons. The seventh, Balarama, escaped death by being transferred to the womb of another woman, while a female child (an incarnation of the goddess Yoga-Nidra or Maya) was placed in Devaki's womb. The eighth son, Krishna (who was actually an avatar of Vishnu), was born at midnight and taken by Vasudeva to be raised by Nanda and Yasoda in the neighboring village of Gokul. It was believed that Krishna was born not from a sexual connection between Devaki and Vasudeva, but was transferred to Devaki's womb. After he realised that Krishna had escaped alive, Kamsa released Devaki and Vasudeva, and they lived in Mathura. Vasudeva and his second wife Rohini had a daughter Subhadra, who married Arjuna and was the mother of Abhimanyu. Afterwards, they moved to Dwaraka with the rest of Mathura's population.

Yashoda:
Being a biological mother is one thing but to bring up a child, nourish him/her with caring and affection and then letting that child go later in life for his/her duty needs a very strong heart. She too has seen a lot of pain in her life but is more associated with Krishna as a child than Devaki.

Yasoda was wife of Nanda and foster-mother of, Krishna, who, according to the story was given to them by Vasudeva.
Yasoda also played an important role in the upbrinding of Krishna, Balarama (the son of Rohini) and their sister Subhadra.

Radha:
Pages will fall short to write about this lady. Her self-less love and passion is an example for humanity. Radha has seen tremendous pain in her Earthly-life.

Radha the Gopi in Vaishnava traditions
In the Vaishnava devotional or bhakti traditions of Hinduism that focus on Krishna, Radha is Krishna's consort. For some of the adherents of these traditions, Her importance approaches or even exceeds that of Krishna. She is considered His adi (original) shakti, the Supreme Goddess (feminine aspect or power of God). Other gopis are usually considered to be her maidservants, with Radharani having the prominent position of Krishna's favour.
Her connection to Krishna is of two types: svakiya-rasa (married relationship) and parakiya-rasa (a relationship signified with eternal love). However, according to tradition Radha is never officially married to Krishna, because the Vedas do not inform us about whether Krishna marries in Vrndavana (although some stories do hint at a hidden ceremony), but He does so later in life in Dwaraka with Rukmini and His other Queens.
Rukmini is known to be in the svakiya rasa and Radha in vraja-bhava-dasya rasa, which means that Radha's love for Krishna is in separation. The love the gopis feel for Krishna is primarily in separation (as oppossed to in union) and not within marriage. The love of the Gopis for Krishna is described to be of an esoteric nature on the platform of spontaneous love of God (not of a mundane sexual nature).

Birth & Religious significance
Radharani was born in Rawal, a village about 8 kilometeres from Vrindavan, near present day New Delhi in India. There are a number of accounts of her parentage. According to one of the common ones, her father is the leader (sometimes regarded as king) of cowherds called Vrishabhanu, and her mother is called Kamalavati, or Kirtida.
One of her names, Hara (mentioned in Narada-pancaratra 5.5.59), in vocative Hare, forms a part of the Hare Krishna 'Maha-Mantra', one of the most popular Vedic mantras, especially amongst Gaudiya Vaishnavas. Radharani's names hold a place of prime importance within Gaudiya Vaishnava religious practices, thus Her name is mentioned first in the maha-mantra before that of Krishna's. Her worship is especially prominent in Vrindavan, the place where Krishna is said to have lived over 5000 years ago. Wherin Her importance surpasses even the importance of Krishna. Radha's love for Krishna is held within Gaudiya Vaishnavism as the most perfect primarily because of its endless and unconditional nature. Thus she is the most important consort of Krishna, 'His heart and soul', and His 'hladini-shakti' (spiritual pleasure potency).
In the Brihad-Gautamiya Tantra, Radharani is described as follows: "The transcendental goddess Srimati Radharani is the direct counterpart of Lord Sri Krishna. She is the central figure for all the goddesses of fortune. She possesses all the attractiveness to attract the all-attractive Personality of Godhead. She is the primeval internal potency of the Lord."

Caitanya Mahaprabhu
The famous Bengali saint Caitanya Mahaprabhu (1486 - 1534) is believed by many (see especially the modern-day ISKCON movement) to be an incarnation of both Srimati Radharani and Krishna in one simultaneous form. Throughout his life, Caitanya lived as a devout devotee of Vaishnava tradition, but is said to have revealed His inner form to some of his closer associates.

Draupadi:
The daughter of the fierce maharaja Drupad, sister to the formidable Dhristadyumna, wife to the unparralleled Pandavas, mother to valourous children, the princess of Panchal and the putra-badhu (daughter-in-law) to the Chandra vamsi raj parivar (dynasty) of Hastinapur and yet when her modesty was put at stake, her self-respect challenged in the open court-room of warriors- not a single soul came to her rescue and she shouted out to Krishna, the only friend she could trust on and it was only Krishna who with his maya protected Draupadi's modesty. Draupadi has seen tremendous pain too in her life.

In the epic Mahabharata, Draupadi is the daughter of King Drupada, and becomes the wife of the five Pandavas. When Yudhisthira becomes the king of Hastinapura, Indraprastha and the Emperor of India at the end of the war, Draupadi again becomes Queen.

Birth
Draupadi and her brother Dhristadyumna emerged together from a sacrificial fire that the king had lit to gain a means of revenge on Drona, to whom he had lost half his kingdom.
Drupad had prayed for a son, but Draupadi emerged as well. When she did, a divine voice said she would be the reason for the destruction of the Kauravas. When Draupadi grew to be a young woman she was considered very beautiful, mainly for her glowing dark skin, large dark eyes and graceful figure.
It is believed that Goddess Kali had given a part of her powers to her, for the destruction of the Kauravas. As Drupada was the ruler of the kingdom of Panchala, Draupadi was also known as Paanchali. She was named by Brahmanas as "Krsnā" due to her radiant dusky skin {the Lord Krishna was also dark-skinned) and is very often referred to and addressed by this name in the Mahabharata.


Marriage to the Pandavas
While in exile, Kunti, mother of the Pandavas often advised her sons that they share everything they have (or obtain) equally amongst themselves. During that time, Arjuna attended Draupadi's swayamvara and won her hand in marriage. When he returned, he triumphantly declared "Look mother, what I have brought!". Kunti, unmindful of what Arjuna was referring to, unassumingly asked her son to share whatever it is with his brothers. Thus, in order to obey their mother's order all five accepted Draupadi as their wife.
According to another source, when Sage Vyasa visits the family, he explains to Draupadi that her unique position as the wife of five brothers results from a certain incident in her previous birth. She had in that lifetime prayed to Lord Shiva to grant her a husband with five desired qualities. Lord Shiva, pleased with her devotion, tells her that it is very difficult to get a husband with all five qualities that she desired. But she sticks to her ground and asks for the same. Then Lord Shiva grants her wish saying that she would get the same in her next birth. Hence she gets married to five brothers each who represents a given quality.

Draupadi's Cheer-Haran
Draupadi’s Cheer-Haran, literally meaning stripping of one’s clothes, marks a definitive moment in the story of Mahabharata. It is the central reason of the Mahabharata war, the rivalry between Pandavas and Kauravas being the more general cause.
Yudhishthira and his four brothers were the rulers of Indraprastha under the sovereignty of Emperor Dhritarashtra. Dhritarashtra’s son Duryodhana who resided in the capital of the empire Hastinapur was always jealous of his cousins. Together with his brothers, his friend Karna and maternal uncle Shakuni, he conspired to call Pandavas at Hastinapur and win their kingdoms in a game of gambling. Shakuni was an inveterate gambler and very skilled at winning by unfair means. The idea was that Shakuni will play against Yudhishthira and win at the gambling table what was impossible to win at the battlefield.
As the game proceeded, Yudhishthira lost all his wealth and kingdom one by one. Having lost all material wealth, he went on to put his brothers at stake one by one and lost them too. Ultimately he put himself at stake, and lost again. All the Pandavas were now the slaves of Kauravas. But for the villain Shakuni, the humiliation of Pandavas was not complete. He plods Yudhishthira that he has not lost everything yet. Yudhishthira still has Draupadi with him and if he wishes he can win everything back by putting Draupadi at stake. Yudhishthira walks into the trap and to the horror of everybody present, puts Draupadi as a bet for the next round. Shakuni rolls the dice and gleefully shouts “Look, I have won”.
Duryodhana commands his younger brother Dushasana to forcefully bring her into the forum. Dushasana barges into the living quarters of Draupadi who had just finished her bath and was drying her loose hair. Dushasan grabs her by the hair and brings her into the court dragging her by the hair. Unable to withstand the distress of his wife, an emotional Bhima even threatens to burn up Yudhishthira’s hands with which he placed Draupadi on stake. Arjuna pacifies him.
Now in an emotional appeal to the elders present in the forum, Draupadi repeatedly questions the legality of the right of Yudhishthira to place her at stake when he himself had lost his freedom and as a consequence did not possess any property in the first place. Everybody remain dumbfounded. Bhishma, the patriarch of the Kaurava family and a formidable warrior has only this lame explanation to offer to Draupadi - “The course of morality is subtle and even the illustrious wise in this world fail to always understand it”.
Kauravas now command Pandavas to strip themselves in the manner of slaves. Pandavas obey by stripping off their upper garments. Then Kauravas demand the same from Draupadi, who remains crying in her hour of test. Then to the horror of everybody present, Dushasana proceeds to strip Draupadi off her sari. Seeing her husbands unable or unwilling to help her, Draupadi prays to Lord Krishna to protect her modesty. Lord Krishna now works a miracle so that as Dushasana unwraps layers and layers of her sari, her sari keeps getting extended. Seeing Draupadi being violated so brazenly, Bhima in a roaring rage, vows to tear open Dushasana’s breast one day and drink his blood. Finally a tired Dushasana backs off without being able to strip Draupadi.

Duryodhana repeatedly challenges Yudhishthira’s four brothers to disassociate themselves from Yudhishthira’s authority and take their wife back. No one dares to denounce their loyalty to their eldest brother. In order to provoke the Pandavas further, Duryodhana bares and pats his thigh looking into Draupadi’s eyes, implying her to sit on his thigh. In impotent rage Bhima vows in front of the entire assembly that one day he will break that very thigh of Duryodhan in a battle.
Finally, the blind monarch Dhritarashtra's conscience is stirred, in part fearing the wrath of Pandavas against his sons. He intervenes and asks Draupadi to wish for whatever she desires. Draupadi asks her husbands the Pandavas to be freed from slavery. Dhritarashtra grants her wish and also restores to Pandavas all they lost in the game of dice. Free from the bondage Bhima, hotheaded as ever, immediately proposes to his brothers to slay all Kauravas present then and there itself. Yudhishthira and Arjuna prevent him from taking any rash action. After many words of reconciliation between Pandavas and Dhritarashtra, Pandavas withdraw to their kingdom along with Draupadi and their entourage.
Shakuni, Karna and Duryodhan later convince Dhritarashtra to invite Pandavas for a new game of dice, with modified rules. It was following the defeat in this new game that Pandavas were sent into exile.
Draupadi’s Cheer-Haran remains one of the most hotly debated passages from the Mahabharata. What was originally meant to show the virtuousness of Pandavas (who remained firm in their observance of pledge of servitude to Kauravas by not resorting to violence even in the face of gravest insult possible), has in the modern India come to showcase an example of Pandavas’ male chauvinistic attitudes (because they treated Draupadi as their property by putting her at gambling stake) and their strange prioritizing of virtues (Do pledges really matter more than the honor and safety of one’s family?). That the elders like Bhishma, Drona, Vidura and Dhritarashtra remained silent spectators of the entire episode adds valuable insight to their personalities too. In any case the passage must be seen in the light of the mores of the times of its writing which lay a few millennia ago.

Devotion to Krishna
When Draupadi's father, the King of Panchala began to look for a suitable match for Draupadi the first man to come to his mind was Krishna. Upon his arrival, Krishna meets Draupadi and is very pleased with her but as soon as he finds out that she is also referred to as "Krishna" he says "how can we be married if we have the same name?" Since Krishna is believed to have thousands of wives he asks Draupadi "do you really just want to be another wife?" Since they shared the same name Krishna explains that they must have some type of divine connection. At that time he pledges his friendship to Draupadi and vows to show the world the greatest example of friendship. This is quite possibly why Krishna helps Draupadi when the Pandavas lose her in a gamble.
Krishna calls Draupadi his sakhi, or friend. She is a total devotee, and another story says the reason he helps Draupadi is that she prayed with utmost devotion. Plus, when Krishna had cut his finger on the Sudarshan Chakra she had bound it with her Sari.
Also, Krishna is the one who opposes her marriage to Karna and promotes her marriage to Arjuna (when people oppose it because he is disguised as a Brahmin.
Draupadi is an the exemplification of bhakti to God. She showed utmost faith to Lord Krishna

Subhadra:
Half-sister to Krishna, many consider her to be a part of shakti incarnate. The greatest sorrow she has seen in life is perhaps the unjust murder of her son Abhimanyu in Kurukshetra.

Subhadra is an important character in the Mahabharata, a Hindu epic. She is the half-sister of Krishna, wife of Arjuna, third of the Pandava brothers, and mother of Abhimanyu.

Biography
Subhadra is the only daughter of Vasudeva, born to him by his wife Rohini Devi. She is born after the release of her father from prison by Krishna, and is thus much younger than both her brothers. Subhadra therefore grows up in comfort as the princess, and escapes the travails that haunted her family before her birth.

Arjuna, the Pandava, once spends 12 years in exile for breaking a vow. He spends the last portion of this exile in Dwaraka, at the residence of his cousins Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra. They are his cousins because their father, Vasudeva, was the brother of Arjuna's mother Kunti. During his sojourn at Dwaraka, a romance ensues between Arjuna and Subhadra. This matter was abetted by Krishna, who had always been particularly attached to Arjuna, and wished nothing but the best for his sister Subhadra.
As the period of Arjuna's exile draws to a close, and his departure homeward becomes imminent, Arjuna proposes marriage to his cousin, and she acquiesces. Knowing that the entire family would view with disfavour the prospect of Subhadra becoming the fourth wife of her much-married cousin Arjuna, Krishna facilitates the elopement of the couple and their departure for Indraprastha. He gives the couple a crucial piece of advise related to their elopement: it was Subhadra, and not Arjuna, who drove the chariot away from Dwaraka and towards Indraprastha. Krishna later uses this fact to persuade his family that Subhadra had not been abducted; on the contrary, it was she who had kidnapped Arjuna!!
Subhadra and Arjuna soon have a son, the valiant Abhimanyu. Not long afterwards, the celebrated game of dice ensues between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The Pandavas leave Indraprastha to spend 13 years in exile. It is decided that Subhadra and her infant son must spend the period of exile in Dwaraka, so that Abhimanyu may profit from receiving Krishna's tutelage and gain a suitable education, that would prepare him for the struggles and responsibilities that he, Abhimanyu, is expected to bear in later life.
At the end of the period of exile, Arjuna sends for his wife and son. Abhimanyu is wed to Uttara, daughter of king Virata. To Subhadra's great grief, the young Abhimanyu is killed during the Kurukshetra war which ensues soon afterwards. Uttara is pregnant at that time and is later delivered of a son, who is named Parikshita.
Parikshita is destined to become the sole surviving dynast of the entire Kuru dynasty, Pandavas and Kauravas combined. When he comes of age, the Pandavas (being his grandfather Arjuna and four grand-uncles) anoint him king of their realm and retire to the Himalayas. Subhadra remains behind to guide and mentor her grandson.

Devotions
Subhadra is one of the three deities worshipped at the Jagannath temple at Puri, along with her brothers Krishna (as Jagannatha) and Balarama (or Balabhadra). One of the chariots in the annual Ratha Yatra is dedicated to her. According to some interpretations, Subhadra is considered an incarnation of Maya.

Rukmini:
The main and chief wife of Krishna and considered an avataar of Lakshmi.

Birth
Princess Rukmini is believed to have been born on Vaisakha 12. Although born of an earthly king, her position as an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi is described throughout Vedic literature:
O hero among the Kurus, the Supreme Lord Himself, Govinda, married King Bhismaka's daughter, Vaidarbhi, who was a direct expansion of the goddess of fortune [Sriyo maatraam]. (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.52.16)
Dvaraka's citizens were overjoyed to see Krishna, the Lord of all opulence, united with Rukmini, the goddess of fortune [Ramaa]. (SB 10.54.60)
Sri Devi by Her portion took birth in the earth as Rukmini in the family of Bhismaka. (Mahabharata Adi 67.156)
Rukminidevi, the Queen Consort of Sri Krishna is the Swarupa-shakti (mulaprakriti), the essential potency of Krishna (krsnatmika) and She is the Queen of the Divine World (jagatkatri), Dwaraka/Vaikuntha. The Srutis which are closely associated with the narrations of the pastimes of the Vraja-gopis with svayam-rupa Bhagavan Sri Krishna, the Parabrahma, have declared this truth. (Gopala-tapani Upanisad 57)

Marriage
Rukmini was the daughter of Bhishmaka, the king of Vidarbha. She fell in love with and longed for Krishna, whose virtue, character, charm and greatness she had heard much of. Krishna, likewise fell in love with Rukmini as she was the most sought after, virtuous and beautiful princess on Earth. Rukmini's eldest brother Rukmi though was a friend of evil King Kamsa, who was killed by Krishna, and was set against the marriage.
Rukmini's parents were going to marry Rukmini to Krishna but Rukmi, her brother strongly opposed and changed Bheeshmaka, their father's mind. Instead, he proposed that she be married to his friend Shishupala, the crown prince of Chedi.
Bheeshmaka gave in but Rukmini, who had overheard the conversation was horrified and immediately sent for a brahman, Sunanda, whom she trusted and asked him to deliver a letter to Krishna. She asked Krishna to come to Vidarbha and kidnap her to avoid a battle where her relatives may be killed. She suggested that he do this when she was on her way to the temple or back. She asked that he claim her to marry her. She also added that if Krishna refused to comply she would commit suicide. Krishna, having received the message in Dwarka, immediately set out for Vidarbha with Balarama, his brother.
Meanwhile, Shishupala was overjoyed at the news from Rukmi that he could simply go to Kundina and claim Rukmini. Jarasandha, not so trusting sent all his vassals and allies along because he felt that Krishna would certainly come to snatch Rukmini away.
Bheeshmaka and Rukmini received the news that Krishna was coming by their respective spies. Bheeshmaka, who secretly approved of Krishna and wished he would take Rukmini away had a furnished mansion set up for him.
He welcomed them joyfully and made them comfortable. Meanwhile, at the palace, Rukmini got ready for her upcoming marriage. She went to the shrine to pray but was severely disappointed when she did not see Krishna there. Inside the shrine, she prayed to Goddess Parvati that Krishna would arrive and wed her. As she stepped out, she saw Krishna and he soon swept her into his chariot with him. They both started to ride off when Shishupala noticed them. All of Jarasandha's forces quickly started chasing them. While Balarama occupied most of them and held them back Rukmi had almost caught up with Krishna and Rukmini.
Krishna and Rukmi duelled with the inevitable result of Krishna's victory. When Krishna was about to kill him, Rukmini fell at the feet of Krishna and begged that her brother's life be spared. Krishna, generous as always agreed but as punishment, shaved Rukmi's head and let him go free. There was no greater shame for a warrior than a visible sign of defeat.
A few days later at Dwaraka, Krishna was married to Rukmini with great pomp and ceremony.

Children
The first son of Queen Rukmini was Pradyumna, and also born of her were Carudesna, Sudesna and the powerful Carudeha, along with Sucaru, Carugupta, Bhadracaru, Carucandra, Vicaru and Caru, the tenth (SB 10.61.8-9). Of them, Pradyumna was the crown prince of Dwaraka.

Satyabhama:
Satyabhama is the beloved third wife of Hinduism's Lord Krishna, known for her strong will and tantrums.

Marriage
Satyabhama was the daughter of Satrajit who owned the Syamantaka jewel. Satrajit, who secured the jewel from Surya, and would not part with it even when Krishna the Lord of Dvaraka, asked for it saying it would be safe with him. Shortly thereafter, Prasena, the brother of Satrajit went out hunting wearing the jewel but was killed by a lion. Jambavan. Known for his role in the Ramayana, killed the lion and gave the jewel to his son to play with. When Prasena did not return, Satrajit falsely accused Krishna of killing Prasena for the sake of the jewel.
Krishna, in order to remove the stain on his reputation, set out in search of the jewel and found it in Jambavan's cave, with his child. Jambavan attacked Krishna thinking him to be an intruder who had come to take away the jewel. They fought each other for 28 days, when Jambavan, his whole body terribly weakened from the hammering of Krishna's fists, finally recognised Him as Rama and surrendered.
I now know You. You are the life in all creatures, virility, grit and strength. You are Vishnu, the Primeval Lord, All-prevailing, the Supreme Lord (of the worlds). (Bhagavata 10.56.26)
As repentance for his having fought Krishna, Jambavan gave Krishna the jewel and also his daughter Jambavati in marriage. Krishna returned the jewel to Satrajit, who in turn repented for his false accusation. He promptly offered to give Krishna the jewel and his daughter Satyabhama in marriage. Krishna accepted Satyabhama as His wife but did not accept the jewel.

Narakasura's Killing
Narakasura was a demon king, ruling Pragjothishyapur, a southern province in the present day Nepal. He gained a boon from Brahma that he would die only in the hands of a woman. Armed with the boon, he ruled like a despot. Narakasura was infamous for his wicked ruling and high disregard for demigods and women.
Addicted to power, he defeated Lord Indra, king of demigods, and abducted 16000 women and imprisoned them in his palace. He stole the earrings of Aditi, the heavenly mother goddess, and usurped some of her territory. Aditi was a relative of Satyabhama. When she heard of the Narakasuara's ill treatment of women and his behaviour with Aditi, she was enraged. Satyabhama approached Lord Krishna for permission to wage a war against Narakasura. Krishna not only agreed, but also offered to drive her chariot in the battlefield.
On the day of the war, Satyabhama fought Narakasura bravely, but she was no match to his trained skills. After a few days days, when Narakasura got a chance, he took aim at Krishna, hurting him lightly. Krishna fainted in a preordained divinely plan adopted to empower Satyabhama. Seeing this Satyabhama was furious. She doubled her attack on the demon king and killed him finally. Her victory on Narakasura translated into freedom for all his prisoners and honoring of Aditi. Having rescued the 16000 women, Krishna was compelled to marry them per the customs of the day.
The killing of Narakasura was a victory of good over evil and is celebrated as Narakachaturdasi by Hindus every year with lot of fun, frolic, and fire works.


Tulabharam (weighing by scale)
The Sri Krishna tulabharam is an incident in the life of Satyabhama, that reveals the extent to which devotion is worth more than material wealth.
Satyabhama prides herself about the love Krishna has for her and her grasp over his heart. Rukmini, Krishna's first queen, on the other hand is a devoted wife, humble in her service of her Lord. Her devotion is her real inner beauty. On one contrived occasion, Rishi Narada arrives in Dwaraka and in the course of conversation hints to Satyabhama that the love that Krishna exhibits towards her is not all that real and in fact it is Rukmini has the real control over his heart. Unable to bear this, Satyabhama challenges Narada to prove it. Narada, with his way with words, tricks her into accepting a Vrata (ritual) where she has to give Krishna away in charity to Narada and reclaim him by giving the weight of Krishna in wealth. Narada lures her into accepting this vrata by telling her that Krishna’s love to her will increase many folds if she succeeds in performing this Tulabharam. He also instigates her ego by hinting that her wealth may not be sufficient to equal the weight of Krishna. With Satyabhama's ego duly raised, she tells Narada that she can mobilize so much wealth that it is a child’s play for her to outweigh Krishna. Narada warns her that if she is not able to do this, Krishna will become his slave to be done with as he pleases.
The scene is soon set for the vrata. Satyabhama gives Krishna away in charity (dana) in spite of the other wives’ pleadings. Krishna, always the mischievous cowherd, meekly submits to this drama. After donating Krishna to Narada, Satyabhama arranges for a big scale to be put up and sends with all assurance for her huge treasure of gold and jewellery. All that she has is soon put on the scale, but it doesn’t budge. Narada starts taunting her and threatening her that if she can’t put enough gold or diamonds, he will be forced to auction Krishna as a slave to someone else. Satyabhama swallows her pride and begs all the other wives to give their jewels. They agree out of love for Krishna, it is of no use.
Krishna remains a mute witness to all this drama and rubs salt into the open wounds of Satyabhama’s ego that he has now to become a slave to some cowherd and will have to suffer the separation from his dear wife. Narada suggests to Satyabhama that Rukmini may be able to get her out of the predicament. She finally swallows her pride and appeals to the devoted first wife of Krishna. Rukmini comes and with a prayer to her husband puts a single leaf of the sacred Tulasi on the scale (tula). Lo and behold, the scales become all at once so heavy that even after removing all the jewels, the scales are weighed down on the side of the Tulasi leaf.
While there are different versions in different texts as to why the weighing was arranged, the story of the Tulsi leaf placed by Rukmini being worth more in weight than that of Satyabhama's wealth is a common ending. This story is oft repeated to enunciate the significance of Tulsi and how a humble offering to God is greater than any material wealth.

Mira:
All of the other women mentioned above have lived during the age Krishna was alive. They all have seen Krishna, touched him, talked to him and ofcourse loved him so dearly. However, what fascinates me about Mirabai is that her devotion was much more than that of a bhakt, it was that of a lover blindly in love with her beloved-Krishna.

Life story
Many of the details of Mira's life are pieced together from her poetry and the stories later recounted by members of her community.Mira was born in Merta in Rajasthan to Ratan Singh, the second son of Rao Dudaji, a descendant of Rao Jodhaji Rather, the founder of Jodhpur. Meera's mother died when she was ten years old.During her childhood she given a figurine of Krishna by a wandering saint that she played, sang and always talked with. Her father's elder brother Viram Deo who succeeded to the throne arranged her marriage e at the age of 18 with Prince Bhoj Raj, the eldest son of Rana Sanga of Chittor. This marriage raised Mirabai to a very high social status, as the ruler of Chittor was considered to be the leader of the Hindu princes of Rajputana. However, her great devotion to Lord Krishna did not always endear her to her husband and family. Her love of Krishna was so absorbing she neglected her social and regal responsibilities. She refused to offer worship to the family deity, Durga. She sang and danced in public temples and mingled with members of all castes. Because of this Mirabai suffered great hardship throughout her life. Her husband died a few years after her marriage and she refused to commit sati, a practice of widow self-immolation held in high regard in royal rajput families of the time. In 1527, the Rajputs opposed a Muslim invasion from Afghanistan.Mirabai's father was killed in battle; her father-in-law was wounded in the same battle and died the next year. Mewar got a new child-ruler, who with his mother, made life at the court difficult for Mirabai. In Mira's poems she mentions that her family attempted to kill her twice but that she was miraculously saved both times. These physical hardships became intolerable and after praying to Krishna, she left the palace for good (possibly at the age of 30) and went to the pilgrimage of Mathura, Vrindavana, and finally to Dwarka. Mirabai spent most of her time in prayer and worship of Krishna. She left behind a legacy of many soulful and prayerful songs, which are still sung in India today. Mirabai is widely regarded as a saint in the tradition of the Bhakti Movement. The 16th century Bhakti Movement showed the path to salvation by devotion. Other saints belonging to this culture were Tukaram, Kabir, Guru Nanak, Ramananda.Her love for Krishna is epitomized by the popular belief about her final disappearance in the temple of Krishna in Dwarka. She is believed to have entered the sanctum of the temple in a state of singing ecstacy.The sanctum doors are believed to have closed on their own and when later opened, the sari of Mirabai was seen enwrapped around the idol of lord Krishna, symbolizing the culmination of her union with her lord.

On this auspicious ocasion of Janmashtami, please do remember once in whole day to chant the Maha-mantra, the only mantra that can effectively cleanse anybody in these dark ages of Kali Yuga by just mere chanting of it.


Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

Also please find some krishna bhajans from the following link:
Hari tum Haro Jan Ki Peer
Deenan Dukh Haran Deva

This same article with all images can be downloaded from here.

Jai Shree Krishna!

Souvik

Aradhika and Anugami-Radharani and Mirabai

Dear members,

I am not being able to upload images in blog for a few days so please bear with me and do access the links provided for the image relating to the articles.

Two ladies, two names, two ages but one thing is common in both of them-the passion, the longing, the love, the madness, the pain, the sorrow, the fulfillment, the devotion for only One, their all, their God, their Love-Krishna.

Krishna wouldn't have been Krishna if not for these two women.

Many have written pages about these two women. I will not repeat the same. Almost everyone knows their story but I will just request everyone who reads this article to just listen to two bhajans that are enough to describe the passion of these two outstanding women in Krishna's life.

Radharani:

Image from here & here

File from here

Mirabai:

Image from here & here

File from here

Even in this kali yuga I am almost certain that when you listen to these two bhajans with emotion and bhakti, tears of joy will roll down your cheeks.

Happy listening!

Regards,

Souvik

Alochana-Rakshan Bandhan

Dear readers,

Wish you all a very happy Raksha Bandhan Day (Rakhi).

Here are some stories about the origin of this festival.

Enjoy today with loved ones!

Regards,

Souvik

Origins
The origin of the festival is mostly attributed to one of following mythological incidents:
1. Indra's fight with Vritra - Indra, the king of devtas (gods), had lost his kingdom to the asura (demon) Vritra. At the behest of his Guru Brihaspati, Indra's wife Sachi tied a thread around her husband's wrist to ensure his victory in the upcoming duel.
2. Draupadi and Krishna during the Rajsuya yagya - After Shishupal's death, Krishna was left with a bleeding finger. Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas, had torn a strip of silk off her sari and tied it around Krishna's wrist to staunch the flow of blood. Touched by her concern, Krishna had declared himself bound to her by her love. He further promised to repay the debt manifold, and spent the next 25 years of his life doing just that. For all that Draupadi was the daughter of a powerful monarch, sister to a legendary warrior, and wife to five warrior princes, Krishna remained the only man she could ever truly depend on.

History of Raksha bandhan
Rani Karnawati and Emperor Humayun The ealiest origins of Rakshabandhan in documented history can be traced to the medieval era. During this period the Rajputs were fighting Muslim invasions. Rakhi at that time was a spiritual symbol associated with protection of the sister. History has it that when Queen Karnawati the widow of the then King of Chittor realised that she could in no way defend the invasion of the Sultan of Gujarat, Bahadur Shah, she sent a rakhi to Emperor Humayun. The Emperor touched by the gesture, accepted the rakhi thereby accepting Queen Karnawati as a "sister" and immediately started off with his vast troops to protect Queen Karnavati.

Alexander The Great and King Puru One of the oldest reference to the festival of Rakhi goes back to 300 B.C. At this time Alexander the Great, was invading India. It is said that the great conqueror, King Alexander of Macedonia was shaken by the fury of the Indian king Puru in his first attempt. Upset by this, Alexander's wife, who had heard of the Rakhi festival, approached King Puru. King Puru accepted her as his sister and when the opportunity came during the war, he refrained from fighting Alexander.

The Legend of Raksha bandhan
There are innumerable references to the significance of the Rakhi festival in Hindu mythology.

Vrita-Indra

The origin of this festival is usually traced back to the mythological incidents of Indira's fight with Vritra-Indra that resulted in Indra's (king of the Gods) loss. Then, his wife had tied a thread around his wrist and empowered it with divine powers to make sure Indra emerged victorious in the duel that followed.

Kunti-Abhimanyu

During the battle of Mahabharat, Queen Kunti tied a raksha on her grandson Abhimanyu to protect him in battle.

Krishna and Draupadi

Another incident is the one that concerns Krishna and Draupadi, the wife of Pandavas. She had torn a strip of silk off her sari and tied it around Krishna's wrist to stop the flow of blood Krishna was so touched by her action that he found himself bound to her by love. He promised to repay the debt and then spent the next 25 years doing just that. Draupadi inspite of being married to 5 great warriors and being a daughter of a powerful monarch only trusted and depended wholly on Krishna.

King Bali and Goddess Laxmi

According to another legend Demon King Bali was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu had taken up the task to guard his kingdom leaving his own abode in Vaikunth. Goddess Laxmi wished to be with her lord back in her abode. She went to Bali disguised as a Brahmin woman to seek refuge till her husband came back.
During the Shravan Purnima celebrations, Laxmiji tied the sacred thread to the King. Upon being asked she revealed who she was and why she was there. The king was touched by her goodwill for his family and her purpose and requested the Lord to accompany her. He sacrificed all he had for the Lord and his devoted wife.
Thus the festival is also called Baleva that is Bali Raja's devotion to the Lord.It is said that since then it has been a tradition to invite sisters in Shravan Purnima for the thread tying ceremony or the Raksha Bandhan

Yama and the Yamuna

It is said that the Raksha Bandhan was a ritual followed by Lord Yama (the Lord of Death) and his sister Yamuna. Yamuna tied rakhi to Yama and bestowed immortality. Yama was so moved by the serenity of the occasion that he declared thar whoever gets a rakhi tied from his sister and promised her protection will become immortal.

How is Rakshabandhan celebrated in different parts of India
India is a diverse country with various cultures. While Rakhsabandhan is celebrated pretty much all over the country, different parts of the country celebrate the festival in different ways with a different significance.

Tying of Rakhi

Perhaps the single most important way of celebrating Rakshabandhan is by tying the rakhi. A sister ties a rakhi to the wrist of her brother. The tying of a rakhi signifies her asking of her brother for his protection and love for the sister. The brother is turn, accepts the rakhi, confirms his love and affection for his sister and showers her with gifts and money. It is a family event where all members of family, dressed in all finery, gather and celebrate this event. The tying of rakhi is followed by a family feast.

Rakhi Purnima

Rakhi is celebrated as Rakhi Purnima in North India as well as in parts of Northwest India. The word "Purnima" means a full moon night.

Nariyal Purnima

It western India and parts of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Karnataka, this day is celebrated as Nariyal Purnima. On this day an offering of a coconut (nariyal) is made to the sea, as a mark of respect to Lord Varun (God of the Sea). Nariyal Purnima marks the beginning of the fishing season and the fisherman, who depend on the sea for a living, make an offering to Lord Varun so that they can reap bountiful fish from the sea.

Avani Avittam / Upakarman

In southers parts of India such as Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Orissa this day is celebrated by the Brahmin community as Avani Avittam. On this day they change their sacred threads (Janeyu)

Kajari Purnima

In central parts of India such as Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkand and Bihar this day is celebrated as Kajari Purnima. It is an important day for the farmers and women blessed with a son. On the ninth day after Shravana Amavasya, the preparations of the Kajari festival start. This ninth day is called Kajari Navami. The rituals are performed by the ladies blessed with a son. The rituals continye till the Kajri Purnima or the full moon day.
PavitropanaIn parts of Gujarat this day is celebrated as Pavitropana. On this day people perform the grand pooja or the worship of the three eyed God, Lord Shiva. It is the culmination of the prayers done through out the year.

Amar Prem

"hai aankh woh jo shyam ka darshan kiya karey I

hai sheesh jo prabhu charan mein bandan kiya karey II

bekar woh mukh hai jo rahey byarth batayo mein I

mukh woh hai jo hari naam ka sumiran kiya karey II

hirey moti sey nahi shobha hai haath ki I

hai haath jo bhagwan ka pujan kiya karey II

mar kar bhi amar naam hai us jeev ka jag mein I

prabhu prem mein balidan jo jeevan kiya karey II"

~ Sung by Pankaj Udas

Alochana-Krishna

Dear members,

16th. August, 2006 is Janmashthami.

Just by speaking the name "Krishna", humans can cleanse their sins in Kali Yuga.



What always astonished me about Sri Krishna was his ability to simultaneously exist in different planes and play each role to the fullest.










Krishna, the lover; Krishna, the guide; Krishna, the yogi; Krishna, the master-politician; Krishna, the redeemer; Krishna, the enchanter; Krishna, the savior of women's modesty; Krishna, the husband; Krishna, the brother; Krishna, the friend and the list goes on.







At one point I feel as if all the planets gave selflessly all their qualities to the savior of human souls from the darkness of Kali Yuga.

Sun-leadership, uprightness
Moon-emotion, immense feelings
Mars-an obedient and duty-bound brother
Mercury-an excellent politician and orator
Jupiter-made him a Guru and made his words worshipped in the form of Bhagwat Geeta
Venus-love, looks and an enchanter
Saturn-endurance and patience
Rahu-knowledge of Maya
Ketu-a yogi

"Sree Krishna Govinda Hare Murali,
Hey Nath Narayan Vasudeva
Radhe Krishna Radhe Krishna
Radhe Radhe Krishna Krishna"


Regards,

Souvik