Showing posts with label Dasehra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dasehra. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Dasara - It is the last day of Navratri

Guys, it is the last day of Navratri and all you are in the best mood of your life. I know everyone dance on the rhythm of DJ's music to celebrate the navratri with Dandiyas. It is the 9th day and just after 12.00 pm of 08/10/2008 all we faced to the new day of everyone's life. It is "Dasehra".

The Hindu Calendar (Panchang) says that, there are 40 navratras (nine consecutive nights) in a year (40x9=360), out of which Chaitra - Sukla (March - April) and Asvin - Sukla (September - October) are the most important for Devi(Hindu Goddess) worship. According to Devi Bhagwat Puran, "The two seasons, autumn and spring, are known as the teeth of Yama, the God of Death". The beginning of summer and beginning of winter have the right weather and solar influences and are taken as sacred opportunities for worship.

Durga (refer Glossary given at the end) Puja or Navratri commences on the first and ends on the tenth day of the bright half of Asvin Sukla. It celebrates the victory of Durga over Mahisasura, the buffalo-headed demon. The tenth day is called Vijayadashmi or Dasehra and is also the day when Rama defeated Ravana.

Das means ten and Hara means to remove, and so Dasehra celebrates the cutting of ten heads of Ravana associated with (sins) passion, pride, anger, greed, lust, infatuation, hatred, jealous, selfishness and crookedness. Because of its auspicious character, Hindu kings in ancient times used to undertake ambitious expeditions on this day. In Rajasthan, even now, people arrange mock attacks on some forts on Vijayadashmi.

On a spiritual level, Navratris (nine nights) symbolize the stage of man’s evolution into God -- from Jivahood (state of individualization) to Shivahood (state of self realization).

Navratris can be divided into three sets of three days each, dedicated to the three different aspects of the Goddess.

First, she is adorned as Durga, the Terrible, where she fights against and overcomes the base animal qualities of the individual. It marks the destruction of impurity and evil tendencies in one’s mind.

The next step is to acquire positive qualities and build a sublime spiritual personality by worshipping Lakshmi, who bestows the divine wealth on her devotees.

The worship of Saraswati in the last three days is to receive the light of supreme wisdom. Vijayadashmi, on the tenth day, marks the triumph of the soul at having attained liberation while living in this world.

Even the images, their various forms, attributes, symbols and weapons have a esoteric meaning with deep philosophical significance. The worship of the image of Durga indicates the victory of the soul over animal passions -- the demon personifies passions, desire, anger, pride, jealousy and attachment. This victory is achieved with the help of Saraswati (higher knowledge) Ganesha (determination for success) and Lakshmi (good fortune). They are the companions of Durga.

In West Bengal, Navratri is celebrated as 'Durga-pooja' which is the most important festival in that part of India. Idols of Goddess Durga are worshipped for nine days in beautifully decorated 'pandaals'(tents). It is a public festival. On the tenth day, the 'Visarjan' or immersion of idols in seawaters is performed.

There is an intersting twist to the West Bengal Durga Puja. In Eastern India, and in certain parts all over the country, Durga Puja is celebrated with enormous vigour. Enormous tents spring up in practically every locality and an amazing array of idols of Durga, crafted from the special clay of the river Ganga, are installed. Skilful idol makers using a wide array of alternative materials craft these idols. The most common of these of course is clay. Shola pith, coconut husk, cloth, and flowers are common materials used. Legend has it that the idol of the goddess is incomplete without a pinch of clay from a prostitute's courtyard.

So why is the representation of Mother Earth and Shakti herself, in need of mud from a prostitute's kotha (house) to complete a ritual devoted to her? One explanation has it, that a prostitute's courtyard is sacred because of the supreme sacrifice she makes. Therefore, despite her looked-down-upon profession, her spirit, attitude and dignity make her a great person.

Another version says when people go to a prostitute, they leave behind all the good and pure qualities in the courtyard and carry the unholy animal instincts inside. Therefore, the earth outside in the courtyard is pure and sacred. On the practical side, it probably was society's attempt to include and accord some status to its most alienated beings.

Even though an authentic puja also needs earth excavated by a wild boar, elephant or even a lion, water from the holy rivers and seas and the 108 pink lotuses, the Ganika Mrittika (ganika - courtesan, mrittika - clay) has always fascinated the brilliant balance of this mysterious festival.

Celebrations during Dasehra:

Ram Leela: In various parts of India, the 'Ram-Leela' is performed during Navratri. Ram-Leela is a stage enaction of Ramayana, the story of Lord Rama. The day after Navratri, i.e., tenth day, is observed as 'Dussehra' or 'Vijayadashmi'. It marks the victory of good over evil. It is believed that on this day, Lord Rama had killed the demon Ravana. So, on Vijayadashmi, effigies of Ravana are burnt all over India.

Dandiya and Navratri: Navratri is a time for gaiety and dance. Garba and Dandiya Raas are the main attraction among young and old. These dances reflect traditional gujarati performances.

Young men-women wear colourful traditional dresses and play Garba with great enthusiasm. The mood of Navratri is very colourful & unique. While garba is slow, dandiya is an exuberant dance. In "garba" youngsters strike or clap their hands while in "Dandiya" they strike wooden sticks(preferably made out of Bamboo) to a rhythmic movement.

Saraswati Pujan:

Saraswati in Hindu mythology is the Goddess of Knowledge. As such, all objects of learning like books, stationary, musical instruments and other objects associated with knowledge and your chosen field of occupation are placed on a pedestal and worshiped.

In ancient times, kings used the feast of Dasehra to cross the frontier and fight against their neighboring kingdoms. Dasehra marked the beginning of the war season.The day is also dedicated to the worship of weapons, tools and implements along with Sami or in its absence Apta tree. On this day, in many parts of the country, the leaves of Apta trees are presented to each other while greeting one another, as according to legend they symbolize gold.

Most Indians buy a lot of gold and ornaments today, because most Hindus consider this festival as being synonymous with the death of the dark period and the beginning of prosperity. Every Hindu householder buys at least some gold, according to his wealth. It is considered auspicious. Best luck to all you on the eve of Dasehra!!

Articles to Read :
01. INDIANS=>Don't Buy P-E-T-R-O-L
02. Beware of MOUSE (MOUSE ARM !!!)
03. Surface Computer : Microsoft
04. The Road is Never Long Between Friends !!!
05. Principle of Life !!! By Stephen Covey
06. FLY PEN TOP COMPUTER by LEAP FROG
07. The KPO Industry : New Horizen (Part-I)
08. The KPO Industry : KPO & BPO (Part-II)
09. The KPO Industry : Why GLOBAL concentrated to INDIA? (Part-III)
10. What next ? After the Death of One Love Bird.....
11. Amazing Photos From the Russian Website....
12. The Heaven on the Land....
13. Gorgeous photos of the Nature !!!
14. Awesome Pictures !!!
15. Magical Moving Images
16. 3 Words !!!
17. INDIA : The DARK Side !!!
18. Lightning burst captured in photo !!!
19. ...they take 9 months to download
20. Safe in Daddy's Arms !!!
21. Burning Rainbow !!!
22. Volcano oozes lava into the ocean !!!
23. The TULIP's World !!!
24. The Women World !!!
25. Play like a TOY !!!
26. Singapore Threatened by Poision Spider
27. Innocent Kids : Feel Your Childhood !!!
28. I meet SWAMI at our Factory !!!
29. Two Moons on 27th August !!!
30. Awesome Paper Art
31. Mother Power !!
32. Late Hour Working
33. If you plant honesty, it will determine what you will reap later!!
34. Plushy Airports of UK
35. Friendship : From My Mental Vision
36. Selective Listeneing
37. Online Big Bazar of Promotional Products
38. A Live Interview between YOU & INDIAN GOVERNMENT
39. My dear Sweethearts, What is Love?
40. Sir Sachin Tendulkar : Any thing missed here?
41. A Market of Holesale Shirts
42. A Love Story : Not to Forget
43. HP : The New Era of Inkjet Cartridges and Printers
44. Nature : A Natural Friend
45. Choose Your Frame at ZenniOptical.com
46. Mother Of Nation : Mother Teresa
47. Save your car with carinsurancerates.com
48. Arab Belly Dance : The Modern Era of New Dance
49. Keep Close Your Emotions in MailBoxes
50. The World's Most Expensive Vodka : Diva Vodka
51. Europe's Online Ticket Exchange Hub
52. Improve Your Life with Yoga and Meditation
53. Belief in yourself and your abilities
54. Countdown begins : Grab your Tickets Now
55. Health Mistakes We Did Regularly
56. The World of (E)mpire - A Online Shopping Mall
57. Abortion : The Dark Moment of Womanhood
58. Heena : The Mehendi World
59. Create Meaningful Pictures with Water Drops Art
60. Communication Skill : An Accomplishment of Life
61. Budget 2008-2009 : Highlights
62. Music Is Life : Create an email account for preserving songs
63. Smile : The key that fits the lock of everybody's heart
64. Innocence : An innocence review ... my way!
65. A review : 7 Secrets of Success
66. Crown : The mirror of your personality
67. Always allows the Boss to Speak First!
68. Body Art : An art to invoke emotions!
69. How you think about your Dining Room?
70. India : The creation of beautiful classical paintings
71. Mother : The Ocean of Love
72. School In A Cave : I just missed it
73. Birthday and Cake : A Delicious Treat and Emotions of Everyone
74. Photography : An art from the core of the heart
75. Classic Definitions & Cool Meanings
76. A Small Touching Story : Mainly for Professionals
77. Is it your dream bike? - You just dream about Dream Girl
78. 21 tips on take and give philosophy : worth for our lives
79. The Problem, could be very much within us
80. Memorable Gudhi Padwa : Received a greeting through the mail
81. Gather all resources before working on any project
82. India : Truth alone Triumphs - 1
83. India : Truth alone Triumphs - 2
84. India : Truth alone Triumphs - 3 (India Trade)
85. India : Truth alone Triumphs - 4 (Self Reliance)
86. Tata Nano wants the supplier for its 1 Lac Rs. Car. Anybody interested?
87. Honey, where would I have been without you?
88. India : Truth alone Triumphs - 5 (Pharmaceuticals)
89. India : Truth Alone Triumph - 6 (Foreign Multi-National Companies)
90. India Truth Alone Triumph - 7 (BPO)
91. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly
92. When you leave office today, Put the Glass Down
93. Poison that kill your dreams
94. Life is all about choices : You have Two Choices!
95. A Presence of mind!
96. Your Health is My Concern (Juice) - 1
97. Funny things just enjoy!
98. Let us choose the way to live : Warren Buffet
100. There are 4 things that you cannot recover
101. The Most Important Book – The Book of your life
102. Things that can be done with your cellphone
103. Cholesterol - A silent killer : The truth about your heart - 1
104. Cholesterol - A silent killer : The truth about your heart : Cholesterol and Heart Disease - 2
105. Cholesterol - A silent killer : The truth about your heart : Symptoms, Healthy Levels and Triglycerides of high blood cholesterol - 3
106. Cholesterol - A silent killer : The truth about your heart : Types of dietary fats in the food - 4
107. Cholesterol : A Silent Killer : A good cooking oil, Right Foods and Regular excersie - 5
108. Cholesterol : A Silent Killer : Stop overweight and smoking habits - 6
109. Request to all Sons and daughters on the eve of Father's Day
110. Top 22 things an Indian does after returning to India from "US"
111. Check your computers for DNS vulnerability
112. It is Google's Second Life
113. Voguish contact lens to monitor diseases
114. Water on the Moon
115. Guys, Just try Smiling
116. A Bridge of Love : Just get an essence of the story
117. A Difficult Judgement
118. Warning : I am almost at the end of my rope... and yours
119. Telephone Etiquettes : Make smile on your face
120. Prayer to Parmeshwara (God) : Please bless my computer
121. Mom and Dad, Please don't kill me! I am your unborn kid
122. Keep the Spark Alive : By Chetan Bhagat - 1
123. Only One Eye : It's mother's love to all you guys!
124. Attrition Rate : A serious term in IT sector
125. Why Attrition is higher? Steps to reduce Attrition
126. Google Chrome : A Google challenge to kicked out Microsoft
127. Love Your Parents!
128. Computer Games are not Harmful!
129. HIV Infection : You may be a victim, be careful!
130. Interesting Human Body Facts
131. The national bird of India : Peacock
132. The Art of Penny Parker
133. Green Leaves : The colours of life
134. Arabian Horse : An obedient son of human being