Dasara

[Guest guest]

Sai Ram Brothers & Sisters

 

I would like to know if someone could please assist me. I need to do

a presentation on Dasara. Is there anyone out there who has some info

on the significance of Dasara as well as some nice pictures that I can

use?

 

Thank you

Sai Ram

Sister Jayshree

[Guest guest]

--- Sai Ram Sister Jayshree,

I am sending you some information on Dasara that I had saved. I hope

this information will be useful for you.

In the service of Swami,

Vidya.

 

 

Dussehra or Vijayadashmi is the most popular of

> all the Indian festivals and takes place over 10 days,

> beginning on the first day of the Hindu Month of

> Ashwin (September-October). It celebrates Durga's

> victory over the buffaloheaded demon Mahishasura, and

> in some places it was once customary to sacrifice a

> buffalo on the day. The vibrant festivities last for

> ten days, of which nine nights are spent in worship,

> 'Navaratri'. The tenth day is devoted to the worship

> of goddess Durga, who occupies a special position in

> the Hindu pantheon of gods and goddesses. She is

> 'Shakti', the cosmic energy which animates all beings.

>

>

> According to a Puranic legend attached to this day,

> the mighty demon Mahisasura, vanquished the gods and

> their king, Indra, who subsequently fled, leaving

> behind their kingdoms. They then approached the Holy

> Trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, who decided to

> destroy the megalomaniac demon, and thus prayed to the

> divine mother Durga to do the needful.

> Equipped with lethal weapons, riding a ferocious lion,

> the Goddess in all her awesome majesty, vanquished the

> evil one without much ado. This day, thus, also

> celebrates the magnificence and omnipotence of Goddess

> Durga.

> On the same day, Lord Rama, an avatar of Sri Vishnu

> fought Ravana, a ten headed demon and restored dharma

> (righteousness) on earth. In many places it

> culminates with the burning of huge images of the

> demon King Ravana of Lanka (Ceylon) and his

> accomplice, symbolic of the triumph of good over evil.

>

> The festival is celebrated in varied manner all over

> the country.

> In Delhi it is known as Ram Lila (Life Story of Rama)

> with fireworks and re-enchantments of the Ramayana.

> In northern India, the festival wears the colourful

> garb of Ramlila wherein various incidents from Rama's

> life are enacted, as is the destruction of Ravana and

> Bharat Milap, that is the reunion of Ram and his

> estranged brother Bharat, on the former's return to

> Ayodhya after 14 years of exile.

> The Dasara of Mysore, is also quite famous where

> caparisoned elephants lead a colourful procession

> through the gaily dressed streets of the city.

> In West Bengal the festival is known as Durga Puja and

> is a major festival. The whole state comes alive

> during this festival. The City of Joy proves its name

> during the festival. As Diwali is the most gaily

> celebrated festival in Maharashtra, it is Durga-Puja

> in Bengal. Huge pandals are erected to worship the big

> idols of the goddess Durga. Beautiful idols of the

> Mother Goddess are worshipped in elaborate pandals for

> nine days, and on the ninth day, these are carried out

> in procession for immersion (visarjan) in a river or

> pond.

> In Kulu valley in Himachal Pradesh, the festival takes

> place a little later than elsewhere. The hill- folk

> celebrate Dasara with a grand mass ceremony wherein

> village deities are taken out in elaborate

> processions. It is a delightful time when the Kullu

> Valley shows why it is known as the Valley of the

> Gods.

> In Gujarat the ?Navaratri? (Festival of Nine Nights),

> is perhaps the most celebrated festival. The

> Navaratri, is famous for the dance form ?raas-garba?

> and

> ?dandiya? which is performed at night for the

> nine-nights festival, before Dussehra. The women

> dance around an earthen lamp while singing devotional

> songs accompanied by rhythmic clapping of hands.

> In Tamil Nadu, the first three days are dedicated to

> the worship of Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth and

> prosperity, the next three days to Saraswati, Goddess

> of learning and arts and the last three days to Shakti

> (Durga).

> In Punjab, Navaratri is taken as a period of fasting.

> In rural India, children returned to school on

> Vijayadashmi which is also dedicated to Saraswati. On

> this day their teachers would draw the symbol of

> Saraswati,

> the Goddess of Learning on their slates.

> On Vijayadashmi, people worship weapons, tools and

> implements of their trade. They have sumptuous meals

> at noon and towards evening they don holiday attire

> and gather together to worship sami (presenpis

> specigara) or in its absence the Apta (Bauhima

> racemosa ) tree. On this day the leaves of Apta are

> supposed to symbolise gold and are exchanged while

> greeting one another. The Dasara day is considered

> highly auspicious for the undertaking of any new work

> or business.

 

 

 

NAVARATHRI CELEBRATION

Navarathri (nine nights) is one of the greatest festivals of India.

This festival is celebrated for nine days (September 26th - October

5th) , in which God is worshipped in the form of Mother. This is a

period of introspection and purification. Navarathri is traditionally

an auspicious time for starting new ventures. During this period,

Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are worshipped as three different

manifestations of Shakti or Cosmic energy.

 

 

Navarathri means "nine nights". What does the nine signify? There are

nine planets (grahas), according to astrology. The human body has

nine

openings. If a deep inquiry is made, it will be found that mankind is

dependent on the planets. Although astrologers speak about nine

planets, in reality, only two "planets" matter: attachment (raaga)

and

hatred (dwesha).

In the worship of the deities during Navarathri, one of them should

be

worshipped each day, not externally but with one's heart and soul.

Bodily actions are ephemeral. The body derives its value from the

spirit within. Hence it should be regarded as a sacred temple. During

the Navarathri festival, for the purpose of eradicating one's demonic

tendencies, the deities were worshipped with sacred powder (kumkum).

The red powder is a symbol of blood. The meaning of this worship is

that one offers one's blood to the Lord and receives in return the

gift

of peace from the Lord.

Therefore, the Navarathri festival is observed by contemplating on

God

for ten days, cleansing one's self of all impurities, in order to

experience the divinity within. The penultimate day of the festival

is

dedicated to what is termed "worship of weapons (aayudha puja). The

weapons to be worshipped are the divine powers in man. When the

divine

is worshipped in this way, one is bound to progress spiritually.

Divine Discourse: 14 October, 1994.

[Guest guest]

Attachment: (image/jpeg) image001.jpg [not stored]