2015 Vasanta Navratri

Vasanta Navratri is nine days festivity which starts on the first day of Hindu Luni-Solar calendar and falls in the month of March or April. Chaitra is the first month of Hindu lunar calendar and because of it Vasanta Navratri is also known as Chaitra Navratri. Rama Navami the birthday of Lord Rama usually falls on the ninth day during Navratri festivity. Hence Vasanta Navratri is also known as Rama Navratri.

All nine days during Navratri are dedicated to nine forms of Goddess Shakti. Rama Navratri is more popular in northern India and most customs and rituals followed during Shardiya Navratri, which falls in the month of September or October, are also followed during Chaitra Navratri.

Navratri, the word is formed using two words ‘Nava’ and ‘Ratri’. Nava means nine and Ratri means nights hence Navratri literally means nine nights. During the festival of Navratri, Maa Durga is worshipped and revered in Her various forms for ten days and nine nights. In 2015 the Navratri Festival will be celebrated from 20th March to 28th March 2015.

The nine manifestations of Goddess Durga are worshipped each day of Navratri these incarnations are Goddess Shailputri, Brahmcharni, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri. Worshipping the nine Goddess is the primary ritual of any Navratri Puja.

• First 3 days (1^st– 3^rd day of Navratri): The first three days of the nine days are dedicated to Goddess Durga, the Goddess of power, on the first day barley seeds are sown in a mud pot and the pot is kept on the Puja Altar.
  • Second 3 days (4^th – 6^th day of Navratri): The second three days of the nine days are dedicated to Goddess Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity.
  • Third 3 days (7^th – 9^th day of Navratri): The next three days of the nine days are dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge and learning

 

Navratri Day 1

Amavasya

Ghatasthapana

Shailputri Puja

Panchang for Ghatasthapana Day 1

20th March 2015 (Friday)

 

Navratri Day 2

Dwitiya

Chandra Darshan

Sindhara Dooj

Brahmacharini Puja

Panchang for Chandra Darshan Day 2

21st March 2015 (Saturday)

 

Navratri Day 3

Tritiya

Gauri Teej

Saubhagya Teej

Chandraghanta Puja

Panchang for Gauri Teej Day 3

22nd March 2015

(Sunday)

 

Navratri Day 4

Chaturthi

Kushmanda Puja

Varad Vinayaka Chauth

Panchang for Kushmanda Puja Day 4

23rd March 2015 (Monday)

 

Navratri Day 5

Panchami

Naag Puja

Lakshmi Panchami

Skandamata Puja

Panchang for Naag Puja Day 5

24th March 2015 (Tuesday)

 

Navratri Day 6

Shashthi

Skanda Sashti

Yamuna Chhath

Katyayani Puja

Panchang for Skanda Sashti Day 6

25th March 2015 (Wednesday)

 

Navratri Day 7

Saptami

Maha Saptami

Kalaratri Puja

Panchang for Maha Saptami Day 7

26th March 2015 (Thursday)

 

Navratri Day 8

Ashtami

Durga Ashtami

Mahagauri Puja

Annapurna Ashtami

Sandhi Puja

Panchang for Durga Ashtami Day 8

27th March 2015 (Friday)

 

Navratri Day 9

Navami

Rama Navami

Panchang for Rama Navami Day 9

28th March 2015 (Saturday)

 

Navratri Day 10

Navratri Parana

Panchang for Navratri Parana Day 10

29th March 2015 (Sunday)

When you do not upset yourself thinking about how others must change and instead you concentrate on your own change, good things start to happen. First, you will feel better about yourself. Second, you will start to have positive feelings towards others and start to understand them. Third, others start having a more positive attitude towards you.

Everyone is compelled to accept a certain type of body offered by the Supreme Lord and thus be allotted different grades of happiness and distress. Therefore even if one artificially leaves home and goes to the forest, he again becomes attached to materialistic life. Family life is compared to a fortress for practicing sense control. When the senses are controlled, one may live either at home or in the forest; there is no difference.

 

In the Lok of Swarag, there is a beautiful garden in the name of Chaitrarath. Nearly all devtas go to the garden and spend most of their time for relaxation. The Rishis spent their time performing penance in order to please the Supreme Almighty God. Once Kamdeva, out of revenge wanted to disturb and break the continuous penance of a Rishi named as Medhavi. The path Kamdev chose was to send an attractive dancer named “Manjughosha” and encourage Medhavi Rishi into loosing concentration to God and instead focus on the dancing and falling into the cage of fantasy illusion. Upon dancing, Medhavi Rishi got entangled with the dancer and began living with her. The Rishi spent most of his time in looking after the dancer and overlooked the meditation of God. He would not let her out of his sight for even a second.

As this was getting too much for the dancer, she called upon the Rishi and pleaded, “O Rishi, please allow me to go home now. My parents and family must be waiting for my arrival.” Listening to her request, Medhavi Rishi asked her to stay until nightfall and thereafter she was free to go. Scared to say, the dancer replied, “O Rishi, Are you in any sense how many nights I have been with you?” When the Rishi began thinking, he realized that 75 years had passed by staying with the dancer. Furious at this, the Rishi realized that he had been setup with this evil act of the devtas and the dancer. Angrily, he cursed the dancer to become a ghost. But on constant pleading of the dancer, Rishi’s heart melted. So the Rishi told the dancer and said, “O Devi, keep a full fast vrat on Papmochani Ekadashi which arrives in the month of Fagan. You will be freed from my curse.”

Medhavi Rishi went to his father Chavan Rishi and pleaded, “O Father, I have broken the continuous communion to God and ended up in living in sin with this dancer. Please guide me and show me how I can get released from these sins.” Chavan Rishi replied, “O Son, by keeping full vrat of Papmochni Ekadashi frees you from all sins.”

Medhavi Rishi and the dancer both performed the vrat of Papmochni Ekadashi and were ultimately freed from their sins.

Papamocani Ekadasi, or Papamochini Ekadashi, is observed during the waning phase of moon in the month of March – April. In 2015, the date of Papamochini Ekadasi is March 16 (in South, north and eastern parts of India) and March 17 (in western parts of India). It is believed that observing Papamochini Ekadasi will help in the redemption of sins.Ekadasi fasting is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is observed on the 11th day of waning and waxing phase of moon in traditional Hindu calendar.

The importance of Papamocani Ekadasi was mentioned to Yudhishtira by Lord Krishna and is found in the Bhavishyottara Purana. Legend has it that an Apasara named Manju Ghosha lured Sage Medhavi into married life. After several years, the Apasara wanted to return back to Devaloka but this was objected by the Sage. But the Apsara was unwilling to listen to the sage and in anger he cursed the Apsara and turned her into a witch. The sage told her that she will be relieved of the curse by observing Papamochini Ekadashi.

The sage too felt that he too had committed sins by falling into the trap of the Apsara and he too decided to observe Papamochini Ekadashi. Papa means ‘sin’ and ‘Mochini’ means to escape. Thus this Ekadashi exclusively helps in destroying sins and guilt associated with the sins committed.

All the normal rules associated with the Ekadasi fasting is observed during Papamochini Ekadasi

source – http://www.hindu-blog.com/2009/03/papamochini-ekadasi.html

The secret OM / AUM is simply that is is contained in everything – when there is no other there is OM! A represents Brahma, U represents Vishnu and M represents Shiva. Every language / word has OM in it – when you open your mouth wide you will will produce the sound beginning A, midway you will produce the sound beginning U and nearly closed you will produce the sound beginning with M.

Let the treasure of happiness always be with you and all other treasures will automatically come to you.

Text 29.2b — Everything happening within time, which consists of past, present and future, is merely a dream. That is the secret understanding in all Vedic literature.

When your open your eyes in the morning, sit for a moment and appreciate the gift of a new day, create a peaceful thought and enjoy some moments of silence throughout the whole day.

Texts 29.1a-2a — A desire to maintain body, wife and children is also observed in animal society. The animals have full intelligence to manage such affairs. If a human being is simply advanced in this respect, what is the difference between him and an animal? One should be very careful to understand that this human life is attained after many, many births in the evolutionary process. A learned man who gives up the bodily conception of life, both gross and subtle, will, by the enlightenment of spiritual knowledge, become a prominent individual spirit soul, as the Supreme Lord is also.