Saraswati is the goddess of wisdom. She symbolizes the different face of learning such as the sciences, arts, crafts and skills.  She is frequently pictured as seated on a white lout, beside a peacock, wearing a spotless white sari and carried a Veena (instrument). She is also known as “Sharada”, “Vani” and “Vagdevi”.

The Goddess Saraswati is the goddess of intelligence and learning. Goddess Saraswati has four hands which symbolize ego, intelligence, attentiveness and the brainpower. The goddess Saraswati, sitting on a lotus, symbolizes her wisdom.  She is also familiar in the knowledge of truth.  When the goddess is seen sitting on a peacock, it is a reminder that a strong ego can be held back by wisdom.

Saraswati Puja

First clean the area where Puja is performed and Rangoli has to be done. Arrange a statue or photo of Goddess Saraswati is kept in front in the Puja room or when Puja performed area. After this, Kalash or pinnacle is arranged and Ganesh photo or statue and worship the nine planets along with  Lord Ganesh. After this Mata Saraswati is worshipped. While worshipping Goddess Saraswati, Aachman is performed and she is bathed with Pachamuthu. After this, flowers, garlands, Vermilions and other decoration things are offered. On this day, Gulaal is also applied on the feet’s of Goddess Saraswati.

Goddess Saraswati wears white spotless clothes so she should be covered with White cloths. On Saraswati Puja, yellow flowers are offered and seasonal fruits and sweet boondi are offered as Prasad. On this occasion, Malpua and Rice Kheer are also offered to the Goddess Saraswati.

On Saraswati Puja Havan is kept

After performing the Puja, Havan is performed.

Clean the area where Havan Kund is performed. Clean it with Kusha grass, purify it with Ganga Jal and lit fire with small pieces of Mango woods. During Havan, lord Ganesh is worshipped first and then it is performed on the name of Navagraha (Nine Planets). Then Goddess Saraswati is worshipped and Havan is performed reciting the Mantra “Om Shri Saraswatyai Namah Swaha”. After Havan, Aarti is carried out and the Ashes are applied on fore head.

After the Saraswati Puja

Very next morning of 6th date, Magh Shukla Panchami, Saraswati is worshipped. In the evening, the Goddess performed Puja and then engrossed in the water.

Tags: Basant panchami, Goddess Saraswati, Havan, Lord Ganesh, Malpua, pooja, Puja, Rangoli, Rice Kheer, Saraswati, Saraswati Puja, sweet boondi, Vasant panchami, yellow flowers
]]> http://www.indianpublicholidays.com/2012/01/basant-panchami-saraswati-devi-puja-vidhi/feed/ 0 http://www.indianpublicholidays.com/2012/01/pongal-2012-tamil-nadu-festival-celebrations/ http://www.indianpublicholidays.com/2012/01/pongal-2012-tamil-nadu-festival-celebrations/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:16:24 +0000 Swaroopa http://www.indianpublicholidays.com/?p=3624 Pongal is harvest festival celebrated for four days in Tamil Nadu. Pongal festival is also celebrated as Tamil Nadu’s New Year Day.  Pongal 2012 in Tamil Nadu which celebrates on 14th January till 17th January. The Pongal festival is one of the major festivals celebrated in South India and is a thanksgiving for the abundant harvest expected.

 On the Pongal festival day people clean and decorated their houses with flowers and Rangoli and wear new clothes. As soon as farmers bring newly harvested rice to their homes and give food to their cattle a rice dish called “Pongal” from where the festival got its name, and is devoted to Lord Surya.

First day of the Pongal Festival – Bhogi Pongal

The first day of the Pongal festival is called Bhogi Pongal. Bhogi Pongal is devoted to the worship of the rain God Indra. On this very First day people wake up early, clean their homes and decorate it with Kolam and flowers. Then get dressed in new clothes and offer flowers to the Lord Vinayaka or Ganesha made from cow dung or turmeric or mud and lighten up traditional lamps holy place.

Second day of the Pongal Festival – Surya

Pongal

The second day of the Pongal festival is called Surya Pongal is devoted to lord Surya that is “the Sun God”. The special Sweet Pongal Recipe (dish) is prepared in all homes. This is fundamentally a sweet rice dish cooked in milk and jaggery is offered to Lord Ganesha and then to cows and then it is distributed as Prasad.

Third day of the Pongal Festival – Mattu

Pongal

The third day Mattu Pongal is a day devoted to domestic animals (cattle’s) and other animals. The day is marked by the worship of the Goddess Parvati and her son (the elephant-headed) Lord Ganesha. This is also the day when cattle a very important in all villages a part of life.  Animals are washed and cleaned and decorated with ornamented, then take around through the village’s pathway. The parade is followed by cattle races, and in some instances, bullfights which are locally known as ‘Jallikattu’- bags is filled with of money are tied to the horns of bulls, and young men endeavour to move violently with the bulls to get the bags off.

Fourth day of the Pongal Festival – Kanum or

Kaanum Pongal

The fourth and the final day of the Pongal festival which is traditionally famous as Kanum Pongal is the day when the families calm down, visit each other and have get to gather  with friends and family. This is careful a very auspicious day when people visit their family and friends and celebrate. On this day there are folk dance performances accompanied by music and song.

Bonfire and Celebrations of Bhogi

Festival

An additional ceremony observed on this day is Bhogi Mantalu. On Bhogi all people clean their homes from top to bottom, and all excess not in use goods has been collected to the bonfire. When waste or of no use domestic articles are thrown into a fire made of log wood. The significance of the bonfire, in which is burnt the agricultural wastes and firewood is to keep warm during the ending days of winter. The disposal of neglected things is where all old habits, the vices, attachment to relations and materials things are sacrificed.  Teen Girls dance around the bonfire, singing songs in honor of the gods, the spring and the harvest.

Before beginning of the festival everybody painted their house with whitewashed or clean the house and remove dust. In small villages at their home, the ground designs drawn with white paste of newly harvested rice with outlines of red mud.

On Bhogi festival day Mango leaves and flowers are tied to the Main door entrance for good luck. Homes are cleaned and decorated with Rangoli designs or Kolam in front yard.  After an oil massage everybody take head bath and wear new cloth and performed puja. A special puja is performed on the first day of Pongal.

Farmers worship the sun and the earth by turmeric and kumkum to their ploughs and sickles and performed puja. Frequently flower or pumpkin flowers are set into cow dung balls and placed among the Rangoli patterns in the Rangoli in front yard of the house. Girls dance around the Cow dung balls which were decorated with flowers and singing songs. Every body gather at open fire and make Pongal dish on this special day. Fresh harvest of rice, turmeric and sugarcane is brought from the to home.

During Bhogi many families, infants and children (usually less than three years old) are showered with fruit called “Regi Pandlu”, that is the Indian jujube fruit along with  neighbour married women  as been called for this event. It is believed that doing this event would protect the children from evil eye and get married women blessing to their children. The visited women’s will offer the fruits and sweets at this event.

All verities of Sweets prepared and distributed to friends and neighoubours. It is a time for families to gather together. Brothers pay special tribute to their married sisters by giving gifts as proof of their love. Landlords give gifts like food, clothes and money to their workers.

About Vishnu Sahasranamam

The Vishnu Sahasranamam has been the subject of numerous commentaries. Adi Shankaracharya wrote a definitive commentary on the sahasranama in the 8th century, which is the oldest and has been particularly influential for many schools of Hinduism even today.

 Parasara Bhattar, a follower of Ramanujacharya wrote a commentary in the 12th century, detailing the names of Vishnu from a Vishishtadvaita perspective. Madhvacharya also wrote a commentary on Vishnu Sahasranamam, disclosing that each name in the sahasranama has a minimum of 100 meaning. Upon being challenged by the audience during his time, Sri Madhvacharaya not only gives 100 meanings for each of the Vishnu Sahasranamam but also expands on each of the meanings making it a multi-fold difficulty and displays an outspoken quality to hold and explain the real and deep hidden meaning of Sahasranamam.

There are Sahasranama for many forms of God (Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha, Shakti, and others). The Vishnu Sahasranamam is popular among common Hindus and a major part of prayer for devout Vaishnavas (followers of Vishnu). While Vaishnavas worship other deities, they believe that the universe, including the other divinities such as Shiva and Devi, is ultimately a manifestation of the Supreme Lord Vishnu.

 Followers of Shiva (Shaivism) similarly give prominence to Shiva. Interestingly, despite the existence of other Sahasranamam of other forms of God, referring a sahasranama as “The Sahasranama” generally refers to the Vishnu Sahasranamam alone, thereby indicating its wide popularity and use.

Vishnu Sahasranamam by the great Carnatic Singer, the Late M.S. Subbulakshmi

Diwali is just around the corner, and with the festival comes the need to send Diwali greeting cards. If most of your friends and relatives are accessible online, sending them an online Diwali greeting card or message/ecard makes a lot of sense — assuming you don’t get to meet them personally.

Diwali Greetings “Wishing you the best in your life” Happy Diwali

Diwali 2011 Free download or Send or share these exclusive Greetings

May this delight Diwali light up your life!

All your hopes get turn successful and all your dreams true!

Wishing you a Happy Diwali!

A collection of Diwali Greetings 2011.

Goddess Laxmi is worshipped by those who wish to acquire or to preserve wealth. It is believed that Laksmi (wealth) goes only to those houses which are clean and where the people are hardworking. She does not visit the places which are unclean/dirty or where the people are lazy. In the Sri Vaishnava philosophy however, Sri (Lakshmi) is honoured as the “Iswarigm sarva bhootanam” i.e. the Supreme goddess and not just the goddess of wealth. This is an important distinction between Sri Vaishnavism and other materialistic philosophies.

Have a good bath and wear brand new clothes and do namaskar to your parents, guru or their picture and start
puja.
1. Sit Facing East
2. Place the peetham before you, and cover new red cloth or a new small towel on top
3. Place Goddess Lakshmi’s frame on top of the red cloth.
4. Put oil earthen lamps on both the side
5. Light up the Aggarbatti on the right hand side of the frame
6. Take plate and arrange kumkum, chandan, turmeric power, coins, betel nuts, and leaves.
7. Place banana tree that is availble during this festival on side
8. Place Prasad on side
9. Take one fist of raw rice, mix couple of pinches of turmeric powder, belnd up and sprinkle
couple of water drops and mix it again this is called akshata.
10. Put different flowers which are availble for you and place on your right hand side and put akshata in the same plate
11. Take water filled kalasha set to your left
12. Place panchapatram or a cup full of water and spoon in your front
13. Now place the Ganesha idol, lakshmi idol, lakshmi coins right in front of the picture
14. The puja explained is here very simple one, if you know any mantras or wants to play bahajan, please feel free to do that.

Five Great Festival Days Of Diwali

24th of Oct, Day 1: Dhanteras
25th of Oct, Day 2: Choti Diwali
26th of Oct, Day 3: Lakshmi Puja on Diwali
27th of Oct, Day 4: Padwa & Govardhan Puja
28th of Oct, Day 5: Bhai Duj

There are various legends associated with the Karva Chauth festival. In some tellings the tales are interlinked, with one tale acting as a frame story for another. festival Karwa Chauth may gives an opportunity for all married women to get close to their in-laws. Many married women observes fast that ensures the well-being, prosperity and longevity of their husbands. This Traditional Hindu festival has a cultural and social significance and Indians in many parts of the region celebrate this festival with great enthusiasm.

The katha of Karva

There was a woman named Karva, who was deeply devoted to her husband. Her intense love and dedication towards him gave her shakti (spiritual power). While bathing at a river, her husband was caught by a crocodile. Karva bound the crocodile with a cotton yarn and asked Yama (the god of death) to send the crocodile to hell. Yama refused. Karva threatened to curse Yama and destroy him. Yama, afraid of being cursed by “Pati-vrat” (devoted) wife, sent the crocodile to hell and blessed Karva’s husband with long life. Karva and her husband enjoyed many years of wedded bliss. To this day, Karva Chauth is celebrated with great faith and belief.

Readers are free to use these cards for personal purpose – sending by email. So download them and send to your near and dear on the Dusehra…

Dasara 2011 Free download or Send or share these exclusive wallpapers

May this Delightning Dasara light up your life.
All u r hopes get turn succesful, And all your dreams make you smile by coming true!
Wishing you the best, Happy Dasara.

May this Delightning Dasara bring all your dreams come true!

Here is a list of October Holidays which are set to observed by the Indians and in their regions.Ashwini month or maas or mahina is the 7th month in traditional Hindu calendar, and in 2011 this period starts on 13 September and ends on 12 October in North Indian Hindi calendar. Ashwin month is considered as the typically best auspicious because of Durga Puja or Durga Navratri festival. This Ashwini period begins on 28th September and ends on 26th October as per Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, and Telugu calendars

List of October Holidays

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Jayanthi Oct-2
Durgashtami 4-Oct
Mahanavami 5-Oct
Dashera 6-Oct
Vijaya Dashami 6-Oct
Pasankusa Ekadashi 7-Oct
Kojagiri Poornima 11-Oct
Sharad Poornima 11-Oct
Karwa Chauth 15-Oct
Ahoi Asthami 19-Oct
Rama Ekadasi 23-Oct
Vasu Baras 23-Oct
Dhanatrayodashi 24-Oct
Dhanteras 24-Oct
Narak Chaturdashi 25-Oct
Kaali Chaudash 25-Oct
Diwali Lakshami Puja 26-Oct
Diwali 26-Oct
Gowardhan Puja 27-Oct
Gujarati New Year 27-Oct
Bhaiya Duj 28-Oct
Bhai Beej 28-Oct
Labh Pancham 31-Oct