Gitopadesa : Photo Credit : Satya Sarada Kandula : All Rights Reserved
Astronomy : The Geeta Jayanti Day is 11th day (Ekadasi) of the bright half (Sukla Paksha) of the month of Margasira. This year it is joined with the Revati Nakshatram.
Significance of Geeta Jayanthi : It was the day the Bhagavad Gita was revealed to Arjuna, by Sri Krishna. This year it is celebrated on the 28th Nov. Though ekadasi “starts” on 27th afternoon, it is the tithi at sunrise that counts. That is why 28th Nov will be celebrated as Gita Jayanti. It is also the day the Mahabharata Yuddha started.
Mahadev Temple at Brahma Sarovar. Source : http://brahmajijnasa.blogspot.com/2009/08/kurukshetra.html
Celebrations : The Geeta Jayanti Samaroh Festival is celebrated in Kurukshetra. (The location of the Mahabharata war.) The devotees bathe in the holy water of the sacred tanks – Sannihit Sarovar and Brahma Sarovar.
Sannihit Sarovar : Source : http://brahmajijnasa.blogspot.com/2009/08/kurukshetra.html
The week long festival witnesses wonderful events like Shloka recital, dance, Bhagawatam reading, Bhajans and dramas. (Source)
The place of the original Gitopadesa is marked in kurukshetra by a marble sculpture and may be seen by tourists and piligrims. The place is called Jyotisar.
The banyan tree at Jyotisar marks the spot of the Sri Krishna Arjuna Samvada : Source : http://brahmajijnasa.blogspot.com/2009/08/kurukshetra.html
The festival of Geeta Jayanti Samaroh is organized by Kurukshetra Development Board of Haryana Tourism, District Administration, North Zone Cultural Centre Patiala and Information and Public Relations Department Haryana. (Source)
The Gita was given to us about six thousand years ago by Sri Krishna, the Lord incarnate, through His most devoted disciple, Arjuna. Its teachings are based on the sacred Upanishads. (Source)
Vishnu Statue in Tamil Style at PoomPuhar, Brigade Road. Photo Credit : Satya Sarada Kandula : All Rights Reserved
More Information :
- For a list of all ekadasis and their significance see : http://www.salagram.net/ekadasilistinfo.htm
- For a modified story of Vaikuntha Ekadasi based on the brahmanda purana see :http://www.salagram.net/ekadasi-2.htm (fasting on this day is highly recommended).
- This Source, says that there is goat and other animal sacrifice that is taking place in a Nepali temple right now, which is held once in 5 years. The deity is called Gadhi-mai. (It is interesting because Gathi is one of the names of Viswamitra and he is also called the brother of the Kosi river. One of his names is Kausika. This reveals a Nepali connection.) “A month –long fair is held in the month of Mangsir (November / December) once in every five years to worship the goddess.” (Source) In India Mangsir refers to Margasira. A 5 year period refers to the yuga duration in the Paitamaha Siddhanta.
- This year Bakrid falls on the same day. Idu’l Juha Bakrid annually falls on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja of the lunar Islamic calendar. Idu’l Juha is the latter of two Eid festivals celebrated by Muslims, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha (For legend see : Source) It is celebrated by slaughtering goats and sheep. The road from Mekhri circle to Cantonment is lined with goats and sheep for purchase. Camels are walked t in from Rajasthan and sell at Rs 20,000 a camel.
- Modern Americans celebrate Thanksgiving day on the 4th Thursday of November, when they buy and eat turkeys killed in slaughterhouses. Their memory of Thanksgiving only dates back to 500 years ago, when the piligrims first arrived in USA. It is believed to be a harvest festival and occurs in the middle of Margasira Masam. At that time various other animals were slaughtered at home and eaten. Thanksgiving falls somewhere between Nov 22nd and Nov 28th in the coming years. This year it fell on 26/11, ironically, the anniversary of the Mumbai terrorist attacks.
- In Margasira Masam, Jews celebrate the festival of Chanukah or Hanukah, which is their festival of lights, a custom that interestingly dates from the time of Seleucus! Even more interestingly, at the same site, I found this correspondence between Jewish calender and common era : 3538 to 3574 (222-186 B.C.E.). Their calendar is closer to the generally accepted Kaliyuga Start Date of 3102 BCE. (Needs more investigation)
An interesting point is that while there are widespread protests against the animal “sacrifice” for Gadhimai, the slaughter of goats, sheep and turkeys by people of other religions is considered very civilized. And while the “Hindu Custom” of animal sacrifice is covered on BBC.. the Hindu-Vaishnava custom of fasting on that day is completely ignored.
See Also :
- Agni Nakshatram (Kruttika Nakshatram, Karthikeya)
- Halloween, Karthika Pouranami, Yama Deepam
- Sanatana Dharma and Taboos
Images, Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula
