Happy Diipaavali!

[Guest guest]

Happy DIpAvali everyone! I hope this day saw you in the association

of devotees and engaged in their service.

 

My wife and I had great fun observing Dipavali. We offered pulihara

(tamarind rice), kher, and pepper bhajis for the Lord's pleasure. We

decorated the altar with lights and fresh flowers. We put on new

clothes, and while doing the aarti, we listened to Lakshmi

sahasranaama. We then chanted Vishnu Sahasranaama, followed by

Daamodarashtakam (thanks again to Maharani devi dasi for providing

the tape!). We then read from Krishna book, the chapter in which the

Lord delivered the demigods Nalakuuvara and Manigriiva.

 

How did you celebrate the day? Let's hear some katha from the list

membership!

 

Hare Krishna,

 

- HKS

[Guest guest]

On Thu, 15 Nov 2001, Hari Krishna Susarla wrote:

> How did you celebrate the day? Let's hear some katha from the list

> membership!

 

While as far as I know Srila Prabhupada didn't stress celebrating

Diwali in ISKCON, it appears as if the inhabitants of Vraja in Krsna's

pastimes did so--judging from Jiva Gosvami's elaborate treatment of the

Damodara pastime in Sri Gopala-campu. Srila Prabhupada also wrote the

following in his commentary on the Damodara-lila section of the Bhagavatam

(10.9.1-2):

 

"Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, quoting from the

Vaisnava-tosani of Srila Sanatana Gosvami, says that the incident of

Krsna's breaking the pot of yogurt and being bound by mother Yasoda took

place on the Dipavali Day, or Dipa-malika. Even today in India, this

festival is generally celebrated very gorgeously in the month of Kartika

by fireworks and lights, especially in Bombay. It is to be understood that

among all the cows of Nanda Maharaja, several of mother Yasoda's cows ate

only grasses so flavorful that the grasses would automatically flavor the

milk. Mother Yasoda wanted to collect the milk from these cows, make it

into yogurt and churn it into butter personally, since she thought that this

child Krsna was going to the houses of neighborhood gopas and gopis to

steal butter because He did not like the milk and yogurt ordinarily prepared.

"While churning the butter, mother Yasoda was singing about the

childhood activities of Krsna. It was formerly a custom that if one wanted to

remember something constantly, he would transform it into poetry or have this

done by a professional poet. It appears that mother Yasoda did not want to

forget Krsna's activities at any time. Therefore she poeticized all of

Krsna's childhood activities, such as the killing of Putana, Aghasura,

Sakatasura and Trnavarta, and while churning the butter, she sang about these

activities in poetical form. This should be the practice of persons eager to

remain Ka conscious twenty-four hours a day. This incident shows how Krsna

conscious mother Yasoda was. To stay in Krsna consciousness, we should

follow such persons."

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna

 

> place on the Dipavali Day, or Dipa-malika. Even today in India, this

> festival is generally celebrated very gorgeously in the month of Kartika

> by fireworks and lights, especially in Bombay.

 

This may be true about Bombay celebrations in a big way with firework and

lights but unfortunately people celebrate here in total sense gratification.

I am sure no one here knows the significance and origin of Diwali with

regard to Damodara lila, everyone claims that it is due to Lord Rama

returning from the forest back to Ayodhya and the significance of fireworks

is to celebrate His victory the lamps to light and welcome Him back.

 

Every year I spend my Diwali in Vrndavan being the month of Kartik but

unfortunately this year circumstances were such that I had to remain in

Mumbai [bombay]. What a mistake. Firstly, I do not know why [if someone can

enlighten me] but the ISKCON vaisnava calendar always celebrates Diwali and

Govardhan Puja one day after the rest of the country. Even in Vrndavan when

all the temples are celebrating Diwali and Govardhan Puja we are one day

behind. As a result everyone here is confused as to when to actually follow

[everyone includes the temple authorities].

 

Anyway, Diwali in Mumbai is full of fireworks which go on past midnight for

the whole week. Lots of sweets and dry fruits are gifted to friends,

families etc. Buildings are decorated with colour lights and lamps.

Businesses remain open as they worship Lakshmiji - asking for her blessing

in their business for the year to come. Then there re also big 'pandals'

where Goddess Kali is worshipped and the next day a grand parade to immerse

Her in the ocean. The atmosphere is cheerful no doubt but I guess for one

who wants to be deep and meditate and read this is not the place to be.

 

I believe that fireworks are banned in States, right or wrong?

 

On Diwali day I had to be satisfied in just being able to chant my sixteen

rounds and recite Sri Damodarastakam with more kirtan at home where we have

a beautiful altar with deities of Gaur Nitai called Sri Sri Doyal Nitai

Vijay Gauranga. All efforts to chant

more and read more was not possible. By the way Diwali [the Iskcon one] was

yesterday 15th November so today is Govardhan Puja and so I am off to the

temple.

 

your servant

shashika

[Guest guest]

On Fri, 16 Nov 2001, Shashika Chowdhary wrote:

> > place on the Dipavali Day, or Dipa-malika. Even today in India, this

> > festival is generally celebrated very gorgeously in the month of Kartika

> > by fireworks and lights, especially in Bombay.

> This may be true about Bombay celebrations in a big way with firework and

> lights but unfortunately people celebrate here in total sense gratification.

This might explain why Srila Prabhupada didn't encourage ISKCON

devotees to celebrate it.

 

 

> I am sure no one here knows the significance and origin of Diwali with

> regard to Damodara lila, everyone claims that it is due to Lord Rama

> returning from the forest back to Ayodhya and the significance of fireworks

> is to celebrate His victory the lamps to light and welcome Him back.

I haven't heard that Damodara-lila is the *origin* of Divali. I'm

not sure these explanations need to be mutually exclusive either (cf. fall/

no-fall issues), but if Krsna's parents were already celebrating Dipavali

on the day he performed His Dama-bandhana-lila, it seems we would need to

find at least one other raison d'etre.

 

 

> Every year I spend my Diwali in Vrndavan being the month of Kartik but

> unfortunately this year circumstances were such that I had to remain in

> Mumbai [bombay]. What a mistake. Firstly, I do not know why [if someone can

> enlighten me] but the ISKCON vaisnava calendar always celebrates Diwali and

> Govardhan Puja one day after the rest of the country. Even in Vrndavan when

> all the temples are celebrating Diwali and Govardhan Puja we are one day

> behind. As a result everyone here is confused as to when to actually follow

> [everyone includes the temple authorities].

That's interesting. Maybe you could lock your temple president in

a room full of astrologers or pandits, then watch what happens. :-)

 

MDd