chaandramaana yugaadi.

T Swaminarayan tvswaminarayan at YAHOO.COM
Mon Apr 3 18:51:55 CDT 2000


Dear Lathaji,

Many thanks for your enlightening passage on the
importance of the rituals followed on Chandramaana
Uugaadi celebrated widely in Karnataka ,Andhra and
Maharashtra.

With warm reagards,

Swaminarayan.

--- elmec <elmec at GIASBG01.VSNL.NET.IN> wrote:
> Hari Om,
>
> chaandramaana yugaadi is the Hindu New year's day
> according to the lunar
> calender. This falls on the chaitra shukla pratipad,
> ie, the first day
> of the bright fortnight of chaitra month. ( the
> first month of Hindu
> calender ) Brahma, the creator , is said to have
> created the world on
> this day ! Hence the name " yugaadi ", the beginning
> of the era or
> epoch.
>
> People take bath after anointing the body with oil (
> abhyanjanasnaana or
> oil bath ) and then wear new clothes, decorate the
> front door of the
> house with fresh neem leaves and mango leaves. Since
> this is the
> beginning of summer, the oil bath helps to cool the
> body and the fresh
> neem leaves ward off infections entering the house.
> People worship their
> family diety, pray for the welfare of all, eat a
> mixture of tender neem
> leaves with jaggery. This has medicinal value, acts
> as an antidote for
> many of the illnesses that are common in this summer
> season.. Eeating
> the mixture also signifies our mental preparedness
> to face the pleasures
> and pains of the coming new year with equanimity !
> While eating it we
> should chant the shloka
> " shataayurvajradhaaya sarva sampat karaaya cha
>   sarvaarishta vinaashaaya nimbaka.M dala bhakshaNam
> "
>
> The meaning -  The neem leaves are eaten ( in this
> shloka there is no
> mention of jaggery. Perhaps it was a later addition
> to camouflage the
> bitterness of neem leaves ) for the sake of a body
> which has a longevity
> of hundred years, and which is as strong as diamond,
> for bestowing all
> prosperity and for annihilating all the evil things.
>
> Yugaadi also ushers in vasanta navaraatri ( because
> it is Vasanta Ritu -
> March-
> April ) when the Divine Mother is worshipped for
> nine nights or ten
> days. There is also one more navaratri celebration
> during the Sharat
> Ritu - the Sharannavaraatri, which is more popular
> and more widely
> celebrated during September-October.
> (These two navaratris may signify the harvesting of
> spring crops and
> autumn crops).
>
> Worshipping the almanac or Panchaanga is a very
> important ritual on this
> day. And after the sumptuous feast in the afternoon,
> in the evening the
> whole family assembles together ( now a days people
> also gather at some
> fixed venue ) to listen to the forecast from the
> panchaanga, which is
> read out by a family priest or an aachaarya. This "
> Panchaanga ShravaNa
> " is supposed to be very auspicious on this day.
> This forecast also
> helps one to be prepared to face any untoward
> incident or circumstances
> that is spelled out by the astrologer who has
> composed this almanac.
> After the panchaanga shravana, a liberal dakshinaa
> or kaanike is given
> to the aacharya and his blessings are received.
>
> Chaandramaana yugaadi is observed widely in
> Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
> and Maharashtra. Since the Raama navami falls on the
> nineth day from
> this yugaadi, ( chaitra shukla navami ) people also
> read the Raamaayana
> Grantha these nine days, suitably dividing the
> portion of the epic  for
> each day which culminates on the navami day. Then
> they celebrate the
> Raama pattaabhisheka on that day. Some people start
> the Paaraayana ( the
> ceremonial recitation ) on navami day and do it for
> nine days.
>
> The new year according to the solar calender -
> souramaana yugaadi - is
> observed mostly in Tamil Naadu and Kerala on 14th of
> April ( the first
> day of chittirai ).
>
> May the New Year usher in happiness and prosperity
> to one and all. May
> peace prevail everywhere. May we progress further in
> the path of jnaana.
>
> Regards and good wishes,
> Hari Om,
> Latha Vidyaranya
>
> --
> bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam
>
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