Jeevit Putrka Vrat: Mothers on fast for sons' long life
by Girish Kumar Dubey

         Varanasi: Women in Varanasi observed the 'Jeevit Putrka Vrat' for a long life for their sons. Mothers observe a 24-hour long fast on the occasion, and do not take any food or water. In the evening, they gather near a pond and worship the God for the long life of their sons. Those, who are not having any son, pray to God to bless them a son."Whenever there wishes are fulfilled, they come here and offer their prayers as a token of thanks. The whole family comes to offer prayers." said, Lalita, a worshiper. This festival which is organized more like a fair is celebrated in a different manner from other fesitvals in Varanasi. All the mothers in Varanasi gather near the holy Laxmi pond and offer different types of offerings in the form of fruits and flowers to Goddess Laxmi. It is believed that praying to the Goddess Laxmi brings prosperity to their son. In kashi, this festival is celebrated with great fervour. It is also celebrated in other parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Sept 27, 2005

Shraadh: 15-day ritual for ancestors' salvation begins

          Gaya: A large number of Hindus arrived here to undertake a 15-day ritual to honour their ancestors. People perform the Shraadh or the pind daan, to relieve their ancestors of their sins and help them to attain salvation.This usually takes place at the Pretshila Hill, which is about 12 km from Gaya city. Below the hill is the Brahma Kund. After taking bath in this pond people go for the Pind Dan (a ritual to appease departed souls of ancestors.) The temple is an attraction for tourists due to its unique architecture and magnificent sculptures. A part of Shraadh involves people tonsuring their heads as a sign of mourning and remembrance. This is then followed by them taking a dip in the River Phalgu and an offering of rice and flowers to appease their ancestors. "We have come here because there is a belief that by offering these prayers here in Phalgu river, the ancestors achieve salvation. We have come here for pind daan (offerings to ancestors)," said Radhey Shyam, a visitor. People were made to sit in rows as priests chanted sacred Vedic hymns and conducted the rituals. "This is the main place for carrying out this ritual of Shraadh. It provides salvation to those who have died," said Swaran Lal, another visitor. Faithfuls also offer cots, food, utensils and clothes to the priests. Hindus believe in reincarnation or in the cycle of birth. They believe that body changes with every birth, but the soul remains the same. Hindu philosophy says that this cycle can be broken and soul can be put to rest forever by performing the Shraadh (pind daan).
Sept 20, 2005

Guru Granth Sahib: 401st anniversary celebrated
by Ravinder Singh Robin

          Amritsar (Punjab): A huge procession was taken out to mark the 401st anniversary of the compilation of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the community, in Amritsar on Thursday. The Guru Granth Sahib was carried in a golden palanquin amidst chanting of Nagar Kirtans or devotional songs from the Gurudwara Ramsar Sahib to the Golden Temple. The Guru Granth Sahib was first brought to the Golden Temple on this day in 1604 by Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth guru of the Sikhs, who had spent years compiling it. Sikhs, who form the world's fifth largest religious coomunity, have regarded the Guru Granth Sahib as the spiritual head of their faith ever since the 10th guru, Guru Gobind Singh, named the holy book as his eternal successor before he died in 1708. "The tradition has been carried out for the past 401 years. We decorate Guru Granth Sahib and take out the procession in a Golden Palanquin. Devotees sing devotional songs and reach Golden Temple. On this occasion I wish the devotees all the best," said Onkar Singh Shivpuri, a member of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC), the organisation that oversees the management of all Sikh Gurudwaras in India and is seen as both the spiritual and temporal authority of the Sikh community. The Sikh faith was started in the 16th century by Guru Nanak, a religious preacher who used ideas from Hinduism and Islam, the dominant religions in South Asia at the time to profess a philosophy of brotherhood based on peace and unity. The religion was based on one god and on the equality of all human beings. It was propagated by nine gurus after Guru Nanak. Before his death, the 10th Guru Gobind Singh declared that Sikhs did not need a living guru and anointed the Granth Sahib, the holy book, as his spiritual successor, the eternal guru. Though the original copy of the Guru Granth Sahib is believed to be elsewhere in Punjab -- in the custody of the descendants of a disciple of one of the gurus -- Sikhs revere a copy which is sometimes placed under the golden canopy of the Golden Temple. The 1,430-page collection contains hymns and poetry in Gurmukhi, a script of the Sikhs. It sings the praise of god, stresses meditation and lists moral and ethical rules for growth of the soul and salvation.
Sept 1, 2005

Previous File