Bali Pratipada or Govardhan Puja (Pooja Annakut) is organized in the month of Kartik, one day after the main Diwali. The day was celebrated by Hindus as Lord Krishna defeated Lord Indra. Sometimes there may be a day difference between Diwali and Govardhan Pooja. People in the order of making cereal food in the form of curry of wheat, rice, gram flour and leafy vegetables, celebrate Govardhan worship by offering Hindu Lord Krishna.

Why is Govardhan Puja being celebrated?

In some places in India like Maharashtra, it is celebrated in the form of Bali Pratipada or Bali Padva. It is celebrated in connection with the victory of the demon king Bali Vaman (the incarnation of Lord Vishnu). It is believed that the King Bali was booned by Lord Vaman to be very powerful.

Somewhere on this day, the Shukla side of Kartik’s month is celebrated as Pratipada in New Year’s day as Gujarati.

Govardhan Puja Date and Time 

This year, Govardhan Puja would be celebrated on 8th November, 2018. 
Govardhan Puja Pratahkal Muhurat = 6:45 AM to 08:57 AM
Govardhan Puja Sayankal Muhurat = 3:32 PM to 5:43 PM
Pratipada Tithi Begins = 9:31 PM on 7/Nov/2018
Pratipada Tithi Ends = 9:07 PM on 8/Nov/2018 (Source: Drikpanchang.com)

Legends of Govardhan Puja

Govardhan Puja is celebrated in the memories of the history of Govardhan Mountains through which significant life was saved for many people’s life. It is believed that the people of Gokul were also known as Lord Indra as Lord of rain, the worship was used. But the opinion of the people of Lord Krishna Gokul had to change this way. He said that you should worship all of the Annakut hill or Govardhana mountain as it is the real God who nourishes and save your life from harsh conditions by giving you food and shelter.

Therefore, they had started worshiping the mountain that is in place of Lord Indra. Seeing this, Indra got angry and Gokul started getting too much rain. Finally, Lord Krishna saved his life by raising the Govardhan mountain on his little finger and included the people of Gokul under it. In this way pride was defeated by Lord Indra Krishna. Now, the day is celebrated as the Govardhan Puja to offer homage to the Govardhan Mountain. The festival of Govardhan Puja is also being celebrated as Annakut.

The day is also celebrated in Maharashtra as Padva or Bali Pratipada as it is believed that the Demon King defeated Bali and Vaman (Lord Avtar of Lord Vishnu) was pushed by Lord Vishnu to Hades.

How to celebrate  Govardhan Puja

The people of Gokul and Mathura celebrate this festival with great enthusiasm and happiness. People have made rounds, also in the form of Govardhan Parikrama (which begins in the Mansi Ganga bathing and worshiping of Mansi Devi, Harideva and Brahma Kunda), there is a special significance of their own which is about eleven silents on the way of Govardhan Parikrama are known in the hill and worship.

People are decorated with cow dung, a pile of food, to make a farm of Govardhan Stari ji and with flowers and worship. Annakut means that people make the variety of indulgence to present Lord Krishna. God’s idols are bathed in milk and are worn with new clothes as well as jewels. Pooja is done through traditional worship, indulgence and arti.

It is celebrated throughout India after decorating the temples of Lord Krishna and organizing a lot of events and worshiping foods are distributed among the people. People are offering offerings and Lord Krishna’s blessings by touching his head to God’s feet.

Importance of Govardhan Puja

People worshiped the Annakut (various types of food) and worshiped the Govardhan mountain through singing and dance. They believe that the mountain, one of them is the real God of the way he offers to live the life provides shelter in serious situation and save his life. There is a tradition of celebrating Govardhan Puja with various customs and great pleasure every year. People worship Lord Krishna on this special day in the celebration of God’s victory on evil power. People worship the Govardhan Mountain in confidence that they will be preserved by this mountain and they will always get the source of living.

People offer bath to their cows and bulls in the morning and they decorate with saffron and garland etc. They offer sweet and delicious food items with kheer, batashe, garala, immense zeal and make a pile of cow dung and worship. They prepared Chappan’s offering of cheapest offerings (means 56 food items) or in order to offer prayers to God during 108 food items.

The Govardhan Mountain can only be described as the shape of peacocks, which is similar to that, Radhakund and Shyama Kunda come in the eyes, Dan valley comes in the neck, Mukharavinda comes in the mouth and in the form of wings of Punchari tail comes back as well. It is believed that the height of this mountain is decreasing day (a seed of mustard daily) due to the curse of Pulastya Muni.

Once, in the true age, Pulastya Muni went to Dronacala (King of Mountains) and requested for the son of Govardhan. The king was very sad and Muni has appealed that he cannot tolerate his son. Finally, in his son circumstances, he was sent with a muni that if he would be put down, he would have to stay there.

On the way Muni put it down, while the nature of the phone is revealed in order to pass through the board of Braj. After coming back he found that he could not move Govardhan from that place. Then he got angry and cursed Govardhan to gradually reduce the size. It was about 64 miles long and 40 miles wide, 16 miles high and now only remains 80 feet.

The festival of Dhanteras is celebrated as a five-day Diwali celebration all over India. Dhanteras is a form of the word ‘Dhan’, which means wealth and ‘thiras’, which means ‘terahve’ i.e. 13^th, hence it is the festival celebrated on the thirteenth moon day of the Krishna side in the Kartik month (October-November) of the Hindus, which is celebrated just two days before Diwali, in which people pray to God to get blessings of prosperity and good health. Dhanteras is also called ‘Dhantriadashi’ and ‘Dhanvantari Triadashi’.

Date of Dhanteras and auspicious time to

Start date: 05 November 2018, at the end of the day, the date of the trayodashi duration: 05 November 2018, at night, for the night of 11 th 46 minutes,

Dhanteras Puja Muhurat:  November 05, 2018, from 06:00 to 20 minutes to night 08 by 17 minutes.

Total duration: 01 hours 57 minutes

Pradosh period: 05 November 2018 evening from 05 hrs 42 minutes to 8 pm to 17 minutes.

Taurus Period: November 05, 2018, from 06.00 a.m. 20 minutes to 8.00 a.m. 18 minutes.

Dhanteras Stories

Story No #1

According to ancient legends, the celebration of Dhanteras shows the story of the king Hima’s sixteen year old son. It was foretold that he died on the fourth day of his marriage due to snake bite.

Though he had been married for only four days, but his newly married wife knew about this prediction earlier, therefore, she had a pile with her coins made of precious metals of gold and silver at the entrance to her husband’s bedroom, kept all her jewelry outside and fill the entire place with the lamp.

Then, during the night, she used to tell stories many times and sang songs to keep her husband awake. It is believed that when Yama, the god of death came in a form of a snake, he could not find the prince and he was unable to enter the room of the prince because he was amazed at the beauty of the bright red glitter and shining lights and the light of the jewels. And he climbed the heap of jewels and coins and began to listen to the melodious songs of prince’s wife.

In the morning, he quietly relieved the prince’s life and went away. In this way, the young wife saved her husband from death. Therefore, this day is also known as ‘Yamdipadan’.

Story 2

Another popular story is also linked to this festival. It is believed that on this day, many gems emerged during the “Sagarmanthan” conducted by Gods and demons. Lord Dhanvantri (God’s doctor and the incarnation of Lord Vishnu) appeared at the end and he came out with the holly-water.

Dhanteras Festival

The festival of Dhanteras is celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy. On this festival, people worship Goddess Lakshmi Ji and Yama, the god of death. We receive blessings from good health and Goddess Lakshmi as prosperity in the form of prosperity. People decorate their homes and offices.

People decorate the entrance of the traditional courtyards with “Rangoli”. Small feet signs of Lakshmi ji are made from rice flour and vermilion, which indicates the long-awaited arrival of Goddess Lakshmi. Buying new utensils or coins made from precious metals such as gold or silver on Dhanteras is very popular because it is considered auspicious and brings happiness and good fortune to our family.

Dhanteras Puja — worship of Dhanteras

On the day of Dhanteras, it is celebrated in the form of ‘Pooja of Lakshmi ji’. People sing devotional songs to Goddess Lakshmi ji. To remove all the sorrows, small lamps (deepak) are lit. On the night of Dhanteras, people burn the lamp all night long. Traditional sweets are made and offerings are offered to the mother goddess.

Dhanteras is celebrated in different parts of India in different ways. This is a very important festival for the business community of western India. In the state of Maharashtra, people mix the dry coriander seeds together with jaggery and prepare it by mixing it and it is called ‘Naivedya’. In rural areas, farmers decorate their cattle and worship, because they are the main sources of income. In South India, people consider cows as incarnations of goddess Lakshmi, and therefore people of particular respect and honor the cow.

What to buy on Dhanteras?

Dhanteras day is considered to be auspicious for shopping. On this day people add new stuff to their home. It is believed that the stuff bought on this day is never bad and is very auspicious. Nevertheless, these things must definitely be bought on Dhanteras:

– People usually buy gold or silver jewelry this day. But it does not necessarily mean that your pocket also allows it. But there is a festival, it is also necessary to celebrate it. In this case, you can buy gold or silver coins.

– On the day of Dhanteras, the god of wealth, Kuber, is worshiped and he is very dear to silver. So it is considered good to buy silver this day. It is said that by purchasing silver on the occasion of Dhanteras, there is a rise in success, prosperity and austerity. Not only this, silver is also considered to be a symbol of the moon, which brings coolness in the life of a human.

-Buying metal utensils is considered auspicious on this day. Especially silver and bronze are considered as the main metal of Lord Dhanvantari. Thus, silver or bronze utensils must be bought on this day.

– It is believed that Lord Dhanvanthi was born with oysters in the hands of the sea monastery. Therefore, it is considered auspicious to buy a pot of water on Dhanteras day.

– On this day traders buy new account books, who are worshiped on the occasion of Deepawali.

– On this day, definitely buy different sculptures of Ganesha and Lakshmi. On Diwali day, these idols are worshiped.

– On this day it is considered to be auspicious to buy Shri Yantra of goddess Lakshmi ji.

-Apart from this, you can also get the other things you need for your home, such as fridge, washing machine, mixer-grinder, dinner set and furniture.

– It is auspicious to buy a vehicle this day. But according to the assumptions, in the Rahu period the vehicle should not be purchased.

– Mother Lakshmi is very dear to the coriander. On Dhanteras, coriander seeds should definitely be bought. It is believed that there is no shortage of money in the house of coriander seed. After Deepawali, these seeds of coriander should be planted in the courtyard of the house.

-On the day of Dhanteras, buy a new broom. It is believed that the broom removes poverty. It is said that Lakshmi resides in a clean house and is the best way to clean sweep.

Do not buy on the day of Dhanteras?

However, it is considered auspicious to buy new stuff on Dhanteras, but according to the assumptions, buying some items on this day should be avoided:

– According to beliefs, we should not buy glassware on Dhanteras day.

– In Hinduism, black colour is not considered auspicious. So, It is said that on the day of Dhanteras, black things should not be purchased.

– On this day, do not buy sharp things such as scissors and knives.

Diwali is a festival of lights; it is a five-day festival. The fifth day or the last day of Diwali is celebrated as “Bhai Duj”. In 2018, Bhai Dooj is on Friday, 9 November. Bhai Dooj is celebrated the next day after the new moon day. This is the day on which sisters prays for the long life of their brothers.

This festival is a symbol of love between sisters and brothers, and is celebrated to strengthen the bond of care and affection between the two. On this festival, the sisters place “Tilak” on the forehead of their brothers. In return, the brothers give gifts to their sisters. This festival is very similar to the festival of “Rakshabandan” and people believe that the relationship between brother and sister becomes strong and unbreakable.

The names of “Bhai Dooj” in other languages

This festival has its name in every region. In Hindi, it is called Bhai Dooj as we are already notifying the festival with this name. In Sanskrit, it is called Bharti Bhagya. In Karnataka, local people call it as Dutiya Sauda Biziga. Bengoli people called it as Bhai Phota. Nepalies called it as “Bhai-Taka”. Bhai Dooj is famous with the name of  Karthigai among local peoples of Bhavnagar (Maharashtra) . Similarly, different regional peoples call Bhai Dooj with their own names for it.

Importance of Bhai Dooj festival Importance of Bhai Dooj Festival

The Bhai Dooj festival is celebrated to strengthen the love between the brothers and sisters. This is a day, when the siblings eat together, give gifts, and heartily treat each other.

Traditionally, Bhai Dooj festival is meant for brothers of married women. This is to strengthening the relationship between brothers and sisters. The brothers get an opportunity to examine the circumstances of his sister’s house.

So traditionally, all the brothers go to the homes of their sisters on this day and give them gifts. Sisters also pray for their brother’s long life and good health.

Story of Yama and Yami (Bhai Dooj Kahani)

Once upon a time, a long time ago; Sun God had married a beautiful princess named “Sanjana”. During one year, she gave birth to twins. Twins were named Yama, and Varni or Yamuna, and they grew together. However, after some time, Sanjana was unable to bear the talents of her husband, and therefore decided to return to the Earth. However, she left her replica, “Chhaya”, her exact copy, so that for the sun, it would appear that she is still there.

Chhaya played the role of a cruel stepmother and she was very ruthless for twins. She soon gave birth to her own children, and then convinced the Sun to take Sanjana’s twins, Yama and Yamuna out. Varni fell on the earth and became Yamuna, the river, and Yama thrown to hell, and became the master of death.

After several years of this incident, Varni married a handsome prince and she became happy and satisfied in her life. But she used to remember her brother and was eager to see him. Yama also remembered his sister, and one day he decided to visit his sister’s house.

Varni was very happy with the news of meeting with his brother. She prepared variety of food in her brother’s honor.  It was two days to go in Deepawali, so she decorated her home with lamps and colourful lights. She has decorated everything with love and prepared many sweets and dishes. Her husband was very happy to see Varni preparing for a welcome ceremony for her brother.

Yama was also very pleased with the reception given by his sister. After having separated for so long time, both, the brother and the sister spent some pleasant moments with each other. When the time came for Yama to go back, he said to his sister, “Dear sister, you have welcomed me with such love, but I have not given you a gift”. Therefore, you demand anything, and it will be yours.

Varni replied in a loving way – Your coming is a gift to me. I do not need anything else. But Yum constantly ask for it. I should give you gifts; he insisted.

Verni agreed and started thinking … and said that all the brothers should remember their sisters on this day and if they can go, they should go to meet their sister on this day. On this day all the sisters should pray for the happiness of their brothers.

Yama announced – I bless all the brothers who will give lovely gifts to their sisters on this day, they will get a long and healthy life.

After killing demon’s king Narakasur, Lord Krishna went to meet Subhadra, his sister. Subhadra traditionally welcomed him by making an aarti and tilak in her house.

According to Tritiya Samhita and Devi Bhagwat, the “Ras” of God starts in the month of Kartik. “Ras” is the process of creation in which there is consciousness control center and all others roam around it.

Kartik and Vaisakh are two points of the ecliptic and the equator. Earth axis runs in a circle over 26,000 years. At the first point, the two branches start like a blade of scissors (Kristika) and the opposite point is found in two branches.

Therefore, this festival is celebrated on the second day of Yama-Duitia Kartika, which is a symbol of the pair of siblings.

Vishakha-Paltanam is surrounded by Nagavali and Vamshadhara rivers, which start from the same place, but remain separate throughout the journey to the sea, hence it is very different.