Radhastami(Bhadraba puja.6)
https://youtu.be/8Szxs5EwHPQ
22
Radha Ashtami
23rd
September 2023
(Saturrday)
(Saturrday)
Radha Ashtami
Radha Ashtami Vrat
Radha Ashtami is also known as Radhashtami and Radha Jayanti.
Appearance day of Shree Radha rani ji
Raas
Raaseshwari Shri Radhey appeared in Brij Mandal as the lovely daughter
of Shri Vrishbhanuji in Barsana on Bhadrapad Shukla Ashtami i.e. eighth
day of bright fortnight of the Bhadrapad month. Her village Barsana is
located between Goverdhan and Nandgaon. The entire area is agricultural
in nature and land beyond fields is densely forested. These forests are
inhabited by large colonies of monkeys and peacocks apart from other
wild animals. Peacocks entering inside the populated area and dancing on
the rooftops is a common site here. Similarly monkeys entering into
houses and running away with food items or anything that they may fancy
about are a frequent occurrence. Brijvasi, as the residents of these
areas are known, are a kind hearted lot. They do not get angered and
hurt the monkeys rather they just scare them away. The area is dotted
with a large numbers of natural springs and ponds which are called as
Kunds. So this beautiful land has the distinction of being the
playground of Radha and Krishna.
In this beautiful land
of Brij, Radha’s birthday is celebrated with the same joy and zeal as
Krishna’s. Again the temples are decorated, special prayers are offered
and devotional songs congratulating Sh Vrishbhanu on birth of a daughter
are sung in chorus.
Devi Radha, the mother eternal, is
very kind hearted and loving. She is the driving force behind all of the
Krishna’Leelas . The spirit of Brij Bhakti is Raasleela, where Radha is
supreme. Lord Krishna seeks her permission and it is at her pleasure
that the Leela is continued.
Radha Ashtami Worship
A fast
is kept on the day of Radha Ashtami. Radhaji’s idol is cleaned with
panchamrit. After this, the idol is decorated. An idol made of gold or
silver is established in the house. Radhaji’s idol is worshipped with
total devotion and dedication. Aarti is performed with dhoop and lamps.
Prasad is also offered to her. According to many religious scriptures,
Radhaji should be worshipped with Lord Krishna on this day.
First
of all, Radhaji should be cleaned with panchamrit. Then the idol should
be decorated. Leaves from 27 different trees and water from 27
different wells should be collected in a temple on this day. A worship
should be organized with milk, curd, ghee and bura. Shyama Shyam should
be chanted while worshipping Radhaji. According to Narad Purana, a
person fasting on this day is able to gain knowledge of all secrets
related to Braj. Such a person is free from all sins.
Radha Ashtami in Braj and Barsana
Just
like Janmashtami, Radha Ashtami is also celebrated in a big way in Braj
and Barsana. This day is celebrated as a festival in the temples of
Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana, Rawal and Maant. People of Goswami
community can be seen celebrating this day in Radha Vallabh temple with a
lot of zeal and excitement. People are very excited and happy on this
day.
Turmeric and curd are collected in the temples. This mixture
is thrown on the people of Goswami community. They can be seen getting
more excited when this happens. Bhoga is offered to Radhaji once the
temple doors are closed. Bhajan and kirtans are organized throughout the
day. Once the doors open again, people can be seen chanting Radhaji’s
name. In the end, an Aarti is performed.
Importance of Radha Ashtami
According
to Vedas and Puranas, Radhaji is also known as Krishna Vallabh. Lord
Krishna was very fond of Radhaji. People listening to Radha Janma
Ashtami story are free from any problems. They are blessed and live a
prosperous life. Such people are wealthy and receive all material
desires. People chanting Radhaji’s mantra attain salvation. It is
believed that Lord Krishna’s worship is incomplete without Radhaji’s
worship. Radhaji is believed to be the controller of Lord Krishna’s
life.
Swami Shree Haridas ji's birthday, which falls on
Radha Ashtami day, is celebrated as a very special day in the temple, in
Nidhivan and in Vrindavan.
SWAMI SIVANANDA'S MESSAGE
Salutations to Sri Radha, the World-Mother, who took her birth at Barshana, near Vrindavan, who is an embodiment of Sri Krishna Prem!
The supreme emotion, Mahabhava, is the quintessence of Prem. Radha is the personification of this Supreme Emotion. The play of Radha with Sri Krishna is extremely deep; it cannot be learnt from the Dasya, Vatsalya and other Bhavas. The Sakhis alone are qualified for it. They alone relish this Leela in full. Sakhis, or those who worship Sri Krishna in the spirit of His Sakhis, have a right to this Leela.
A Sakhi does not yearn to play with Krishna all by herself. She feels a keener delight in contriving Krishna’s dalliance with Radha, Radha is indeed the Wish-yielding Creeper, Kalpalata, of the love of Krishna. The Sakhis are the leaves, flowers, and shoots of the creeper. If the nectar of dalliance with Krishna waters the creeper, the leaves, etc., take delight in it million times more than if they themselves had been watered.
The Sakhis do not long for Sri Krishna’s embrace, but they exert themselves to make Sri Krishna embrace Radha. They send Krishna to her for this purpose under various pretexts. They attain thereby a bliss million times sweeter than that of selfish enjoyment. The unselfish devotion of these towards each other strengthens the deliciousness, Rasa. The sight of such unselfish, pure Prem pleases Lord Krishna. The love felt by the Gopis, is not really earthly lust. Earthly lust seeks sensual gratification for one’s own self. The Gopis abandon all idea of self and seek Krishna’s enjoyment. They did not yearn for their own pleasure. They embrace Krishna only to please Him.
You cannot attain Krishna, however much you worship Him, if you only meditate on Him as a Divinity and not serve Him as a Gopi. See how Lakshmi adored Him, but could not attain Him in Vraja.
Radha is Devi. She is the queen of lustrous beauties and the abode of Sri Krishna’s love-sports and worship. She beholds Lord Krishna in anything and everything she sets Her love-lit eyes upon. Lord Krishna is the supreme matchless Lover and Sri Radha is identical with Krishna. She is part and parcel of Krishna and His love-energy. Her sole object of existence and devout prayers, is to fulfil the wishes of Sri Krishna. Hence She is named Krishnamayi by the Puranas. She is full of Krishna inside and outside. Krishna is the charmer of all. Radha is Krishna’s charmer and therefore the Supreme Goddess.
She is the worshipped of all the worshipped deities. She is the fosterer and mother of the worlds. She is the presiding deity of the Lakshmis of Vaikuntha or of the six divine attributes of Lord Krishna. She is the chief of Krishna’s divine energies. She is the seat of concentrated beauties or the source and centre from which the Lakshmis draw their beauties.
Lord Krishna is the embodiment of bliss. He is the source and centre of real happiness. Bliss is divine elixir that bestows immortality. Sensual pleasure is a poison which causes diseases and death. Lord Krishna has a certain energy called Antaranga or Svarup Shakti. This Shakti which has the power of giving delight to Krishna and His Devotees, is called Hladini Shakti or delight-giving energy. The essence of Hladini is Prem or selfless Krishna’s Prem. This selfless love is called Ananda-Chinmaya-Rasa. The quintessence of this Rasa or Mahabhava is Radha.
Radha is the embodiment of Mahabhava. The word Radha etymologically means a devotee. Radha is the chief of Krishna’s sweethearts. All the Lakshmis of Vaikuntha are Her Vilasa-Murtis. The queens of Dwaraka are Her reflections. Lalita and other Gopis of Vrindavan are Her manifold forms. She pervades the Gopis in Her subtle form in order to contribute to Krishna’s enjoyment. Radha is Krishna’s delighter, charmer and life’s all. She is the queen of all the lovely maidens of Vraja. She is the Crest-Gem of all celestial beauties. Radha and Krishna are inseparable as fire and its heat, ice and its coolness, the flowers and its fragrance.
The body of Radha is made up of sweet tenderness and loveliness for Sri Krishna. The substance of her subtle form as Mahabhava is Krishna Prem. Ardent passion for Sri Krishna is her dress. Her sweet radiant smile is the camphor. All good qualities are her garlands. All the Bhavas form the ornaments, her limbs. Lord Krishna’s name, qualities form the ornaments of Her ears. Krishna’s name and qualities flow out in a stream from Her tongue. She serves Krishna with the drink of Premarasa or Shyama-rasa.
The culmination of Bhakti is reached in Madhurya-Bhava. The lover and the Beloved become one through the intensity of love. Radha had this type of love. In Madhurya-bhava there is the closest relationship between the devotee and the Lord. There is no sensuality in Madhurya-Bhava. There is no tinge of carnality in it. Passionate people cannot understand this Bhava as their minds are saturated with passion and lower sexual appetite. In the secular sphere the only “love” which approaches this Bhava to an appreciable nearness is the love, a grown-up son has to his mother. Here, there is not even a semblance of the sex-element prevalent. Is there the least carnality in the love, a son has for his mother? Sufistis saints also have the Bhava of lover and the beloved (Madhurya-Bhava). Gita Govinda written by Jaya Deva is full of Madhurya-Rasa. The language of love which the mystic uses cannot be comprehended by worldly persons. Only Gopis, Radha, Mira, Tukkaram, Narada, Hafiz, can understand the language.
Glory to Radha, the consort of Lord Krishna! Glory, glory to Lord Krishna, the Joy of Devaki, the goal of Yogis, the refuge of devotees, and the delight of Yasoda and Nanda. May their blessings be upon you all!
~ Sri Swami Sivananda
राधाष्टमी पर्व महोत्सव | Radha Ashtami Festival | Radha Ashtami 2023
राधाष्टमी कथा | Radha Ashtami Story
राधाष्टमी कथा, राधा जी के जन्म से संबंधित है. राधाजी, वृषभानु गोप की पुत्री थी. राधाजी की माता का नाम कीर्ति था. पद्मपुराण में राधाजी को राजा वृषभानु की पुत्री बताया गया है. इस ग्रंथ के अनुसार जब राजा यज्ञ के लिए भूमि साफ कर रहे थे तब भूमि कन्या के रुप में इन्हें राधाजी मिली थी. राजा ने इस कन्या को अपनी पुत्री मानकर इसका लालन-पालन किया.इसके साथ ही यह कथा भी मिलती है कि भगवान विष्णु ने कृष्ण अवतार में जन्म लेते समय अपने परिवार के अन्य सदस्यों से पृथ्वी पर अवतार लेने के लिए कहा था, तब विष्णु जी की पत्नी लक्ष्मी जी, राधा के रुप में पृथ्वी पर आई थी. ब्रह्म वैवर्त पुराण के अनुसार राधाजी, श्रीकृष्ण की सखी थी. लेकिन उनका विवाह रापाण या रायाण नाम के व्यक्ति के साथ सम्पन्न हुआ था. ऎसा कहा जाता है कि राधाजी अपने जन्म के समय ही वयस्क हो गई थी. राधाजी को श्रीकृष्ण की प्रेमिका माना जाता है.
राधाष्टमी पूजन | Radha Ashtami Worship
राधाष्टमी के दिन शुद्ध मन से व्रत का पालन किय अजाता है. राधाजी की मूर्ति को पंचामृत से स्नान कराते हैं स्नान कराने के पश्चात उनका श्रृंगार किया जाता है. राधा जी की सोने या किसी अन्य धातु से बनी हुई सुंदर मूर्ति को विग्रह में स्थापित करते हैं. मध्यान्ह के समय श्रद्धा तथा भक्ति से राधाजी की आराधना कि जाती है. धूप-दीप आदि से आरती करने के बाद अंत में भोग लगाया जाता है. कई ग्रंथों में राधाष्टमी के दिन राधा-कृष्ण की संयुक्त रुप से पूजा की बात कही गई है.इसके अनुसार सबसे पहले राधाजी को पंचामृत से स्नान कराना चाहिए और उनका विधिवत रुप से श्रृंगार करना चाहिए. इस दिन मंदिरों में 27 पेड़ों की पत्तियों और 27 ही कुंओं का जल इकठ्ठा करना चाहिए. सवा मन दूध, दही, शुद्ध घी तथा बूरा और औषधियों से मूल शांति करानी चाहिए. अंत में कई मन पंचामृत से वैदिक मम्त्रों के साथ "श्यामाश्याम" का अभिषेक किया जाता है. नारद पुराण के अनुसार 'राधाष्टमी' का व्रत करनेवाले भक्तगण ब्रज के दुर्लभ रहस्य को जान लेते है. जो व्यक्ति इस व्रत को विधिवत तरीके से करते हैं वह सभी पापों से मुक्ति पाते हैं.
ब्रज और बरसाना में राधाष्टमी | Radha Ashtami in Braj and Barsana
ब्रज और बरसाना में जन्माष्टमी की तरह राधाष्टमी भी एक बड़े त्यौहार के रूप में मनाई जाती है. वृंदावन में भी यह उत्सव बडे़ ही उत्साह के साथ मनाया जाता है. मथुरा, वृन्दावन, बरसाना, रावल और मांट के राधा रानी मंदिरों इस दिन को उत्सव के रुप में मनाया जाता है. वृन्दावन के 'राधा बल्लभ मंदिर' में राधा जन्म की खुशी में गोस्वामी समाज के लोग भक्ति में झूम उठते हैं. मंदिर का परिसर "राधा प्यारी ने जन्म लिया है, कुंवर किशोरी ने जन्म लिया है" के सामूहिक स्वरों से गूंज उठता है.मंदिर में बनी हौदियों में हल्दी मिश्रित दही को इकठ्ठा किया जाता है और इस हल्दी मिली दही को गोस्वामियों पर उड़ेला जाता है. इस पर वह और अधिक झूमने लगते हैं और नृत्य करने लगते हैं.राधाजी के भोग के लिए मंदिर के पट बन्द होने के बाद, बधाई गायन के होता है. इसके बाद दर्शन खुलते ही दधिकाना शुरु हो जाता है. इसका समापन आरती के बाद होता है.
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