Saturday, September 7, 2013

Vinayaka Chavithi 2013



Wishing You all a Very Happy Vinayaka Chavithi Wishes from Divya's Cooking Journey!!


Vinayaka Chavithi falls on the fourth day (Chaturdasi) after the new moon (Shukla paksha) in the Hindu month of Bhadrapada. This is july/August/September each year. It's commonly celebrated for 9 or 11 days, with the biggest spectacle taking place on the last day called Anant Chaturdashi. Vinayaka Idols are on installed on vinayaka chavithi day, and worshippied for 11 days and immersed in water on Anant Chaturdashi.

In 2013, Vinayaka Chavithi is on Monday, September 9th.But in some parts of USA people are celebrating on September 8th according to their Calendar and place.

Origin

According to the legend, the festival marks the auspicious day of the birth of Lord Ganesha. The story goes as follows- Lord Shiva, the Hindu God of resolution, was away from Kailash due to some work. As Parvati was alone at home, she felt the necessity of some one to guard the door to her house while she took bath. When she did not get any one, she conceived of the idea of creating a son who could guard her. She then created Ganesha out of her sandalwood paste and breathed life into the idol. She then asked him to stand on the gate and do not let any body enter until she came out. Unfortunately, Shiva returned home in the meantime. As, Ganesha did recognize him, he stopped Shiva from entering as per his mother's advice. This badly enraged Lord Shiva, who cut off Ganesha's head by his trident. When Parvati saw beheaded Ganesha, took on the form of the Goddess Kali and threatened to destruct all the three worlds.

The earth, the heaven, the nether world, all was shaken and every body ran to Shiva for solution. In order to appease Lord Parvati and save the world from destruction, Lord Shiva sent out his followers to find a child whose mother is facing another direction in negligence, cut off his head and bring it quickly. The first such child that came in the eyes of the Shiva followers was an elephant, so they brought the head of this elephant and Shiva placed it on the trunk of Parvati's son and gave life into him. Parvati was the overwhelmed with happiness and embraced her son. They named her Ganesha i.e the Lord of all Ganas (followers).

Here is the Gajasuramardana Siva, Slayer of Gajasura

History 

Though the festival is being celebrated since times immemorial, the present kind of celebrations of Ganesha Chaturthi came in fashion in 1893, Lokmanya Tilak, an Indian freedom fighter and social reformer reshaped the annual Ganesh festival from a private family celebration into a community event. The day was conceived to be the National Festival in order to bridge the gap between the Brahmins and the non-Brahmins in the society. Tilak chose this festival for this purpose because Lord Ganesh was considered to be the ' God of Everyman'. It then served as a meeting ground for people of all community and religion on a public platform. Since then the festival has served its cause of existence. Even now people irrespective of caste and community barriers celebrate this festival with great joy.

Lord Ganesh is considered to be the God who has the ability to bestow wisdom and wealth upon humans. All the new undertakings, whether at place of work or at home, start by reciting the mantra of Lord Ganesha. He is known as the God of good luck and prosperity. Therefore, before any auspicious occasion, Hindus performs the puja of Lord Ganesha, to achieve success in it. Ganesh Chaturthi, the day marking the birth of the Lord, is celebrated in a grand manner in Maharashtra as well as other parts of India. It falls in the Hindu lunar month of Bhadra and lasts over a period of ten days. One of the most loving festivals of India, Ganesh Chaturthi has many legends associated with it. Given below are the legends from Shiv and Skanda Purana.

Legend From Shiv Purana

The most popular legend associated with Lord Ganesha can be found in the Shiv Purana. It says that Lord Ganapati was created out of the dough that Goddess Parvati used for her bath. The Goddess wanted a door-keeper, to prevent the coming of any visitors when she took a bath. So, she created a doll from the dough and breathed life into him. The day she did this came to be known as the birthday of Lord Ganesha, which we today celebrate as Ganesh Chaturthi. 

On day, while Goddess Parvati was taking her bath, Lord Shiva happened to visit her. Ganesha did not know him, so he did not allow the Lord to enter the house. This made Lord Shiva angry and he beheaded Ganesha. Later, when he came to know the truth, he fixed the head of an elephant in place of Ganesha's head. With this, the appearance of Lord Ganesha changed and he came to have the head of an elephant.

Legend From Skanda Purana

There is yet another popular legend associated with Ganesh Chaturthi, arising from Skanda Purana. It goes that once Ganesha was invited for a feast in Chandralok. He ate many Ladoos and later, as he got up to walk after the meal, he could not balance himself, because of his huge stomach, and slipped. His stomach burst and all the laddoos came rolling out. Seeing this, the moon could not control himself and began laughing. Ganesha got angry and cursed the moon that it will vanish from the universe.

Because of moon's absence, the whole world began to wane. The gods asked Lord Shiva to get Ganesha to change his mind. The moon also apologized for his misbehavior. Finally, Ganesha modified his curse saying that the moon would be invisible on only one day of a month and would be partially seen on Ganesha Chaturthi. He also added that anyone who watches moon on Ganesha Chaturthi would face a false accusation. This is the reason why, even today, it is considered inauspicious to look at the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi.


Ganesh Chaturthi

"Suklambaradharam Visnum Sasivarnam Caturbhujam
Prasanna Vadanam Dhyayet-sarva Vighnopa Santaye"

(The one who wears a) white garment, all pervading (all encompassing), white colored, posessing four arms, pleasant face - (Upon Him) I meditate for the removal of all obstacles.

Agajanana Padmarkam Gajanana Maharnisam
AnekaDantham Bhaktanam Ekadantham Upasmahe
Seated on Lotus, with an elephant face, you have many devotees, O single tusked Lord, I worship thee

Om gananam tva ganapatim havamahe kavim kavinam upamasravastamam
jyestha rajam brahmanam brahmanas pata a nah srnvannutibhi sida sadanam

Through praises we worship You – Lord of the Vedas
Leader of all groups of devas; Visionary of visionaries
One who has great fame through various metaphors
Most exalted of the Knowers of Brahman
One who shines in the heart of devotees, hearing our prayers
Please sit at the altar in our hearts with all protective means.

Ganesha's head symbolizes the Atma or the soul, which is the ultimate supreme reality of human existence, and his human body signifies Maya or the earthly existence of human beings. The elephant head denotes wisdom and its trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality. In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way. The noose in Ganesha's left hand is a gentle implement to capture all difficulties.

The broken tusk that Ganesha holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of sacrifice, which he broke for writing the Mahabharata. The rosary in his other hand suggests that the pursuit of knowledge should be continuous. The Modakam (sweet) he holds in his trunk indicates that one must discover the sweetness of the Atma. His fan-like ears convey that he is all ears to our petition. The snake that runs round his waist represents energy in all forms. And he is humble enough to ride the lowest of creatures, a mouse.

Palavelli Preperation:

Palavelli is a mesh sort of thing made of sticks:

Get the following fruits and tie them to the palavelli, towards one side:

Raw mango
Coconut flower
Lotus flower
A maize corn
Banana fruit
Guava fruit
Pomegranate
Wood Apple

And many other Fruits and Flowers available are used.

Puja Preparations:

Clean the North-east corner (Isanya corner) of the house (a place where the deity is to be placed), make rangoli with colors or rice flour. Keep a pedestal to place the vinayaka pooja murti. Apply turmeric to this pedestal and place kumkum and rice flour dots on the edges. Make a rangoli of 8-Petal lotus on this pedestal.

The person performing the pooja has to sit facing east. Place a Vinayaka murti on the pedestal. Then make a small mount of wet turmeric Ganesha (usually a small mount) and place a dot of kumkum. Take a plate with some rice and place some betel leaves on the rice (in a circle, the edges of the leaves pointing out). Now place the turmeric Ganesha on this plate.

Arrange the palavelli above the ganesh murti as follows, so that the tied up fruits and flowers stand as umbrella. 

Naivedyams are offered to the god .

It may be any variety of Hot and sweet items .Mainly the Undrallu are offered to the diety and the Mouse.Vadapappu,Panakam,Chalimidi are important  to any festival.


Ganesha Nimajjanam:

Ganesha Navaratri is celebrated from the day of Chaturthi. The last rite is called “Nimmajjanam” (immersion). This ceremony on the very next day after Vinayaka Chaturthi. Other dates that are chosen for Ganapati immersion are 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th and the Ananta Chaurdasi day after Ganesha Chaturthi. Devotees carry their ganesha in a procession, accompanied by music, dance, sweets, and fireworks.

The procession ends on the banks of a river or sea shore, where devotees immerse their clay images of lord Ganesha into water chanting “Sri Ganesham Udvaasayaami… Shobhanaartham punaraagamanaayacha”

Environmental Concerns:

On the final day of the Ganesha festival thousands of plaster icons are immersed into water bodies by devotees. These increase the level of acidity in the water and the content of heavy metals.[8]The day after the immersion, shoals of dead fish can be seen floating on the surface of the water body as a result of this sudden increase.

Several non-governmental and governmental bodies have been addressing this issue. Amongst the solutions proposed by various groups some are as follows:

Return to the traditional use of natural clay icons and immerse the icon in a bucket of water at home
Use of a permanent icon made of stone and brass, used every year and a symbolic immersion only.A
Recycling of plaster icons to repaint them and use them again the following year. Ban on the immersion of plaster icons into lakes, rivers and the sea. Creative use of other biodegradable materials such as paper mache to create Ganesh icons. Encouraging people to immerse the icons in tanks of water rather than in natural water bodies.

To handle religious sentiments sensitively, some temples and spiritual groups have also taken up the cause.


Vinayaka Puja in Telugu

Vinayaka Puja is a festival puja, in which knowledge about flora is passed on from one generation to another in the form of a tradition. God Vinayaka is worshiped by all and more interestingly by the children.

How To perform Vinayaka Puja

Before starting the Vinayaka Pooja take a ritual bath and wear new clothes. Clean the puja mandapam, Place the clay Vinayaka idol and other pooja items there. Place a betel leaf before the god. Make a Turmeric Ganapathi with turmeric and water. Place kumkum on it and decorate it with flowers. Perform Pasupu Ganapathi Puja, then perform Vinayaka Chavithi Pooja, then Chant Vinayaka Astottara Shatanama Stotram and other Ganesha Stotrams, Vinayaka Chavithi  Patri after that hear Vinaya Chavithi Story and finish the pooja with Vinayaka Aarti.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Home Made Ganesha !! Eco -Friendly Ganesha!!

Hi Friends,upcoming Festival is for Lord Ganesha ,Vignaraja Vinayakudu Festival Vinayaka Chavithi.Some are celebrating on Sunday or Monday depends on the area of their calendar.

Mostly in India ,people are celebrating festival on Monday i.e; on 09-Sep-2013.

I am celebrating in Torrance on Sunday i.e; on 08-Sep-2013.

So I made an Eco-Friendly Ganesha for this year Festival.I am posting the pictures ,but not taken in detail.Hope you may understand the model .

You can also click to the Links to know in detail Here and Here.

Model of Ganesha made by me and my boy 6 years Neelesh Chevuri  at Vijayawada in the Year 2012 conducted at M&M Shop ,Eco -Friendly Ganesha with Clay.



Here is the model made by me today it took 10 minutes to make the Model and decorating part depends on our interest.
 The following picture shows the items needed to make.


The below picture is of our Little Ganesha and the Little mouse for this Year Festival.



Ok Friends Hope you might enjoyed my models and If any models made by you means please be free to share your model Ganesha mad eby you or even if you purchased also.I like to see it and happily shared those picture in the blog.Thak You!!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Happy Teacher's Day!!



India has been celebrating Teacher's Day on 5th September, since 1962. The day commemorates the birthday of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakhrishnan, a philosopher and a teacher par excellence, and his contribution towards Indian education system. Dr Radhakhrishnan believed that "teachers should be the best minds in the country". On this day, we gratefully remember the great educationist, apart from honoring all the teachers that have made our life much more knowledgeable and fulfilled, as serving as our beacons of light.

The birthday of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakhrishnan came to be celebrated as Teacher's Day when, one day, some of his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday. In reply, Dr. Radhakrishnan said, "instead of celebrating my birthday separately, it would be my proud privilege if September 5th is observed as Teacher's day". From then onwards, Dr. Radhakrishnan's birthday is observed as Teacher's Day all across India. 

Teachers' Day is very important for all the people in India, as the teachers act as foundation for creating responsible citizens and good human beings. It is impossible to imagine our lives without teachers. They are the cornerstone of our future. We can never thank our teachers enough for their immense contribution in our life. Teacher's Day is celebrated to show our acknowledgement and recognition of the hard work put in by our teachers towards our development. 

Schools all over India celebrate Teacher's Day by allowing the senior students to pose as teachers for a day. It is a fun-filled activity, which is enjoyed by both the acting teachers and their junior students. On this day, students bring gifts for their most admired teachers as well. It is an equally special day for teachers, as they get to know how much they are liked and appreciated by their students. Gifts to teachers include flowers, greeting cards and other items. Some students also write poems and messages for teachers.

Students look forward to Teacher's Day with a lot of anticipation, for the sheer spirit of the occasion. Acting as teachers, they get a fair idea of the responsibility, so efficiently burdened by their teachers. It requires a lot of hard work and dedication to be a good teacher and earn the fondness of the students at the same time. Teachers, on this day, are reminded of their school days and feel nostalgic. All in all, it is celebration mode for everyone!


Teacher's Day in India

Since times immemorial, Indians have respected and idolized their teachers. earlier, we used to call our teachers 'Guru' and now it's the contemporary 'Sir' or 'Madam'. Nevertheless, the role of teachers has remained the same. They were, are and will continue to be our guiding light, creating conditions conducive to our overall development. We will always be thankful to them for their constructive support. It is as an expression of this gratitude only that we celebrate Teacher's Day in India.

Teacher's Day is a tribute to the hard work and devotion of the teachers all year long, to educate a child. In India, teacher's day is celebrated on 5th of September every year. Indian Teacher's Day is dedicated to Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who was a zealous advocate of education and one of the greatest scholars and teachers of all times, apart from being the first Vice President and the second President of India. As a mark of respect to this phenomenal teacher, his birthday came to be observed as Teacher's Day in the country. 

On Teacher's day, students across India dress up as their teachers and take lectures in classes that are assigned to the teachers they represent. Sometimes, teachers sit in their classes as students, trying to relive the time when they, themselves, were students. Also, functions are organized in schools on the special day, where students present dance performances, dramas, and various other programs to entertain their teachers. This day provides for a healthy interaction between teachers and students as well.

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was one of the most distinguished diplomats, scholars and teachers of India, apart from being the first Vice President and the second President of the country. As a tribute to this great teacher, his birthday is observed as Teacher's Day across India. As a matter of fact, when his students and friends asked him for the permission to celebrate his birthday, it was he who asked them to celebrate the day as Teacher's Day, honoring the efforts of teachers across the country. 

Indian Teacher's Day History

India has been celebrating Teacher's Day on 5th September, since 1962. The day commemorates the birthday of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakhrishnan, a philosopher and a teacher par excellence, and his contribution towards Indian education system. Dr Radhakhrishnan believed that "teachers should be the best minds in the country". On this day, we gratefully remember the great educationist, apart from honoring all the teachers that have made our life much more knowledgeable and fulfilled, as serving as our beacons of light

Teacher Student Relationship

The relationship that a teacher and student share is of trust, respect and devotion. Teachers influence their students by shaping their rational and moral virtues and hence, play an important role in molding the society as a whole. The education system of ancient India and Greece shared some common characteristics. In both cultures, teachers and their disciples conglomerated at specific places earmarked for educational purposes. This is where students gained both spiritual and material education from their teachers. All ancient societies functioned according to a set of moral codes and social hierarchy and teachers were at the apex of the social system. During this time, teachers were revered and considered as equivalent to Gods. Students were completely devoted to their teachers and were willing to fulfill all the responsibilities, conferred upon them by their teachers, unflinchingly. One of the quintessential examples of student teacher relationship is that of Chanakya and Chandra-Gupta Maurya. 

With the passage of time however, the ancient tradition of conglomerating at educational places ceased to exist in its original form and was replaced by more modern practices of schools, colleges and universities. However, the respect paid to teachers is still the same. even in this modern era, teachers share a close emotional attachment with their students. The ancient history of education systems is rife with several examples of great student teacher relationships such as Socrates-Plato, Plato-Aristotle etc. 

It is beyond the scope of dubiety that teachers, since ages, have played a major role in the life of an individual and his/her overall upbringing. Teachers are the beacons of light that lead people to success and glory. They are the ones who recognize the talents of their students and encourage them to move further and assist them in reaching the zenith of their potential. Let us dedicate this Teacher's day to all those teachers who, through their talent, patience, wisdom and astute judgment of character, shaped the fates of many individuals who influenced the society as a whole. 

 These great teachers and their students have influenced human philosophies and ideologies since ancient times. Read the kind of relationship these student-teacher duos shared. Certainly, it will be a great experience to learn about those great souls with an insight on how they influenced their students' lives and the whole mankind.

Anne Sullivan-Helen Keller

It was in the year 1887 when Helen Keller met her teacher cum companion Anne Sullivan. What she did not know back then was this meeting with her instructor was just a beginning of a 49 year old companionship. It was Anne Sullivan who taught her how to communicate with the world. She was the first person to teach Helen Keller the

Arjun-Dronacharya

In the epic fable, the Mahabharata, Dronacharya and Arjun shared a special bond as teacher and pupil. Serving as a teacher for the royal princes, Dronacharya found that Arjun was an exceptional student and stood out from the rest of the princes. From the very first test, Dronacharya saw immense determination and focus

Chanakya-Chandragupta

You might have heard about Chandragupta Maurya, the mighty ruler who established the Maurya empire. He was such a great emperor that, every other king under him accepted him to as the almighty king. He is considered as the first genuine emperor, different from all those who believed in conquering land through bloodshed and war and never

Plato-Aristotle

"A friend to all is a friend to none." Those who have heard this quote might have heard about Aristotle too. He was a Greek philosopher and an amazing scholar who had mastered almost all the subjects possible in those days; we are talking about 384-322 BC. When we look at a well-trained person with an inquisitive bent of mind that enables

Socrates-Plato

"Apply yourself both now and in the next life. Without effort, you cannot be prosperous. Though the land be good, you cannot have an abundant crop without cultivation." These golden words come from a person who is still revered for his great philosophies. Yes, Plato had a very practical outlook on life. He believed in human skills but insisted that people must put great effora.