Fwd: "CHANDANA YATRA MAHOTSAVA" - 2012 - Thanks to Chandan Bhatia prabhu for forwarding this wonderful e-mail
"CHANDANA YATRA MAHOTSAVA"
24 April'12 to 14 May'12
"Chandana yatra" starts on the third lunar day of the waxing moon of Vaisakha month, and continues for twenty-one days. Lord Jagannatha gave direct instructions to King Indradyumna to perform this festival at this time. Smearing the body of the Lord with ointments is an act of devotion, and the best of ointments is sandalwood paste. Since the month of Vaisakha is very hot in India, the cooling effect of the sandalwood is very pleasing to the body of the Lord. Sandalwood paste is applied all over the body of Jagannatha leaving only his two eyes visible. The utsava murtis (functional Deities - Vijay utsav) are taken on procession and are placed in a boat in the temple pond. To commemorate this festival, Lord Caitanya also carried out water sports with his devotees.
Akshaya Trutiya tithi marks the beginning of the construction of the Rathas (chariots) for the ceremonial journey and sojourn of Lord Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra at the Gundicha Temple in Jagannatha Puri for a week.
History of Veshas Offered During Chandana Yatra:
In 2010 the devoteeskindly requested Jananivasa Prabhu, the head pujari in Sridham Mayapur, to explain a little about how Veshas started being offered to Radha Madhava during Chandana Yatra. This is what they shared.
Jananivasa Prabhu: I heard about this festival of offering Lord Jagannatha twenty different dresses (veshas) during Chandana Yatra and I wanted to perform them. Then, in 2007, Narottama das, who serves in Srila Prabhupada's Pushpa Samadhi, showed me another list of dresses that he had found in a Gaudiya Math book, and inspired me to offer them to small Radha Madhava. That year, Keshavi Mataji, who designs the Deities' dresses, volunteered to make four or five dresses, of which the Gajendra Moksha dress was remarkable.
Shortly after that, I was approached by the Girl's Gurukula (Sri Anasuya Vidyamandala) who requested the service of making all of the twenty dresses by the next year. It would be incorporated in their art class, and all the girls would be able to assist in making all the dresses that are offered to Sri Sri Radha Madhava. It was a grand success with many astonishing dresses, such as the twenty-foot long snake Aghasura with a gaping mouth, and Cupid's Chariot with galloping horses. This year, the girls have promised even better, so Chandana Yatra will be a real treat. Hare Krishna!
Pankajanghri Prabhu: The Gurukul girls' hard work and enthusiasm is very much appreciated by all the devotees, eagerly awaiting at darshan time to see what pastime dress Krishna will be wearing today. The students not only get to make the dresses, but naturally want to know about the pastimes, so they become absorbed in hearing and chanting the pastimes of the supreme Lord. You can see their devotion reflected in the dresses and the pastime paraphernalia that they have created. May they receive more and more creativity to inspire the devotees by the grace of Lord Jagannatha.
The dresses offered to the Lord are:
Natabara Krishna (The Best Dancer),
Krishna Janma (Birth of Lord Krishna),
Rajadhiraja (King of Kings),
Vana Vihari (Frolicking in the Forest),
Vastra Haran (Stealing of Gopis' Clothes),
Gomati Krishna Vesha (Mother Cow),
Chakra Narayana (Creator of the Universe),
Rasamandali Vesha (Circular Arena of the Rasa Dance),
Nauka Keli (Boat Pastimes),
Raghunatha Vesha (Lord Ramachandra),
Nrsimhadeva Caturdasi,
Khat Doli (Swing Festival),
Sadbhuja Gauranga (Six-armed form),
Kandarpa Ratha (Cupid's Chariot),
Giri Govardhana (Govardhana Puja),
Gajendra Moksha (The Deliverance of Gajendra),
Aghasura Vada (Deliverance of Aghasura),
Chintamani Krishna,
Giridhari (Lifting of Govardhana Hill),
Rasamandala Vesha (Rasa Dance),
Bumble Bee Vesha
Live video and audio (with moving pictures) broadcast is now available from Sridham Mayapur
Please visit: http://Mayapur.tv for the ecstatic darshan of Their Lordships!
Mayapur.tv is the hub of devotional live streams, presenting many amazing and wonderful events from many countries including broadcasts from the Temples around the world - London, Los Angeles, Prabhupada TV, live coverage of Jagannatha Rathayatra's from around the world etc. Please find below the pictures from last year's "Chandana Yatra Mahotsav" at Sridham Mayapur!
Morning darshan at Sridham Mayapur start at 7am India-time (GMT+5:30hrs) everyday.
Day 1 - NATABARA KRISHNA (Best Dancer)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA & ASTA-SAKHIS - NATABARA KRISHNA VESHA
Sri Sri Radha Madhava, surrounded by Their Ashta-sakhis (eight principal gopi friends) — Sri Lalita, Sri Champakalata, Sri Chitra, Sri Tungavidya, Sri Vishaka, Sri Indulekha, Sri Rangadevi and Sri Sudevi, along with Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Giri-Govardhana. The small Radha Madhava Deities in the altar goes out in procession during Ratha-yatra and other festivals like Jhulana-yatra (swing festival) or boat festival. These Deities also come out in procession on a chariot every Saturday after Sandhya-arati during winter from the beginning of the Kartika (Damodara) month till Gaura-purnima.
"In the midst of the golden lotus of one hundred petals, there is a golden platform surrounded by eight petals. Situated upon those eight petals are the eight principal sakhis, headed by Lalita and Visakha. On that golden platform, the Divine Couple sit upon a jewelled throne. In the company of Lord Shyama sits the beautiful Radhika." (Srila Narottama Dasa Thakur's Prarthana)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA
SRI MADHAVA
SRI MADHAVA'S LOTUS FEET
Day 2 - KRISHNA JANMA Vesha (the Birth of Lord Krishna)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA & ASTA-SAKHIS - KRISHNA JANMA VESHA
Day 3 - RAJADHIRAJA Vesha (King of Kings)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - Rajadhiraja (King of Kings)
Day 4 - VANA VIHARI Vesha (Frolicking in the Forest)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - Vana Vihari Vesha (Frolicking in the Forest)
Day 5 - VASTRA HARAN Vesha (Stealing of Gopis' Clothes)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - VASTRA HARAN VESHA
Day 6 - GOMATI KRISHNA Vesha (Mother Cow)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - Gomati Krishna Vesha (Mother Cow)
Day 7 - CHAKRA NARAYANA Vesha (Creator of the Universe)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA & ASTA-SAKHIS - Chakra Narayana Vesha
SRI MADHAVA
SRI MADHAVA LOTUS FEET
Day 8 - RASAMANDALI Vesha (Circular Arena of the Rasa Dance)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - Rasamandali Vesha (Circular Arena of the Rasa Dance)
Day 9 – NAUKA KELI Vesha (Boat Pastimes)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - Nauka Keli Vesha (Boat Pastimes)
Day 10 - RAGHUNATHA Vesha (Lord Ramachandra)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - Raghunatha Vesha (Lord Ramachandra)
Day 11 - NRSIMHADEVA Vesha (Nrsimhadeva Caturdasi)
LORD NRSIMHADEVA
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA ASTA SAKHI - Lord Nrsimhadeva Caturdasi
Day 12 - KHAT DOLI Vesha (Swing Festival)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - Khat Doli Vesha (Swing Festival)
Day 13 - SADBHUJA GAURANGA Vesha (Six-armed form)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - Sadbhuja Gauranga Vesha (Six-armed form)
Day 14 - KANDARPA RATHA (Cupid's Chariot)
"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids." -Brahma Samhita 5.30
Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport to the above verse of Brahma Samhita, describing the matchless beauty of Krishna. "What Brahma saw in his ecstatic trance of pure devotion, is being described. Krishna is engaged in playing upon His flute. That flute by his enchanting musical sound attracts the hearts of all living beings. Just as a lotus petal produces a pleasant sight, so the two beautiful eyes of Krishna who causes the manifestation of our spiritual vision, display the unlimited splendour and beauty of His moonlike face. The loveliness that adorns His head with peacock feather figures, the corresponding feature of the spiritual beauty of Krishna. Just as a mass of blue clouds offers a specifically soothing, pleasant view, the complexion of Krishna is analogously tinged with a spiritual dark-blue color. The beauty and loveliness of Krishna is far more enchanting that of Cupid multiplied a million fold."
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - Kandarpa Ratha (Cupid's Chariot)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA
SRI MADHAVA LOTUS FEET
Day 15 - GIRI GOVARDHANA Vesha (Govardhana Puja)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - Giri Govardhana (Govardhana Puja)
Day 16 - GAJENDRA MOKSHA Vesha (The Deliverance of Gajendra)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - Gajendra Moksha (The Deliverance of Gajendra)
Day 17 - AGHASURA VADA Vesha (Deliverance of Aghasura)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - Aghasura Vada (Deliverance of Aghasura)
Day 18 - CHINTAMANI KRISHNA Vesha
Nectarean amorous pastimes of Sri Sri Radha & Krishna standing near shore of Yamuna decorated with golden pavements standing with their beautiful ornaments
"The supreme abode of the Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is described in the Brahma Samhita as cintamani-dhama, a place where all desires are fulfilled. The supreme abode of Lord Krishna known as Goloka Vrindavana is full of palaces made of touchstone. There are also trees which are called "desire trees" that supply any type of eatable upon demand, and there are cows known as Surabhi cows which supply a limitless supply of milk. In this abode the Lord is served by hundreds of thousands of goddesses of fortune (Lakshmis), and He is called Govinda, the primal Lord and the cause of all causes. The Lord is accustomed to blow His flute (venum kvanantam). His transcendental form is the most attractive in all the worlds — His eyes are like the lotus petals and the color of His body like clouds. He is so attractive that His beauty excels that of thousands of cupids."
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - Chintamani Krishna Vesha
Day 19 – GIRIDHARI Vesha (Lifting of Govardhana Hill)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - Giridhari (Lifting of Govardhana Hill)
Day 20 - Rasamandala Vesha (Rasa Dance)
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - Rasamandala Vesha (Rasa Dance)
Day 21 - Bumble Bee Vesha
SRI SRI RADHA-MADHAVA - Bumble Bee Vesha
HIS DIVINE GRACE A.C. BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI SRILA PRABHUPADA,
FOUNDER-ACARYA OF INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS (ISKCON)
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