flower festival - Blog - ISKCON Desire Tree | IDT2024-03-28T22:36:01Zhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/flower+festival…And of Seasons I am Flower-bearing Springhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/and-of-seasons-i-am-flower-bearing-spring2022-02-06T10:24:21.000Z2022-02-06T10:24:21.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><div>
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<p><strong>Vasantha Panchami Feb 6th, 2022</strong></p>
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<p>…Of course spring is a season universally liked because it is neither too hot nor too cold, and the flowers and trees blossom and flourish. In spring there are also many ceremonies commemorating Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes; therefore this is considered to be the most joyful of all seasons, and it is the representative of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa.</p>
<p>BG 10:35<br /> Of hymns I am the Bṛhat-sāma sung to the Lord Indra, and of poetry I am the Gāyatrī verse, sung daily by brāhmaṇas. Of months I am November and December, and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring.</p>
<p><br /> <strong>So Much Mercy!</strong></p>
<div>*𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐫𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞</div>
<div>*𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐢 𝐏𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐚 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐝𝐡𝐢 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 *𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐢 𝐑𝐚𝐠𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐫𝐚 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 *𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐑𝐚𝐠𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚 𝐃𝐚𝐬𝐚 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐯𝐚𝐦𝐢 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞</div>
<div>*𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐧𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐲𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 *𝐕𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐢</div>
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<div>It’s a big festival here at Sri Mayapur Dham, just a day before the program devotees are seen making beautiful decorative ornaments for the Deities with the color code of the day ‘Yellow’. Since Sri Mayapur is non-different from Vraj Dham, you could feel the sweetness in the atmosphere as every dresses shines so brightly as if illuminating the effulgent of the sun itself! Sri Radha Madha and her asta sakhis were no exception as they stood so beautifully decorated in their yellow outfit and headed by Srimati Radharani, the gopis where tinted so stunningly with saffron water. It was a captivating sight to behold. The transcendental pastime of Vasant raas also took place on this auspicious night in Govardhan at Chandra sarovar, in which the moon stood still to take darshan of this divine dance for the duration of one night of Lord Brahma, which is equals to trillions of years on this earthly planet.</div>
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<div>This day also marks the appearance day of Shrimati Vishnupriya devi, the consort of Mahaprabhu, who is an embodiment of divine love. At the very tender age of 16, her husband Prem Purushottam Mahaprabhu took sannyas, leaving her in a state of great distress and separation. After Mahaprabhu’s sannyas, for the rest of her life she spent her time chanting and singing the glories of Krishna and the Lord of her life, Gauranga. She would put aside a grain of rice after every mantra of Hare Krishna that she would chant and after chanting whole morning, she would cook the rice that she had put aside and offer it to her deity of Mahaprabhu, whom she used to worship day and night with tears of love and devotion streaming forth from her beautiful eyes. Thereafter she would offer the rice to her dear mother in law, Sachi mata, and only eat whatever was remaining after Sachi mata had eaten. In this way she spent her life in the remembrance of her husband, who is none other than Brajendranandan Shyamsundar.</div>
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<div>Sri Radhunath das goswami also blessed this world by appearing on this very day. After having received the mercy of Lord Nityananda in Panihatti and organizing the great festival of Panihatti chidadahi in accordance with his instructions, he submitted himself in the lotus feet of Mahaprubhi in Shri Ksherta Puri dham , where Mahaprabhu put him under the care of Swarup damodar, under whose guidance Raghunath das goswami received all spiritual knowledge. Mahaprabhu also blessed Raghunath with his own personal Giriraj shila, whom he used to worship and a Gunja bead necklace, that Mahaprabhu used to worship as Shrimati Radharani. After the disappearance of Lord Chaitanya and his associates, Raghunath das goswami was grief stricken, and with the intention to give up his body by jumping in the Jamuna or jumping from Govardhan, he came to Shri Vrindavan dham, where Srila Rupa and Sanatan goswami consoled him. Thereafter Raghunath das goswami started residing at Radhakund, regularly associating with the other goswamis in Vrindavan, writing bhakti shastras and always immersed in transcendental mellows of Krishna prem. Raghunath das goswami is the prayojan acharya and has blessed the entire devotee community with great literatures as Manah shiksha, Vilap kusumanjali and others.</div>
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<div>This auspicious day of Vasant panchami is also the disappearance day of Shrila Vishwanath chakravarty thakur, who is a manifestation of Srila Rupa goswami. Srila Vishwanath chakravarty thakur re-established the flow of pure devotion which had slackened after the disappearance of Narottama das thakur, Shrinivas and Shyamananda prabhu. While residing in Vraja, he made a great contribution to the treasure of gaudiya literatue in the form of many commentaries and books of his own, such as Raga vartama chandrika, Camatkar chandrika, Prem samputa, Vraja riti chintamani, Bhakti rasamrita sindhu bindhu, Ujjvala nilmani kiran and many others. His mercy is of utmost importance for anyone aspiring to make advancement in Krishna bhakti.</div>
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<div>Yesterday was like a tray filled with succulent nectarine fruits dished out specially by the Lord to us. Just as the name implies (Vasant) we are already receiving so much mercy on this day which is the first day of spring!</div>
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<div>May our Love for Krishna spring out in ecstasy, so we can enjoy in performing loving service to Him, just like the gopis of Vraj!!!</div>
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<div>Vasanta Panchami ki jaya!<br /> <br /> <strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://www.mayapur.com/2022/and-of-seasons-i-am-flower-bearing-spring/">https://www.mayapur.com/2022/and-of-seasons-i-am-flower-bearing-spring/</a></div>
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<p> </p></div>A Divine Experience In Full Manifestation – Sri Krishna Pushya Abhishek!https://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/a-divine-experience-in-full-manifestation-sri-krishna-pushya-abhi2021-01-29T10:19:02.000Z2021-01-29T10:19:02.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><strong><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8493078880,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="8493078880?profile=RESIZE_584x" />I worship that transcendental seat, known as Śvetadvīpa whereas loving consorts the Lakṣmīs in their unalloyed spiritual essence practice the amorous service of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa as their only lover; where every tree is a transcendental purpose tree; where the soil is the purpose gem, all water is nectar, every word is a song, every gait is a dance, the flute is the favorite attendant, effulgence is full of transcendental bliss and the supreme spiritual entities are all enjoyable and tasty, where numberless milk cows always emit transcendental oceans of milk; where there is eternal existence of transcendental time, who is ever present and without past or future and hence is not subject to the quality of passing away even for the space of half a moment. That realm is known as Goloka only to a very few self-realized souls in this world.</strong></p>
<p>That region which jīvas attain by the best performance of their rasa-bhajana, though purely transcendental, is by no means devoid of variegations. The nondifferentiated region is attained by indulging in anger, fear, and delusion. The devotees attain Goloka, the transcendental region above Vaikuṇṭha, according to the quality of rasa of the respective services. In reality that region is no other than Śvetadvīpa or “the White Island,” being exceedingly pure. Those, who attain the highest rasa in the shape of the realization of pure devotion in this world, viewing the reality of Śvetadvīpa in Gokula, Vṛndāvana and Navadvīpa within this mundane world, designate the same as “Goloka.” In that transcendental region of Goloka there are always visible, in their supreme beauty. all the distinctive entities that are incorporated in the pure cognitive principle, viz., the lover and His beloved ones, trees and creepers, mountains, rivers and forests, water, speech, movement, music of the flute, the sun and the moon, tasted and taste (i.e., the unthinkable wonders of the 64 aesthetic arts), milk cows yielding Nectarian flow of milk and transcendental ever-existing time. (Brahman Samhita 5.56)</p>
<p>In preparation for the festival, the devotees of Mayapur sat around, very enthusiastically with so much love like the Gopis from Vraj full of devotion and very committed, only absorbed in the making of the flower outfits for their Lordships. Tons of Kilos of different flowers were collected and were expertly used in the making of the flower outfits which includes Gulchadi, Orchids, Orange roses, Asters, Chandramalika and marigold.<img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8493085897,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="8493085897?profile=RESIZE_584x" /></p>
<p>According to Sri Brahman Samhta “When the pure spiritual experience is excited by means of cognition and service [bhakti], super excellent unalloyed devotion characterized by love for Godhead is awakened towards Kṛṣṇa, the beloved of all souls”.</p>
<p>Being in Mayapur and participating in such auspicious pastimes of the Lord is in no doubt an unmerited blessing and it is only by the divine mercy of His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, that we can experience such magnificent splendor this Lifetime.</p>
<p>Rushing from both angles of the temple rooms are devotees from all around India and visiting guest who has especially came to take part in the festival. Thousands of devotees gathered around carefully with eyes filled with devotion and their eyelids as if overweighed with hidden tears, with folded hands they took darshan of the Divine couple and their Astasakhis in their beautifully made floral outfits, decorated with ornaments, flower garlands, Tulsi garlands and anklets, the devotees use over five thousand flowers plus per skirt. Sri Madhava also graces a uniquely special floral outfit which His tailor made perfectly for His Tribanga form, as well as flower jewelry and flower mukut pieces for His turban. Taking such Darshan of their Lordships, what more can one ever ask for!</p>
<p>The glow emanating from the altar which has been beautifully decorated with varieties of flowers delineate the feeling one gets from and extra ordinary experience. In this was way the hearts of all the devotees present there were completely melted, and the festival commenced gracefully.</p>
<p>The festival reached its climax after the sandhya arati, when it is finally time for the abhiseka, the utsav murtis, small Radha Madahva Deities come forward to everyone’s delight and the abhiseka begins, Sri Sri Radha Madhava are then showered in flower petals as mantras and chanting of the Holy name goes on simultaneously. A beautiful pastime unveiling in front of everyone’s astonishment, the deities get fully covered in the mountain of flower petals getting showered from all directions. The devotees chant even louder and the kirtan even faster when it finally comes to an end and Their Lordships return to the altar to be dressed in fresh clothes and everyone goes home with the sweet reminiscence of the festival.</p>
<p>Kṛṣṇa is the exalted Supreme entity having His eternal name, eternal form, eternal attribution, and eternal pastimes. The very name “Kṛṣṇa” implies His love-attracting designation, expressing by His eternal nomenclature the acme of entity. His eternal beautiful heavenly blue-tinged body glowing with the intensity of ever-existing knowledge has a flute in both His hands. As His inconceivable spiritual energy is all-extending, still He maintains His all-charming medium size by His qualifying spiritual instrumentals. His all-accommodating supreme subjectivity is nicely manifested in His eternal form. The concentrated all-time presence, uncovered knowledge and inebriating felicity have their beauty in Him. The mundane manifestative portion of His own Self is known as all-pervading Paramātmā, Īśvara (Superior Lord) or Viṣṇu (All-fostering). Hence it is evident that Kṛṣṇa is sole Supreme Godhead. His unrivalled or unique spiritual body of super excellent charm is eternally unveiled with innumerable spiritual instrumentals (senses) and unreckonable attributes keeping their signifying location properly, adjusting at the same time by His inconceivable conciliative powers. This beautiful spiritual figure is identical with Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual entity of Kṛṣṇa is identical with His own figure.</p>
<p>(Sri Brahman Samhita 5.1)</p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=MayapurDotCom&set=a.10159350648718413&__cft__%5B0%5D=AZWrKHaIjjIjLi_S_HTbrE2r2cKi0eVG5KVO3kVL6KrO6siaKEnG2gtOlZNO-I6DdyWagr4IEPKJPgd1A8zVmUBNtSg5EJHXNLc4pb0pljgpd1Xxm_eNHvvEzTNxfXU2hGk1eS8IJ-MVMfRRroAMTpYxR33NeijqUR1LJEI02en25Wu6IndeIB2r8v5nx968ejQ&__tn__=-R">Sri Krishna Abhishek Photo Album</a></strong></span></p>
<p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://www.mayapur.com/2021/a-divine-experience-in-full-manifestation-sri-krishna-pushya-abhishek/">https://www.mayapur.com/2021/a-divine-experience-in-full-manifestation-sri-krishna-pushya-abhishek/</a></p></div>Sri Krishna Pushya Abhisheka- When Simple unites Grand!https://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/sri-krishna-pushya-abhisheka-when-simple-unites-grand2020-01-11T10:19:48.000Z2020-01-11T10:19:48.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}3814107675,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="3814107675?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="500" /></p>
<p>In the Skanda Purana 2.2.42, Sri Krishna Pusya abhiseka is described as one of the festivals observed for Lord Jagannath in Puri. The chapter gives an elaborate description of the rituals for observing the festival. In Skanda Purana 2.27.99, the pusya naksatra is also mentioned, wherein it is stated that on a thursday, Astami tithi, during Sukla-paksa of the month of Vaishakha, in conjunction with the Pusya-naksatra, on that day Lord Jagannath was installed in the original temple in Puri.</p>
<p>Flowers are a special part of our tradition. It is the way we honor special guests. It is the way we honor the spiritual master and the vaisnavas. It is a form of worship, a form of appreciation. Offering flowers is a simple service for Krishna but it’s a deep meditation, whether it is stringing flowers together or pulling them apart, with every flower, meditation should be an offering out of love and devotion to Krishna.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>“patram puspam phalam toyam</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>yo me bhakta prayacchati”</strong></p>
<p>Krishna says “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” – BG 9.26</p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}3814108510,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}3814108510,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="3814108510?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" /></a></p>
<p>In preparation for the festival, the devotees of Mayapur sit around, plucking out tender petals from different kinds of flowers. There are around five types of chandramallika flowers, three types of marigolds, dopati and dalia flowers and thousands of roses. All the flowers are brought from different parts of India. The plucking proceeds till dusk, as basket after basket gets brimmed with fragrant petals. Whoever it may be, young or old, there is that consciousness of humility, generosity, and devotion in them with each flower petal they pluck—with every single one of them as an offering— and a cry for help to attain the highest perfection of life.</p>
<p>Srila Prabhupada once explained the festival this way: “Krishna was just a toy in the hands of the Gopis, so one day the Gopis decided that we shall decorate Him. Pusya abhisheka means a ceremony to decorate the deity profusely with flowers, ornaments, cloths.After there should be lavish feasting and a procession through the streets, so that all the citizens should see how beautiful Krishna appears.”</p>
<p>In the spiritual world the Gopis decorate Krishna and Balaram with feathers, fruits, leaves and flowers. Amongst their many gardens in Pushpavan near Kusum Sarovar, every day, just before noon, Srimati Radharani collects flowers from that garden to make beautiful garlands to offer to Krishna when He meets her at Radha Kund.</p>
<p>His Grace Jananivasa Prabhu was instructed by Srila Prabhupada to celebrate festivals related to the pastimes of the Sri Sri Sri Radha Krishna in a grand way in Sri Dham Mayapur.</p>
<p>Therefore now for the abhisek alone, the devotees make petals from over thirty thousand Chrysanthemums or chandramallika flowers in different colours, fifty kilos of dopati flower or impatiens balsamina in colours ranging from white and light pinks and oranges to dark pinks, purples and red, more than two hundred and forty marigold flower garlands in yellow and orange and over forty thousand roses. Now Define Grand!</p>
<p>Devotees and pilgrims turn up in huge numbers as the festival takes place. When the curtains open both Sri Sri Radha Madhava and Pancha-tattva take your breath away. The temple crowded full of devotees stand astounded for minutes taking darshan and singing to their lordships. They stand decorated in their all new floral outfits, ornaments, flower garlands, Tulsi garlands and anklets. For the skirts alone,the devotees use over five thousand flowers per skirt. Sri Madhava also graces a uniquely special flower outfit which is tailor made perfectly for His Tribanga form, as well as flower jewellery and flower mukut pieces for His turban.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">The festival reaches its climax after the sandhya arati, afternoon offering, when it is finally time for the abhiseka, the utsav murtis, small Radha Madahva Deities come forward to everyone’s delight and the abhiseka begins, Sri Sri Radha Madhava are then showered in flower petals as mantras and chanting of the Holy name goes on simultaneously. A beautiful pastime unveiling in front of everyone’s astonishment, the deities get fully covered in the mountain of flower petals getting showered from all directions. The devotees chant even louder and the kirtan even faster when it finally comes to an end and Their Lordships return to the altar to be dressed in fresh clothes and everyone goes home with the sweet reminiscence of the festival.<br /><br /><strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/MayapurDotCom/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10158139498143413" target="_blank">PUSHYA ABHISHEKA DARSHAN GALLERY</a></strong><br /><br /><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://www.mayapur.com/2020/sri-krishna-pushya-abhisheka-when-simple-unites-grand/">https://www.mayapur.com/2020/sri-krishna-pushya-abhisheka-when-simple-unites-grand/</a></p></div>