Bhratr Dvitiya or Bhai Dooj

 

• Bhratr-dvitiya or Bhai Dooj is the fifth and final day of Deepavali festivity celebrated on Shukla Dwitiya of Kartik Month.  It is also known as Yama Dwitiya because Yama is worshipped by the Brother and Sister on this day. 
• Bhai Dooj or Bhaiya Dooj is a Hindu festival celebrating the unconditional bond of love between a brother and a sister. Both pray for each other's well being. 
• Lord Yama was treated by her sister Yamuna to a dinner in her house on this day. Sisters invite Brothers to have lunch/dinner on this day at their home. 

Process:
1. Brother chants 10 names of Bhagawan Yama before going to the Sister’s house for the sister's wellbeing. 

यमो निहन्ता पितृधर्मराजो
वैवस्वतो दण्डधरश्च काल: ।
भूताधिपो दत्तकृतानुसारी
कृतान्त एतद् दशनामभिर्जपेत् ।।

Yama, Destroyer, Pitr, Dharmaraja, Vaivasvata, Holder of danda, Kaala or Time, Lord of the beings, giver of results, destroyer of karmas are the 10 names with which one should remember Yama. 

2. Sister worships Bhagawan Yama & 8 Chiranjeevis before welcoming the Brother:
भ्रातुरायुष्य-वृद्ध्यर्थं
भगिनीभि: यमस्य वै
पूजनीया प्रयत्नेन
प्रतिमाश्च विधानत: ।।

For the long life of the brother, the sisters must worship Bhagawan Yama, as per the scriptural injunctions.
मार्कण्डेयो बलिर्व्यासो
हनुमान्श्च विभीषण: ।
कृपो द्रौणि: परषुराम
एते अष्टौ चिरजीविन: ।।

Maarkandeya, Bali, Vyasa, Hanuman, Vibheeshana, Kripacharya, Ashwatthaama Parashuram are the 8 Chiranjeevis

 
मार्कण्डेयो महाभाग
सप्तकल्पान्त जीवन: ।
चिरजीवी यथा त्वं हि
तथा मे भ्रातरं कुरु ।।

O Great Maarkandeya! You who are a Chiranjeevi, as you live for 7 Kalpas, may my brother also live long.  

(All the shlokas above are from Vrataraaja p.81)

3. The Brother is welcomed with Tilak & Aarti by the Sister. 
4. The Brother and Sister together worship Lord Yama, Yamuna and Chitragupta. (Shlokas are mentioned below).

एह्येहि मार्ताण्डज पाशहस्त

यमान्तकालोकधरामरेश ।
भ्रातृद्वितीया कृत देवपूजनम्

गृहाण चार्घ्यं भगवन् नमस्ते ।।

Come, Come, O Yama, son of the Sun; you that carry in your hand a noose; accept this worship offered on Bhraatrdvitiya and also arghya; salutations to you. 

धर्मराज नमस्तेऽस्तु

नमस्ते यमुनाग्रज ।
पाहि  मां किङ्करै: सार्धम्
सूर्यपुत्र नमोऽस्तु ते ।।

O Dharmaraaja, salutation to you, the elder brother of Yamuna; O son of the Sun, protect me along with your servants; salutations to you.

यमस्वसर्नमस्तेऽस्तु
यमुने लोकपूजिते ।
वरदा भव मे नित्यं
सूर्यपुत्रि नमोऽस्तु ते ।।

Salutations to you, O Yamuna, sister of Yama and honoured by people; always confer on me favours, O daughter of the Sun; salutations to you.

मसिभाजनसंयुक्तं

ध्यायेत् तं च महाबलम् ।
लेखनीपट्टिकाहस्तं
चित्रगुप्तं नमाम्यहम् ।।

I meditate on the one who has a pen and a book in his hands, 
who is most powerful. I prostrate to that Chitragupta.

5. The Brother gives gifts to the Sister. 
6. After the Pooja, the sister serves food to her brother and then has her food.   
7. Bhavishyottara Purana & Padma Purana mention, 'He who eats a meal prepared by his sister's hand on the day on which king Yama was served in this world a meal by Yamuna, through affection secures wealth and the best of food'

Karka-Chaturthi or Karva Chauth

 

How does one observe Karka Chaturthi Vrat(not a festival) or Karva Chauth Vrat?  

As per Vamana Purana

1. Karka Chaturthi Vrat is observed during Krishna Paksha Chaturthi in the Hindu month of Aashvina or Shukla Paksha Chaturthi in the Hindu month of Kartik.

2. The Vrata entails keeping a ‘Nirjala’ fast in which women neither eat nor take a drop of water throughout the day between Sunrise and Moonrise.

3. Prayers are offered to the Goddess Gauri/Parvati, who bestows blessings for a long and happy married life. Pooja is also done of Lord Shiva, Mother Parvati, Lord Karthikeya and Moon God.

4. A mixture of Wheat and sugar laddus are prepared as Naivedhyam to be offered in the Pooja. These laddus which are called Karva are made with wheat and sugar syrup boiled in a raw pot(also called Karva) made of black mud

5. This vrat is observed by married women and newly married women. 13 Karvas(laddus), 1 lota, 1 vastra and 1 special Karva(laddu) are given to the parents of the husband.

6. Women wake up before the sun rises and get ready. Fasting women take a Sankalpa in the Pooja by chanting: मम सुख सौभग्यपुत्रपौत्रादिसुस्थिरश्रीप्रप्तये करकचतुर्थीव्रतमहं करिष्ये ।

7. A picture of peepal tree is drawn in white sand and idols/pictures of Lord Shiva, Mother Parvati, Lord Kartikeya are placed chanting the shloka:

नमः शिवायै शर्वाण्यै सौभग्यम् संततिं शुभाम् ।

प्रयच्छ भक्तियुक्तानां नारीणां हरवल्लभे ॥ This is followed by their Shodasha Upachara Pooja.

Namah Shivaaya & Shanmukhaaya Namaha are mantras chanted for japa.

8. Then Naivedyam of Karvas(laddus) is offered. Dakshina is given to the priest, arghayam(water) is offered to Moon God and then food is consumed by the women after Moonrise

(Source: Vrata parichay of Gita Press, Gorakhpur)

There are many folk lores associated with this Vrata. In different states of Bhaarat, there are different customs & traditions of celebrating Karka Chaturthi. But let us not forget the Puranic traditions.

Women pray for their Saubhagya to be akhanda so that they do not become widows and they pass on before their husbands.

Its not that husbands do not pray for their wives. As per the Vedic traditions, punya is acquired by married men by performing their nitya karma(daily rituals like Agnihotra or sandhyavandan etc.). 50% of that punya goes to the wife. So its not once in a year that the husband prays for the wife but on a daily basis the prayer is done and punya is shared.

There is nothing wrong if the husbands want to fast and observe karka chaturthi vrat with their wives. But to think that why should wives alone pray for the husbands and that it is a sign of patriarchy, is only an expression of one's ignorance of the deeper vedic vision and our traditions.

Gayatri Mantra- Significance & Symbolism

(Listen to my detailed talk on Gayatri Mantra Significance on Chinmaya Shivam Youtube Channel, here)

Mantra & Japa – For Mind Mastery

A mantra is a mystical sound which not only enchants the mind and helps make it single-pointed and concentrated, but also, being pregnant with ideas, helps purify the mind as well as reveal to us great mysteries about ourselves and the universe when we contemplate on its deeper meanings.   Japa, on the other hand, means to repeat the same thought, idea or mantra continuously.... like the uninterrupted flow of oil.

Gayatri Mantra

Of the many mantras that are available to us in our Scriptures, that is, in the Vedas and the Puranas, the most popular and the most highly emphasized is the Gayatri Mantra.   Many wonderful and fantastic results or gains have been attributed to the chanting of this mantra.   The list is simply endless.     But for those of us who are seekers of Truth and of a better way of living, it would be enough to say that nothing is impossible for the person who regularly and sincerely, with complete devotion, chants or repeats in his mind the Gayatri Mantra.  

 

The Gayatri Mantra is also that one special mantra by which we can be freed from all our sins.  By sin, we do not mean a crime done against God for which He is ever-ready to punish us, the way it is commonly misunderstood.   In fact, the Lord who is all-loving and compassionate, is ever anxious to forgive.    Sin refers to that "mistake" of the mind whereby the mind goes against the principles, ideals, knowledge and convictions already established in the intellect.   On a subtler level, sin is the act of going against the harmonious laws of nature, thereby creating disharmony, sorrow and agitation or restlessness... for oneself and others around us.

 

There are many stories which indicate the greatness and importance of the Gayatri.   But for starters, it would suffice to say that if, hypothetically, all our Vedas, all our Scriptures, were lost or taken away from us, and only this mantra remained, still, we would easily be able to revive or regenerate the entire spiritual culture of Bharat, for the Gayatri Mantra comprises the very essence of the Vedas. 

 

Etymological Meaning of the word ‘Gayatri’

The Scriptures declare: GAAYANTAM TRAAYATE YASMAAT GAAYATRI-ITI PRAKIRTITAA.  Translation: “That which protects the one who chants it is Gayatri.”   The Gayatri is not an ordinary mantra.   The mere sound of it can save man from great peril or sorrow.    

Meaning - Literal

✶Om – Shortest syllable indicating Truth

✶Bhuh- Earth

✶Bhuvah – Interspace

✶Suvah – Heavens

✶Tat Savitur – That Sun

✶Varenyam – Most adorable

✶Bhargah devasya – Effulgence

✶Dhimahi – I meditate

✶Dhiyo yo nah – Our intellect, may he(Sun)

✶Prachodayaat – illumine.

 

Literal Meaning:  I meditate on That Sun who is the illuminer of the three worlds – the earth, the heavens and the interspace, who is most adorable, effulgence of the divine powers.  May That Sun illumine our Intellect. 

Physically the sun energizes the entire universe.  Sun brings freshness, burns away bacteria and sunlight is symbolic of dynamic activity, enthusiasm etc.  Statistics have shown that in countries where there is no sunlight for long periods of time, cases of depression, suicide, low-self-esteem etc. are very high.  Invoking the sun is to invoke – brilliance, light and energy into our life.  Just the chanting of the mantra without knowing the meaning,  invokes divine vibrations and has a healing effect on the body.  Knowing the meaning is much more beneficial to the entire personality. 

 

Meaning - Symbolic

✶Om – Shortest syllable indicating Truth

✶Bhuh-  Body

✶Bhuvah – Mind

✶Suvah – Intellect

✶Tat Savitur – That Sun (Ideal of Tireless Service)

✶Varenyam – Most adorable (Warmth of Love)

✶Bhargah devasya – Effulgence (Light of Knowledge)

✶Dhimahi – I meditate

✶Dhiyo yo nah – Our intellect, may He(Sun)

✶Prachodayaat – illumine.

 

Symbolic meaning:  I meditate on That Sun who is the illuminer of the three worlds(Body Mind & Intellect), who is an ideal of tireless service, warmth of love and light of knowledge.  May That Sun illumine our Intellect and inspire us to grow Holistically in life. 

As we think, so we become

The simple principle of mind is - "as we think, so we become".  We become what we constantly dwell upon.  The rishis called this technique as Upasana.  Upasana literally means "sitting, asana... near, upa.... the ideal or object of worship".   In other words, to fix your mind on the object of your concentration in such a way that the nature of the ideal becomes integrated into your personality

 

Symbolic Meaning of  Sun: Holistic Growth

The Rishis found none other than the blazing sun as the perfect representative or embodiment of all the noble ideals along with the Supreme Knowledge; ....of God, the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer;  and of the Absolute Reality.      For a child or youngster, in fact for the whole of mankind, there is no greater ideal that amply represents the brilliance of knowledge and intelligence, as well as the warmth of love and caring, other than the sun.    The principle of dynamic work, the spirit of dedicated service without any expectations, and the virtue of unlimited sacrifice -- these are best exemplified in nature by the quiet sun which unceasingly burns of itself to give heat and light to all of Creation, yet demands nothing in return.     Thus the Sun represents the blossoming of the personality and holistic growth at body, mind and intellectual levels. 

Thus, from childhood till the time of death or till one renounces the world and takes up sanyaas, one is urged to do the upasana of Surya Devata, who is also known as Savitr.    We are advised to rise in the morning and greet the sun with oblations of water in the cupped palms, called as arghyam... accompanied by the chanting of the Gayatri Mantra, and at dusk, to conclude the day in the same manner; this practice is known as Sandhya Vandan in its simplest form.   

 

When we regularly pray like this, invoking the brilliance of the sun, we develop in ourselves those powers of understanding, that clarity of vision, subtlety of intellect, alertness and purity required to gain the Supreme Knowledge.   We become people with knowledge, learning & can apply ourselves to the world intelligently and bring to others as well as ourselves, prosperity, along with the absolute good of self-perfection or God-realization.  

 

In each of us there is a light of intelligence, shining equally bright in every one of us.   But then why is it that we find that some of us are more intelligent than the others?   Why do we find that some people are dull and cannot understand even the simplest things, whereas others can pick up the most profound things so fast?     Even in the same house, between two children born of the same parents, one comes first in his class while the other fails miserably.    If we look into this question closely, we find that the intellect is sharp and bright when the mind is calm.   When the mind is agitated, the intellect cannot think properly.   The secret of intelligence is to quieten the agitations of the mind.   Swami Chinmayanandaji said - "When the mind is calm, the intellect is sharp. Then the decisions are rational, right and rewarding."  It is only when the agitations of the mind are quietened that the intellect becomes bright and can think clearly.    So what is obstructing the intelligence in us is these lower tendencies, the baser vasanas.    For example, haven't you noticed now and then how your children get very good marks in their studies for a certain period, and then suddenly they fail miserably in some test?  If you try to make a chart based on these observations you will find that at the time of failure there was some distraction in the child's life.    Perhaps a soccer or cricket game was going on, some conflict or confusion, or depression and dejection, was raging in the child's mind, or simply, the youngster had suddenly, madly fallen in love!     We may think that this is true only of children or the young ones, but isn't the same true of us also?

 

Therefore through the Gayatri Mantra, we invoke the Lord Sun, saying: O Lord Sun, please purify our mind for the higher sadhana... please purify my mind, so that the light of my intellect may shine forth.

 

Meaning - Spiritual

✶Om – Shortest syllable indicating Truth

✶Bhuh- Waking State

✶Bhuvah – Dream State

✶Suvah – Deep Sleep

✶Tat Savitur – That Consciousness

✶Varenyam – Most adorable(LIFE)

✶Bhargah devasya – Effulgence of devas(Senses)

✶Dhimahi – I meditate

✶Dhiyo yo nah – Our intellect, may he(Sun)

✶Prachodayaat – illumine.

 

Spiritual Meaning: I meditate on the Pure Consciousness which illumines the Waking, Dream & Deep sleep, which is the effulgence of the senses.  May it shine more brightly through our intellect (so that we may come to know the SELF – our true nature)

As one grows in spiritual maturity, one realizes that it is not that sun outside that illumines my intellect. There is some other enlivening factor within me because of which the Body Mind and Intellect are able to function.  One wonders – how are the eyes able to see?  How can the ears hear?  Are they doing it on their own?  No!  Eyes can’t see on their own. There is something else that empowers the eyes.  When the mind does not back the eyes, the eyes can’t see.  How does the mind function?  What is the mind?  It is just a co-ordinator between the senses and the intellect.  Intellect is the deciding faculty.  What is the intellect?  It is a flow of thoughts. Who illumines the flow? How am I aware of the thoughts?  What illumines my intellect?  When one enquires thus, one discovers that it is the Pure Consciousness – the LIFE Principle in me because of which the Body Mind and Intellect are ‘alive’ and functioning.  That Consciousness is me.  I am not the BMI. 

If I am that Consciousness, why do I not experience it? 

What covers the brilliance of consciousness within me are my own vasanas or innate tendencies which also veil my intellect.  Thus the seeker understands that the sun outside is just the symbol of that ever-shining consciousness within, and that I turn my mind towards it so that in the brilliance of its knowledge, my ignorance and negative tendencies are detroyed... and the light of consciousness floods through my intellect unobscured as the light of intelligence.    Thereafter the Gayatri Mantra becomes a prayer to Consciousness, the Atma, or the Higher Self, in the light of which everything is experienced, and without which not even the brilliant sun or the shining moon can be perceived.    

 

So in the initial stage the chanting of the mantra is a special vibration that has the power to quieten the mind.  Then it is taught that it is a prayer invoking the blessing of the all-adorable Lord Sun which sustains the entire universe.   For a devotee, it is a prayer to his own chosen personal Lord of the Heart to destroy all the negative tendencies that cause sorrow in one's life and interfere in one's devotional practices and duties.    But as the seeker starts growing, this prayer becomes more subjective, invoking the light of intelligence, the atma within, to bring out the brilliance in our intellect.  But for the student of Vedanta, who seeks Truth and liberation, for him it becomes an  indicator, a means of contemplation, a revealer of Truth.   Each and every word represents the very depth of the Upanishads.  

 

This Gayatri Mantra which is the most popular of the many mantras in the Gayatri metre, was revealed to Sage Vishwamitra who was the Rishi or the seer of this mantra, who gave out this most precious jewel of the Vedas.  Truly as His name implies, He is the mitra, or friend, of the vishwa or entire universe.   Devata of this Mantra is Savita or Lord Sun.  Gayatri is the all-loving and benevolent Mother Goddess who is also called as Vedamata or Mother of the Vedas. She is also known Savitri Devi. May the blessings of Mother Gayatri ever shower upon all of us.

 

Thus, quietly slowly with all your feelings of love and devotion, and with your understanding, repeat daily the Gayatri Mantra in your mind while your intellect dives in contemplation to discover your own True Self.   

 

Hari Om!

(Listen to my detailed talk on Gayatri Mantra Significance on Chinmaya Shivam Youtube Channel, here)