Vachan: is an Indian tradition. Predominantly when in older times Kings and queens used to give Vachans (solemn promises) in lieu of some special and extraordinary services rendered to them by their subjects, they could be encashed by the receiver at the time of his need. These promises were most of the time fulfilled but at times were a cause of serious embarrassment to the giver. Times change fast and the circumstances under which the promises were made also modified. But, a promise is a promise. It had to be fulfilled under all circumstances as the the giver feared a backlash from the public.In Treta Yuga, Rama the rightful owner to the throne of Ayodhaya was banished to the forests by the king Dashratha to fulfill his Vachan given to the queen Keikayi. She wanted the throne for her son Bharat who was also the cousin brother of Rama. Bharat, a great devotee of Rama had but to rule the kingdom against his own wishes. In the present days, people in the west still place a lot of trust in one another. Word-of-mouth and promises are made to be kept. Ties are broken with mutual consent, no hard feelings on either side. Never make a promise which you cannot fulfill. If made never go back on a promise! Live not for this Life alone. God awaits you in his kingdom.

श्री सांवलिया सेठ के सभी भक्तों को दीपावली की ढेरो शुभकामनाये.

Dhanteras is the first day of the five-day Dipawali Festival as celebrated in  India. it is also  known as “Dhantrayodashi” or “Dhanwantari Triodasi” comes in Krishna Paksha of Ashwin (October/November).

The word Dhanteras, Dhan stands for wealth. On Dhanteras, the “Owl” form of the GoddessLaxmi is worshiped to provide prosperity and well being. Dhanteras holds special significance for the business community due to customary purchases of precious metals on this day.

Important Festival of Indian Women

Karva Chauth is a very significant festival for the women of North Indian. Traditionally the Indian woman was expected to uphold family honour and repute. and in order to do that, she was compared to myriad goddesses and heroines in Hindu mythology whose personal and spiritual achievements thus set the way of life for every Indian woman who, in turn, was expected to emulate them. As a child she submitted to the dictates of the paterfamilias – the father, and after marriage to those of the husband. Her failure to do so supposedly brought doom and dishonor upon the concerned families and their genealogical ramifications.

Victory of Shri Rama  over Ravan

Shri Ram, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, killed the great demon Ravana who had kidnapped Mata  Sita to Lanka. Shri Rama, his brother Lakshman, their follower Hanuman and an army of monkeys fought a  battle to rescue Mata Sita.

Shri  Ram, Mata Sita, and Lakshman returned to Ayodhya 0n the 14th day of the month of Kartik . To mark the return of Lord Ram, in the evening, the residents of Ayodhya lighted thousands  of  lamps (called Deepak). Since then, this day is celebrated  Diwali or Deepawali.

During the ten days of Dasha-Hara, Deities of Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna and son Meghanad are erected and burnt by enthusiastic youths at sunset.

After Dasha-Hara, the hot summer ends, especially in North India. The coming cold weather is believed to encourage infections. The burning of the effigies, filled with firecrackers containing phosphorous,it is  suppose that purifies the environment  while the Homa done at temples.

People perform  Homa as a Shanti Yag and recite Sundara Kaand in these days.

Victory of Durga Mata over Mahishasur

Some of the demons, or Asuras, were very powerful and ambitious and continually tried to defeat the Devas, or Gods , and capture Heaven. One Asura, Mahishasur, in the form of a buffalo, grew very powerful and created havoc on the earth. Under his leadership, the Asuras defeated the Devas. The world was crushed under Mahishasura’s tyranny, the Devas joined their energies into Shakti, a single mass of incandescent energy, to kill Mahishasur.

A very powerful band of lightning emerged from the mouths of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and a young, beautiful female virgin with ten hands appeared. All the Gods gave their special weapons to her. This Shakti coalesced to form the goddess Durga. Riding on a lion, who assisted her, Durga fought Mahishasur. The battle raged for nine days and nights. Finally on the tenth day of Ashvin shukla paksha, Mahishasur was defeated and killed by Durga.

Hence Dasha-Hara is also known as Navaratra or Durgotsava and is a celebration of Durga’s victory. Durga, as Consort of Lord Shiva, represents two forms of female energy – one mild and protective and the other fierce and destructive.

Home Coming of Durga Mata

Daksha, the Lord of the Earth, and his wife Menaka, had a daughter called Sati. As a child, Sati started worshipping Lord Shiva as her would-be-husband. Lord Shiva was pleased with the Sati’s worship of him and married her. Daksha was against their marriage but could not prevent it. Daksha arranged a yagna to which everyone except Lord Shiva was invited. Sati, feeling ashamed of her father`s behaviour and shocked by the attitude meted towards her husband, killed herself. Lord Shiva was anguished when he discovered this. He lifted Sati’s body on his shoulders and started dancing madly. With the supreme power dancing with wrath, the World was on the verge of destruction.

Then Lord Narayana came forward as a saviour and used his Chakra to cut Sati`s body into pieces. Those pieces fell from the shoulders of the dancing Shiva and scattered throughout the world. Shiva was pacified when the last piece fell from his shoulder. Lord Narayana revived Sati. The places where the pieces of Sati fell are known as the Shakti Piths or energy pits. Kalighat in Kolkata, Kamakshya near Guwahati and Vaishnav Devi in Jammu are three of these places.

In her next birth, Sati was born as Parvati or Shaila-Putri (First form of Durga), the daughter of Himalaya. Lord Narayana asked Shiva to forgive Daksha. Ever since peace was restored, Durga, with her children Saraswati, Lakshmi, Kartikeya, Ganesh and her two `sakhis` – Jaya and Vijaya – visit her parents each year during the season of `Sharatkal` or autumn when Durga-Puja is celebrated.

End of Agnyatwas of Pandava

In the age of Dwapar Yuga, Pandava – the five acknowledged sons of Pandu (Sanskrit: पांडु), by his two wives Kunti and Madri – lost to Kauravas in a game of dice, and both spent twelve years of Vanawas, or exile to the forest, followed by one year of Agnyatawas. The brothers hid their weapons in a hole in a Shami tree before entering the Kingdom of Virat to complete the final year of Agnyatwas. After that year, on Vijayadashmi, they recovered the weapons, declared their true identities and defeated Kauravas, who had attacked King Virat to steal his cattle. Since that day, Shami trees and weapons have been worshipped and the exchange of Shami leaves on Vijayadashmi has been a symbol of good will and victory.

Kautsa’s Gurudakshina

Kautsa, the young son of a Brahmin called Devdatt, lived in the city of Paithan. After completing his education with Rishi Varatantu, he insisted on his guru accepting Guru Dakshina, a present. The guru said, “Kautsa, to give ‘dakshina’ in return for learning wisdom is not proper. Graduation of the disciple makes the guru happy, and this is the real Guru Dakshina.”

Kautsa was not satisfied. He still felt it was his duty to give his guru something. The guru said, “All right, if you insist on giving me dakshina, so give me 140 million gold coins, 10 million for each of the 14 sciences I have taught you.”

Kautsa went to King Raghu. Raghuraja was an ancestor of Lord Rama, famous for his generosity. But just at that time he had spent all his money on the Brahmins, after performing the Vishvajit sacrifice. King Raghu asked Kautsa to return three days. Raghuraja immediately left to get the gold coins from Indra. Indra summoned Kuber, the god of wealth. Indra told Kuber, “Make a rain of gold coins fall on the “Shanu” and “Aapati” trees round Raghuraja’s city of Ayodhya.”

The rain of gold coins began to fall. King Raghu gave all the coins to Kautsa, and Kautsa hastened to offer the coins to Varatantu Rishi. Guru had asked only 140 millions, so he gave the rest back to Kautsa. Kautsa was not interested in money, considering honour to be more valuable than wealth. He asked the king to take the remaining gold coins back. But the king refused, as kings do not take back the daan (gift).

Finally Kautsa distributed the gold coins to the people of Ayodhya on the day of Ashvin shukla dashami. In remembrance of this event, there has been a custom of looting the leaves of the Aapati trees, and people present these leaves to one another as gold.

Courtesy by wikipedia

Rama Navami also known as Sri Rama Navami . it is celebrating the birth of Lord Rama son of King Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya of Ayodhya. Rama is the 7th incarnation of the Dashavatara of Vishnu. The festival falls in the Shukla Paksha on the Navami, the ninth day of the month of Chaitra.


According to Ramayana, Ayodhya king Dasharatha, had three wives named Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi.. Their greatest worry was that they had no children. Rishi Vasistha suggests him to perform Puthra Kamesti Yagna, through which he can have a desired child. He also tells him to bring Maha Rishi Rishyasringa to perform this yagna for him. King Dasharath consents and heads to Maharshi Rushya Shrunga’s ashram, to invite him. Maharshi agrees and accompanies King Dasharatha to Ayodhya and performs the yagna. As the result, Yagneshwara appears and provides Dasharatha a bowl of divine Kheer/Payasam and requests him to give it to his all 3 wives. Dasharata gives one half of the payasam to his elder wife Kausalya, and another half to his younger wife Kaikeyi. They both give half of their portions to Sumitra. After few days all three Queens conceive. On the ninth day (Navami) of Chaithra Masa , at noon Kausalya gives birth to Rama, Kaikeyi gives birth to Bharata, and Sumitra to twin boys, Lakshmana and Shatrughna.

Pitar paksh shardha

दूसरेकी भूमिपर श्राद्ध नहीं करना चाहिये। जंगल, पर्वत, पुण्यतीर्थ और देवमन्दिर – ये दूसरेकी भुमिमें नहीं आते; क्योंकि इनपर किसीका स्वामित्व नहीं होता । - कूर्मपुराण

श्राद्धमें पितरोंकी तृप्ति ब्राह्मणोंके द्वारा ही होती है। -स्कन्दपुराण

रात्रिमें श्राद्ध नहीं करना चाहिये, उसे राक्षसी कहा गया है। दोनों सन्ध्याओंमें तथा पूर्वाह्णकालमें भी श्राद्ध नहीं करना चाहिये । - मनुस्मृति ३।२८०

श्राद्धकालमें आये हुए अतिथिका अवश्य सत्कार करे। उस समय अतिथिका सत्कार न करनेसे वह श्राद्ध कर्मके सम्पूर्ण फलको नष्ट कर देता है। - वराहपुराण

श्राद्धमें पहले अग्निको ही भाग अर्पित किया जाता है। अग्निमें हवन करनेके बाद जो पितरोंके निमित्त पिण्डदान किया जाता है, उसे ब्रह्मराक्षस दूषित नहीं करते। - महाभारत, अनु. ९२।११-१२

जो अज्ञानी मनुष्य अपने घर श्राद्ध करके फिर दुसरे घर भोजन करता है, वह पाप का भागी होता है और उसे श्राद्धका फल नहीं मिलता। - स्कन्दपुराण

एक हाथसे लाया गया जो अन्न (अन्नपात्र) ब्राह्मणोंके आगे परोसा जाता है, उस अन्नको राक्षस छीन लेते हैं। - मनुस्मृति ३।२२५

वस्त्रके बिना कोई क्रिया, यज्ञ, वेदाध्ययन और तपस्या नहीं होती । अतः श्राद्धकालमें वस्त्रका दान विशेषरुपसे करना चाहिये। -ब्रह्मपुराण

श्राद्ध और हवनके समय तो एक हाथसे पिण्ड एवं आहुति दे, पर तर्पणमें दोनों हाथोंसे जल देना चाहिये। - पद्मपुराण,नारदपुराण,मत्स्यपुराण,ब्रह्मपुराण,लघुयमस्मृति

श्राद्धके पिण्डोंको गौ, ब्राह्मण या बकरीको खिला दे अथवा अग्नि या पानीमें छोड दे । - मनुस्मृति ३।२६०, महाभारत,अनु. १४५

जो सफेद तिलोंसे पितरोंका तर्पण करता है, उसका किया हुआ तर्पण व्यर्थ होता है । - पद्मपुराण

जहाँ रजस्वला स्त्री, चाण्डाल और सुअर श्राद्धके अन्नपर दृष्टि डाल देते हैं, वह अन्न प्रेत ही ग्रहण करते हैं। -स्कन्दपुराण

श्राद्धमें तीन वस्तुएँ अत्यन्त पवित्र हैं – दुहितापुत्र, कुतपकाल (जब सूर्यका ताप घटने लगता है, उस समय का नाम है ‘कुतप’) तथा तिल । - महाभारत, आदि. ९३,अनु. १४५, सकन्दपुराण, मनुस्मृति

Janmashtami Special – Nand Ghar Anand Bhayo Jai Kanhaiya lal ki Hathi ghoda p..