“Radhastami” celebrated at ISKCON Chandigarh in a marvelous way
Jaswant Singh Puri
“What pious deeds must the Shukla Ashtami Tithi in the month of Bhadra have performed to be blessed with the good fortune of being the divine appearance day of Srimati Radhika! She is the original goddess of fortune, the direct counterpart and the eternal consort of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna” said Akinchan Priya Das.
She descended to this earthly planet on the sacred land of Raval only to accompany Krishna in His pleasure pastimes in this material world. They perform these pastimes not only for their own pleasure, but to attract the suffering conditioned souls away from their material attachments and towards the eternal blissful realm of Goloka.
Just two weeks after Sri Krishna Janmashtami celebration is the auspicious appearance of Srimati Radhika, which is known as Radhastami. On this day, Srimati Radhika graces us with her beautiful splendorous Darshan. She is the true epitome of virtue and pure love.
Sri Chaitanya-Caritamrita delineates that the complete manifestation of God includes his feminine counterpart, Radha. They are
Paramesvari- Madhav Priya- Srimati RADHARANI’s Kripa Kataksh merciful Suprabhatam.. Blessed Krishna conscious Radha Ashtmi…May Her merciful glance be always cast upon you so you can serve Sri Sri Guru n Gauranga eternally… Aksdp… RADHARANI KI JAI MAHARANI KI JAI! 🥳🌈💫 Jai our all caring Lord Sri Narsimha dev…. Tc 🙂 . There’s a beautiful description in the Chaitanya-Caritamrita which gives us a window into the connection between Radha and Krishna:
“Radha is the full power, and Lord Kṛṣṇa is the possessor of full power. The two are not different, as evidenced by the revealed scriptures. They are indeed the same, just as musk and its scent are inseparable, or as fire and its heat are non-different. Thus Rādhā and Kṛiṣhṇa are one, yet they have taken two forms to enjoy the mellows of pastimes.”
Millions gather today, in India and around the world, to offer prayers, worship, and devotional songs glorifying the appearance of the Divine mother Srimati Radharani.
International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Chandigarh celebrated Radhashtami (the appearance of Srimati Radharani) festival in a marvelous way, on 4th September, 2022. Thousands of devotees as well as guests participated in the celebratory preparations of Radhastami and attained 1000 times the blessings and merit that accompany the seva (loving devotional service- Yajna, daan, tapasya) on this sacred mahamahotsava.
The Radhastami celebrations began with Mangala Aarti of Sri-Sri Radha Madhava, the most attractive couple of the City beautiful at 4:30 am followed by Tulsi Aarti, Guru-puja of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Chanting of the Holy names of Krishna with melodious tunes enthralled the devotees participating and witnessing the divine celebrations.
On the auspicious occasion, Special Darshan of Sri Sri Radha Madhava adorned with a brilliant new dress was the main attraction of the festival, which endeared the Divine couple to the hearts of one and all.
Another attraction of the festival was the Maha Abhishek of Sri Sri Radha Madhava with milk, curd, ghee, honey and different types of fruit juices which was distributed amongst devotees as Charanamrita later on.
Devotees continously performed kirtans and glorified Srimati Radharani by singing wonderful songs composed by the Vaishnava Acharyas.
The celebrations concluded with an elaborate Maha Aarati , which was performed as the devotees sang Sri Guruvastakam.
Finally, prize distribution ceremony for the various cultural and artistic events for children, like Fancy Dress and Quiz etc, organised on the eve of Janmashtami , was held, wherein the participants were rewarded for their sincere devotional endeavours .
The path of bhakti or devotional service prepares one’s heart and consciousness — by eradicating selfishness and incorporating selflessness — to understand and experience that divine love which exists between Radha and Krishna.
This is a wonderful day to meditate and reflect on the beautiful selfless qualities of Radharani and pray that we can to some degree follow in Her footsteps.
The Mahamahotsava concluded with divine enthusiasm in the hearts of one and all. Surcharged with the spiritual prowess obtained by pleasing Srimati Radharani on Her divine appearance, the devotees vowed to serve the Divine Couple by distributing as many Srimad Bhagavatam Sets as possible for the upcoming Bhadra Purnima Festival on 10th September, 2022, for the welfare of the whole world.
Bhadra Purnima, celebrated 8 days after the Radhaashtami festival, is the day of worship of Srimad Bhagavatam( Bhagawat Puran) written by Srila Vyasadev.
In Padma Purana, it is mentioned that Srimad Bhagavatam is non- different from Supreme Lord. Various cantos of Bhagavatam are compared with Lord’s various body parts. Srimad Bhagavatam is the ultimate source to reach Krishna. It originated just after the departure of the Lord from the material world to the supreme abode. Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is the panacea for respiritualizing the entire planet. Because the Bhāgavatam addresses the root cause of suffering, it is a cure-all for the many ills we suffer in this world.
It is stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam that if you give the gift of Srimad Bhagavatam on Bhadra Purnima Tithi, you achieve the supreme destination Goloka Vrindavan:
“If on the full moon day of the month of Bhādra one places Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.”
September 4,2022
