“My dear father, I am very respectfully and humbly inquiring. What is this arrangement? Why you are busy in making some sacrificial ceremony, what is the reason, and what is the result? For whose benefit is it and by what means will it be accomplished?” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.24.3)

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कथ्यतां मे पित: कोऽयं सम्भ्रमो व उपागत:
किं फलं कस्य वोद्देश: केन वा साध्यते मख:

kathyatāṁ me pitaḥ ko ’yaṁ
sambhramo va upāgataḥ
kiṁ phalaṁ kasya voddeśaḥ
kena vā sādhyate makhaḥ

1. Krishna Janmashtami

“Well, I am here at the temple, and let me tell you, it has been quite a day. I was kindly invited by the hosts of this event. Though the event was at the local house of worship, the same celebration takes place everywhere. According to the information I received, the exact date changes, because the calculation is based on the lunar calendar. The astute observer can likely figure that out on their own, as the word Janmashtami refers to the eighth day, or ashtami, of the janma, or birth.

“Of course, the people here are celebrating the birth of Shri Krishna, who they worship as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is an occasion to mark the historical event that took place thousands of years ago. In a prison cell, of all places, the Supreme Lord, having provided advance notice in Vaikuntha, appeared as the beloved eighth child of the parents held in captivity, Vasudeva and Devaki.

“I learned so much throughout my day here, taking part in the festivities. I actually fasted the entire day. No water. No food. No joke. We waited until the clock struck midnight, when there was a thunderous release of devotional ecstasy from all who were gathered. It was certainly a learning experience for me, and I hope to repeat the same in future years. Now back to you.”

2. Gita Jayanti

“Well, I am here live at the temple, where the festivities wrapped up mere moments ago. The people celebrated what they refer to as the advent of their most sacred text, the Bhagavad-gita. According to the teachers in this tradition, the wisdom is actually eternal in nature. It has no true date of origin, as it is tied to the origin of everything and everyone.

“Nevertheless, the specific celebration is for commemorating the famous exchange of the wisdom between Shri Krishna, the teacher, and Arjuna, the disciple. I am told that one way to translate Bhagavad-gita is to say, ‘The song of God.’

“Well, I can assure you that the people here are very fond of singing. They sang the maha-mantra in many different tunes throughout the day, each more pleasing in nature. There was widespread and liberal distribution of the specific translation and commentary that the followers swear by, Bhagavad-gita As It is. Now back to you.”

3. Rama Navami

“I am here at the temple, where the celebration was a little different today. Though the people are known to chant the words Hare and Krishna, this time the focus was on the other word in the maha-mantra: Rama.

“Today marks the anniversary of when the Supreme Lord appeared in this world as the beloved eldest son of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya. It was a long awaited arrival, as the king had advanced in age. The people tell me that they actually pray to always remember the moment, to keep the memory of a young Shri Rama imprinted in their heart.”

बाल बिभू।सन बसन बर धूरि धूसरित अंग
बालकेलि रघुबर करत बाल बन्धु सब सन्ग

bāla bibhū।sana basana bara dhūri dhūsarita aṃga
bālakeli raghubara karata bāla bandhu saba sanga

“In the childhood form, wearing nice jewelry and clothing, He plays in the dirt and His limbs become full of dust. With child-like speech, Rama plays with all the brothers and children.” (Dohavali, 117)

4. Narasimha Chaturdashi

“I must begin by warning people to not be alarmed by what they see behind me. That is indeed a depiction of a gruesome event. A lion-like figure is holding someone on his lap. The figure of authority is ripping the victim in half, literally. Off to the left, you see a small child offering a garland. They are essentially worshiping the act.

“You might be surprised to learn that the child is the five-year old son of the victim. The boy is not angry, vengeful, or spiteful. Rather, this is merely the result of heinous deeds carried out over an extended period of time. The worshipers tell me they specifically celebrate this image to remember the protection of God towards His devotees and how everything always ends up auspicious when there is a relation in devotion, bhakti. Now back to you.”

5. Govardhana Puja

“If I look a little heavier right now, it is because I am. I must admit, that was some of the best food I have eaten in my life. All vegetarian. To those who follow Ayurveda, the food was sattvic in nature. No onions and no garlic. There were up to fifty-six different preparations, chappan-bhoga.

“The worshipers brought the offerings and presented them before a makeshift hill. It is supposed to be a replica of the very same object that can be found in Vrindavana, in India. They say that this tradition has continued for the past five thousand years. The first worship was started by a young Krishna, who was but a child at the time.

“He noticed another religious ceremony about to take place. He then asked a series of questions to the father, Nanda Maharaja. Krishna wanted to know the fruit that was to be gained. Upon hearing the answer, Krishna deftly suggested that the same fruit could be received by worshiping the nearby Govardhana Hill.

“And so the new tradition was born. It is said that Krishna had to later lift that same hill to protect the residents from an intentionally directed devastating rainstorm. Today, the attendees are all smiles, and I was certainly caught up in the ecstasy. Not your typical religious experience. Nothing somber to the occasion. No one felt ashamed and there was no pressing urge to repent. The people tell me that this is the meaning to dharma, that you can actually experience the bliss that is tied to transcendence. Now back to you.”

“Utsava means ‘pleasure.’ Whenever some function takes place to express happiness, it is called utsava. Utsava, the expression of complete happiness, is always present in the Vaikunthalokas, the abode of the Lord, who is worshipable even by demigods like Brahma, to say nothing of other, less important entities such as human beings.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 3.19.31 Purport)

In Closing:

Always glorification to hear,
In celebrations throughout the year.

That not even a single moment to waste,
To experience the transcendental taste.

Meaning to bhakti clear,
That Supreme bringing near.

And holding dear to the heart,
Blissful right from the start.

Categories: kim phalam, the five

Tags: celebration, god, hare krishna, hinduism, holiday, poem, poems, poetry, religion