Synonyms: Varsha Pratipada, Yugadi tithi, Hindu New Year.
Gudhipadva is the first day of the Hindu
Calendar Year.
Importance: The Hindu New Year begins on the first day of the month
of Chaitra from the Hindu lunar calendar. The natural, historical and spiritual
reasons to mark the commencement of the year on the first day of the month Chaitra
of are discussed in the following sections.
Natural: The spring season commences, the trees bear new foliage and
appear fresh. In the Shrimadbhagvadgita the
Lord says, “Among the seasons the exhilarating Vasant season (spring) is
My manifestation,” thus signifying the importance of this season. In this
season the weather is pleasant and exhilarating.
Historical: Lord Rama,
an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, returned to Ayodhya after slaying the demons and
Ravan, an evil king of the demons who had kidnapped Lord Rama’s queen,
Sita, on this very day. He slayed Vali, a powerful and evil king of Kishkindha
on this very day.
Spiritual:
| 1. |
Since on this day Lord
Brahma created the universe and the Satyayug began,
it marks the commencement of the New Year. |
| 2. |
It is one among the three-and-a-half auspicious
days (sade teen muhurtas).
The special feature of the three and a half days are that unlike other days when
one has to choose an auspicious moment to perform a ritual, on these one does
not need to as every moment of these days are auspicious. |
| 3. |
The higher incidence of prajapati
sanyukta (conjoint) frequencies on the earth: The Hindu Holy text Ganeshyamal
tantra states that totally 108 subtle frequencies reach the earth. These stem
from the four parts (charans) of each of the twenty-seven lunar asterisms from
the Nakshtralok. They disintegrate further into four type of frequencies – yama,
surya, prajapati and sanyukta (conjoint), and strike the earth in varying proportions
throughout the year. On the first day of the month of Chaitra, the prajapati
sanyukta and surya sanyukta frequencies, which have the potential to increase
the spiritual/subtle purity (sattva)
component, descend in larger quantities. Also on this day, the maximum number
of the purity-predominant prajapati sanyukta frequencies descends upon the earth. |
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