Deepavali

Deepavali or Diwali is the festival of lights. Deepavali is the most well celebrated festival in India. Most of them are well aware of the rituals done during this festival season. In some parts of India, Deepavali is celebrated for five days and in south India mostly, it is celebrated for three days. Lakshmi pooja is most auspicious ritual done on the Deepavali Amavasya and even before amavasya trayodasi is also considered as an auspicious day to worship Goddess Lakshmi. Dhanalakshmi pooja(Srilakshmi Kubera vratham) can be done on this day. These are some photos taken at home during diwali at our Sydney home. In India, bursting crackers is the most common phenomenon, but in overseas it is very hard or can say impossible to find the crackers, but we do get the usual sparklers or kakarapovottulu (telugu). We burn those and satisfy ourselves by reminding the nostalgic moments of burning crackers way back in India. But atleast kids born here, like my son can go through the expereince of burning those sparklers and feeling the festival and knowing about the festival and the rituals and customs of our tradition.

కార్తిక మాసం

KSheerabdhi dwadasi tulasi dhatri sametha Lakshmi Narayana pooja

Karthika masam / Karthika masam is the most auspicious month to our hindus. kartika masam starts the day after Deepavali, the festival of diyas or deepam. Kartika masam is very auspicious and gets us spiritual bliss when we worship Lord vishnu/Shiva. There are many important pooja procedures to be done during this period like Ksheerabdhi dwadasi pooja/ Kartika deepam or Kartika pournami pooja, lighting the lamps near Tulasi kota and doing nitya poojas to Goddess Tulasi, Chanting vishnu sahsranamam or shiva sahasranamam, atleast daily chanting of shiva stotras, fasting on mondays and meditating on Lord shiva.According to kalidharma and kaladharmam we are not able to follow each and every ritual according to Kartika puranam, but atleast we can adapt some rituals and do simple pooja with scuchi and subratha.

Importance of Karthika masam

•Lord Vishnu goes to sleep on Ashadha suddha ekadashi and wakes-up on Karthika suddha ekadashi.
•Lord Shiva kílled Tripurasuras on Karthika pournami and protected the world.
•In this month Ganga (Godess of river Ganges) enters in to all rivers, canals, ponds and wells and makes them as pious as Ganga.

Reading and hearing the Karthika puranam.

The most important aspect of Karthika masam is hearing Karthika puranam. It is called as Karthika vratham. It normally includes the following rules:

•Waking up early in Brahmi muhartham (4.00A.M)
•Taking bath in rivers or ponds remembering Ganga
•Shiva puja / Damodara (Vishnu) puja
•Lighting deepam on sun-set and doing tulasi devi pooja
•Understanding Karthika puranam

These photos were taken on the festival of Kartika Pournami at home.