Category : Religious
In present days, the word “jayanti” is loosely used for someone’s birthday. However, this word is not meant for mortal beings. What most people don’t know about Gita jayanti is, when Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna, it was not the first time that He spoke it. Gita jayanti is not the birthday of Bhagavad Gita. It is the day when Bhagavad Gita was spoken the first time on this planet during this particular yuga cycle.
The most auspicious constellation of stars takes place during the
the appearance of the Lord in this material world, and it is specifically
called Jayanti, a word not to be abused for any other purposes.
>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 1.12.12
The first is the traditional and religious context of this day. It is believed, that on the Vaikunta Ekadashi day, which falls once in a year in the month of Margashirsha (called Margazhi masam in Tamil), in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna delivered the sermon called the Bhagavad Gita, the Song of God, to Arjuna. On this Vaikunta Ekadashi day, people undertake an important fast and worship Lord Vishnu. The Bhagavad Gita was born on the Vaikuntha Ekadashi day – that is the religious significance of the day.
Now let us try to look at the significance of the day from the perspective of everyday life. If you look at the Bhagavad Gita as a body of knowledge, it has a lot of insights to address the multitudinous problems and challenges that a human being faces in his life. And if you look at it from the context of the Mahabharata, there is this very well-prepared, extraordinarily capable, highly intelligent person by name Arjuna, who is facing the most difficult situation in his lifetime. He is losing his self-confidence and in that hour of crisis, the knowledge of the Gita is imparted to him by the Lord Himself. So in that way, the Gita has a very direct implication as a manual to face challenges and crises of life. These challenges and crises were not just unique to Arjuna, but are being faced by any human being in his lifetime. Therefore, the relevance is not lost just because the Gita is old. It is relevant even today because if you take a couple of shlokas from the Gita, you will see that all the gems of wisdom, that are needed by a person to live his life happily and successfully, are contained in it. There are a lot of important insights and pointers in the Gita, that address various aspects of life, such as – why it is important to be emotionally intelligent, why it is important not to lose one’s patience, what happens if one does not practice what is called delayed gratification, in modern terminology. Now a lot of people are talking about delayed gratification. What is meant by delayed gratification? All of us are human beings with sense organs and there are many sensory pleasures around. It is being found that individuals who are able to withhold themselves and delay the gratification of sensual pleasures seem to do well in their life. This was found through research by modern psychologists. Even management studies have found that great leaders practice this quality of delayed gratification. So why it this important? Why one should not get carried away by sensory pleasures and what happens if one indulges himself solely in the enjoyment of sensual pleasures? To all these, the Gita provides answers and powerful remedial actions to enrich one’s experience of life. The Gita is very powerful, as one can get a lot of insights for using them in day-to-day living situations.
1) Lord Krishna temples celebrate this day with lots of enthusiasm and energy, pujas are performed with special prayers on Gita Jayanti.
2) Devotees from all over India and the world visit Kurukshetra on Gita Jayanti day, they take a holy bath in sacred ponds.
3) Other than the holy bath, Lord Krishna is worshipped with aarti at the end of Gita Jayanti.
4) As Gita Jayanti is celebrated on Ekadashi, devotees are required to fast on this day and do not consume grains like rice, wheat, and barley, from sunrise till sunset.
5) Also, during Gita Jayanti, organized celebrations are carried out, wherein the value of Dharma is taught to the youth through the explanation of Gita
However, it is said that the Vedas are vast and not very direct in the import of their message. Several scholars believe that Bhagavad Gita is the crux of Vedic wisdom and the summary of Indian Spiritual Knowledge. In fact, Bhagavad Gita contains an ocean of wisdom, which has influenced Indian tradition for the last several millennia. Thus, reading Gita is like knowing a lot about Indian spiritual and philosophical wisdom
When we accept the present moment for what it is, without labeling it as, “Yech! This is bad”, “this is terrible” and so on, it helps us settle down within ourselves and be at ease. This is a very important and beautiful insight because of what it is the only reality. The past and the future is not real. It is only the present that is real. If we are able to accept that, then we have lived that moment completely. That is why it gives us a sense of being able to feel at ease. That is the deeper truth behind it because what is, is only the now. Now is the only Reality. The past and the future is not real, because even if we are talking or thinking about the past or the future, it is only in the now, therefore that is the beauty of that Reality. So, if we are able to be completely available to now, it gives us a lot of strength, it gives us a lot of inner space, which keeps us calm and composed. In another deeper sense, when there is alignment with the moment, the “me” the fictitious entity, the self can never operate. It can never operate in the now. And therefore, the Cosmic Intelligence can operate, so to put it very colloquially,” you” shut up for That to act. That is why we see people who have understood and who are living this Truth, they are all the time able to remain very peaceful. Even in the face of the so-called crisis, they are very composed, because they know that this little ego can’t really respond to the challenge, and that allows the Higher Intelligence to operate through the body and mind complex. And that is why their response, and not reaction, to the situation, is very different from the normal people. This insight is very important, it is something very powerful and fantastic. I would say that it is the greatest and most precious gift that a person can have.
We celebrate Gita Jayanti every year and this year we have religious programs scheduled on 07th December. The program will start at 7 PM with Aarti followed by Bhajan and prasad.
All are invited to be a part of this celebration. Please encourage your children to be part of the celebration. Jay Shree Krishna. May lord Krishna bless you.
Category : Culture and dance heritage , Youth Activities
Holi is a colorful and most fun-filled festival which is celebrated in the month of March, usually in the latter half of the month. It is a festival, with dancing, singing, and throwing of powder paint and colored water.
Numerous legends and stories associated with Holi celebration makes the festival more exuberant and vivid. The most popular one is related to the killing of Holika. The story centers around an arrogant king who wanted everyone in his kingdom to worship him. But his son Prahlad refused and worshipped Lord Vishnu instead. He attempts to kill his son but fails each time. Finally, the king’s sister Holika who is said to be immune to burning, sits with the boy in a huge fire. However, the prince Prahlada emerges unscathed, while his aunt burns to death. Holi commemorates this event from mythology, and huge bonfires are burnt on the eve of Holi as its symbolic representation.
Great excitement can be seen in people on the next day when it is actually the time for the play of colours. People get all the time to get crazy and whacky. Bright colours of gulal and abeer fill the air and people take turns in pouring colour water over each other. Children take special delight in spraying colours on one another with their pichkaris and throwing water balloons. Women and senior citizen form groups called tolis and move in colonies – applying colours and exchanging greetings. Songs, dance on the rhythm of dholak and mouthwatering Holi delicacies are the other highlights of the day. Parties are often organized where people dance to music and greet each other with colors.
The festival signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, end of winter, and for many a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair ruptured relationships.
Some families hold religious ceremonies, but for many Holi is more a time for fun than religious observance. After a fun filled and exciting day, they spent the evening in sobriety when people meet friends and relatives and exchange sweets and festive greetings.
Holi festival may be celebrated with various names and people of different states might be following different traditions. But, what makes Holi so unique and special is the spirit of it which remains the same throughout the country and even across the globe, wherever it is celebrated.
Category : Activities , Religious , Youth Activities
Navratri is one of the most auspicious Hindu festivals. Navratri means “Nine Nights”, and celebration of Goddess Durga in her nine different forms on the scheduled nine days. The Navratri festival celebration is very colourful. People keep fast for these 9 days and enjoy with full enthusiasm.
Navdurga which means Nine Durga is the manifestation of Durga in nine different forms. The concept of Navdurga originates from Goddess Parvati. Conceptually Navdurga is the life phase of Goddess Parvati who is considered supreme power among all Goddesses. Navdurga are worshipped during all Four Navrati in the year.
List of Navdurga
People follow different traditional norms and rituals during these auspicious 9 days to get the blessings of Goddess Durga. You would never want to miss even a single chance to be part of this auspicious and colourful festival. Here, in this article we are sharing the different colours and dress you can wear during the nine days to enjoy the spirit of the Navratri festival celebration.
Category : Religious
The Gujarat Hindu Society in Preston hosted a Raksha Bandhan event in partnership with the Armed Forces Hindu Network.
The traditional ceremony marks the tying of a thread between brother and sister signifying a bond between them. The mayor of Preston Councillor Trevor Hart was in attendance alongside invited guests from across the region.
There was also a preparation by the Armed Force o how they have embraced cultural values amongst different ethnic minorities with the UK.
Raksha Bandhan, also abbreviated to Rakhi is the Hindu festival that celebrates brotherhood and love. It is celebrated on the full moon in the month of Sravana in the lunar calendar.
The celebration of friendship article is also published in the Asian Image newspaper. Refer the snapshot of the newspaper.
Category : Activities
GHS Milestone project celebration
The project is to record the history and memories of Gujarat Hindu Society over a period of 50 years closely linked with cultural, traditions and their settlement in Preston and a huge success as a social enterprise recognized throughout the region.
GHS main hall was decorated with vibrant flowers and there were more than 20 huge panels with photographs given by various people from the year 1965 to 2015. Various workshops were held to capture life from the 1960s and 70s until present date. All the collected photo and information were captured in the panels displayed during the celebration.
Display of Indian culture, Hinduism, their gods, traditional cloths and musical instruments were eye catching.
After tasty Indian refreshments, President Ishwar Tailor invited VIPs including representatives from LCC, Lancashire constabulary, Media and other dignitaries who supported GHS to light up special lamp to start the celebration.
Celebration included special displays of Indian classical, Bollywood, fusion dancing and a very cute Balkung group dance where children from year 3-12 showcase traditional dance in local language.
Thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and assistance from the Harris Museum the society has now traced and recorded its history.
Video captured for the Golden Milestone were also displayed during the celebration followed by demonstration of GHS Website, where all the information related to Golden Milestone is captured including Gallery, timeline etc.
Celebration ended by inspirational speeches from dignitaries, President, Secretary and cake cutting.
Project Sponsors:
Heritage lottery fund
Supported by –
Project initiator & Co-ordinator:
Mr Ishwer Tailor MBE JPDL
Project Manager:
Abhinandana Kodanda
Graphics designer and admin support:
Shreya Ghodke (Arteecraft)
Video support:
Nick Butterworth (Butterworth creative production)
Webdesign and development support:
Rakesh Ghodke (WebnMore Solutions)
Volunteers:
Joshi, Purnima, Hema, Shivam, Dev, Khushalbhai, Prahladbhai, Chandubhai
Many thanks to people who have shared their experiences, stories, and photographs
Category : Culture and dance heritage , Religious , Youth Activities
It certainly feels like winter has outstayed its visit. Take for instance our first ever crisp Holi or #Snoli…which, the GHS Preston celebrated grandly despite the icy floor. Thank you, to GHS Preston management committee for organising #Snoli2018! A Big thank you to the Hari-Bhakto/devotees, for embracing the chilly winds of the east and attending #PrestonSnoli.
But rest assured, the colorful fanfares and ringing bells have now commenced…..NavaDurga (Durga in nine forms) is here!
For Hinduism, the crisp spring welcomes celebration of Godess Durga for Chaitra Navratri (March-April).
As you know, the word “Navratri” is a conjunction of two words “nava” (meaning “nine”) and “ratri” (meaning “night”)..….but hang on a second…isn’t it abit early to get our Bangles, dangles and shimmery dresses out?
No! It certainly is not! Amongst the copious amounts of Easter eggs and the Easter bunnies we are also celebrating one of the most sacred festivals in Hinduism. Chaitra Navrati worships Goddess Durga or Shakti, which represents the feminine energy of the universe, in her 9 beautiful forms with great reverence.
That’s right, the main festival of Navratri occurs not once but twice every year!
The well-liked Ashwina Navratri falls in the month of Ashwina, (September – October). This one, is the most common and most popularly celebrated by the Hindus.
The other is named as Chaitra Navratri, observed in the month of Chaitra (March – April) not known to many.
Both Navratris occur during the interval of seasonal changes and the astronomical equinox. Throughout this period, our Durga Maa, (beautiful Mother-Nature), assumes a major change, shifting from one set of colours to another.
During both these Navratris, the length of the daytime is roughly equal to the length of the night-time, making it the perfect setting to embrace the festivities.
Chaitra Navratri is a lot quieter. Here, we crawl out of our winter cocoons and rejoice in the beauty of Spring, its fruits and colours.
In the UK, whilst the usual Navrati ‘dhoom-dham’ is not present at this time of year, being the quieter festival of the two, it gives us time to refresh, dust our minds and focus inward. A sort of spring-cleaning of the mind, ready for the festive season which will continue to roll forwards consecutively until the end of the year.
At the temple, there have been daily readings of the Ram-Charit Manas from 7pm – 9pm for the duration of the 9 days, which will conclude on Sunday with the epic birth of Shree Ram, Vishnus 7th Avatar, on Ramnavmi.
Ram + Charit (deeds or character) + Manas (Lake) =
The Lake of Deeds of Ram
It is said by mentally visiting this auspicious ‘Manas’ ‘Lake’ rids one of sins and inspires good deeds to be taken by the reader. At the time of writing this blog, we are at the grand wedding of Princess Sita and Ram, Prince of Ayodhya.
Quietly, celebrating this epic wedding, whilst the stream of ancient words flow into the devotees ears, is a complete contrast to the celebrations that occur during Ashwina Navrati.
According to the Hindu Puranas and scriptures, Chaitra Navratri was the most important Navratri in which Goddess Shakti was worshipped, until Lord Rama worshipped Goddess Durga in the ‘Ashwin’ month during the Ramayana war.
Ashwin Navrati celebrates the homecoming of our Lord from exile…
But….
Chaitra Navarati celebrates the birth and appearance of our Dear Shree Ram.
On this holy occasion of Chaitra Navratri and Rama Navami, GHS Preston wishes the Blessings of Maa Durga and Shree Ram be with your and your family. May your heart and home be filled with happiness, peace and prosperity.
Jai Shree Ram
#Ramnavmi #ChaitraNavratri #GHSPreston #Preston
#BackpackAndChampals
Guest Author- Jagrutee Patel
Category : Culture and dance heritage , Youth Activities
On Friday 26th January about 50 people gathered in our main hall to salute the Indian Flag and sing some popular songs related to the flag and its colors. This is 43rd year we have raised the Indian Flag since we bought the center in 1975.
GHS has always been proud of its heritage and to celebrate, we had organized a Variety Cultural Show on Saturday 27th January 2018. We had invited the Mayor of Preston Cllr. Brian Rollo, MP Sir Mark Hendrick, and Chief Inspector Jonathan Clegg from Preston Police and Mrs. Linda Tompkins from UClan. The show was put together by our Manager Abhinandana and co-ordinated by our Activity Officer Shreya. The show was hosted by very able Jagruti & Dipesh Patel.
The evening started with prayers and lighting of lamps by the dignitaries. Ishwerbhai the President addressed the audience and asked the Mayor of Preston and other dignitaries to say a few words.
We started the evening with Shoka recitation by PurnaVidya group. Classical Dancing followed by a variety of different dances including a Ballet and Tap Dance by Sparkle Dance School.
Abhinandana Dance Academy presented a number of dances fusion between Classical and Bollywood, not forgetting Kuchipudi.
Our Balkunj team did us proud by getting youngsters to dance to My India song. They were so lively and so young and looked really cute. Karishma Parekh performed 2 super dances one classical Bharatnatyam and a Ghoomer Dance on popular Bollywood song.
Rakesh Ghodke And Jay Acharya gave tribute to soldiers by singing ‘Sandese aate hai’. Radhika Agarwal performed a Violin solo. Father and Son duo Mukund and Harshal Gosai did an instrumental item on Harmonium and synthesizer. GHS is very proud of all its members who put so much effort into bringing the show together.
The comments received from all the dignitaries were it was a mind-blowing show. On behalf of GHS management, I would like to express my sincere thank you to all the participants, trainers and our Manager Abhi & Shreya for once again putting on an excellent show. God bless you all and please continue to develop our young children. Well done everyone. Jai Hind. Bharat Mata ki Jai.
Category : Women Empowerment
A group has been formed where ladies get together and chat about a number of topics; this could be personal, job related or just interest and hobbies. The ladies feel free to be themselves and share their experiences.
I have been part of this group since it started back in January 2017, as a leader. I have attended these sessions and got involved, both my confidence and knowledge has increased.
As a group, we have already done many activities and have many more planned.
Events we have covered so far:
Jacob Joint – ladies bought in all types of food and we had a sing along and played musical chairs.
Games afternoon – where we played suduko and crosswords, we made it competitive which was fun.
Avenham Park Walk – one of the ladies organised a trip to walk around the park which was a great event and enjoyed by all.
Bolton Abbey trip – the ladies took themselves off to a trip where we had a long walk and picnic looked at historical buildings.
The most recent session was based around Dementia, our very own Joshi led the talk and explained in great detail of what happens and what to expect.
The above is just some of what we have covered. We are moving forward in the right direction with the help of you lovely ladies. Our group is going from strength to strength with new faces joining us each session. Our group has a wide range of experienced ladies whether this is a house wife a lecturer or a school teacher.
Please come along to the next session held at our very own Gujarat Hindu society. Keep your eyes and ear peeled for the next session and events.
Author- Bhavnita Parekh