2010 Divali Nagar - Coral Springs, Florida Oct 28-30th - Devi Play LIVE Streaming!

Namaste, Hari Om,

Divali Nagar is a celebration for the community regarding the values and teachings of Divali.

Its hosted by a local non-profit organization based in Florida that has put a great deal of time and effort into this community event. There are various forms of devotional dancing, music, singing, and art work - There are also old Indian village replicas.

One aspect of Divali Nagar we wanted to promote is the Devi Play. The Devi Play is from the Sri Mad Devi Bhagvatam, we recently posted about the exact article on the blog; http://simplehindubhai.blogspot.com/2010/03/sri-mad-devi-bhagvatam-bhagavata-purana.html. 

Its a wonderful play depicting the Devi's importance in the Ramyana when Shri Rama is sorrowful in the loss of Sita Mata. Please see the play Live Streaming Via this link Oct30th; http://www.divalinagar.us/livefeed.php  

Please Provide comments or let us know what you think of the play - Takes place Saturday Oct 30th - 6pm US Eastern Standard time, that will be, 12am In Germany, 12pm In Singapore, or 3:30AM In India.

If you can not watch it, it will be recorded and posted to the internet. Its finally a chance to dive deeper into the influence of the Devi within the  Ramayana.

Jai Adi-Shakti Maa!
-SimpleHinduBhai

Hindu-Blog.com: Hinduism and Nature (Go Green Connection)

Namaste, Hari Om,

‘No religion, perhaps, lays as much emphasis on environmental ethics as does Hinduism. It believes in ecological responsibility and says like Native Americans that the Earth is our mother. It champions protection of animals, which it considers also have souls, and promotes vegetarianism. It has a strong tradition of non-violence or ahimsa. It believes that God is present in all nature, in all creatures, and in every human being regardless of their faith or lack of it.’ - Dr. David Frawley

(Note: I don't wholly agree with the first line, i believe all religions hold this same emphasis, just in various ways). 

“Plants are mothers and Goddesses.” - (Rig Veda Samhita x-97-4)

This is extremely powerful, a mother can birth children, thus trees and plants can birth new off spring. We should look at mother nature as a true mother, they provide shade, food and sustainability in living conditions.

All to often we forget about the world we live in, sometimes we think that we are just one person, how can we save this earth, "We are just a drop in this big ocean".

Well the maha sagar (great ocean) would be nothing without every drop, same for our efforts - together we can fill any bucket drop by drop.

There is a old stigma that the older generations do not know of the go green theme, or are unaware of our planets suffering. Looking at the below points, not only do the older generations know of it, they also forewarned us all of it. In the Garuda Purana, Garuda flew to the three worlds and told Vishnu that he has seen movable and immovable creatures in all three worlds. I stopped and thought to myself, what is an immovable creature? These are plants, trees and living matter that does not move, yes even rocks!

If we do not have respect for the life forms that support us, how can we support each other? Lets take a look at some of the notes from past scriptures;

“Waters cleanse humanity from the evil of pollution committed by it.” - (Atharva Veda Samhita xii-2-40)

The waters we have in our world are being defiled by pollution all for the magical dollar. We are sacrificing our own mother for the sake of pleasing our materialistic needs. Ganga Mata came from the louts like feet of Lord Vishnu, thus she is pure and ever cleansing. Wherever there is dirty water caused by humans, there will be a lack of good health and food standards – is this a direct link to dirty water? Yes.

Continue reading the below, it’s a great eye opener to those who are Hindu/faith based/religious, and question why we should go green. You can not afford a dualistic lifestyle while walking the spiritual path – I have often said that we can not just turn off the Spiritual switch when we want too. It must be on always as we are tested always!

Contaminating our bodies with flesh and sorrow (From the dead animals as they experienced pain while bing slaughtered) is bad, same for contaminating our planet. It starts with one drop, together we can fill the bucket and clean up this world.
 
Enjoy,

Jai Mata Ki Jai,

-SimpleHinduBhai





Please read the Article below from Hindu-Blog.com:

Nature and Hinduism are so entwined that it is quite impossible to think about one without the other. The need for an ecological balance is stressed in the Vedas and Upanishads and this message is repeated in the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Gita, Puranas and in the messages of Hindu saints. Mother Nature is worshipped in Hindu religion. But for majority of Hindus, worship is confined to temples and homes and thus they are equal contributors in global warming, pollution and emissions.


Here are a few thoughts which ancient seers of Sanatana Dharma had shared more than 5000 years ago regarding the importance of nature and majority of them are highly relevant today.

•One should not destroy the trees. (Rig Veda Samhita vi-48-17)

•Plants are mothers and Goddesses. (Rig Veda Samhita x-97-4)

•Trees are homes and mansions. (Rig Veda Samhita x-97-5)

•Sacred grass has to be protected from man's exploitation (Rig Veda Samhita vii-75-8)

•Plants and waters are treasures for generations. (Rig Veda Samhita vii-70-4)

Earth, in which lie the sea, the river and other waters, in which food and cornfields have come to be, in which lives all that breathes and that moves, may she confer on us the finest of her yield. Earth, in which the waters, common to all, moving on all sides, flow unfailingly, day and night, may she pour on us milk in many streams, and endow us with lustre. (From the Atharva Veda - Hymn to the Earth - Bhumi-Sukta)

May those born of thee, O Earth, be for our welfare, free from sickness and waste, wakeful through a long life, we shall become bearers of tribute to thee. Earth my mother, set me securely with bliss in full accord with heaven, O wise one, uphold me in grace and splendor. (From the Atharva Veda - Hymn to the Earth - Bhumi-Sukta)

•Earth, atmosphere, sky, sun, moon, stars, waters, plants, trees, moving creatures, swimming creatures, creeping creatures all are hailed and offered oblations. (Taittiriya Samhita i-8-13)

•One should protect the habitation. (Rig Veda Samhita vi-71-3)

•Waters as friends of man give full protection to his progenies. (Rig Veda Samhita vi-50-7)

•One shall take care of quadrupeds. (Taittiriya Samhita iv-4-10)

•One shall be auspicious to animals. (Taittiriya Samhita ii-3-14)

•One shall not find fault with animals. (Chandogya Upanishad ii-18-2)

•Waters represent splendor. (Atharva Veda Samhita iii-13-5)

•Waters bear off all defilements and cleanse people. (Vajasaneya Samhita iv-2)

•Whoever injures the essence of food, kine or steeds is a robber who sinks both himself and his offspring into destruction. (Rig Veda Samhita vii-104-10)

•Offerings are dedicated to waters of wells, pools, clefts, holes, lakes, morasses, ponds, tanks, marshes, rains, rime, streams, rivers and ocean. (Taittiriya Samhita vii-4-13)

•There was only water in the beginning. (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad v-5-1)

•Waters and herbs should have no poison. (Rig Veda Samhita vi-39-5)

•Waters are to be freed from defilement. (Atharva Veda Samhita x-5-24)

•Waters cleanse humanity from the evil of pollution committed by it. (Atharva Veda Samhita xii-2-40)

•Waters are healing and they strengthen one to see great joy. (Taittiriya Samhita vii-4-19)

The Mahabharata says that 'even if there is only one tree full of flowers and fruits in a village, that place becomes worthy of worship and respect.’

‘No religion, perhaps, lays as much emphasis on environmental ethics as does Hinduism. It believes in ecological responsibility and says like Native Americans that the Earth is our mother. It champions protection of animals, which it considers also have souls, and promotes vegetarianism. It has a strong tradition of non-violence or ahimsa. It believes that God is present in all nature, in all creatures, and in every human being regardless of their faith or lack of it.’ Dr. David Frawley

We Hindus are always proud to hear others praise our culture. We publish them, discuss them in social circles but rarely follow the unparalleled teachings in our scriptures.

Lord Ganesha, Holy Cow, Worship of Mountains, Worship of Nagas (Snakes), Tulsi and the numerous other plants and animals that form part of Hindu worship are nothing but messages incorporated by wise Hindu Saints to teach us that we humans are part of nature and not outside it and above it.

The Hindu concept of Brahman, the Supreme Soul, suggests that all animate and inanimate and all born and yet to be born are part of Brahman. Therefore an imbalance in a particular part will affect all other parts. The Supreme Being then finds out a method to transform that defective part. Since Brahman is present in all, it is easy to transform. And we humans might term such a transformation as the End or Death or total annihilation. For the Supreme Soul, it is a small repair work carried out by a minute virus.

Mother Nature is not dependent on Human Beings but Human Beings are. Ancient Seers knew it and therefore they worshiped Nature. Modern Humans termed it as animism and replaced it with more refined worships. And the result of such a refined worship ...

‘In our arrogance and ignorance we have destroyed the environment of this planet. We have polluted the oceans, we have made the air unbreathable, we have desecrated nature and decimated wildlife. But the Vedantic seers knew that man was not something apart from nature, and, therefore, they constantly exhort us that, while we work for own salvation, we must also work for the welfare of all beings.’ Karan Singh

Only a people’s movement can save the earth from destruction. We are armed with wise teachings of our saints. Now what we need is its implementation.

Courtesy: Quotes from Vedas as found in the articles of Dr. S Kannan and Dr. Karan Singh

Why do you let the little things in life bother you?

Namaste, Hari Om,

Why do you let the little things in life bother you?

In our lives we come across many people who worry too much about the little things in life. There is a famous saying, “Don’t worry about spilled milk”. Spilled milk here refers to small things, like a little ding in your car, someone cutting you off on the road, or someone forgetting a minor detail that can be corrected fast. These small things can cause anger in many people when in reality its nothing but spilled milk, a problem that can be fixed with ease.

When walking the spiritual path we must learn tolerance. Through tolerance we can evolve and free our minds from tension over many things. Someone who gets angry and agitated over little things in life needs to review why they act the way they do. Think about problems that make you angry over all, these problems are usually linked to your anger over the little things. This is when you take out your anger from major problems (i.e. bad day at work, bad grades etc..) onto the little things (Spilled milk).

When our minds are free from anger, we can evolve faster as the mind is calming and can receive wisdom and love with ease. Anger blocks spiritual growth, and when you get angry over the little things in life, it only gets worst as bigger problems happen. Tolerance is gained through practice.

How do you practice tolerance? Yoga and breathing exercises really work, breathing alone can cure many things even anger. Click here for special pranayama breathing tips; http://www.yogiclogic.com/Yoga-articles/pranayama-in-yoga.php.

When someone or something minor makes you angry, talk to your self. Ask, is my anger necessary? Is it a major problem that will cause great effort and time to correct? Will the person feel good if I yell at them over something so little? The answer most of the time is NO.

When you get mad at someone, put yourself in their shoes (look at life from their perspective), sometimes others have had a bad day, or they might be suffering with great sorrow and you might not even notice it. Be compassionate to those who are not skilled, teach them and help them become better if they fail or have a minor mistake.

Look at someone and remember the good that they do, the good things they have given to the world and to yourself. One should not only focus on the bad, as we tend to remember the bad and forget the good in people. This is the seed of problems in relationships with parents and significant others, our own worries over small things cause us to miss the true beauty in others. Why worry over the small problems in life, have faith in the Supreme Being.

Words from Lord Krishna below;

“Delusion arises from anger. The mind is bewildered by delusion. Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered. One falls down when reasoning is destroyed.” - Bhagavad Gita

"One must elevate --- and not degrade --- oneself by one’s own mind. The mind alone is one’s friend, as well as one’s enemy. The mind is the friend of those who have control over it, and the mind acts like an enemy for those who do not control it." - Bhagavad Gita (6.05-06)

In this time of Navratri, may Saraswati Mata bless our minds to think peacefully and be thankful for those we have close to us. Do not take anyone or anything for granted or hurt anyone (even animals) over small problems in life, we have too much to be thankful for.

Jai Shri Krishna,
Jai Saraswati Mata ki Jai..

-SimpleHinduBhai

Hindu Calendar: Navratri Oct 8-16, 2010

Namaste, Hari Om, Jai Mata,


This time of the year is very special, Navratri is a time for the Jagajanani Bhavani Mata (Universal) mother. It is celebrated in various ways and forms across the world and across India. The all mighty Devi is worshiped throughout the nine nights, seeking the blessings of the divine mother will help us all in our path towards spirituality.

A while back we posted about the Ramayana and Navratri link, you can read the posting here once more. http://simplehindubhai.blogspot.com/2010/03/sri-mad-devi-bhagvatam-bhagavata-purana.html 

It is a great example that shows how powerful these nine nights are. Shri Rama Ji himself performed the Navratri fast and the Devi gave him power and blessings to conquer the evil king Ravana.

Let us all dispel the dark forces in our life with the Shakti of the caring Mata Ji. Any efforts toward the divine Devi will go a long way, fasting and meditating on her glories will enhance our vision and energy. Those seeking happiness and protection should look towards a mother.

Just as childern think of their mother in times of pain and suffering, in hunger and thirst, let us think of our divine Mother in this wonderful time of Ashwin.

Jai Mata Di,
-SimpleHinduBhai

__________________
Below explanations come from http://www.mantraonnet.com/navratri.html , great info on the general overview of Navratri and how its celebrated acorss India.

Nav-Ratri - The festival of nine nights is one of the most prominent festivals of Hinduism dedicated to chiefly Mother Durga an incarnation of Goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva. This is the most pious and pure time in the complete Hindu calendar. These nine nights are dedicated to the three main goddesses of Hinduism - Parvati, Lakshmi and Sarasvati.
The first three nights are dedicated to the goddess of action and energy. Her different manifestations viz Kumari, Parvati and Kali are worshipped during these days.

Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped for the next three days in her various aspects as the goddesses of peace, plenty and bliss. Fulfillment is more important than wealth itself. As the goddess of wealth, Goddess Lakshmi bestows wealth, success and fame and fortune to her worshippers and devotees. The four hands of Goddess Lakshmi indicate that she has the power to bestow on humanity the four ends of human life. In one hand she holds a lotus flower - reminding us of ever-lasting life and the immortality of the soul. The other hand that holds another lotus symbolizes to us to detach ourselves from too much of the worldly power, position, considerations, etc. Another hand holds what symbolizes material wealth, prosperity which are to be used as a means / tools for the achievements or goal in life; while the other hand, the fourth one is shown open and pointing downward, showering wealth and reinforcing the message of sharing.

On Lalita Panchami (the fifth day), children gather all the books in the house before a sacred lamp and invoke the blessings of Goddess Saraswati. It is also the occasion for all artisans to lay down their tools before the goddess and seek her benediction upon their trade. Goddess Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge. She is the goddess of the spiritual knowledge and the knowledge that frees us from this bind of this materialistic world. She is worshipped during the final three days of the Navratri.
On the eighth and ninth days of the festival, yagnas are performed as a final act of farewell that marks the termination of the ceremonies. Ghee or clarified butter, a sweet concoction of rice cooked in condensed milk (paayas or kheer) and sesame seeds are traditional items used in the yagna to the chanting of mantras conveying the theme-"This is my offering to God".

On the tenth day or Vijaya Dasami, more popularly known as Dussehra, enormous effigies of Ravana stuffed with firecrackers are torched with flaming arrows to the delight of throngs of revelers. It is also valued by devotees as an auspicious occasion to start an enterprise and for the business communities to open their annual books of account.

North Indian Belief :

Lord Brahma of the trinity Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva, granted Mahishasura the "buffalo demon," or simply Mahisa (buffalo) a boon that protected him from any man in the world . Empowered by this gift, Mahishasura set out to conquer the world, heaven and the world, and brought about the defeat of Indra king of deities. At the pleading of Indra, the king of the Gods, Lords Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva created Durga, the female through and amalgamation of their own shakti or divine power. Endowed with the trinity's shakti, Durga proved to be a formidable opponent who fought Mahisa for nine days, beheading him on the tenth. The nine nights simply translated Navratri, symbolize the nine days of battle, while the tenth day, vijayadashami-literally means the victorious tenth day of conquest. This great epic is recounted and celebrated slightly differently in various regions taking on different forms and names. In West Bengal Navratri, and vijayadashami are respectively celebrated as Durga Puja and Dasara. In South India the festival includes other female deities an dedicates three days of the festival to Lakshmi, the female archetype of wealth and fortune, and another three to Saraswathi, the female archetype of learning, music and knowledge. In northern India it takes the form of the great epic Ramyana where Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu is victorious over the evil king Ravana.

Eastern Indian Belief :

Daksha, the king of the Himalayas and the plains, and his wife, Menaka, had a daughter called Uma. Uma, right from her childhood, started worshipping Shiva as her would be husband. Shiva, being pleased with the worship of Uma, came to marry her. Daksha did not like this tiger-skin clad groom with ash & dirt spread over all of his body. Uma got married to Shiva but was prevented by her father from moving to Kailash, the abode of Shiva. Daksha, later on, arranged for a 'yagna' where everyone except Shiva was invited. Uma, feeling ashamed of the behavior of her father and shocked by the attitude towards her husband, committed Sati (the woman immolates herself in a burning pyre). Shiva came to know about this and went to Daksha's house. He lifted the body of Uma on his shoulders and started dancing madly. With the supreme power dancing, the World was on the verge of destruction. Narayana, another SuperGod, came forward as a saviour and used his 'Chakra' to cut the Body of Uma into pieces. Those pieces started falling off from the shoulder of the dancing Shiva into different parts of the World. Shiva was finally pacified when the last piece fell off from his shoulder. Narayana revived Uma for a new life. Daksha, who was extremely sorry about his misdeeds, prayed for mercy and was finally forgiven. The places where the pieces had fallen are known as the 'Shakti Piths' or energy pits, few of these places being Kalighat in Calcutta, Kamakshya near Guwahati among others. Ever since peace was restored, Uma, with her four children, Ganesh, Kartick, Saraswati and Laxmi and with her two 'sakhis' - Jaya and Bijaya, comes to visit her parent's home each year during the season of 'Sharat' or autumn when Durga Puja is celebrated.

 What is AkalBodhan?

In the 'Ramayana', as it goes, Lord Rama went to Lanka to rescue his abducted wife, Goddess Sita, from the grip of Ravana, the king of the Demons in Lanka. Before starting for his battle with Ravana, Lord Rama wanted the blessings of Devi Durga . He came to know that the Goddess would be pleased only if she is worshipped with one hundred 'NeelKamal' or blue lotuses. Lord Rama, after travelling the whole world, could gather only ninety nine of them. He finally decided to offer one of his eyes, which resembled blue lotuses. Goddess Durga, being pleased with the devotion of Lord Rama, appeared before him and blessed him. The battle started on the 'Saptami' and Ravana was finally killed on the 'Sandhikshan' i.e. the crossover period between Ashtami (the next day) and Navami (the day after). Ravana was cremated on Dashami. Since the period of this worship was different from the conventional period (during the spring - 'Basanta'), this puja is also known as 'Akal-Bodhan' or a worship (Bodhan) in an unconventional time (A-Kaal).


Navratri in various parts of India

The festival which is devoted to the Mother Goddess known variously as Durga, Kali, Bhavani, Amba, and Chandika, has been celebrated in it's most unique and different nature in various parts of India and abroad with devotional songs, bhajans and cultural programs with the world renowned Garba or Dandiya Raas in the state of Gujarat.

Western India : - Here this Festival is celebrated in a most unique and unusual way. The Garba or Dandiya Raas is the most significant feature during the festival of Navratri. This is the traditional and folk dance of the state of Gujarat, but today, people throughout the country perform this dance with great fervor and enthusiasm. During the dance, a decorated pot is ceremoniously placed with a light inside and the women folk dance in a circle, singing 'traditional songs' or 'garbas'. Then there is a pooja on each day of this holy period where Goddess Durga, known in this state as Ambe Maa is worshiped for prosperity and happiness. The word "Garba" by which the pot as well as the dance is known is etymologically close to the word Garbha meaning womb. In this context the lamp in the pot, symbolically represent life within a womb. The Dandiya Raas or the dance as this is called is played with dandiyas or wooden sticks. Apart from Gujarat, Dandiya Raas and Garba's is a common feature in all over India and especially in cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Vadodra and Surat. The women wear their vibrant, mirror-work ghaghras and cholis in different styles and the men in their traditional attire; play garba to traditional and rhythmic songs.

Northern India: In Northern India specially in Punjab and Delhi, even the name of the festival is changed, this becomes Navratras, here this is a period of fasting for seven days, and the people are said to keep their "Navratras" or fasts. On the eighth day or Ashtami, devotees break their fasts by calling young girls home and these girls are treated as the goddess herself. They are called "Kanjak Devis". People ceremonially wash their feet, worship them and then offer food to the "girl-goddesses" giving them the traditional 'puri', ' halwa' and chana' to eat along with bangles and the red 'chunnis' to wear with a token amount of money as "shagun". The ninth day is then called Navami which means literally the ninth day of this holy and pious period. Another prevalent practice is of sowing pulses, cereals and other seeds on the first day of this festival in a pot which is watered for nine days at the end of which the seeds sprout. This pot is worshipped throughout the nine days. This custom is also indicative of fertility worship and is known as "Khetri".It is significant of prosperity and abundance. On the first day of the Navaratras, grains of barley are planted in the puja room of the house. Every day some water is sprinkled on it. On the tenth day, the shoots are about 3 - 5 inches in length. After the puja, these seedlings or the "Khetri" as this is referred to is submerged in water . This custom suggests a link to harvesting. The sowing and reaping of barley is symbolic of the "first fruit". 

West Bengal & Eastern India :- In West Bengal, Navratri is celebrated as Durga Pooja, where beautiful idols of the Goddess are decorated and adorned, and worshipped for a period of nine days and immersed on the tenth day. Different manifestations of Durga are worshipped every night and this is one of the biggest and most important festivals for the people of W. Bengal. For these ceremonies Pundals (temporary public booths) are erected. The ceremonies are conducted amidst grand prayers and mass feeding.
South India : - In southern India celebrations constitute a display of images of God and toys at home for nine days amidst much pomp and gaiety with poojas and archanas conducted for Goddess Durga.

In different states of India especially around the North, the Ram Leela is performed during Navratri. It is the staged enaction of the Ramayana. This is the day according to the Ramayana when Lord Ram killed the demon Ravana and hence this day marks the victory of good over evil. The day after Navratri (i.e the tenth day) is known as Dassera. In many parts of India this is also referred to "Vijaya Dashmi" and is celebrated with equal pomp and glory associated with Divali.
In northern India, on the tenth day (Dassera) giant effigies of Ravana. Kumbhakarna and Meghnad (Lord Rama's enemies), are publicly burnt. But despite the various ways in which this festival is celebrated the feature that is common is that of the worship of the mother goddess.

Hindu-Blog.com: "Different Colour of Saris That are offered to Hindu Goddess"

Namaste, Hari Om,

"Different Colour of Saris That are offered to Hindu Goddess" - Hindu-Blog.com

I never really knew the actual colors for the other Devi's, but its interesting to note when we perform Puja at our home or Mandir. Also the explanation is really nice:

Enjoy,
-SimpleHinduBhai

From Hindu-Blog.com:
_______________
Different Colour of Saris That are offered to Hindu Goddess


One of the most important offering that is made to a Hindu Goddess is traditional sari and blouse – cotton saree or silk sari. The sari offering is traditionally made to incarnations of Goddess Shakti – Durga, Bhagavathy, Parvati etc. But saris are also offered to various other goddesses in Hindu pantheon like Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati. The color of the sari depends on the purpose of manifestation – thus most Shakti incarnations are given red saris as they appeared to restore Dharma by annihilating Adharma.

Durga is offered only Red color sari.

Goddess Lakshmi is offered orange, yellow or red color – mostly a mix of yellow and red or mix of orange and red.

Goddess Saraswati is offered White color sari or Yellow color – or a mix of yellow and white. When it is a mixed color yellow will be the border color.

Goddess Kali is offered Purple color sari in most regions. In some regions a mix of purple and red.

The saris are offered to Goddess Bhagavathy in South India on any Tuesday or Friday or any of the auspicious days associated with the Goddess.

In other regions the offering is made during Navratri, Durga Puja and during the Jayanti celebrations of various incarnations of Shakti.

Hindu-Blog.com: "Navratri Puja Lamp – For How many days should one keep lamp or Diya during Navaratri?"

Namaste, Hari Om,

"Navratri Puja Lamp – For How many days should one keep lamp or Diya during Navaratri?"

Nice article on Hindu-Blog.com, talks about lighting Diyas (Deep) on this special time of the year. Nautratrii starts this friday, so lets all try to keep the diya lit for at least three days. Special reason why written below.

Happy Nauratrii to everyone!

- SimpleHinduBhai

____________
Hindu-Blog.com:

 The lighting of the lamp for Navratri Puja is known as Deepa Stamba Sthapana in some regions. The Navratri lights (diya) are lit for nine or seven or five or three days. The lamp should be lit using ghee and it should be continuously lit for 9 or 7 or 5 or 3 days. The number of wick used in lamp varies from region to region – but generally during auspicious occasions like Navratri puja people light 5 or 7 wicks in a traditional lamp. You can also light one or two wicks.


The lamp that is lit during Navratri should be adorned with flowers or garland.

It is believed that while prayers are offered before the lamp – 27 nakshatras or birth stars are invoked atop the lamp.

Only rule that should be carefully followed is that once the lamp is lit is should be continuously lit for 9, 7, 5 or 3 days. You should not stop after the first day and then start two days after. 

Hindu Calendar Oct 22nd 2010: Maharas Purnima - "divine Raas Lila of Sri Krishna with Radha and Gopis"

Namaste, Hari Om,

Oct 22nd, 2010 Ras Leela.

Also see more detailed information on the Ras Leela from this website;
http://www.krishnajanmashtami.com/performing-rasleela.html

Enjoy,
Jai Shri Krishna,
-SimpleHinduBhai

Nice article From Hindu-Blog.com:
_______________________________
Maharas Purnima

The Purnima or full moon day in Ashwin month (September – October) is observed as Maharas Purnima in Braj region of North India. Maharas Purnima 2010 date is October 22. It is believed that divine Raas Lila of Sri Krishna with Radha and Gopis happened on the night of Maharas Purnima. Due to this importance, the day is also referred as Raas Lila Divas or Ras Lila day. A fasting (Vrata) is also observed on the day. The day is popularly known as Sharad Purnima.

There is also a close connection between the moon and the Sharath Purnima day – it is believed that moon’s rays contain nourishing elements. It is believed that the moon is closest to the earth on the day

The significance of Sharat Purnima is mentioned in the 10th chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad Purana. It is also said that the moon is close to the earth on the day and due to this the rays of the moon has several curative properties.