Shravan Purnima Season of rains Shravan Purnima is the full moon in the sacred month of Shravan. In the sub-tropical, tropical and temperate regions of India, the months of Jyeshtha, Ashadh, Shravan, Bhadrapad, and to a lesser extent even Ashvin, i.e. from June to nearly October, are the months of rains. The black koel sings its kuhu, kuhu, hidden in the verdant greenery of mango groves in anticipation of rain; auguring the first raindrops, the beautiful male peacock raises his many-splendoured plumage in a mating call to his partner. The rains bring blessed relief from the dust and searing heat of the summer months. There is a sense of joy and abandon as the choking heat is almost overnight replaced by the cool freshness of the rains. The dry, parched earth responds with sheer abundance, greenery sprouting overnight like a soft velvet carpet, as the woods are cleansed of loads of dust, shimmering once again in pristine glory. Cascading streams and waterfalls make their appearance in dry river beds as they emerge gushing from the hills and mountains, just as the whole world seems to be caught up in the swirling dance of the life-giving rains. Advance of the season of rains over the length and breadth of the subcontinent is gradual, so that in the southern peninsular part, including Mumbai, it begins in Jyeshtha, when the Sun conjuncts the Mriga nakshatra around 7th June each year. In the central plains of Madhya Pradesh, the dark clouds hover in the skies in Ashadh, marking the season of poetic yearning for the absent beloved. Thus the best-known Sanskrit poet, Kalidas of Ujjain, begins his epic Meghdoot with the immortal lines, "Ashadhasya prathama divase…" (On the first day of ashadh…). A yaksha demigod, finding himself banished from the ethereal realms, pleads with the rain-bearing dark cloud messenger to carry his love lorn message to his beloved, who is a celestial nymph… Especially on peninsular India, Shravan is the month when the peak paddy cultivation season has abated and a lighter round of agricultural tasks has commenced, easing the pressure of farming in rural areas. Work yields ground to cultural festivities and ritual worship. Holiest month of Shravan It is the month of festivals and pious rituals that commemorate the precedence of the sacred over all aspects of life and the living. It is the holiest month in the year, when many penances, sacred vows and chanting are undertaken for the purpose of earning spiritual merit. It includes celebrating Nagpanchami on the fifth day of the bright half of the month, the day of ritual cobra worship. Another major festival is Krishna Janmashtami, celebrated on the 8th day of the dark half of Shravan, to commemorate the birth of Lord Krishna. This again, is an inauspicious ashtami tithi (eighth lunar day), being the only one in the year that is sanctified and holy instead! The celebration reaches its peak at midnight, when the birth of Shri Krishna is enacted in households and temples throughout India. Fasting is observed on this occasion, and Shrikhand is the favourite flavour among the sweets for the festival. The festival of dahi-handi is celebrated in public squares the following day, to enact the pranks of the naughty boy Krishna, when young boys form human pyramids to break a clay pot containing curds that is hung overhead. Shravan is dear to all the gods, especially Shiva, and every Monday of the month, devotees throng to Shiva temples throughout India to worship the sacred Shivalingam. A major Hindu pilgrimage trek in Kashmir begins with the formation of the natural stalagmite ice lingam in the Himalayan cave of Amarnath just before Guru Purnima. It continues for a month until Shravan Purnima, after which the ice lingam begins to melt Women As Gauri, Parvati Young girls observe strict fasting on Shravan Mondays to earn meritorious reward in the form of a fine husband! Reading stories from the scriptures on the exploits of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati gains precedence in this month. 1  2  3  Next>> Archive