User:Sunilkumarr

I t is believed that the creator of the Hindu pantheon Lord   Brahma started creation on this day - Chaitra suddha padhyami or the Ugadi    day. Also the great Indian Mathematician Bhaskaracharya's calculations   proclaimed the Ugadi day from the sunrise on as the beginning of the new    year, new month and new day. The onset of spring also marks a beginning of   new life with plants (barren until now) acquiring new life, shoots and    leaves. Spring is considered the first season of the year hence also   heralding a new year and a new beginning. The vibrancy of life and verdent   fields, meadows full of colorful blossoms signifies growth, prosperity and    well-being.

With the coming of Ugadi, the naturally perfumed jasmines   (mallepulu) spread a sweet fragrance which is perhaps unmatched by any other    in nature's own creation! While large garlands of jasmine are offered to Gods   in homes and temples, jasmine flowers woven in clusters adorn the braids of    women. Ugadi is thus a festival of many shades. It ushers in the new year,   brings a rich bounce of flora and fills the hearts of people with joy and    contentment! PREDICTIONS FOR THE YEAR Ugadi marks the beginning of a new Hindu lunar calendar with a   change in the moon's orbit. It is a day when mantras are chanted and predictions   made for the new year. Traditionally, the panchangasravanam or listening to   the yearly calendar was done at the temples or at the Town square but with    the onset of modern technology, one can get to hear the priest-scholar on    television sets right in one's living room. UGADI PACHCHADI It is a season for raw mangoes spreading its aroma in the air   and the fully blossomed neem tree that makes the air healthy. Also, jaggery   made with fresh crop of sugarcane adds a renewed flavor to the typical dishes    associated with Ugadi. Ugadi pachchadi is one such dish that has become   synonymous with Ugadi. It is made of new jaggery, raw mango pieces and neem   flowers and new tamarind which truly reflect life - a combination of sweet,    sour and bitter tastes!

Ugadi is celebrated with festive fervor in Maharashtra, Karnataka and   Andhra Pradesh. While it is called Ugadi in A.P. and Karnataka, in Maharashtra it is known as   &quot;Gudipadava&quot;. PREPARING FOR THE OCCASION Preparations for the festival begin a week ahead. Houses are   given a thorough wash. Shopping for new clothes and buying other items that   go with the requirements of the festival are done with a lot of excitement.

On Ugadi day, people wake up before the break of dawn and take   a head bath after which they decorate the entrance of their houses with fresh    mango leaves. The significance of tying mango leaves relates to a legend. It   is said that Kartik (or Subramanya or Kumara Swamy) and Ganesha, the two sons    of Lord Siva and Parvathi were very fond of mangoes. As the legend goes   Kartik exhorted people to tie green mango leaves to the doorway signifying a    good crop and general well-being.

It is noteworthy that we use mango leaves and coconuts (as in   a Kalasam, to initiate any pooja) only on auspicious occasions to propitiate    gods. People also splash fresh cow dung water on the ground in front of their   house and draw colorful floral designs. This is a common sight in every   household. People perform the ritualistic worship to God invoking his   blessings before they start off with the new year. They pray for their   health, wealth and prosperity and success in business too. Ugadi is also the   most auspicious time to start new ventures.

The celebration of Ugadi is marked by religious zeal and   social merriment. Special dishes are prepared for the occasion. In Andhra   Pradesh, eatables such as &quot;pulihora, bobbatlu&quot; and preparations    made with raw mango go well with the occasion. In Karnataka too, similar   preparations are made but called &quot;puliogure&quot; and &quot;holige&quot;. The Maharashtrians make &quot;puran poli&quot; or sweet rotis. KAVI SAMMELANAM Some find a different way of celebrating the festival. Kavi   Sammelanam (poetry recitation) is a typical Telugu Ugadi feature. Ugadi is   also a time when people look forward to a literary feast in the form of Kavi    Sammelanam. Many poets come up with new poems written on subjects ranging -   from Ugadi - to politics to modern trends and lifestyles. Ugadi Kavi   Sammelanam is also a launch pad for new and budding poets. It is generally   carried live on All India Radio's Hyderabad &quot;A&quot;    station and the Doordarshan,(TV) Hyderabad following    &quot;panchanga sravanam&quot; (New year calendar) narrating the way the new    year would shape up in the lives of people and the State in general. Kavis   (poets) of many hues - political, comic, satirical reformist, literary and    melancholic - make an appearance on the Ugadi stage. F estivals are celebrated every year in the remembrance of past   events. All the major Hindu festivals have their own purpose and   significance, i.e., to show their relevance and importance in the context of    the eternal world cycle of history. India's rich heritage   with its numerous festivals celebrated throughout the year, provides succor    and faith, as each occasion has its own distinct value, beauty and ritual practice. Amongst the numerous festivals of India, Ugadi is   celebrated with festive fervor in Maharashtra, Karnataka and    Andhra Pradesh. While it is called Ugadi in A.P. and Karnataka, in Maharashtra it is known as   Gudipadava&quot;.

Hindus   have always given pride of place to festivals, as it is a time for getting    together as families. The occasion can be based on a seasonal change, a   social or religious theme. The New year festival or Ugadi comes close on the   heels of Holi. While the strong colors of Holi start fading away. Holy is the   purification of the soul by imbibing Godly knowledge, inculcating the divine    virtues. The aim is to replace the vices with Virtues. Symbolically, it   signifies thanks giving to celebrate bounteous crops as well as signaling the    end of an old era and the beginning of a new era.

Ugadi   name has been changed from Yuga Aadi (Yuga + Aadi means &quot;Beginning of    New age&quot;). The ages starting from a major reference point are Golden   age, Silver age, Copper age and Iron age and also known in Hindi as Satyuga    or Krutha yuga, Treta yuga, Dwapar yuga and Kaliyuga. The very end of Iron   age i.e. the Kaliyuga is refer to hell or &quot;Naraka&quot; or the age of    ignorance, which our Puranas or even in Srimath Bhagavath Gita mentioned that    the Kaliyuga is &quot;the night of the Brahma, the creator of new world and    the Satyuga is the Day of Brahma&quot;.

It is   believed that the creator of the Hindu pantheon Lord Brahma started creation    on this day - Chaitra suddha padhyami or the Ugadi day. Also the great Indian   Mathematician Bhaskaracharya's calculations proclaimed the Ugadi day from the    sunrise on as the beginning of the new year, new month and new day. The onset   of spring also marks a beginning of new life with plants (barren until now)    acquiring new life, shoots and leaves. Spring is considered the first season   of the year hence also heralding a new year and a new beginning. The vibrancy   of life and verdant fields and meadows full of colorful blossoms signifies    growth, prosperity and well-being.

It is   believed that the Ugadi (Beginning of the yuga - Satyuga) will be the next    age of the Eternal World Drama Cycle, i.e. after the Kaliyuga. The eternal   world drama cycle repeats every 5000 years with 1250 years for each yuga as    per the teachings of Prajapita Brahma kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya. It   is the wonderful and colourful festival, because after the Holi (the    purification of the soul by imbibing Godly knowledge, inculcating the divine    virtues by replacing the vices with virtues) the New age, New yuga, and New    era will be start. So, it is the time to change ourselves or to purify   ourselves by inculcating the divine virtues.

Ugadi   marks the beginning of a new Hindu lunar calendar with a change in the moon's    orbit. It is a day when mantras are chanted and predictions made for the new   year. Traditionally, the panchanga shravanam or listening to the yearly   calendar was done at the temples. Preparations for the festival begin a week   ahead. Houses are given a thorough wash. Shopping for new clothes and buying   other items that go with the requirements of the festival are done with a lot    of excitement. It is said in Srimath Bhagavath Gita that the Body is the   Cloth for the Soul, the eternal being, which takes many birth in the cyclic    world drama (four yugas). When the eternal, imperishable soul takes new   birth, i.e., takes new body as a kid, it is said that the soul wears a new    cloth. Let us celebrate the Ugadi as a beginning of New age - Satyuga- of the   world cycle.

On Ugadi   day, people wake up before the break of dawn and take a head bath after which    they decorate the entrance of their houses with fresh mango leaves. The   significance of tying mango leaves relates to a legend. It is said that   Kartik (or Subramanya or Kumara Swamy) and Ganesha, the two sons of Lord Siva    and Parvathi were very fond of mangoes. As the legend goes Kartik exhorted   people to tie green mango leaves to the doorway signifying a good crop and    general well-being. In Spiritual terms it is said that the Lord Shiva, the   Supreme Soul refer to the &quot;Trimurthi Shiva&quot; and also believed    &quot;Paramatma Shiva&quot;, the one who is the Supreme Lord of even for    Brahma, Vishnu, Shankar (Trimurthi) and all other deities. As the Spiritual   Father of all souls, we are the one who have right to get Peace, Prosperity,    Health, Wealth and Happiness through the festival of Ugadi by changing    ourselves or replacing the vices with divine virtues with the help of    Spiritual or Godly knowledge.

It is   noteworthy that we use mango leaves and coconuts (as in a Kalasam, to    initiate any pooja) only on auspicious occasions to propitiate gods. People   also splash fresh cow dung water on the ground in front of their house and    draw colorful floral designs. This is a common sight in every household. People perform the ritualistic worship to God, invoking his blessings before   they start off with the new year. They pray for their health, wealth and   prosperity and success in business too.

Ugadi is   also the most auspicious time to start new ventures. And they will take   jaggery and Neem leaves also today because Jaggery represents joy and    happiness and Neem leaves represents sorrow. So those souls who come in the   entire cycle of World drama can celebrate Ugadi, because Jaggery represents    Krutayuga and Tretayuga which is full of purity, prosperity and peace. Neem   leaves represents Dwaparyuga and Kaliyuga which consists of sorrow, chaos and    impurity.