Nav Vilas -Pustimarga

 

In Pustimarg, Navratri is celebrated as Nav-Vilas. These 9 days of Navratri shakti aradhana is done in general but in pusti seva pranalika it is celebrated as ‘Nav vilas Bhavana’. Nav-Ratri of Pushti Marg is known as Nav-Vilas Manorath. Thakorji (Shri Krishna) is symbolic to Maha-Raas while Shri Swaminiji is the chief administrator of the Maha-Raas.

Ashwin Shukla Ekam to Dashami (1 to 10) is Nav-Vilas Manorath, in which the tenth day is the Utsav of Dusshera. Nav-Vilas is the Manorath of Vrajangana in the form of Nav (9) Mukhya Sakhi for the “Milan” of Thakorji. Vraj Bhakt has Prabhu “Milap” with an excuse of “Devi Poojan”. These Bhakt offers varieties of Samagri through numerous Manoraths of “Raman-Leela” and thus, makes Thakorji extremely happy through their “Tan – Mann – Dhan”.

These Nav (9) Sakhi have made Thakorji extremely happy through their unique “Bhavana” while having Raman with their Prabhu. Hence such Bhav-filled Manorath of Prem is known as “Nav-Vilas”

According to our Sanatan dharma, there are four Navratri’s in a year. Two are gupt (secret) and the other are Chitra and Ashwija, which are pratyaksh or Gochar Navratri. In pratyaksh Navratri satwik shakti swaroop Devi puja is performed.

Ten clay pots are taken and seeds (Ankur) of “Jav” / Barley or Wheat, Moong, and sesame seeds are sowed in these pots. As these seeds (Ankur) sprout, Bhav of the Bhakt also gets Dradh. These Ankur are sowed as a symbol for “Bhav Uddipan”. These 10 pots indicate 10 different Bhavs of Bhakts.

These 10 Bhavs include a combination of Satvik, Rajas, and Tamas to create 9 Bhavs (For example; Satvik – Satvik, Satvik – Rajas, Satvik – Tamas, Tams – Satvik, etc) and the tenth one, for Nirgun Bhav. On the tenth day, (Dusshera), Saplings of Jav seeds grown into the pots, are plucked and tied together with yellow Resham as “Kalagi” – Aabhushan of Shri Mastak of Thakorji.

All nine days different colored ‘Chapa Vastra’ is dressed to Thakurji.

During Dwapara yuga in Vraj, Gopi kanya’s during these nine days worshipped Lord Krishna with ‘Devi pooja Bhav’ with different manorath and offered different samagri’s with ‘ sarva Samarpan Bhav’ and made him happy. This Bhavna is called ‘Nav Vilas’ in Pustimarg.

Devi puja by gopis.

Nav-Vilas started because Swaminiji really wanted to thank all Ashta Sakhis who have directly or indirectly helped HER in connection with HER relation with Thakorji (Sanyogatmak Leela), and when pondering over this idea, SHE listed these Sakhis and then with the help of Thakorji, decided that Nav-Ratri is the Utsav in which Thakorji can reward these Sakhis. These Sakhis were chosen on their merit of Bhakti, and Prem towards Yugal Swaroop. That is how this Nav-Vilas Manorath started.

Gudaarth ( secret meaning of Nav Vilas)

Nav means “Nine” and also, Novel. While Vilas's word is made of 2 words. “Vi” and “Las”. Here “Vi” means Vishesh and “Las” means, Laasya that is; dancing with music and celebrating Anand. Thus, Nav- Vilas is the Vishesh Utsav for the “Milan” of “Aatma” and “Param-Atma”.

Each day, Thakorji performs Leela with a particular Sakhi, at a specific Leela Sthali (location/spot), and each day, Sakhi wears their Vastra with a specific color, and, a specific special Samagri is offered to Thakorji.

Since Nav Vilas is a Manorath of Nine Sakhis, who really had a special Manorath and wanted all her close Sakhis to take part in it, they also wanted Swaminiji to preside over their Manorath. To distinguish the Bhav of each Sakhi, every Sakhi decided on a color attire for the day.

Hence, we have nine days and each day becomes a day of Manorath of that specific Sakhi, and accordingly, color was chosen for the dressing up attire (Shringar). With this Leela, Gopi acquires focused and singular “Ananya” Bhav for Thakorji as Yugal Swaroop.

The color attire is chosen by considering the following points: –

Manorath Bhav – Dance sequence chosen for that specific day of the Vilas – Samagri (Bhog) and mood settings of each day – Leela Sthali (location/spot) and its settings – Day of the week Thus, nine days of Nav-Vilas has Nine Sakhis, Nine colors and Nine Bhog / Samagris.

The overview of each Nav-Vilas is as follows.

1. First Nav-Vilas = Chandravaliji (Sakhi), Vrundavan / Nikunj Bhavan (Leela Sthali), Red – Golden i.e.; Laal – Soneri (Vastra), Diamnonds (Aabhushan), Chandra-Kala (Samagri)

2. Second Nav- Vilas = Lalitaji (Sakhi), Sanket-van (Leela Sthali), Yellow i.e.; Pila (Vastra), Panna (Aabhushan), Mohan-Thal / kheer or Payas (Samagri)

3. Third Nav-Vilas = Vishakhaji (Sakhi), Nikunj Mahel (Leela Sthali), Green i.e.; Lila (Vastra), Manek (Aabhushan), Papachi (Samagri)

4. Fourth Nav-Vilas = Chandrabhagaji (Sakhi), Parasouli (Leela Sthali), Amarasi i.e.; Kesari like Aam Ras (Vastra), Piroza (Aabhushan), Sikori / Jalebi (Samagri)

5. Fifth Nav-Vilas = Sanjavaliji (Sakhi), Kadari-Van (Leela Sthali), Shyam i.e.; Shyam (Vastra), Parvala (Aabhushan), Dudh-Poha / Manohar Ladoo (Samagri)

6. Sixth Nav-Vilas = Mukhraiji (Sakhi), Govardhan (Leela Sthali), Pink i.e.; Gulabi (Vastra), NavRatna (Aabhushan), Malpua / Sikori (Samagri)

7. Seventh Nav-Vilas = Krishnavatiji (Sakhi), Gehvar-Van (Leela Sthali), Blue i.e.; Bhura (Vastra), Moti (Aabhushan), Dedh-Vadi / Boondi (Samagri)

8. Eighth Nav-Vilas = Bhaviniji (Sakhi), Shantanu-Kund (Leela Sthali), Aqua-Blue i.e.; Pirozi (Vastra), Gold / Sona (Aabhushan), Dedh-Vadi / Kachori (Samagri)

9. Ninth Nav-Vilas = Ladiliji (Sakhi), Bansi-Batt (Leela Sthali), White i.e.; Safed (Vastra), Shyam (Aabhushan), Dudh-Poha / Mawa Samagri / Mohan-Thal (Samagri).

The Samagri offered differs from one gruha to another.

Shree Hariraiji, in his description of the 12 signs of the charan chinh of Shree Swaminiji, compares these 12 signs with 12 different powers (Shakti) of Shree Swaminiji. These 12 shaktis are as follows:

1. Acchadika

2. Vikshepika

3. Yogamaya

4. Katyayani

5. Vrunda Devi

6. Chandravali

7. Sanketa Devi

8. Lalitha Devi

9. Vimala Devi

10.Nau Vari

11. Chaubari

12. Anandi

Each day, Shree Prabhu does the Leela (divine sports) with a particular Sakhi at a particular Leela sport (location) and each day special samagri is offered to shree Prabhu.

All Pushti Vaishnavs celebrate Nav-Vilas and bring Yamuna Maiya at the center point of the Vilas. But in fact, the Mukhya Sakhi is Swaminiji, and somehow on Bhutal, Hariraiji Prabhu Charan, when writing on Nav-Vilas, suggested that Yamunaji should preside over Vilas and due to that Vachanamrut, all Vaishnavs perform Garba of Yamuna Maiya during Nav-Vilas. Many Pushti Vaishnavs perform Yamunaji’s poojan and Path such as; Yamun-Ashtak, Yamunaji 41 pad, etc. at their home during these 9 days.

Mahalaya Amavasya

Mahalaya Amavasya or Pitru Paksha – What is its significance?

Sadhguru: The new moon day known as the Mahalaya Amavasya is the beginning of Dussehra. It is a special day dedicated to making an offering to express our gratitude to all the previous generations of people who have contributed to our life.

Scientists say that human beings and their ancestors have existed on this planet for 20 million years. That is a lot of time. All these hundreds of thousands of generations that lived on this planet before us have given us something or the other. The language that we speak, the way we sit, our clothes, our buildings – almost everything that we know today has come to us from generations before us.

When only animals existed on this planet, it was all about survival, eating, sleeping, reproduction and dying one day. Then slowly, this animal which knew only survival, started evolving. From being horizontal, it started standing up; the brain started growing, and this animal’s ability to do things suddenly started multiplying. The significant thing about being human is that we can use tools. This simple ability of using tools, we multiplied or made it grow into technologies. The day an ape picked up a thigh bone of an animal and started fighting with that bone instead of with just his hands; when, apart from his own body, he had the necessary intelligence to start using tools to make his life, in some way that was the beginning of human life on the planet.

Now, human beings started structuring lives so that we could live a little better than animals. Shelters came up, buildings came up, clothes came – so many things happened on this planet because of human beings. From simple things like making a fire to discovering the wheel and innumerable other things, this legacy has been passed on from generation to generation. We are who we are today only because of all the things that have been given to us. Let us say, human beings had never worn clothes, and suppose you were the first person who had to stitch a shirt, it would not be easy; it would take many years to figure out how to stitch a shirt.

We have taken all the things that we have today for granted. But without the generations that came before us, firstly we would not exist here; secondly, without their contribution we would not have all the things that we have today. So instead of taking them for granted, today is a day when we express our gratitude to all of them. It is done as a ritual to pay homage to one’s dead parents, but is actually an expression of gratitude for all those generations of ancestors who lived before us.

During this time, in the Indian subcontinent, new crops would have just begun to bear yield. So their first produce is offered to the ancestors as a mark of respect and thankfulness, by way of pinda, before the whole population breaks into celebration in the form of other festivals like Navaratri, Vijayadashami and Diwali.

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