Vrindavan Kartik Utsav 2024

Vrindavan Kartik Utsav 2024

The auspicious month of Kartik is considered to be a special time to receive the causeless mercy of Lord Krishna. This month is also known as Damodara Maas to commemorate the divine childhood pastime exhibited by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As per our ancient scriptures, the month of Kartik is particularly exceptional for pleasing Lord Krishna with your devotion and spiritual practices. There are various incredible celebrations that take place during the prosperous month of Kartik. As per CC Madhya 15.36,

ei-mata rāsa-yātrā, āra dīpāvalī

utthāna-dvādaśī yātrā dekhilā sakali

“The Dīpāvalī festival takes place on the dark moon night in the month of Kārttika (October-November). The Rāsa-yātrā, or rāsa dancing of Kṛṣṇa, takes place on the full-moon night of the same month. Utthāna-dvādaśī takes place the day after Ekādaśī in the waxing fortnight of the moon in the same month.”

Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir will organize the Kartik Utsava from 17 October to 10 November. Festivals like Sharad Purnima, Diwali, Govardhan Puja, and Gopashtami will be celebrated with great joy at Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir. The month-long festivals will also include Antervedi Nauka Vihar inside the campus, Vishesh Kartik Puja, Bahirvedi Nauka Vihar at Yamuna River, and Shobha Yatra. The Deities of Sri Radha Vrindavanchandra will receive special offerings throughout the Kartik month.

Kartik month is considered ideal to offer your pure devotion to Lord Krishna. Throughout the month, devotees will offer ghee lamps in the temples and visit the sacred places to perform kirtans, where Lord Krishna performed His divine pastimes. Devotees perform austerities and offer charity for the entire month to attain spiritual advancements in their devotional lives. Apart from that, many devotees will perform penances in the form of fasting, reading Gopi Geet from Srimad Bhagavatam, offering Tulasi to Lord Krishna, preparing special Bhog for Him and chanting more rounds of Hare Krishna Mahamantra to receive benediction from Him.

Glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Damodara Lila

Kartik month is also known as Damodara Maas and is dedicated to a sweet pastime performed by Lord Krishna when He was a child. Srila Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the Worldwide Hare Krishna Movement, described this divine lila in His book, Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 4-

During the month of Kārttika (October-November). During this month, in Vṛndāvana, it is the regulative principle to pray daily to Lord Kṛṣṇa in His Dāmodara form. The Dāmodara form refers to Kṛṣṇa in His childhood when He was tied up with rope by His mother, Yaśodā. Dāma means "ropes," and udara means "the abdomen." So mother Yaśodā, being very disturbed by naughty Kṛṣṇa, bound Him round the abdomen with a rope, and thus Kṛṣṇa is named Dāmodara. During the month of Kārttika, Dāmodara is prayed to as follows: "My dear Lord, You are the Lord of all, the giver of all benedictions." 

In this same prayer, there is another passage, in which it is said, "My dear Lord Dāmodara, once when You were playing as a naughty boy in the house of Nanda Mahārāja, You broke the box containing yogurt, and because of that, mother Yaśodā considered You an offender and tied You with rope to the household grinding mortar. My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, I do not want any resultant benediction from my religious life, nor do I want any economic development, nor do I want to enjoy sense gratification, nor liberation. I simply pray to be an eternal servant at Your lotus feet. Kindly oblige me and give me this benediction.”

In the auspicious month of Kartik, devotees light ghee lamps for Lord Damodara and sing Damodarashtakam, a special prayer dedicated to this pastime. 

Kartik Utsava Celebrations in Vrindavan

Devotees plan to spend the month of Kartik in Mathura and Vrindavan due to its spiritual significance. People who can’t reside in the sacred cities for the whole month pay their visit during this holy month to receive the blessings of Lord Krishna. Srila Prabhupada explains the importance of spending Kartik Mass in Mathura or Vrindavan in His book Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 12- 

“One of the most important of these ceremonial functions is called Ūrja-vrata. Ūrja-vrata is observed in the month of Kārttika (October-November); especially in Vṛndāvana, there is a specific program for temple worship of the Lord in His Dāmodara form. “Dāmodara” refers to Kṛṣṇa’s being bound with rope by His mother, Yaśodā. It is said that just as Lord Dāmodara is very dear to His devotees, so the month known as Dāmodara or Kārttika is also very dear to them. The execution of devotional service during Ūrja-vrata in the month of Kārttika is especially recommended to be performed at Mathurā. This system is still followed by many devotees. They go to Mathurā or Vṛndāvana and stay there during the month of Kārttika specifically to perform devotional services during this period.”

The Govardhan Lila of Lord Krishna

Govardhan Puja celebrates the divine pastime of Lord Krishna, lifting the Govardhana Hill to protect the residents of Vrindavan. The lila began when the villagers, guided by little Krishna, decided to worship Govardhana Hill instead of Indra. This incident angered Indra and prompted him to retaliate with destructive storms. In response to the villagers' plight, Krishna lifted the hill with his little finger, providing shelter to the residents and their cattle for seven days and nights. This miraculous act demonstrated His omnipotence and deep care for his devotees.

As per Krsna, Chapter 29, “The festival of Govardhana-pūjā was performed just after the dark moon night in the month of Kārttika, and thereafter, the ceremony of Bhrātṛ-dvitīyā was performed; then the wrath of Indra was exhibited in the shape of torrents of rain and hailstones, and Lord Kṛṣṇa held up Govardhana Hill for seven days, until the ninth day of the moon.”

Tulasi-Shaligram Vivah

There are various ancient scriptures and texts that evidently underline the significance of Tulasi Devi in worshipping Lord Krishna. Tulasi-Shaligram Vivah is a ceremonial tradition celebrated in the month of Kartik, on the Dwadashi tithi after Diwali. This day marks the marriage of Tulasi Devi with Lord Vishnu, who is very dear to Him. Infact, If someone sows a tulasī tree somewhere, certainly he becomes devoted to Lord Kṛṣṇa. And when the tulasī leaves are offered in devotion at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, there is the full development of love of Godhead. Tulasī is auspicious in all respects. Simply by seeing, simply by touching, simply by remembering, simply by praying to, simply by bowing before, simply by hearing about or simply by sowing this tree, there is always auspiciousness. Anyone who comes in touch with the tulasī tree in the above-mentioned ways lives eternally in the Vaikuṇṭha world. 

त्तुलस्या प्रियया प्रभुम् ll

Here, SB 4.8.55 states, “It is specifically mentioned herein that tulasī leaves are very dear to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and devotees should take particular care to have tulasī leaves in every temple and center of worship.”

SB 3.15.19 explains the importance of Tulasi leaves while worshipping Lord Vishnu with this beautiful verse-

मन्दारकुन्दकुरबोत्पलचम्पकार्ण-

पुन्नागनागबकुलाम्बुजपारिजाता: ।

गन्धेऽर्चिते तुलसिकाभरणेन तस्या

यस्मिंस्तप: सुमनसो बहु मानयन्ति ॥ 

“Although flowering plants like the mandāra, kunda, kurabaka, utpala, campaka, arṇa, punnāga, nāgakeśara, bakula, lily and pārijāta are full of transcendental fragrance, they are still conscious of the austerities performed by tulasī, for tulasī is given special preference by the Lord, who garlands Himself with tulasī leaves. This is true even among the flowers, which are all conscious of the greatness of tulasī.”

Kartik Utsava at Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir

Vrindavan Chandordaya Mandir will organise the Kartik Utsav, which will be accompanied by various spiritual and cultural festivities. The month-long elaborative joyous celebration will include Sankirtan Utsav, Nauka Vihar and Vedic ceremonies for the pleasure of the presiding Deities of the temple, Sri Radha Vrindvanchandra. The altar will be decorated with flowers of sweet fragrance for the pleasure of Sri Radha Vrindavanchandra. 

To honor the exceptional month of Kartik, which is also an ideal month to please Lord Krishna with your devotion, a Vishesh Kartik Puja in the form of Yagna and Damodar Aarti at 8 PM will be performed every evening throughout the month. Devotees can also offer ghee lamps to Sri Radha Vrindavanchandra during this time. Rasa Utsava will be oraganized at various places in Vrindavan, which will include spiritual discourses and performances related to Lord Krishna’s pastimes and the importance of the auspicious month of Kartik.

In the special three-day festival, Utsava Deities of Sri Radha Vrindavanchandra will be offered: Bahirvedi Nauka Vihar in sacred river Yamuna, Antarvedi Nauka Vihar in Chandra Sarovar at Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir and Shobha Yatra, a grand procession will be taken around the campus accompanied by kirtans.

Furthermore, the festivities of Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir will include Sharad Purnima Special Alankar, Gopashtami, Govardhan Puja, Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day and Kartik Purnima. 

We invite you to attend the grand celebrations of Kartik month with us at Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir and experience the joy of this auspicious month.

You can also participate in various Sevas offered to the Lordships like Deepdaan Seva, Nauka Vihar Seva, Palaki Seva, Aabhushan Seva, Gau Seva, and Sadhu Seva.

Know more about the festivities in VCM https://vcm.org.in/kartik-utsav-2024