Bhagavad Gita Birthday | Kurukshetra Geeta Jayanti Mahotsav
Bhagavad Gita Birthday or Gita Jayanti or ‘Gita Mahotsav‘ (Gita Festival), is also known as Mokshada Ekadashi. We honor this day as the birthday of Srimad Bhagavad Gita. Bhagwat Gita is a compilation of the dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra during the Mahabharata war in Dwapar-Yuga. The Geeta Jayanti festival occurs on the Margashirsha-Shukla-Ekadashi according to the Hindu calendar. This celebration of Geeta Jayanti typically takes place in December.
Table of Content
- Celebrations on Bhagavad Gita Birthday at Kurukshetra
- History behind the Bhagavad Gita Jayanti
- Purpose to celebrate Geeta Jayanti Festival
- Rituals on Gita Jayanti
- Bhagavad Gita : Chapters and Content
Celebrations on Bhagavad Gita Birthday Mahotsav at Kurukshetra
Hindus recognize Gita Jayanti as the day Lord Krishna revealed the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. 5000 times agone on this day, Lord Krishna sermonized the Gita to Arjuna on the battleground of Kurukshetra. Geeta Jayanti is celebrated every year to commemorate this historic event.
The ‘International Gita Mahotsav‘ held at Kurukshetra in the Indian state of Haryana is celebrated every year with great pomp and devotion. Krishna lovers, pilgrims and culture suckers from all over the world gather at Kurukshetra in Haryana during Gita Jayanti fests. The pilgrims feel satiated by bathing in the holy waters of the sacred lakes – ‘Sannihit Sarovar’ and ‘Brahma Sarovar’.
The International Gita Mahotsav Festival was first organized in 1989. It was declared a National Festival in 2002 and given the status of an International Festival in 2016. Therefore, in 2016 the Haryana government decided to celebrate Gita Jayanti as ‘International Gita Festival’. In 2024, Kurukshetra saw more than two million tourists on Gita Jayanti, a record-breaking number for the event. Therefore, the Haryana Government declared it as an annual festival.
The Kurukshetra Development Board and Haryana Tourism organize it to promote the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita among mankind.
The festival includes the following programs :
- Gita reading & chanting by students
- Gita Yajna and Gita Pujan
- Bhajan Sandhya and Maha Aarti
- Cultural Evenings – Dance, Dramas
- Deepotsav – Gita Maha Aarti and Deep Daan
- Sant Samagam – Discussions and seminars by scholars and Hindu priests congregation
- Stage plays and Gita chanting competitions for children
- Exhibition organised by Haryana Government
- Distribution of books, leaflets, and pamphlets related to the Srimad Bhagavad Gita
History Behind the Bhagavad Gita Birthday Samaroh
धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः।
मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय॥
Just before the Mahabharata war began on the battleground of Kurukshetra, Arjuna asked his charioteer Lord Krishna to take the chariot to the center of the battleground so that he could keep an eye on the opposing army. Arjuna was distraught to see his own relatives, friends, and gurus on the opposing side. And with a sad heart, he asked Krishna not to fight. Seeing this, Krishna suggested the path of Kshatriya Dharma to Arjun and explained the difference between right and wrong. During this conversation Arjuna asked questions related to knowledge, devotion, dharma, karma, and human duties etc. And Krishna answered every question of Arjun one by one. The collection of conversations between Lord Krishna and Arjuna in the middle of the battleground is known as ‘Teachings of the Bhagavad Gita’.
Purpose to Celebrate Gita Jayanti Festival
The main purpose of celebrating Gita Jayanti is to keep people connected to Srimad Bhagwat Geeta, so that they can find solutions to their daily problems at their own level. The messages of Bhagavad Gita are useful for every person who is stuck in any kind of confusing situation. The teachings of Bhagawat Geeta given for the welfare of the entire human race are equally meaningful and effective even today. The teachings of Gita are free from all types of human bondages such as – time, region, caste, religion, language etc.
Rituals of Geeta Jayanti
- Devotees celebrate Gita Jayanti with great enthusiasm and joy in Lord Krishna’s temples. Krishna temples around the world conduct special prayers and worship.
- On this special occasion, a large number of Krishna devotees from all over the world come to Kurukshetra in India and take bath in holy pools like Brahma-Sarovar. Devotees who cannot go to Kurukshetra worship and perform aarti of Lord Krishna after taking a holy bath at their home.
- Since the festival falls on Ekadashi day, devotees observing the fast should not consume grains like rice, wheat or barley.
About Bhagavad Geeta : Chapters and Content
The holy Bhagavad Gita is a collection of teachings, advice and spiritual wisdom given by Lord Krishna to Arjuna. It is a part of the epic Mahabharata, a major Hindu religious text. According to mythological belief, Maharishi Veda Vyas is the author of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita. It has a total of 18 chapters, which have 700 verses or couplets. Chapter
Bhagavad Gita contains the essence of the four Vedas and Upanishads. Lord Krishna preached about the various paths of knowledge, karma and devotion through the Gita, for the welfare of the entire human society. The divine knowledge of Gita can liberate the soul from the cycle of repeated life.
Gita Jayanti Tithi at Iskcon | Celebration Date in 2024 –
- Festival Date – December 11, 2024
- Timings of Gita Jayanti Tithi
- Ekadashi Tithi Starts : 03:42 AM on December 11, 2024
- Ekadashi Tithi Ends : 01:09 AM on December 12, 2024
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