Gopashtami is dedicated to worship of Cow and lord Krishna. Gopa means cow or a cowherd boy and Astami means 8th day. Gopastami is celebrated on eighth day Kartik Shukla Paksha. It is believed that Lord Krishna Himself worshiped cows on Gopashtami. On this day devotees bathe and clean the cows early in the morning. There is a tradition of decorating and worshipping cows along with their calf on this day. Cows are worshipped in the morning with incense, flowers, roli, jaggery, fragrance, clothes, rice and water followed by performing the aarti. Many people give gifts to the herders a well.
On the auspicious day of Gopashtami, the cows are worshipped in the cattle farms. All the members of the family take part in the puja and offer their prayers to the cows. The puja for Gopashtami is performed by the priest with proper rituals.
There is a tradition of worshipping cows on Gopastami festival according to the ancient scriptures. The cows are worshipped on the Kartik shukla paksha and decorated with flowers. The devotee should walk a mile after doing the parikrama. In the evening the cow returns home and is worshipped with panchopchar and returns home and worshipped. After that the soil beneath the cow’s feet is applied on the forehead and food items are offered to her. By doing all this devotee gets a prosperous and a happy life.
Why do we celebrate Gopashtami?
1. Krishna became ‘Gopala’
On Gopashtami lord Krishna became a gopa and got qualified as cowherd. Initially Krishna’s name was ’Batsapal’, which means caretaker of the calves. When Krishna was ready to take care of mother cows, he became a qualified cowherd i.e. ‘Gopala’. Krishna grazed cows on his bare feet. He had great love towards cows.
As per the legend, Lord Krishna communicated his desire of herding the cows to his mother. As per his wish, Krishna’s mother went to saint Shandilya and asked him about the auspicious time to begin the work. The auspicious day as told by the saint, was Gopashtami. The innocent child worships and offers his prayers to the cows before commencing his new task.
On the auspicious festival of Gopashtami, people visit the cattle farms or the herders and offer their prayers to cows with diya, jaggery, flowers, gangajal, etc, Females worship Lord Krishna before cows and apply tilak on the forehead of the cows. Cows are fed green peas, jaggery etc. by the devotees. Many religious people donate food and other items in the cattle farm.
2. Lord Krishna & Govardhan Parvat
On day day of Govardhan Puja Lord Krishna lifted Govardhan hill on his small finger in order to protect cows and citizens of vrindavan. He kept holding Mt. Govardhan on his little finger for seven days i.e. from Kartik shukla paksha pratipada to saptami. On the eight day, Indra dumped his ego and apologised Lord Krishna. The eight day is celebrated as Gopashtami. At the same time, the queen of the divine cows, Surabhi, rained milk on Krishna and consecrated him Govinda, meaning “lord of the cows.”
3. Birth of Cow
Some people consider Gopastami as the appearance day of divine mother in the form of cow. So, it is celebrated as birthday or as a special day of cows. As a mark of respect, we worship cow and offer them fresh grass and food on this day.
Cows are considered to be the soul of Hindu culture. They are pure and revered and are worshipped in India just like any other Hindu god and scriptures. It is believed that all the gods and goddess reside inside a cow, and thus, hold a special place in Hindu culture. According to the Hindu scriptures, cows are the mother of all species and every Hindu possess a respect for her. Cow is considered to be the owner of the divine qualities and is similar to goddess earth. Special pujas and saatsangs are organized in the evening inI temples around the country.
On Gopashtami, when the cows come back from grazing in the evening (go-dhuli samaya), they are to be greeted and once again given puja with the five principal articles. This will increase one’s good fortune and lead to the realization of all desires.
Gopashtami is celebrated joyfully in almost all parts of India to a greater or lesser extent. But it is a particularly special event in goshalas, as giving in charity to them is also recommended. The whole day should thus be devoted to contemplating the sacred nature of the bovine species!
Puja Rituals for Gopashtami
On the auspicious day of Gopashtami, the cows are worshipped in the cattle farms. All the members of the family take part in the puja and offer their prayers to the cows. The puja for Gopashtami is performed by the priest with proper rituals.
There is a tradition of worshipping cows on Gopastami festival according to the ancient scriptures. The cows are worshipped on the Kartik shukla paksha and decorated with flowers. The devotee should walk a mile after doing the parikrama. In the evening the cow returns home and is worshipped with panchopchar and returns home and worshipped. After that the soil beneath the cow’s feet is applied on the forehead and food items are offered to her. By doing all this devotee gets a prosperous and a happy life.
Why do we celebrate Gopashtami?
1. Krishna became ‘Gopala’
On Gopashtami lord Krishna became a gopa and got qualified as cowherd. Initially Krishna’s name was ’Batsapal’, which means caretaker of the calves. When Krishna was ready to take care of mother cows, he became a qualified cowherd i.e. ‘Gopala’. Krishna grazed cows on his bare feet. He had great love towards cows.
As per the legend, Lord Krishna communicated his desire of herding the cows to his mother. As per his wish, Krishna’s mother went to saint Shandilya and asked him about the auspicious time to begin the work. The auspicious day as told by the saint, was Gopashtami. The innocent child worships and offers his prayers to the cows before commencing his new task.
On the auspicious festival of Gopashtami, people visit the cattle farms or the herders and offer their prayers to cows with diya, jaggery, flowers, gangajal, etc, Females worship Lord Krishna before cows and apply tilak on the forehead of the cows. Cows are fed green peas, jaggery etc. by the devotees. Many religious people donate food and other items in the cattle farm.
2. Lord Krishna & Govardhan Parvat
On day day of Govardhan Puja Lord Krishna lifted Govardhan hill on his small finger in order to protect cows and citizens of vrindavan. He kept holding Mt. Govardhan on his little finger for seven days i.e. from Kartik shukla paksha pratipada to saptami. On the eight day, Indra dumped his ego and apologised Lord Krishna. The eight day is celebrated as Gopashtami. At the same time, the queen of the divine cows, Surabhi, rained milk on Krishna and consecrated him Govinda, meaning “lord of the cows.”
3. Birth of Cow
Some people consider Gopastami as the appearance day of divine mother in the form of cow. So, it is celebrated as birthday or as a special day of cows. As a mark of respect, we worship cow and offer them fresh grass and food on this day.
Cows are considered to be the soul of Hindu culture. They are pure and revered and are worshipped in India just like any other Hindu god and scriptures. It is believed that all the gods and goddess reside inside a cow, and thus, hold a special place in Hindu culture. According to the Hindu scriptures, cows are the mother of all species and every Hindu possess a respect for her. Cow is considered to be the owner of the divine qualities and is similar to goddess earth. Special pujas and saatsangs are organized in the evening inI temples around the country.
On Gopashtami, when the cows come back from grazing in the evening (go-dhuli samaya), they are to be greeted and once again given puja with the five principal articles. This will increase one’s good fortune and lead to the realization of all desires.
Gopashtami is celebrated joyfully in almost all parts of India to a greater or lesser extent. But it is a particularly special event in goshalas, as giving in charity to them is also recommended. The whole day should thus be devoted to contemplating the sacred nature of the bovine species!
Puja Rituals for Gopashtami
- Bathe, clean and decorate cows in the morning.
- Worship them along with their calf.
- Offer flowers, tilak, Jaggery (gudd), rice and water.
- Perform aarti and offer fresh grass.
- Take parikrama around cows.
- Apply ‘guadhuli’ (soil beneath the cow’s feet) on your forehead. It is said that by doing so one gets prosperous and a happy life.
- If you are unable to worship Cow. You can also donate food and other items in the cattle farms
Chant this mantra while worshiping Cow.
लक्ष्मीर्या लोकपालानां धेनुरूपेण संस्थिता।
घृतं वहति यज्ञार्थ मम पापं व्यपोहतु।।
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