We celebrate Hariyali Teej in memory of Parvati’s intense tapasya. When Sati immolates herself in Daksha, her father’s Yagna, she vows to be reborn to a father who understands her.
Several yugas later, Sati is reborn as Himavan’s daughter, Parvati. Even as a child Parvati is clear that she will marry only Shiva. But she reveals her innermost feelings only to one of her Sakhis.
Parvati would often go away to distant forests with her Sakhi to perform austerities. Himavan wonders why his daughter is so devout. But though he worries for her, he does not stop her from performing such intense austerities. One day, rishi Narada appears before him and says, “O Himavan, lord Vishnu is extremely pleased with your daughter, Parvati’s austerities and wishes to marry her.”
Himavan is overwhelmed with joy and assumes that this is what Parvati too was yearning for. He agrees to the marriage without any hesitation.
Rishi Narada then goes to Vaikunta and says, “O lord, Himavan has decided to get his daughter, Parvati, married to you.” Lord Vishnu too readily agrees to marry the devout Parvati.
Then rishi Narada goes to the forest where Parvati is performing her tapasya and says, “I have come here to share some very good news with you. Your father has decided to get you married to lord Vishnu. And lord Vishnu has agreed to the proposal.”
When Parvati hears rishi Narada’s words, she is crestfallen. She looks at her father Himavan, who too had come there with great joy to inform her about this divine turn of events in their lives.
But when Himavan escorts her home, Parvati’s Sakhi quietly abducts her. She takes her away to a remote dense forest so that Parvati can continue with her tapasya and fulfil her wish of marrying Shiva.
When Himavan realizes that Parvati had not followed her home, he sends his search parties everywhere to find Parvati. After several days, Himavan finds Parvati performing an even more intense tapasya in front of a Shiva linga made out of her hair. Himavan quickly realizes that Parvati had been performing her tapasya because she wanted to marry Shiva.
Rishi Narada, lord Vishnu and lord Shiva manifest there and tell him, “O Himavan, Sati of the ancient ages has been reborn 108 times and finally now as your daughter Parvati.”
Parvati is overwhelmed with joy on seeing lord Shiva. Shiva says, “O Parvati, I am an ascetic and have no worldly ties. Yet, I am extremely pleased with the intensity of your tapasya. I will gladly marry you and make you, my wife. And I promise you that I will fulfil the wishes of any woman who performs a Vrat on the third day of Shukla Paksha of Shraavan.”
Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi Devi then actively participate in Shiva and Parvati’s wedding ceremony. They then bless the divine couple and return to Vaikunta.
The festival of Hartalika
Today, young girls and women fast, pray, wear red or green clothes, apply henna on their hands and feet, tell stories to one another, and sing and dance to celebrate Shiva’s and Parvati’s wedding with the hope that Shiva will fulfil their wishes too.
Hartalika is actually a combination of two Hindi words – “Harit” and “Alika.” Harit means abduct and Alika means friend. Since Parvati’s Sakhi had abducted her so that she could marry Shiva, we call this day as Hartalika.
Hartalika is a monsoon festival. Since we are surrounded by the bounty of nature during this time, we also call this day as Hariyali Teej. Women of Rajasthan usually celebrate Hartalika in a grand manner.
Hindola Leela
While the women of Rajasthan celebrate Hartalika in a grand manner, the women of Uttar Pradesh and Vraj are busy preparing for Krishna’s Hindola leela. We, Pushti Margiya Vaishnavs seat our Nidhi swaroops in a big swing called Hindola and celebrate Krishna’s Hindola leela for approximately 30 days. The Hindola festival begins on the first day of the Krishna Paksha of Ashadha and ends on the second day of the Krishna Paksha of Shraavan.
During the Hindola leela, we recreate the different Bhaavs and Rasas that the gopas, gopis, Yashodaji, Radhaji and Yamunaji experienced in their relationship with Krishna.
For the first 8 days, we recreate Yashoda’s Bhaav of motherly love in Nandalaya. During the next 8 days we focus on the Bhaav that the gopas and gopis experienced in and around Goverdhan Parvat. We then recreate the Bhaav of Krishna’s leelas with the gopis along the banks of Yamunaji in Vrindavan. And on the last 8 days we focus on the Bhaav of Ananda that Radha has for Krishna.
Thakurani Teej and Radhaji
In Pushti Marg, we fondly address Krishna as our Thakur and Radha as the Thakurani of Vraj. On Thakurani Teej, the Pichwai behind our Nidhi Swaroop recreates the Bhaav of Chandravali, Shobha and Radhaji.
Radhaji feels scared when thunder and lightning accompany the heavy rain during the monsoons. So, she rushes into Krishna’s arms seeking shelter from the sudden heavy downpour.
Thakurani Teej and Yamunaji
Shrinathji blesses Vallabhacharya with divine insight and asks him to visit Govind Ghat and Thakurani Ghat in Gokul. Vallabhacharya reaches Gokul on the Teej of Shukla Paksha of Shravan and looks for directions to reach Govind Ghat and Thakurani Ghat.
Yamunaji manifests before him and shows him exactly where Thakurani ghat and Govind ghat are. Vallabhacharya is overwhelmed with bliss on seeing Yamunaji. So great is his joy that he composes the Shree Yamunashtakam right there.
Today, we celebrate this auspicious day as Thakurani Teej to recreate the Bhaav of these two divine experiences.
The festival of Thakurani Teej
In Vraj, Thakurani Teej is celebrated as a folk festival. Young unmarried girls dress themselves in lovely clothes and go out to the forests to enjoy the day. They observe a Vrat, sit on swings and do their best to recreate the Bhaav of Radhaji and Yamunaji on this day. They know that Krishna could enjoy the splendour of Vrindavan only because of these two divine entities. So, they create a Hindola of fruits and flowers and seat the Yugal Swaroop on it on Thakurani Teej.
Something to reflect on…
What is the perfect definition of love? Can we capture the essence of any emotion in words? Aren’t all emotions different aspects of love? And doesn’t our love vary according to the roles that we play in our worldly lives? Our scriptures portray this reality to us. Yet, we yearn for “perfect” love in all our relationships on Hartalika/Thakurani Teej. Why?
Parvati was reborn 108 times and performed intense tapasya before getting married to Shiva. Again. Yashoda and Radha never see Krishna again after he leaves Vraj. Yamunaji feels content to witness Krishna’s leela’s from afar in the mortal realm. Always.
Isn’t it time we accepted the reality that love has and will always be a merry medley of emotions? Maybe we all struggle to accept this reality. Though we are aware of it. So, let’s hope that someday (if not in this life – in the next one or the one after that) like Parvati, Yashoda, Radha, Yamuna, the gopas and gopis we too realize this: the love that we have been seeking for – from others – was always within us. And maybe on that day, for a few fleeting minutes at least, we will experience the most sublime emotion of all – the one that we call “Ananda.”
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