Ugadi / Gudi Padvo

Synonyms:
Varsha Pratipada, Yugadi tithi, Hindu New Year.

Gudhipadva is the first day of the Hindu Calendar Year.

Importance:
The Hindu New Year begins on the first day of the month of Chaitra from the Hindu lunar calendar, and this year (2005) it falls on April 9. The natural, historical and spiritual reasons to mark the commencement of the year on the first day of the month Chaitra of are discussed in the following sections.

Natural:
The spring season commences, the trees bear new foliage and appear fresh. In the Shrimadbhagvadgita the Lord says, “Among the seasons the exhilarating Vasant season (spring) is My manifestation,” thus signifying the importance of this season. In this season the weather is pleasant and exhilarating.

Historical:
Lord Rama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, returned to Ayodhya after slaying the demons and Ravan, an evil king of the demons who had kidnapped Lord Rama’s queen, Sita, on this very day. He slayed Vali, a powerful and evil king of Kishkindha on this very day.

Spiritual:

1. Since on this day Lord Brahma created the universe and the Satyayug began, it marks the commencement of the New Year.

2. It is one among the three-and-a-half auspicious days (sade teen muhurtas). The special feature of the three and a half days are that unlike other days when one has to choose an auspicious moment to perform a ritual, on these one does not need to as every moment of these days are auspicious.

3. The higher incidence of prajapati sanyukta (conjoint) frequencies on the earth: The Hindu Holy text Ganeshyamal tantra states that totally 108 subtle frequencies reach the earth. These stem from the four parts (charans) of each of the twenty-seven lunar asterisms from the Nakshtralok. They disintegrate further into four type of frequencies – yama, surya, prajapati and sanyukta (conjoint), and strike the earth in varying proportions throughout the year. On the first day of the month of Chaitra, the prajapati sanyukta and surya sanyukta frequencies, which have the potential to increase the spiritual/subtle purity (sattva) component, descend in larger quantities. Also on this day, the maximum number of the purity-predominant prajapati sanyukta frequencies descends upon the earth.
    

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