Gopashtami 2024: Date, Timings, Rituals & Significances

Gopashtami 2024 is celebrated in Kartik during the shukla paksha of its eighth day. This is celebrated as a festival devoted to worship and offers prayers to cows. On this auspicious day, one pays gratitude and tribute to cow wealth and also shows gratitude and admires the cows which are considered life-givers.

In Hindu culture, cows are referred to as ‘Gau mata’ and pleased like the Goddess. The custom of offering prayers and pleasing the calves and cows is the same as the festival of Govatsa Dwadashi which is celebrated in Maharashtra.

The day honours both Lord Krishna and the cows. The festival is celebrated in various cities such as Vrindavan, Mathura, and other Brij cities with utmost dedication and love.

On such days, it is mandatory to worship and dress cows and their calves. On this particular day, Nanda Maharaj who was the father of Lord Krishna entrusted to him the care of their cows.

As visiting Vrindavan for the first time to feed the calves, Nanda Maharaj determined a plan for a feast for both Lord Krishna and Balaram. Hence, the day is honoured by us as the Gopashtami festival.

Date & Timings of Gopashtami 2024

• Gopashtami Date: Saturday, November 09th, 2024
• Gopashtami Tithi Begins – 11:56 PM on November 08th, 2024
• Gopashtami Tithi Ends – 10:45 PM on November 09th, 2024

Significance of Gopashtami Festival

Cows are considered the soul of Hindu culture and religion. They are regarded as pure and also pleased as Hindu Goddesses. According to Hindu mythology, this is determined that the various deities, lords, and goddesses reside inside a cow and hence they retain a special place in the Hindu religion.

They are considered to be the owners of religious and divine energies and are another form of Goddess Earth. According to Hindu beliefs, to get a happy life and good fortune one can please the cow on the occasion of Gopashtami. This also helps the people in achieving their dreams.

On this auspicious day, special pujas and satsangs are performed in the evening in temples around the country. Devotees take baths and clean the cows in the early morning. As per the tradition of decorating and pleasing cows along with the calves on this day.

Devotees worship the cows in the morning with sacred items like flowers, incense jaggery, roli, fragrance, clothes, rice, and water by performing the aarti. Several people also give presents to the shepherds as well. By doing all these things natives achieve a prosperous and happy life.

History of the Gopashtami Festival

As per Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna speaks about his desire to herd the cows to his mother. According to his wish, the mother of Lord Krishna Yashoda went to saint Shandilya and asked him about the auspicious time to start the work.

The sacred day as told by the sage, was Gopashtami. The innocent child pleases and offers his prayers to the cows before beginning his new work.

Story Behind Celebrating Gopashtami

Apart from this, there are other stories as well associated with the Gopashtami festival. In various stories, Lord Krishna has been the topic of most popular and common of them.

A story tells that Nanda Maharaj asked both boys Lord Krishna and Balram to feed their cows for the very first time on a specific day of the Gopashtami festival from when they reached the Pauganda age, that is between 6 and 10 years.

And hence, both will be full responsibility for driving the cows and their cattle going forward. Lord Krishna instructs us to please and protect the cows as he is worshipped and we also should celebrate them on special occasions such as Govardhan Puja or Gopashtami festival.

Another well-known legend holds that Lord Krishna counselled the Braj community to cease offering Lord Indra any yearly sacrifices. Owing to his inflated ego and resulting fury, Lord Indra felt compelled to show the people how strong and dominant he was. In an attempt to subjugate the Brij people, he chose to inundate the entire area.

The locals experienced nonstop, deluge rain for a full fortnight. Lord Krishna raised the Govardhan Parvat with his little finger to shield and hide all living things from the wrath of Lord Indra. On the ninth day, after seeing his errors and accepting his defeat, Lord Indra halted the rain and pleaded with Lord Krishna to pardon him.

Then the cow, Surbhi, washed Lord Indra and Lord Krishna with milk and announced Lord Krishna as Govinda which is meant to be the lord of Cows. Hence, it was the eighth day which is known as Ashtami and specifically celebrated as Gopashtami.

How to Celebrate Gopashtami 2024?

On the auspicious day of Gopashtami, the cows are appeased in the cattle farms. Every member of the family participates in the puja and offers prayers to the cows. Experienced and verified pandits perform the puja for Gopashtami on this day.

There is a ritual of offering prayers to cows on the Gopashtami festival as per the ancient tradition. The cows are pleased on the kartik shukla paksha and adorned with flowers.

The natives need to walk a mile after performing the parikrama. In the evening, we worship the cow with panchopchar as it returns home.

After that, they apply the ground beneath the cow’s feet on her forehead and provide her with meals. On the day of Gopashtami, people visit the cattle farms or the herders and give their prayers to cows with flowers, sweets, Ganga Jal, and diya.

Women worship Lord Krishna before worshipping cows and apply tilak on the forehead of the cows and their calves. Devotees feed green peas and jaggery etc. Various religious people donate food items and other things to the Goshala or cattle farm.

Rituals & Celebrations of Gopashtami

On the occasion of Gopashtami, the following rituals are performed during the day:

• During the Gopashtami occasion, usually people bathe the cow and their cattle and worship them.
• We use items to appease both Krishna and the cows mentioned in the above section.
• You can Book Pandit from 99Pandit to perform the puja for Gopashtami along with the entire rituals.
• Pandits conduct special worship for the Gopashtami festival in several temples and houses. People perform Aarti and sing sacred songs.
• Devotees take showers and scrub the cows and calves early in the morning during the Gopashtami festival. They also paint the cow’s cornet with beautiful colours. Farmers also decorate the cows with beautiful jewellery and clothes. We graze the cows on specialized grass to manage their health.
• For the aarti at the end of puja, prepare the Bhog prasad that can include sooji halwa, aloo puri, and kheer. 
• Decorate the thali of aarti with desi ghee diya, fruits, and sweets. And offer the Bhog to Lord Krishna.
• To the cows and their calves offer the prayers and decorate them with flower garlands. Allows the pandits to schedule special pujas. And also visit the local temples for aarti.
• Once the aarti is complete, distribute the bhog to herders and give them Dakshina. 
• The cooked prasad was fed to the holy cow and calves to finish the puja and rituals.

Puja Vidhi of Gopashtami

The primary Gopashtami customs are:

1. Take a bath, change into clean clothes, and get up early in the morning.
2. Arrange flowers, mango leaves, a lovely cradle, and other decorations for the altar. Put the baby Krishna idol inside of it.
3. Present garlands, jewellery, and yellow clothing to the Lord.
4. Light a diya using oil or ghee. As Krishna’s childhood nourishment, pour some milk into a tiny jar and set it next to the cradle.
5. Present milk, fruits, maybe kheer, and lead in the Aarti song.
6. On a mala jap, recite the Gopala Mantra 108 times.
7. Hear or tell tales of Krishna’s early adventures in Gokul and Vrindavan.
8. Chant the mantras and give Krishna a panchamrita bath for cleansing at night. Put him in the adorned cradle, give him a new wardrobe, and perform his aarti.
9. Present bhog with fruits, tulsi leaves, milk, and sweets. After the pooja, seek his blessings and break the fast.
10. On this day, give underprivileged kids some food, clothing, cash, blankets, sesame seeds, and personal hygiene products.

Why Celebrate the Gopashtami Festival?

As per the story we read in the Puranas, once Lord Krishna stops the people of Braj from showing the annual offering to Lord Indra. When Lord Indra learned about this, he got very angry with Lord Krishna. In that time of anger, Lord Indra decided to make heavy rain over Braj.

After this, heavy rainfall started in the Braj. To save the people and animals from the anger of Lord Indra, Lord Krishna raised the Govardhan mountain on his little finger and protected everyone under it.

When there was no impact of Indra’s wrath over the people of Braj also after continuous seven days of heavy rainfall, Indra agreed to his defeat and stopped the rain. This day was shukla paksha in Kartik month’s eighth day. From then on, people conduct the celebration of Gopashtami.

Rules to Celebrate Gopashtami

Before celebrating the Gopashtami festival, some rules need to be followed by the people:

1. Natives observe a strict fast on Gopashtami from sunrise to moonrise. They just consume milk, Sabudana khichdi, potatoes, Singhare ka atta, and fruits.
2. You can break the fast after sunset by consuming milk, fruits, and great recipes.
3. People embellish their homes with green flowers, garlands, mango leaves, and lights. The devotees drew small footprints of Lord Krishna from the front door to the puja room to indicate his arrival.
4. An artist keeps an illustrated decoration cradle and engraves Krishna’s little steps on it with itra or perfume. He also offered his favourite childhood items like Makhan, dahi, and pedhas to the lord.
5. At midnight, which is Nishita kaal, the organizers hold the main puja. The picture of infant Krishna is provided with a purification bath with panchamrita, decorated in new clothes and jewellery, and kept in the cradle.
6. Native-made bhog for lord Krishna including kheer, milk, pedhas, and other milk-based items with the mantra recitation and devotional songs.
7. People break their fast after having prasad to complete the puja.
8. In the places of Lord Krishna’s childhood such as Vrindavan, Mathura, and Gokul, people bathe in the holy river Yamuna offer gratitude in temples and enjoy the Gopashtami with great endeavour.

Benefits of Observing Fast on Gopashtami

As per Hindu mythology, keeping fast for puja and rituals gives many benefits to the devotee and family. Here are the benefits of keeping fast on Gopashtami:

• One can achieve Lord Krishna’s grace and blessings by sincerely keeping the fast with devotion and dedication to Gopashtami.
• It cleanses the mind, body, and soul. The fasting and tradition drive one closer to the supreme deity.
• Lord Krishna blesses the people with prosperity, happiness, and success of desires who remember him with love on such a special day.
• Organizing puja and donations to poor people delights Krishna and eliminates every obstacle coming in the path of devotees.
• Women who fast for their children and family are seen as blessed with moral and mischievous qualities similar to Krishna.
• Unmarried girls who keep fast and pray on Gopashtami have their desired life partner with qualities like Krishna.

Gopashtami Celebrations in Temples

1. Banke Bihari Temple, Vrindavan

Thousands of people come to see the beautiful altar of Lord Krishna and Radha Rani. The Banke Bihari Temple is still open for the whole night for worship.

2. Udupi Krishna Mutt

Lord Krishna is provided with a special milk bath, Malankara, and offerings over his golden cradle. Reciting the Vedic mantras and devotees’ parades performs on the street.

3. ISKCON Temple

In ISKCON temple, pandits perform the grand abhishek and maha aarti for laddu gopal idols. The temple hosts Krishna art and craft exhibitions, harikatha, and dance performances.

4. Nathdwara Temple, Rajasthan

The decorators tangled swings around the temple and set up the cradle for Shrinathji. He decorates himself like a small cowherd and gives out dahi, Makhan berries, and other items.

5. Guruvayar Temple, Kerala

In this temple, priests hold special pujas for Lord Krishna, who is decorated as little Bal Gopal in traditional Kerala style. They hold a grand event at night near the temple.

During Gopashtami, devotees celebrate the childhood form of Lord Krishna with intense devotion in temples and homes.

Remembering the form of little Gopal’s love and pastimes and keeping fast with devotion, natives can achieve their blessings for a peaceful and happy life.

Conclusion

Hence, the Gopashtami festival has kept special significance among the devotees. We all must worship the cows and respect them. As it means pleasing the cows means worshipping the Lord Krishna to get blessings from him. You should apply the tilak made out of sandalwood and roli to people’s foreheads when you pray to them.

You should offer them incense sticks, flowers, fruits, and other materials as well. Ensure you give dakshina to the herders after you have pleased and worshipped the cows. Once completing the rituals, perform parikrama and after feeding them prasad and grass. Pleasing the cows and their cattle in this way is believed to bring you prosperity, good luck, and fortune.

Lord Krishna’s love and safety for his people starting from a young age establish a beautiful example. Gopashtami is the auspicious day to remember baby Krishna’s bravery in lifting the massive mountain Govardhan and unconditional love for his natives. Sincerely pleasing during the festival may bring the love from Lord, prosperity, and success from Krishna.