Gorakhpur, Oct 20 (IANS) On the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami, also celebrated as Dussehra, Gorakhpeethadhishwar and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath performed a special puja of Mahayogi Guru Gorakhnath, regarded as an incarnation of Lord Shiva, at the Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur.
Dressed in the traditional attire befitting the Gorakhpeethadhishwar, CM Yogi followed the established customs and traditions of the Gorakhpeeth and performed the worship according to Vedic rites, praying for the well-being of the entire universe.
The special Vijayadashami rituals at the Gorakhpeeth continued for more than two hours.
The special worship began at the Shaktipeeth within the Gorakhnath Temple, where rituals dedicated to the Divine Mother, Adishakti, had been continuing since Pratipada, the first day of Sharadiya Navaratri.
After performing the Vedi Pujan, or worship of the altar, and offering prayers for the welfare of all, the Chief Minister proceeded towards the sanctum sanctorum of the main Guru Gorakhnath temple, accompanied by the temple’s head priest, Yogi Kamalnath, and Sanskrit scholars and students from the Sanskrit Vidyapeeth chanting Vedic mantras.
The atmosphere was filled with the resonant sounds of conch shells, damrus, bells, and ceremonial trumpets as the procession made its way towards the main shrine.
Inside the sanctum sanctorum, CM Yogi performed special worship of Mahayogi Guru Gorakhnath in accordance with the traditions and rituals of the Nath sect.
He offered various items as part of the religious ceremony, including jawara, or sprouted barley grown at the Shaktipeeth altar. He also performed aarti and offered a chanwar, a ceremonial whisk, as a mark of deep reverence and devotion.
After completing the formal worship of Guru Gorakhnath, the Chief Minister performed special rituals dedicated to the Akhand Jyoti, the perpetual flame, and the idols of all the deities installed within the temple complex.
He also offered prayers at the icons of revered sages of the Nath tradition, the Akhand Dhuna, or perpetual sacred fire, the Yagya-shala, or sacrificial altar hall, and Bheem Sarovar, the sacred pond located within the temple premises.
With folded hands, CM Yogi performed parikrama, or circumambulation, of Mahayogi Gorakhnath and the other deities enshrined in the temple.
He bowed before the statues of his Gurudev, Mahant Avaidyanath Ji Maharaj, his Dada-guru, the late Mahant Digvijaynath Ji Maharaj, and the revered sage Yogiraj Baba Gambhirnath Ji Maharaj, among other spiritual figures.
The sounds of the nagphani, conch shells, drums, bells, damru, turahi, and other ceremonial musical ensembles added to the spiritual atmosphere of the occasion.
As part of the Vijayadashami celebrations at the Gorakhnath Temple, CM Yogi also performed ‘Gau puja’ (the worship of cows) at the temple’s gaushala.
During the ritual, the Chief Minister offered prayers to the cows and served them with deep reverence. He fed them jaggery and affectionately caressed the animals.
In addition to the cow-worship ceremony, CM Yogi also fed grain to the fish in the Bhim Sarovar.
–IANS
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