Glories of Margashirsha month
māsānāṁ mārga-śīrṣo ’ham Of months I am Mārgaśīrṣa Bhagavad Gita 10.35 During the month of Mārgaśīrṣa, every day early in the morning the young daughters of the cowherds would take one another’s hands and, singing of Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental qualities, go to the Yamunā to bathe. Desiring to obtain Kṛṣṇa as their husband, they would then worship the goddess Kātyāyanī with incense, flowers and other items. (Srimad Bhagavatam Chapter 22 of canto 10) In south India, throughout this months all the Sri Vaishnava temples have utsava (festive season). In this month, one of 12 Alvars (Vaishnava saints) Sri Andal (incarnation of Bhu Devi, internal potency of Sri Krishna) worshipped the Lord desiring to obtain Lord Ranganath in Srirangam as her husband. She undertook a pavai nombu (maiden vrata/vow ) along with her friends (following the mood of Gopis who also performed Katyayani vrata in the same month as mentioned in Srimad bhagavatam) and at the end of this vow Sri A...