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New Delhi: The festival of Dahi Handi is being celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm across the country, just the next day of the Pawan festival of Shri Krishna Janmashtami. This folk festival celebrated after Janmashtami is to the childhood pastimes of Lord Shri Krishna, when he used to steal butter and curd with his mischievous friends in the streets of Gokul and Vrindavan. The gopis used to hang pots on the roof heights to save the butter, but Kanha, with his clever planning and the help of his friends, managed to reach there by making a human pyramid. Even today, devotees are carrying forward this vibrant tradition of breaking the butter pot by bringing alive the same childhood pastimes.

Symbol of freedom from mortal body and attachment

The breaking of the pot in Dahi Handi also reveals the biggest truth of human life. The earthen pot represents this mortal body of man, while the butter kept inside it symbolizes the immortality of the soul.
Just as butter comes out when a pot is broken, in the same way the soul can be connected to God only by breaking the pot of worldly attachments, ego and material bonds.

Govinda's troupe and form of celebration

In this sacred event of Dahi Handi, an earthen pot is filled with curd, butter and dry fruits and tied at a high height with the help of a rope. After this, groups of youth, called 'Govinda', form a human chain by climbing on each other's shoulders to the sound of drums and chants of Shri Krishna. Govinda reaches the top through these pyramids swaying in the air and distributes Makhan Prasad by breaking the pot. At present, big prizes are also kept at many places to give a grand look to this event, due to which the enthusiasm of this cultural festival increases manifold.

Philosophy of life hidden through pot and butter

There is a deep spiritual message hidden behind this tradition of Dahi Handi, which superficially appears to be just a game or a means of enjoyment. Butter is obtained only after continuously churning milk and curd, which symbolizes that only after going through the struggles and difficulties of life, the heart of a person becomes pure and pure. Lord Krishna adopts the same pure butter i.e. pure mind. Apart from this, instead of stealing butter and eating it alone, distributing it among friends, calves and animals teaches us about mutual love, unity and living together in the society. This is why this festival is not just about the excitement of breaking the pot, but is also a beautiful means of devotion, dedication and understanding the essence of life.