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Krishna Janmashtami

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Supreme Lord Krishna's birthday is celebrated as the festival of Krishna Janmashtami (Devanagari कृष्णजन्माष्टमी kṛṣṇa janmāṣṭamī) all over the world. This festival is also called as "Krishna Jayanti", "Janma Ashtami", "Krishnaashtami" , "Gokulashtami", "Saatam Aatham",and as "Sree Jayanti". Supreme Lord Krishna was the eighth child to his mother devaki conceived on astami, eighth day after the new moon day in mathura.

Why Krishna Janmashtami:

Lord Krishna was the incarnation of Vishnu, one of the three most imperative Hindu Gods. It is normally trusted that he took conception for slaughtering Kansa / Kamsa, the nonreligious devil ruler of Mathura and evil spirits, to build up a kingdom of peace, thriving and religion on earth and to spread the message of brotherhood and humankind. The festival of Janmashtami is an approach to honor his sacred deeds on earth for the humankind.

Krishna, right from the day of conception showed that he was an exceptional child and there was a phenomenal power with him. All through his youth and teenage in Gokul, he did numerous things which made individuals trust that he was a form of God and celebrated his birth as a day of fortune.

Birth Of Lord Krishna:

The myth connected to the birth of Lord Vishnu is as follows. Vasudeva was the chief of 'Shooras' and married Devaki one of the seven daughters of Devaka. They were very happy, for none had ever seen so fine a man and a wife matched in such perfect harmony.

'Kansa' (also known as 'Kamsa') was the son of Ugrasena. Though his father Ugrasena was the King, Kansa himself ruled the kingdom. He was more wicked and had no respect for law, human or divine. The divine Sage Narada once, came to Kansa and advised him not to disregard the law of 'Dharma' and foretold, that the eighth child of Devaki would slay him, if he continued to be wicked and revengeful.

Frightened at the prophecy of Narada, Kansa confined the newly married Vasudeva and Devaki in Gajaraja palace with a condition that every child of Devaki, as it was born, should be handed over to him. In obedience of the promise Vasudeva handed over six of his children one after one whom the cruel Kansa killed mercilessly. Devaki again became pregnant, and she gave birth to a boy.

With the help of 'Ganga Charya' and 'Akura' he was saved by showing a dead body of a new-born girl beside Devaki. Kansa did not take it seriously, as this was seventh child of Devaki. The seventh child of Devaki was stealthily sent to Gokul and was growing under the great care and affection of Rohini, the elder wife of Vasudeva. Rohini was living as a guest of Nanda at Gokhul. They named the boy as "Balarama".

During the course of their nine years confinement, Vasudeva and Devaki never failed in their devotion and always talked of the Lord and his Grace. Devaki was expecting her eighth child. Surely, the prophecy of sage Narada and the promise of Veda Vyasa began to show the signs of coming true. It was the eighth day of the dark half of the month of 'Sravana' (also spelt as Shravan) and there was a thunder and lightning pouring torrential rains and the roads were blocked with water.

Devaki tingling with ecstasy gave birth to a child when the moon entered the house of 'Vrishabha' at the constellation of the star Rohini on Wednesday the 8th day of the second fortnight of the month of Sravana, which corresponds to the month of "Bhadrapada Krishnapaksha" according to the "Barhaspatyamana", in the year of 'Visvavasu', 5,I72 years ago (from I945), which means 3227 B.C.

In the pitched darkness, Vasudeva wrapped the child in a woollen garment, kept it in a basket and lifting the basket on his shoulder crossed the river Yamuna and handed over the child, with the basket to Ganga Charya, the family priest and Nanda, the chief of Gokul Yadavas waiting on the opposite bank. In return, Ganga Charya gave another basket of a new born daughter of Nanda to Vasudeva who carried back the baby to the place of his confinement, as was pre-planned.

Kansa was unable to sleep the whole night due to the anxiety to have a look at the eighth child of Devaki and drove to the palace where Vasudeva and Devaki were in prison. After assuming that the eighth child of them being a daughter, the prophecy of Narada proved incorrect and Kansa was very happy.

Nanda's wife Yashoda who had fainted at the time of her delivery never knew, what all has happened in the night and when she came to her senses, Rohini handed over the child to her. Since Nanda and Yashoda were not having any children, quite for some time, the birth of the boy made the people of Gokul with wild delight and joy and the boy was named as Krishna with appropriate rituals.

Kansa was constantly haunted by the fear that some child might have overlooked by 'Putana', a close confidant of Kansa. He came to know the belated birth of a boy to Nanda and Yashoda and summoned Putana to kill him. But Putana could not succeed in her deed and was later killed by Krishna. Kansa therefore summoned 'Trinavrit', a bird catcher to kidnap Krishna. When, Trinavrit reached Gokul, there was a storm of sand and it was very difficult to anybody to withstand. Taking advantage of the storm, Trinavrit caught hold of Krishna. Krishna too held him tightly leaving him dead. Various brave acts during the childhood days of Krishna are depicted in the holy books.

The eighth Avatara, Krishna, who has become the Beloved of India and the world at large, had a threefold objective: to destroy the wicked demons to play the leading role in the great war fought on the battlefield of Kurukshetra (where he delivered His wonderful message of the Gita) and to become the centre of a marvellous development of the Bhakti schools of India.

Introduction:

Maha Vishnu took various avatars to protect the mortal world from the evildoers and sinners. One such incarnation was his birth as the child of King Vasudeva and Queen Devaki Devi. Sri Krishna Jayanti is the birthday of Lord Krishna. It falls on the 8th day of the dark half of the month of 'Bhadrapada' (August-September) and is one of the greatest of all Hindu festivals. Lord Krishna was born at midnight.

A twenty-four hour fast is observed on this day, which is broken at midnight. The festival is called in different names as "Krishna Jayanti", "Janma Ashtami", "Krishnaashtami" , "Gokulashtami", and as "Sree Jayanti".

The Festivity

People treat this day as one of very great rejoicing. There is recitation of the"Bhagavatam", singing and praying everywhere. Temples are decorated for the occasion, Kirtans are sung, bells are rung, the conch is blown, and Sanskrit hymns are recited in praise of Lord Krishna. At Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna, special spiritual gatherings are organized at this time. Pilgrims from all over India attend these festive gatherings.

People observe a daylong fast, which is broken only at midnight, the time when Krishna is believed to have been born. The festival is a community celebration, and people visit Krishna temples, which are specially decorated and lit for the occasion.

A little before midnight, devotees pour into temples to participate in the special 'Arati' and to relive the birth of Krishna. Till midnight, devotional songs are sung in anticipation of the holy birth. Special cradles are installed at temples and a small statue of the "Balgopal" is placed in them.

Customs and Traditions

Various customs and rituals like fasting and chanting of mantras are followed on the day of Janmashtami throughout the world. Apart from this there are other traditional rituals which are followed in athura, Vrindavan and Dwarka.

Fasting

Fasting is considered to be a very essential ritual for all the devotees of Lord Krishna, for mostly on this day the people generally fast the whole day and break it at midnight for it is believed that it was the time Krishna was born. They break the fast by drinking milk and other milk related products for it is considered to be pure. There are devotees who even fast for two days without drinking water. Such vrat is known as 'Nirjal Vrat'.

Mantra :

hare kṛiṣhṇa hare kṛiṣhṇa

kṛiṣhṇa kṛiṣhṇa hare hare

hare rāma hare rāma

rāma rāma hare hare

Chanting

The devotees of Lord Krishna take the pride of chanting Krishna's name with great joy. Chanting is also accompanied by singing of bhajans, shlokas, mantras and reading of the devotional book, Bhagwat Geeta.

Devotional Songs & Dances

Bhajans are a vital custom of the Janmashtami celebrations. Devotees sing and dance with fervor in the name of Lord Krishna. In many temples of Mathura and Vridavana, you will find devotees mesmerized and overwhelmed with their love and devotion for Shri Krishna. In the midnight celebration, people gather at a place and sing several kinds of bhajans to highlight his feats and his divine characteristics.

Krishna Leela

There are number of organizations run by the devotees of Lord Krishna which conduct stage shows by artists depicting the life of Lord Krishna in the name of Krishnaleela.

Offering Sweets

It is very well known that Lord Krishna likes milk and milk products. So on the day of Janmashtami devotees prepare sweets made of milk and offer them to idols of Lord Krishna and only then perform the pooja or the ritual called as 'bhog'.Once the pooja is done the sweets are distributed among the family members and other devotees.

Swings

Though this custom of taking a ride in the swing is not practiced every where but still it is considered to be very auspicious in the country side.

Celebration in India

Hindus celebrate Janmashtami by fasting and staying up until midnight, the time when Krishna is believed to have been born. Images of Krishna's infancy are placed in swings and cradles in temples and homes. At midnight, devotees gather around for devotional songs, dance and exchange gifts. Some temples also conduct readings of the Hindu religious scripture Bhagavad Gita.

Janmashtami is celebrated all over the nation with a great feeling of profound awe, respect and love. Though it is a festival of joy and happiness the celebration is more of a manifestation of obedience. The celebration involves the performance of all the rituals in a very religious manner. There are special poojas and prayer ceremonies arranged in the temples on the eve of Janmashtami.

Reciting of the Bhagawat Gita along with chanting of shlokas, singing of devotional songs on Lord Krishna are also part of the celebration. Usually in most of the country Krishna Jayanthi is celebrated for a period of three days where the first two days are celebrated with great pomp in a colourful manner.

On the second day of the festival a popular ceremony known as 'Dahi Handi' takes place where the pot containing curd or butter or milk is suspended high above the ground and is broken by the youths. This is quite common in North India. In places like Vrindhavan, Mathura, and Dwaraka which has more association with Lord Krishna the celebration is quite elaborate, where the image of the infant Bala Krishna is bathed and is cradled in the midnight time. The conch shell is blown and the devotees celebrate the birth of the Protector of the world by singing devotional songs and by dancing with great joy.

Celebration across the world

Where ever it is the celebration of Janmashtami is very devotional by singing of songs and bhajans on Krishna. In some parts of the world, various cultural and religious programs are also organized. During the time of Janmashtami, the Hindu community in various countries has a great time. They visit various temples dedicated, especially, to Lord Krishna and offer prayers. They exchange Janmashtami gifts and sweets and also arrange for get together.

Janmashtami Gift:

Gift hamper is an ideal way to gift a lot of items packed into one. Janmashtami gift hampers may contain a mix of lot of items ranging from Krishna idols to sweets, from holy Gita to decorative, from pooja accessories to dry fruits. The best gift to be exchanged is the beautiful idol of Lord Krishna. Wall hangings (toran) and door hangings (bandandwar) with the images of Lord Krishna are also great Janmashtami gifts.

Do's:

*       Make your own personalized e-card on the holy occasion of janmashtami and e-mail to your family and friends.

*      Teach mantras to your children on this Gokulashtami to make them aware of our traditions and values.

*       Tell your child a story of Krishna's birth to teach them the significance of Gokulashtami.

*       Go in the nearest temple with your family members and perform pujaand eat Prasad.

*       Enjoy the food delicacies like fruits, milk, curd and all kinds of sweetsincluding ladoos and burfis.

*       Worship wholeheartedly for the wellbeing of yourself and your family. If you are keen on fasting, fast until midnight.

***_/\_Hare Krishna ! Happy Krishnashtami ! _/\_ ***