Krishna Janmashtami

Krishna Janmashtami marks the birth of Lord Krisna. Krishna is the 8^th incarnation (avatar) of Lord Vishnu,

as per Hindu scriptures. The first seven avatars of Lord Vishnu are, Matsya (fish), Kurma (turtle), Varaha(boar), Narasimha (man-lion), Vamana (dwarf god) Parashurama (Brahman warrior) & Rama.

Krishna is known as the preserver of Dharma & destroyer of Adharma, his birth is celebrated as Gokul Ashtami.

Janmashtami is celebrated in the Krishna Paksha of Shravana masa (month) on the eight days (Ashtami) after the full moon day. Generally, it falls in the month of August or September of the English calendar.

Devotees observe fast on the Janmashtami and break it after performing the puja on the next morning.

Krishna is believed to be born in 3228 BC, in Mathura, on Ashtami day at 00.00 Am. The day was Wednesday & Rohini nakshatra.

Krishna was born to Devaki & Vasudeva in Mathura. The evil king Kansa ruled Mathura. To extend his empire, he married his sister Devaki to Vasudeva, the Yadu king. But during the marriage ceremony, a voice from heaven announces that the evil Kansa will be killed by the 8^th child of Vasudev. When Kansa heard this, put his princess sister & brother-in-law in jail & kills their seven children one by one fearing death.

There was a threat to Krishna’s life, even before he was born, from his uncle King Kansa. When Devaki was going into labor pain, Vishnu appears in her prison cell and informs Vasudeva that his eighth child is an incarnation of himself that is Lord Vishnu and will make an end to the kingdom of Kansa. That night was dark with thunderstorms and lightning; Vishnu destroys all the locks and puts the guards to sleep. He also gave Vasudeva instructions on what he must do and then suddenly Lord Vishnu disappears.

Vasudeva as per the instructions left the prison by carrying a wicker basket containing his divine son. He crossed the Yamuna into the village of Gokul and exchanges the baby with the newborn baby girl of Gokul’s head Nanda and his wife Yashoda. Vasudeva returned to Mathura with the baby girl and handed her over to Kansa, however, when the king attempted to kill this baby too, she transformed into Goddess Durga, warning him about the impending doom that he was fated for.

Dahi Handi

Lord Krishna grew up in Vrindavan in the foster care of Nand and Yashodha and was a naughty child. Baby Krishna loved Makkhan (white butter), curd, and milk. He, along with his friends, would often steal butter from their neighbor’s homes. His mother Yashodha would often have to tie him up to stop his adorable antics. Lord Krishna is also referred to as Makhan Chor or Navneet Chor due to these events.

The women residing in Vrindavan had also begun storing freshly churned butter at a height to prevent a young Krishna from reaching the pot of the delicious treat. The young Lord had his ways though. His friends and he would form human pyramids to extract the butter from the pot hung at an elevation. The Dahi Handi rituals every year on Janmashtami is thus an imitation of Lord Krishna’s efforts. The human pyramid is usually made of 9-tiers by participants called Govinda and comprises a young boy who is the last one to climb atop this pyramid and break the earthen clay pot suspended at a height of over 20 feet. Celebrations take place on a large scale in prominent locations, while there are small-scale ones too that take place in localities.

Krishna is worshipped by various names across India.

Krishna Kanhaiya- in Mathura

Jagannath -In Orissa

Srinatha- In Rajasthan

Dwarakadheesh & Ranchhod-In Gujarat

Krishna -In Udupi (Karnataka)

Guruvayurappan -In Kerala

Krishna’s life was full of challenges & difficulties. There was not a single moment when he was at peace throughout his life. At every turn, he had bigger & bigger challenges. He faced everything with a sense of responsibility & yet remained unattached. He was the only person, who knew the past & the future: yet he lived at that present moment always.

He and his life is truly an example for every human being.

Jai Sri Krishna

Anil Tadmari

Krishna Janmashtami-30.8.2021