shree KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI 2019
The entire world celebrates the divine appearance of Lord Shree Krishna. In our temple, the arrangements for the festival start well ahead.
In Hindu mythology, the 8th carnation of Vishnu, Shree Krishna, is the only one who appears in different colors in every stage of his earthly life. As a child he was mischievous and his childhood was full of pranks and fun. Some worship Krishna as the ideal child of innocence.
In his youth, he was the most romantic lover and wooed young girls with his flute. The girls were devoted to him and Radha was his greatest devotee. He was a compassionate king and cared for the poor. He was a loyal and trusted friend. He was skilled in war and counseled his friend, Arjuna, on the battle field of Kurukshetra, giving the world the greatest scripture-Bhagwad Gita, which is read worldwide.
Just before the war, Arjuna had a dialogue with Krishna, in which Krishna had explained how an aspiring seeker might seek union with God. This formed the basis of Bhagwad Gita, which till date, when studied, comes forth every time with new meaning. Unlike the other scriptures of the past, The Gita did not teach world renunciation, but instead encouraged world acceptance.
There are many exciting stories about Shree Krishna from his birth to his death. Those who believe in the Hindu faith and in Shree Krishna, celebrate their adorable God’s birthday in the form of Janmashtami. On this day, devotees pray and keep a fast to obtain the grace of Lord Krishna. It is one of the biggest religious festivals in India.
When was Shree Krishna born?
Janmashtami is the birth date of Lord Krishna—the day he made his earthly appearance. According to mythological texts, Shree Krishna was born in the month of BHadrapad, on the eight day of the dark fortnight. And if this day coincides with the Rohini Nakshatra, then it is considered even luckier and that year, this day is also celebrated as Sri Krishna’s birth anniversary.
Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudev in a prison in Mathura. To save the baby from getting killed by his maternal uncle ,he was taken across the river to Vrindavan,by his father where he was brought up by Yasoda and Nanda,a cowherd.
Sri Krishna Janmashtami is the most important festival of our temple.
The entire world celebrates the divine appearance of Lord Sri Krishna. In our temple, the arrangements for the festival start well ahead. The entire temple is cleaned and painted. Electricians perch themselves at various places to hook up the lights which will dazzle the onlookers. The temple hall is decorated with flowers and festoons. Truckloads of vegetables, grains and fruits arrive at the kitchen. Numerous people are engaged in various culinary activities.
One of the specialties of Janmashtami is the offerings made to the Lord. The Supreme Lord Shree Krishna is offered 108 different food items. With great care and attention, devotees prepare these food items to be offered to their beloved Lord. Tons of sweet pongal is prepared for distributing to the visitors who come to the temple on this most auspicious day to have the darshan of their Lord.
In another part of the temple, various types of brass lamps used for worship of the Lord are polished to shine like gold. Preparations for the worship of the Supreme Lord include several details. With great reverence, devotees prepare for the ceremonial bathing of the Lord. Kalashas are decorated with artistically wound threads and filled with water. The water is sanctified with items like cloves, cardamom, saffron, tulasi and rose petals. The Supreme Lord is invoked in the water. The kalasha is covered with a coconut on the top.
Various arrangements are made to take care of the necessities of the pilgrims who visit the temple on this day and to ensure their security. Thousands of devotees visit the temple on the day of Janmashtami to be a part of the festivities.
Days of preparation finally culminates into the grand ceremonial bathing of the Lord at the stroke of midnight. The utsava Deities of Shree Radha Krishnachandra are anointed with fragrant oils and are bathed with auspicious items like milk, yogurt, ghee, honey, sweet water and fresh juices. They are then smeared with turmeric paste and bathed in Ganges water. Varieties of flowers are showered until the Deities are submerged in the soft bed of flowers.
6 Important Rituals Janmashtami
The festival of Janmashtami holds special significance in India, largely due to the religious and spiritual population present in this subcontinent. This festival marks the birth of Lord Krishna and is celebrated on the eighth day (Ashtami) in the holy month of Shravan (as per the Hindu lunar calendar). Janmashtami is widely celebrated in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and many parts of South India.
Krishna Janmashtami is mostly celebrated on two consecutive days. The first day is celebrated for Smarta Sampradayaand the second, for Vaishanava Sampradaya. If the Hindu calendar lists a single date for Janmashtami, this means that both the Sampradayas will observe Janmashtami on the same date. This year, the festival falls on a Thursday, 24th August, giving people the luxury of time to have a huge celebration of the festival. Since Lord Krishna was born at midnight, the Nishita Pooja Time is also kept then.
Like all the mythological festivals, this one also has a very interesting story behind it. Legend has it that the Kingdom of Mathura was suffering under the rule of King Kansa, who was quite cruel. The king loved his sister, Princess Devaki, dearly. When Devaki got married to Vasudeva, a mighty cloud suddenly roared with a divination that the eighth son born to the two would be the cause of King Kansa's death. Hearing this, King Kansa was outraged. He ordered for Devaki and Vasudev to be imprisoned immediately and killed the first six children born to the couple. Fortunately, Princess Devaki’s seventh child, who would later be named as Balram, was mystically transferred, while still in the womb, to princess Rohini in Vrindavan.
After the eighth child’s (Lord Krishna) birth, the Gods guided Vasudev to give the baby to Nand and Yashoda in Vrindavan. Years later, Lord Krishna killed King Kansa and freed the kingdom of Mathura from his shackles of cruelty.
Here are some rituals and customs associated with the festival-
- The devotees of Lord Krishna perform the Krishna Abhishekam, which includes offering milk, ghee and water as bhog to the deity. Many of them observe a fast during the day of Janmashtami, being allowed to have only a single meal the day before. Many Pandits believe that the rules followed during Ekadashi fasting should be followed during Janmashtami fasting as well. Those fasting, are not allowed to consume any grains, so they go phalahar, which means consuming only fruits and water.
- People visit temples to seek blessings from Lord Krishna. The idol is bathed with milk, honey and water, dressed in new clothes and laddoos are offered to the deity.
- A devotional atmosphere is prevalent everywhere, and specially inside the temples. Apart from chanting of mantras, there is also a ritual in which 108 names of Lord Krishna are chanted, while showering the idol of the Lord with flowers.
- In many places, decorated swings are tied on trees, as the child God loved to swing in a jhula. Devotees swing the baby idol of the Lord sitting on a jhula, in the temples, as it is considered auspicious.
- ‘Parana’, which means breaking the fast, should be done at an appropriate time. The fast is broken after sunrise on the following day of Janmashtami, when both Rohini Nakshatra andAshtami Tithi are over. If Ashtami Tithi and Rohini Nakshatra don't get over before Sunset then fast can be broken during daytime when either Ashtami Tithi or Rohini Nakshatra is over.
- Some people like to break their fast with charnamrit and dhaniya panjiri, while others like to eat kheer and poori-chhole. Other food dishes prepared also include kasar (panjiri mixed with dry fruits and nuts), aloo ki kachodi, and traditional milk-dishes.
- The festival of Dahi Handi is a custom ritual, celebrated the day after Janmashtmi in Maharashtra. As part of the festivities, people stand on top of each other to make a human pyramid and break a pot filled with dahi, mishri and makhan that is hung from a certain height. This is done as homage to Lord Krishna, lovingly known as the Makhan Chor, since he used to steal butter as a baby.
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