KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI

THIS IS THE birthday of Lord Krishna, the eighth Divine Incarnation. It falls on the 8th day
of the dark half of the month of Bhadrapada (August-September). This 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.
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 organised at this time. Pilgrims from all over India attend
these festive gatherings.
The Lord appeared 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, 5,172 years ago (from 1945), which means 3227 B.C.
Study the Bhagavatam and the Pancharatras, which are equal to the Upanishads. You will
know all about the glory of Lord Krishna, His Lilas and superhuman deeds. 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.
There is no true science except devotion to Lord Krishna. That man is wealthy indeed who
loves Radha and Krishna. There is no sorrow other than lack of devotion to Krishna. He is the
foremost of the emancipated who loves Krishna. There is no right course, except the society of Sri
Krishna’s devotees. The Name, virtues and Lilas (divine pastimes) of Krishna are the chief things to
be remembered. The Lotus Feet of Radha and Krishna are the chief objects of meditation.
Sri Krishna is the ocean of bliss. His soul-stirring Lilas, which are the wonder of wonders,
are its waves. The honeyed music of His flute attracts the minds of His devotees from all three
regions. His unequalled and unsurpassed wealth of beauty amazes the animate and the inanimate
beings. He adorns His friends with His incomparable love.
His palms bear the signs of a lotus and discus, the right sole of His feet of a flag, lotus,
thunderbolt, an iron goad, barley seed, and the Swastika. His left sole has the rainbow, triangle,
water-pot, crescent, sky, fish, and a cow’s footprint. His Form is composed of condensed universal
consciousness and bliss. His Body pervades the entire cosmos.
Devotion is the only means of attaining Lord Krishna. Bhakti kindles love for the Lord.
When love is directed towards Krishna, man is freed from the bondage of the world.
Though Lord Krishna appeared in a human body, He had a divine body not composed of the
five elements. He did not take any birth here in the usual sense of the term. He did not die. He
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appeared and disappeared through His Yoga Maya as He has declared in the Gita. This is a secret,
known only to His devotees, Yogis and sages.
His enchanting form with flute in hand is worshipped in myriads of homes in India. It is a
form to which is poured out devotion and supreme love from the hearts of countless devotees not
only in India but also in the West. Millions of spiritual seekers worship Him and repeat His Mantra,
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.
Lord Krishna was great in knowledge, great in emotion, great in action, all at once. The
scriptures have not recorded any life more full, more intense, more sublime and grander than the life
of Sri Krishna.
Krishna has played various roles during His stay in the world. He was Arjuna’s charioteer.
He was an excellent statesman. He was a master musician; he gave lessons even to Narada in the art
of playing the veena. The music of His flute thrilled the hearts of the Gopis and everyone else. He
was a cowherd in Brindavan and Gokul. He exhibited miraculous powers even as a child. He killed
many demons. He revealed His Comic Form to His mother, Yasoda. He performed the Rasa Lila,
the secret of which can only be understood by devotees like Narada, Gauranga, Radha and the
Gopis. He taught the supreme Truth of Yoga, Bhakti and Vedanta to Arjuna and Uddhava. He had
mastered every one of the sixty-four fine arts. For all these reasons He is regarded as a full and
complete manifestation of God.
Incarnations of God appear for special reasons under special circumstances. Whenever
there is much unrighteousness, whenever confusion and disorder set in on account of
unrighteousness and baffle the well-ordered progress of mankind, whenever the balance of human
society is upset by selfish, ruthless and cruel beings, whenever irreligion and unrighteousness
prevail, whenever the foundations of social organisations are undermined, the great Incarnation of
God appears in order to re-establish righteousness and to restore peace.
An Incarnation is the descent of God for the ascent of man. A ray from the Cosmic Being in
His potential state of manifestation descends on earth with mighty powers to keep up the harmony
of the universe. The work done by the Incarnation of God and His teachings produce a benign
influence on human beings and help them in their upward divine unfoldment and Self-realisation.
The Incarnation comes to reveal the divine nature of man and makes him rise above the
petty materialistic life of passion and egoism.
The greatest manifestations are called Incarnations proper. Rishis, Munis, prophets, sons of
God and messengers of God are minor manifestations.
The Incarnations usually come with their particular or favourite groups or companions.
Lord Rama came with Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. Lord Krishna came with Balarama,
Devas and Rishis. Sanaka came with Sanandana, Sanatkumara and Sanatsujata. Some, like Sri
Shankara and Ramanuja, come as teachers and spiritual leaders. Some, like Chaitanya, are born to
instill devotion in the hearts of people and turn their minds towards God. The Incarnations proper,
like Krishna, come only when there is widespread catastrophe in the world.
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HINDU FASTS & FESTIVALS
LORD KRISHNA
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
On the holy Krishna Janmashtami, the ladies in South India decorate their houses
beautifully, ready to welcome the Lord. They prepare various sweetmeats and offer them to the
Lord. Butter was Krishna’s favourite, and this is also offered. From the doorway to the inner
meditation room of the house the floor is marked with a child’s footprints, using some flour mixed
with water. This creates the feeling in them that the Lord’s own Feet have made the mark. They treat
the day as one of very great rejoicing. There is recitation of the Bhagavatam, singing and praying
everywhere.
The Janmashtami is celebrated at the Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, with the following
programme of intense spiritual activity:
1. During the preceding eight days, Japa of Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya is done
intensely.
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KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI
2. Those who can, will recite the Bhagavatam during this period. Others will listen to it
being recited.
3. On the birthday itself everyone fasts and spends the whole day in holy communion.
4. Everyone greets others with the holy Mantra, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.
5. A grand havan is performed on that day.
6. There is continuous Satsang from 4a.m. early in the morning till night. Yogis, Sannyasins
and learned men discourse upon the glorious life and teachings of the Lord.
7. From sunset people assemble in the elaborately decorated temple and sing the Lord’s
Names and glories.
8. Many hymns and portions of the Bhagavatam, especially the Gopika Geetam, are recited.
9. Towards midnight, there is a grand worship of Lord Krishna. The Lord is bathed with
milk while His Name is chanted 108 times.
10. This worship concludes with offerings of flowers, waving of lights (Arati), and reading
of that portion of the Bhagavatam which deals with the birth of Krishna. This synchronises with
midnight, the hour of the Lord’s birth, at which time the murti of the Lord is rocked in a beautifully
decorated cradle. After this item, all the assembled devotees partake of the holy prasad or
sacrament, and then retire, filled with the Grace and blessings of Lord Krishna.
If you cannot read the whole of the Srimad Bhagavatam during these days, at least you
should recite the following four most important verses from the book. The leading two verses and
the closing verse are the prologue and the epilogue respectively:
“Hear from Me the most secret knowledge coupled with the essential experience and its
component parts.
“May you realise by My Grace, the knowledge of Myself and what form, qualities and
actions I am endowed with.
1. “Before creation I alone existed. There was nothing, neither existence nor non-existence.
I am that which remains after dissolution.
2. “Understand that to be Maya or illusion which is devoid of any purpose, which is not to be
found in the Self and which is unreal like light and darkness.
3. “As the primary elements are amalgamated, with one another and also separate from one
another at the same time, so I pervade the whole universe and am also separate from it.
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4. “The aspirant should, by the method of positive and negative, know that thing which
exists always and everywhere.
“Experience this truth through the highest superconscious state so that you will not be
disturbed even by illusory objects”.
There is another beautiful verse in the Bhagavatam which you can recite daily: “In days of
yore, the Lord, born of Devaki, brought up in the house of Yasoda, killed the wicked Putana of
illusive form and lifted the Govardhana hill, killed Kamsa and the sons of the Kuru race, and
protected the sons of Kunti. Thus is recited the essence of the ancient Bhagavat Purana consisting
of the nectarine stories of the deeds of Lord Krishna”.
May the blessings of Lord Krishna and Sri Radha be upon you all!