Compiled by: www.HinduTempleHouston.Net
The birthday of Krishna falls on the Astami of Krishna Paksh (the eighth
day of the dark fortnight) in the month of Bhado (July-August) eight days after
Raksha Bandhan.
Janamashtami is celebrated with great fanfare in Hindu temples and homes in India, USA,
Canada, U.K., and other countries where Hindus live.
This festival is celebrated for two days; on the day when Krishna took birth
in the prison of Kamsa at Mathura and also on the following day to commemorate Krishna's
presence in the house of Nanda and Yashoda at Gokul. Devotees pray at the middle of
the night celebrating Krishna's birth on the first day. Children join the celebration on
the next day with worships (puja) and sweets (prasad). Decorations depicting
Krishna's birth and his transfer to Gokul, are displayed very much the way Christ's birth
is displayed during Christmas. This is called jhanki, a peek in the past. In
Bengal, it is called, Gupta Vrindavan, meaning hidden Vrindavan, where Krishna spent time
with his consort Radha. It is a lot of fun to plan, create and display the decorations that
depicts Krishna's life in Gokul. The display is left for few days for friends and
relatives to enjoy. The elders narrate to the children the
interesting stories of Krishna, his pranks of childhood, romance with Radha in his young
days, and finally, his days of kingship offering us the eternal truth of the
great Bhagavad
Gita.
There is nothing in the world that can be compared with the profound
philosophy contained in Bhagavad Gita. Kamsa, a tyrant, was then the king of Mathura. He had imprisoned his father in order to
become the king. His sister's name was Devaki who was married to a noble man named Vasudeva. Kamsa one day heard a heavenly voice, saying, "Kamsa, your days of tyranny will
soon be over, you will be killed by the eighth child of Devaki." Kamsa got frightened. He immediately sent Devaki and Vasudeva to prison.
He did not want to
take any chance and killed at birth each and every child of Devaki, until the time came
for the delivery of the eighth child. To feel more secured, Kamsa increased the number of
prison guards, kept strict vigilance and put Vasudeva in chains. But God had other plans.
At midnight when the eighth child was born, the guards fell fast asleep and Vasudeva's
chain fell off his hands and feet. Wasting no time, Vasudeva picked up the newborn baby,
and carrying it in a basket, he started towards Gokul. Gokul was a village of cowherds,
located across the Yamuna river, where his friend Nanda lived. It was a dark stormy night with heavy rain incessantly pouring from the sky. When
Vasudeva reached the river bank of Yamuna, the river was in spate. The wind and storm were
blowing wild, and Vasudeva did not know what to do. "Lord, what should I do," said Vasudeva in a hopeless voice. Suddenly a miracle happened, the river parted and Vasudeva walked over the river bed.
Throughout the way Vasudeva and the baby were protected from rain by the hood of the great
eternal snake, Vasuki. Finally, Vasudeva reached Nanda's house. When he reached Nanda's house, Vasudeva found the mother, Yashoda, and her newborn baby
girl fast asleep. He had no time to think. He quickly exchanged the babies and returned
to the prison with the infant girl, while the guards were still asleep. As soon as Vasudeva entered the prison cell, the door got locked behind him and he was
chained again as if nothing had happened. The guards woke up and heard the cry of
the baby. Kamsa was immediately informed and he came running to kill the child. But to his
utter surprise he found it to be a girl and not a boy, as he expected. Devaki begged for
the newborn baby's life from her brother. "What can a girl do to you Kamsa? Spare her life, please!" appealed Devaki,
lying at the feet of her brother. The inhuman Kamsa did not pay attention to the appeal. As he was ready to kill the baby
by smashing its head on a big boulder, the child slipped out of his hand and flew towards
the sky. At that moment, a heavenly voice was heard, "Kamsa, the one who shall destroy you
still lives. He is growing in Gokul." Next morning, Nanda and his wife Yashoda discovered the boy, left by Vasudeva, lying in
the crib. They were a little puzzled but did not want to fuss about it because they might
loose the baby. The baby was of dark complexion, so he was named Krishna. Kamsa was frightened by the heavenly voice. He immediately asked his wicked
maid Putna to kill all the babies born on the same day when Devaki gave birth to
the baby. Putna smeared poison on her breast and went around in the town of Gokul to
breast-feed the babies born in the month of Bhado. In the beginning people, out of their
goodness, did not suspect Putna's heinous plans, but as time passed, they found out that
all the babies whom Putna fondled were dead. They began to search for Putna. In the mean
time Putna reached Nanda's house and lovingly asked Krishna's mother, Yashoda, to give the
baby to her to love and fondle. Yashoda gave the baby and, without any suspicion, went on
with her daily chore. Suddenly there was a loud shriek. Everyone came running to the courtyard and found to
their surprise the dead body of Putna lying on the floor while Krishna was smiling and
kicking. People now knew that Krishna was not an ordinary boy. Yashoda happily picked up
Krishna and felt safe. Krishna grew in Yashoda's house until he reached his teens. He later challenged Kamsa
and killed him. Then he released his grandfather Ugrasena and reinstated him to his
thrown. He respected and loved both his own parents, Vasudeva and Devaki, and his adopted
parents, Nanda and Yashoda. What is Janamastami?
The festival of Krishna Janamastami is the
celebration of Lord Krishna's birthday. Krishna, who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu,
is an important character in Hindu mythology. He was very naughty in his childhood days,
highly romantic as a young man, and proved to be a profound philosopher in his
adulthood as illustrated by
the highly acclaimed Bhagwat Geeta.When is Janamastami Celebrated?
How is Janamastami Celebrated?
Story of Krishna's Birth
The exact date of Krishna's birthday is impossible to determine but is
believed to be around 1400 B.C. It was the rainy season in India and Krishna was born
at midnight, in the prison of
Kamsa, during the middle of a perilous rain and storm. Thus goes the story of Krishna's
birth.