Many festivals are celebrated in Indian traditions. Shri Krishna Janmashtami is also one of these festivals, which is celebrated on the Ashtami of Krishna Paksha of Bhadrapada month. This festival is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that whenever dharma has dominated the earth, Lord Vishnu has taken an incarnation on earth to protect dharma. Shri Krishna is also a form of Lord Vishnu. let’s know
When is Krishna Janmashtami?
First of all let’s talk about on which date Krishna Janmashtami is falling in the year 2023. This year this holy festival will be celebrated on 7th September 2023. According to mythology, it is believed that Lord Krishna was born about five thousand years ago. At the same time, some facts are also telling the coming Janmashtami in the year 2023 as the 5250th birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. However, there may be differences. In Gujarat, the Janmashtami festival falls in Sawan. Whereas in other parts of the country, Sawan ends on Rakshabandhan. After that, the month of Bhadrapada begins. Janmashtami is celebrated on the Ashtami of his Krishna Paksha. Rudrabhishek is very important in many places even in Bhadrapada.
Shri Krishna Janmashtami Date – 7 September 2023, Thursday
Worship Timing – 11:57 PM to 12:44 AM, Sep 07 (Duration – 47 Mins)
Story of Krishna’s Life
As it has been shown in our scriptures that whenever adharma has increased on the earth, Lord Vishnu has incarnated in human form. Even in Dwapar Yuga, when unrighteousness was increasing on the earth, then Lord Vishnu was born as the eighth son from the womb of Mother Devaki in the prison of the then king of Mathura. After this, inspired by Yogmaya and on his orders, Vasudeva, the father of Shri Krishna, took the newborn Krishna to Gokul by crossing the overflowing Yamuna river in the midst of heavy rain in the dark of night. There his friend and village chief Nanda left Baba’s house and brought his newborn daughter with him. When Kansa came to know about the birth of the girl in the morning, he went to the prison to kill her. He took the girl in his hand and slammed it towards the wall when she released from his hand and went into the sky and assumed divine form and warned Kansa that the one who killed you had been born. After which Kansa came to know with the help of his spies that Krishna, the eighth son of Devaki, was growing up in the house of Nanda Baba in Vrindavan. He made several attempts to kill Krishna, but failed. After this, in adolescence, Lord Krishna killed Kansa and freed his parents from prison. After that he went to Ujjain to Guru Sandipani, took education, and set out to establish religion on earth. He supported the Pandavas in the war of Dharma against Adharma. When Arjuna had put down his bow before the war started, then Shri Krishna inspired Arjuna to fight by preaching Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta. Apart from these, he destroyed many powerful evil kings and demons like Shishupala and Jarasandha during his lifetime, and inspired people to walk on the path of peace and righteousness.
How to Celebrate Janmashtami?
The festival of Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated with great pomp in the country as well as abroad. On this day, the worshipers keep a fast, take bath in the morning and wear clean clothes and go to the temples of Lord Krishna. Where they worship Krishna with devotion. Various types of religious and cultural programs are organized on this day. At the same time, the doors of the temples are closed at sunset. In the scriptures, the birth of Shri Krishna is mentioned at midnight, due to which the doors of the temples are opened by repeating the incident of Krishna’s birth at 12 o’clock in the night. During this, Krishna idol is worshiped with Panchopachar. They are offered bhog of coriander seeds, bananas, apples, curd etc. After this, prasad is distributed by worshiping Lord Krishna. On this day, long queues are formed in all the temples of the country to take prasad at night. Devotees decorate their children as Shri Krishna and Radha Rani. Along with this, episodes related to the life of Krishna are shown. Hari Naam Kirtan is done by remembering his pastimes. Temples are decorated, Vaishnava bhajans, sankirtans and other religious functions are performed in almost all temples. Gita is recited in homes, Shrimad Bhagwat and Bhagwat Purana are recited. Apart from these, many people also chant many mantras like “Hare Rama, Hare Krishna” and “Om namo bhagwate vasudevaya namah”. In South India, Janmashtami is celebrated as Gokul Ashtami. People decorate the floor of their house with kolams (decorative patterns prepared with rice batter). Geeta Govindam and other devotional songs are sung. To mark the arrival of Krishna, footprints of Krishna are made from the threshold of the house to the worship hall. Fruits, betel leaves and butter are offered as prasad to Krishna. Many devotees observe a fast for the whole day, and take food only after the festival of Krishna’s birth and worship at 12 o’clock in the night. ISKCON, the largest religious organization of Krishna devotees in the world, organizes grand programs on this day in ISKCON temples built all over the world. The chanting and chanting of Hare Rama, Hare Krishna mantras is done in all the temples. Krishna Leelas are described.
How to worship Lord Krishna?
On the day of Janmashtami, bathe the idol of Lord Krishna or Bal Gopal with water, milk, curd, honey and Panchamrit. The maximum fanfare of the Dahi Handi competition is seen in Maharashtra, Vrindavan and Mathura. Here the local administration organizes this competition and announces the prize money. The festival of Gokulashtami is also celebrated with great enthusiasm in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Let us tell you that in Maharashtra also Krishna Janmashtami is known as Gokulashtami. Apart from North India, Rasleela is organized in many places in the northeastern states of the country. In this, the dancer describes the pastimes of this Krishna through his songs. Apart from this, children and youth, posing as Radha-Krishna, stage various Krishna Leelas. Apart from Jammu and Gujarat, there is also a tradition of flying kites on this day in many places.
Janmashtami is known as Shree Jayanti and Krishna Jayanti in West Bengal. On this day in Orissa and West Bengal the idol of Lord Krishna is bathed with Gangajal. After this, worship is done with Panchagavya and Panchopchar. The tenth chapter of the Bhagavata Purana (which describes the pastimes of Lord Krishna) is recited. On the next day of Janmashtami, Nandotsav is celebrated, in which the glory of Krishna’s Nanda Baba and Yashoda Maiya is remembered.
Krishna Janmashtami abroad and the main Krishna temples of the country (Krishna Janmashtami Outside of India)
The glory of Lord Krishna is not only in India, but also abroad. Hindus living outside India and followers of ISKCON celebrate this festival with great pomp. Nepal and Bhutan are as famous as India, and various religious programs are organized. Whereas in America, Canada, England and many other countries, Krishna devotees gather and praise his glory by chanting the name of Krishna. Many temples around the world including India are dedicated to Lord Krishna. Some of the major temples in these temples are as follows.
Jagannath Puri Temple, Odisha (Jagannath Temple, Puri, Odisha) One of the major Char Dhams of the country, Jagannath Temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna is seated in this temple along with his elder brother Balarama and sister Subhadra. Every year the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath is organized here. Lakhs of people come from all over the country and abroad to participate in this Yatra. Devotees compete to pull the chariot of Lord Jagannath. Apart from this, special programs are also organized here on the day of Janmashtami.
Dwarkadhish Temple, Gujarat
There is a grand temple of Lord Krishna in Mathura, which is famous not only in India but all over the world. According to mythology, to save the people of Mathura from Jarasandha and Kalnemi, Krishna had built the city of Dwarka overnight on an island in the middle of the sea by ordering Devashilpi Vishwakarma, and came here. Krishna is called Dwarkadhish in Dwarka. Here there is an idol of Krishna made of black marble. It is said that the Lord Krishna statue present in this temple was built by Krishna’s great-grandson Pradyumna.
Guruvayur Temple, Guruvayur, Kerala (Guruvayur Temple, Guruvayur, Kerala)
In South India too, there is an influx of devotees of Lord Krishna’s temples. One of the major temples of South India, Guruvayur Temple was constructed in the year 1638. Lord Krishna is seated in a quadrilateral form in this temple. Let us tell you that it is mandatory for women to wear a sari and men to wear a dhoti to enter this temple.
Radha Madan Mohan Temple, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh (Radha Madhan Mohan Mandir, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh) Vrindavan is the same city, which is the witness of Lord Krishna’s child pastimes. Lord Krishna’s childhood passed here. Here the idols of Lord Krishna, Radharani and their friend Lalita have been installed.
Apart from these temples, there are many other temples dedicated to Lord Krishna. Among them, there are many temples including Banke Bihari Temple of Vrindavan, Jugal Kishore Temple, Radha Raman Temple, ISKCON Temple, Prem Mandir, Govind Dev Temple in Jaipur, Shri Krishna Temple in Udupi, Karnataka, Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara.
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