janmashtami
Janmashtami is the celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna, a Hindu deity, on the eighth day (Ashtami tithi) of the dark half (Krishna Paksha) of the month of Bhaadra in the Hindu calendar when Rohini nakshatra (Aldebaran) is ascendant. The festival falls between August mid and September mid months of the Gregorian calendar, and this year it falls on August 13th and 14th. Sri Krishna was born on the midnight of day one hence Janmashtami is celebrated for two consecutive days.
Sri Krishna belonged to the royal family of Mathura (a city in Uttar Pradesh, India) and was the eighth son born to the princess Devaki and her husband Vasudeva. Devaki’s brother King Kansa ascended the throne by imprisoning his father. Kansa locked the couple in a prison cell and killed six of Devaki’s children since he was afraid of a prophecy that predicted his death at the hands of Devaki’s eighth son. After the six children were killed, Vasudeva secretly took his eighth son from the prison to be raised by his foster parents Yasoda and Nanda in Gokul (town in Mathura district). Devaki’s seventh child also survived from Kansa and was believed that he was transferred to the womb of Rohini, Vasudeva’s first wife. According to Bhagavata Purana it is believed that Krishna was born without sexual union and he is the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Krishna grew up in Gokul and later he freed his birth parents from the bondage of Kansa after defeating him in a battle and hence became the King of Mathura. Sri Krishna also took part in the famous Kurukshetra battle (in the epic Mahabharata) but chose not to raise any weapons. He offered the Pandavas and the Kauravas to choose between his army and himself. Thus Krishna acted as Arjuna’s charioteer (Arjuna was a member of Pandavas) and gave the Kauravas his entire army. In the battle field of Kurukshetra when Arjuna felt weak to raise weapon against his own family members, the Kauravas, Sri Krishna advised him about the battle and the conversation that took place between Arjuna and Krishna was later compiled into Bhagavad Gita (the holy book of Hinduism).
Krishna is a deity worshipped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives. Many Vaishnava groups recognize him as an avatar of Vishnu while other traditions within Krishnaism consider him to be the Supreme Being. ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) is a Vaishnava religious organization where its followers dedicate their thoughts and actions towards pleasing the Lord Sri Krishna.
Janmashtami is celebrated by all Hindus around the globe by performing rituals toward Sri Krishna. Temples all over India and US conduct ceremonies and prayers to honor Sri Krishna. Rasleela (a dance drama centered on Sri Krishna) is performed mainly by kids and professional dancers in many places in India especially in Mathura, his birthplace, to celebrate his birth. “Dahi Handi” is another ritual celebrated during Janmashtami where a young man breaks an earthen pot filled with curd/butter to depict the important events in the childhood of Sri Krishna. Thus Janmashtami is celebrated all over the world with joy and happiness since the birth of Sri Krishna signifies the end of evils.
Janmashtami is the celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna, a Hindu deity, on the eighth day (Ashtami tithi) of the dark half (Krishna Paksha) of the month of Bhaadra in the Hindu calendar when Rohini nakshatra (Aldebaran) is ascendant. The festival falls between August mid and September mid months of the Gregorian calendar, and this year it falls on August 13th and 14th. Sri Krishna was born on the midnight of day one hence Janmashtami is celebrated for two consecutive days.
Sri Krishna belonged to the royal family of Mathura (a city in Uttar Pradesh, India) and was the eighth son born to the princess Devaki and her husband Vasudeva. Devaki’s brother King Kansa ascended the throne by imprisoning his father. Kansa locked the couple in a prison cell and killed six of Devaki’s children since he was afraid of a prophecy that predicted his death at the hands of Devaki’s eighth son. After the six children were killed, Vasudeva secretly took his eighth son from the prison to be raised by his foster parents Yasoda and Nanda in Gokul (town in Mathura district). Devaki’s seventh child also survived from Kansa and was believed that he was transferred to the womb of Rohini, Vasudeva’s first wife. According to Bhagavata Purana it is believed that Krishna was born without sexual union and he is the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Krishna grew up in Gokul and later he freed his birth parents from the bondage of Kansa after defeating him in a battle and hence became the King of Mathura. Sri Krishna also took part in the famous Kurukshetra battle (in the epic Mahabharata) but chose not to raise any weapons. He offered the Pandavas and the Kauravas to choose between his army and himself. Thus Krishna acted as Arjuna’s charioteer (Arjuna was a member of Pandavas) and gave the Kauravas his entire army. In the battle field of Kurukshetra when Arjuna felt weak to raise weapon against his own family members, the Kauravas, Sri Krishna advised him about the battle and the conversation that took place between Arjuna and Krishna was later compiled into Bhagavad Gita (the holy book of Hinduism).
Krishna is a deity worshipped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives. Many Vaishnava groups recognize him as an avatar of Vishnu while other traditions within Krishnaism consider him to be the Supreme Being. ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) is a Vaishnava religious organization where its followers dedicate their thoughts and actions towards pleasing the Lord Sri Krishna.
Janmashtami is celebrated by all Hindus around the globe by performing rituals toward Sri Krishna. Temples all over India and US conduct ceremonies and prayers to honor Sri Krishna. Rasleela (a dance drama centered on Sri Krishna) is performed mainly by kids and professional dancers in many places in India especially in Mathura, his birthplace, to celebrate his birth. “Dahi Handi” is another ritual celebrated during Janmashtami where a young man breaks an earthen pot filled with curd/butter to depict the important events in the childhood of Sri Krishna. Thus Janmashtami is celebrated all over the world with joy and happiness since the birth of Sri Krishna signifies the end of evils.
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