Why is Krishna Janmashtami celebrated?
Janmashtami is celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy
among the people. On this day, devotees fast and worship the child form of Lord
Krishna. Janmashtami is celebrated to celebrate the birthday of Lord Krishna.
But do you know why Krishna celebrates Janmashtami and what its significance
is. If you do not know, in this post you will get complete information about
Janmashtami. What is Janmashtami and Why is Celebrated?
Krishna Janmashtami or Gokulashtami is celebrated to celebrate
the birthday of Lord Krishna. Who was the 8th incarnation of God. This was the
8th day of Krishna Paksha in the birth of Shravan Krishna when Lord Krishna was
born. Therefore, Janmashtami is also celebrated on this day according to the
Hindu calendar.
Lord Krishna or Kanha is considered the favorite deity of
Hindus. Kanha has many devotees not only in India but also outside the country.
Hence Krishna Janmashtami or Krishnashtami is celebrated on a large scale
across the world.
Devotees of Lord Krishna call him by different names. Each
name signifies the love and respect of its devotees and represents different
stages of Krishna's life.
Lord Krishna has a total of 108 names such as Bal Gopal,
Kanha, Mohan, Govinda, Keshav, Shyam, Vasudev, Krishna, Devkinandan, Devesh and
many more. Balagopal represents the stage when he was an infamous child and
Kanha represents the phase when he used to play with Gopi.
In a Bollywood song to mention Lord Krishna or Kanha, it is
said that Govinda or Kanha loved to eat butter and yogurt and play the flute.
Krishna is the perfect example of an obedient son, intelligent student, a
romantic lover and a caring husband.
Human beings should learn the right conduct of life from
various aspects of the life of Lord Krishna. On this day all aspects of Kanha
are worshiped by devotees.
Why is
Krishna Janmashtami celebrated?
Lord Krishna or Govinda is considered the most powerful
incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was born to destroy the empire of demons from
the earth. Lord Krishna was the eighth child of Devaki and Vasudeva.
Devaki was the sister of a cruel king, Kamsa. Kansa was
proud of his strength, thinking that people should worship him instead of God.
He began brutally killing innocent people who refused to honor him. His
atrocities were increasing day by day.
One day there was a prophecy that Kansa would be killed by
Devaki and Vasudeva's 8th child. To prevent this, Kansa confines her sister
with her husband in a dungeon. Whenever Devaki gave birth to a child, Kansa
killed that child.
When the 8th child of Devaki and Vasudeva was born, Lord
Vishnu asked Vasudev to take him to Gokul where Nanda and Yashoda resided.
Vasudev crossed the Yamuna river to take the child to Gokul.
On reaching Gokul, Vasudev replaced his son with Yashoda's
daughter and returned to prison. Kansa thought that she is the 8th child of
Devaki and Vasudeva so he threw her on a stone.
Surprisingly, she is transformed into baby mother Yogamaya
and warns Kansa about her death. Lord Krishna, the eighth child of Devaki and
Vasudeva, grew up in Gokul. He killed many demons there and returned to Mathura
to kill Kansa.
Since then, Janmashtami or Krishnashtami is celebrated as
the birthday of Lord Krishna or Govinda.
Celebration
of Krishna Janmashtami
On this day people fast on the eve of Janmashtami which is
called Saptami. Krishna devotees stay awake throughout the night and sing songs
to honor Lord Krishna.
At 12 midnight, the idol is bathed with milk and wears
beautiful clothes, ornaments and then placed in the cradle for worship. Sweets
are presented to the deities and then distributed among the devotees.
Devotees of Lord Krishna dance with Krishna hymns and also
organize a superlative performance of Krishna tableaux that depict Ras Leela in
a huge way. The most popular activity of Janmashtami is the custom of Dahi
Handi. This tradition is celebrated with great enthusiasm.
Mathura is the birthplace of Lord Krishna. Vrindavan and
Gokul are the places where Krishna spent his childhood. Even today the name of
Lord Krishna is written on the streets of Mathura, Vrindavan and Gokul.
Being the birthplace of Lord Krishna, Mathura is a grand
celebration of Janmashtami. This festival of Mathura attracts tourists from all
over the country. Young boys and girls act as Rasleela. Rasleela depicts the
romantic and loving side of Lord Krishna with Radha and Gopi.
To celebrate Janmashtami, entire places of Mathura are
decorated with flowers and light. The main temple of Mathura is Dwarkadhish
Temple. Vrindavan is also associated with the activities of Lord Krishna. The
anecdotes of Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha can be heard anywhere in
Vrindavan.
There are also temples of Lord Krishna in Vrindavan such as
Madan Mohan Temple, Govind Dev Temple, Radharaman Temple, Radha Damodar Temple,
Radha Vallabh Temple and Jugal Kishore Temple among many others. Gokul is the
place where Lord Krishna spent his childhood days.
This is where Nanda and Yashoda lived, where Kanha was left
in a safe custody after birth by her father Vasudeva. Gokul also has some
famous temples of Lord Krishna.
During the Janmashtami festival, the entire atmosphere of
Mathura, Vrindavan and Gokul resonates with his name. It is as if Lord Krishna
himself comes there to be a part of Ustava.
Janmashtami is celebrated with great enthusiasm in other
places of North India like Haryana, Delhi and Punjab. People fast throughout
the day and pray in devotion to Krishna.
Importance
of Krishna Janmashtami
Janmashtami has its own importance. Bhagavan Vishnu has said
in a sacred book of ancient times called Bhagavad Gita that when the influence
of evil will increase in society and religion will decline, I will be reborn in
this world and will also reborn in order to eliminate evil and to support good.
.
The main importance of this festival lies in encouraging
good intentions and discouraging bad will. Krishna Janmashtami is also
celebrated for unity. This holy festival promotes brotherhood among the people,
hence Janmashtami is considered a symbol of unity.
Bal Gopal loved to eat things made of butter, curd and milk,
so various sweet dishes are made to welcome Bal Gopal. These dishes are offered
to them as an indulgence. They are then eaten by the family as prasadam. These
dishes are considered favorites of Bal Gopal or Govinda.
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