यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत |
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मनं सृज्ञाम्यहम् |7|
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् |
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सभ्भवामि युगे युगे |8|
Whenever there is a decline of Dharma and the rise of Adharma, O Arjuna, then I appear (or manifest Myself). I appear from time to time
for protecting the good, for transforming the wicked, and for establishing Dharma, the world order. -
Gita ( Chpater 4, 07-08) Lord Krishna is the most popular and eighth purna incarnations of
Lord Vishnu विष्णु)
The blissful love of Radha for Krishna can be seen as the soul’s wish to be one with the Almighty,
mid 18th century painting.
Krishna is carried by his father Vasudeva across river Yamuna to Vrindavana,
Krishna Janmasthmi Krishna Janmasthmi the birth day of Lord Krishna this year is
being celebrated on 9th 2012 (Smrat) and 11th August 2012 (Vaisnava).
Sri Krishna Janmashtami is known by various names such as Krishnashtami,
Gokulashtami, Saatam Aatham, Ashtami Rohini, Sri Krishna Jayanti and Sree
Jayanthi. Traditional belief based on scriptural details and astrological calculations gives the date of Krishna's birth, known as
Janmashtami, as either 18th or 21st July 3228 BCE. In
Hindu astrology it appeared on the eighth waning moon night of bhadon (August) in Rohini Nakchatra (asterism) in 3228 BC.
Janmashtami is celebrated all over India and across many other countries to mark
the birth of Lord Krishna, the eight avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu. The Divine dignity of
Lord Ram (श्री राम) and Krishna and their loving leelas are the soul
of Sanatan Dharm. In Hinduism Vaishnava groups recognize him as an avatar of
Lord Vishnu, while others consider him to be svayam bhagavan, or the original form of the Lord. Lord Krishna's Birth Krishna belonged to the royal family of Mathura, and was the eighth son born to
the princess Devaki, and her husband Vasudeva. Mathura was the capital of the
Yadavas, to which Krishna's parents Vasudeva and Devaki belonged to. The king Kamsa, Devaki's
cousin , had ascended the throne by imprisoning his father, King Ugrasena. Afraid of a prophecy that
predicted his death at the hands of Devaki's eighth son, he had locked the
couple into a prison cell. After killing the first six children, and Devaki's
apparent miscarriage of the seventh, being transfered to Rohini as Balarama, Krishna took birth.
Since Vasudeva believed Krishna's life was in danger, Krishna was secretly taken
out of the prison cell to be raised by his foster parents, Yasoda and Nanda in
Gokula. Two of his other siblings also survived, Balarama
and Subhadra. When Krishna appeared, a tiny touch of His Divine power
shattered the defense system of the jail: locks broke, watchmen went into deep
sleep, gates opened and all the restrictions were eliminated. The flooding
River Yamuna (यमुना) gave way to Vasudeo so that he could safely transport
baby Krishna to his relative Nand Baba’s house which was in Gokul and on the
other side of river Yamuna. Thus, Krishna first descended in Mathura and on the
same night He came to Gokul. The next day, at the house of Nand Baba and Yashoda all the Brajwasis came
together to join the most joyous celebration of Krishna’s birthday. Rasa Lila To commemorate the birth anniversary of the Lord, Rasa Lila or the
dramatic performances of the life of Krishna are performed by devotees.Colourful Rasleelas
(plays) are a major attraction which depict various phases and acts of Lord Krishna's life.
The whole of Braj is the leela place of Krishna but more memorable places are Barsana, Vrindaban and Govardhan. Barsana is
the place where the sovereign of Gopis’ hearts, and the soul of Krishna, Radha, always lived
there. Vrindaban is famous because maharas leela happened over there, and
Govardhan is the place where Krishna did most of His playful leelas with His
Gwalbal while grazing the cows. The leelas of Krishna are categorized as: (1) Braj leela, (2) nikunj
leela, and (3) Dwarika leela. They revealed such loving leelas that fascinated even
Lord Shiva (शिव) and Goddess Parvati and
Goddess Laxmi (महा लक्ष्मी) Rasa Lila took place on a beautiful night,
when the ‘Gopis’ (milkmaids) of Vrindavan stealthily left their houses to go to the jungle on hearing the
sweet sound of Lord Krishna’s flute. Lord Krishna then danced with gopis throughout the night. The eternal love legend of Radha Krishna Rasa Lila is based on the legendary love story of Radha Krishna.
The loving interplay between God and the human soul is interpreted through
Lord Krishna and his love play with the Gopis. The blissful love of Radha for Krishna can be seen as the soul’s wish to be one with the Almighty.
Though Radha never married Krishna, her love for him was so complete and pure that even today we worship Krishna alongwith Radha. This love story has been called ‘Rasa’ by the great Rishi
Vyasa. The secrets of Rasalila can only be understood by devotees like Narada, Radha, the Gopis and Sri Gouranga.
Lord Krishna and Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita or Gita is a most sacred text for Hindus, a discourse of Baghwan
Krishna himself The Bhagavad Gita is considered among the most important texts in the history of literature and philosophy.
It comprises 700 verses, and is a part of the Mahabharata. The content of the Gita is the conversation between Lord Krishna and
Arjuna taking place on the battlefield before the start of the Kurukshetra war. Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties as a warrior and prince and elaborates on
different Yogic and Vedantic philosophies. Gita often being described as a concise guide to Hindu theology and also as a practical,
self- contained guide to life. During the discourse, Lord Krishna reveals His identity as the Supreme Being Himself.
The direct audience to Lord Krishna’s discourse of the Bhagawata Gita included Arjuna, Sanjay and Lord Hanuman (perched atop Arjuna’s chariot) and
Barbarika, son of Ghatotghaj. during 18 days of Kurukhsetra war. The Bhagavad Gita represent a summary of the Upanishadic teachings, it is also called
"the Upanishad of the Upanishads. Lord Krishna states that the knowledge of Yoga contained in the Gita was first instructed to mankind at the very beginning of their
existence Although the original date of composition of the Bhagavad Gita is not clear, its teachings are considered timeless.
The original language of the Bhagavad-Geeta was classical Sanskrit. Many extraordinary people such as Albert Einsten,
Mahatma Gandhi), Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Herman Hesse,
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Aldous Huxley, Rudolph Steiner and Nikola Tesla have read Srimad Bhagavad-Geeta and were inspired by its
timeless wisdom, the ultimate truth, creation, birth and death, the results of actions, the eternal
soul, liberation and the purpose as well as the goal of human existence. He taught the supreme truths of Yoga, Bhakti and Vedanta to Arjuna and
Uddhava. He had mastery over the sixty-four arts. That is why He is regarded as an Avatara with sixteen Kalas or powers.Every word of Lord Krishna's teachings and every act of His is full of
sublime and grand object-lessons of momentous import to humanity in a variety of ways. Dahi Handi
Dahi Handi ceremony the colourful event on Krishna Janmasthmi mainly witnessed in
Maharashtra. As part of the ceremony, participants form a human pyramid to break the mataki (dahi handi) suspended from the top with a rope.
On the eve of Janmashtami well known flautist
Hariprasad Chaurasia is planning for his annual 24-hour music marathon to celebrate Lord Krishna birth at the hour of midnight in Mumbai .He
believes Sri Krishna’s flute to be the Lord’s gift to the world. Hariprasd Chorsia flute music Vedio Famous Krishna Temples in India
Some of the famous Krishna Temples in India where Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated with much importance include Krishna Janma Bhoomi Mandir in
Mathura, Banke Bihari Mandir in Vrindavan, Srinath Temple in Rajasthan, Dwarkadhish Temple in Gujarat, Krishna Temple in Hampi, Guruvayur Temple in
Kerala, Ambalapuzha Sree Krishna Temple in Alappuzha, Udupi Sri Krishna Temple in Karnataka, and ISKCON Temple in
Tirupati. Thousands of devotees visit the temples on Krishna Janmashtami day to get
a glimpse of their favorite God in full decoration. Special feasts will be arranged by temple authorities on Krishnashtami day for devotees.
Hindu astrology it appeared on the eighth waning moon night of bhadon (August) in Rohini Nakchatra (asterism) in 3228 BC.
