JANMASHTAMI: THE DAY OF THE LITTLE LORD

YESTERDAY KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI FESTIVAL
WAS CELEBRATED ACROSS INDIA WITH FERVOUR

http://timesofindia - Yesterday was Krishna Janmashtami (the day that marks the birth of Lord Krishna). The auspicious festival of Janmashtami, the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna is being celebrated across the country with great enthusiasm. Temples in Delhi were decorated with flowers and colourful lights on the occasion. Special security arrangements have been made at temples including the Birla Mandir, Jhandewalan, Chhattarpur and the Gauri Shankar Mandir. In Uttar Pradesh, the festival is being celebrated with enthusiasm, peace and gaiety. In Patna, the city’s famous Mahavir temple geared itself up for the Janmashtami celebrations that started at 6 am and continued beyond midnight. The temple there was decorated with flowers and the idols of Lord Krishna were bathed and offered new clothes. “Prasad” was distributed among 500-odd “bhaktas” who had gathered to sing “bhajans” and “kirtans” there yesterday evening. Schoolchildren posing as Sri Krishna and Radha attended the programme. While school children had a field day dressing up like little Radhas and Krishnas, temple staff and devotees got together for some serious preparations for the festival, eagerly waiting to wish the Lord. Many kids celebrated by cutting cakes and distributing toffees.

The temples, especially those at Mathura and Vrindavan and many temples in several cities of the state have been decorated for the occasion. At the Bankey Bihari Temple in Vrindavan, the Krishna Janma Bhoomi and Dwarakadhish Temple in Mathura, the festival is celebrated at night. Devotees perform the ‘Mangla Darshan’ at midnight. Adequate security arrangements have been made in Mathura. The railways have announced the plying of seven special trains for devotees coming to Mathura to celebrate Janmashtami.


Krishna has many other names according to the country, culture, and language of different peoples. To the Jews He is Yahweh, to the Christians He is Jehovah, to the Muslims He is Allah. Sometimes God appears in this world just to show the people His original, eternal form. Sometimes He appears in other forms according to the requirements of His pastimes.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

“More than 5,100 years ago, Krishna appeared in His original, transcendental form just to please His devotees, annihilate the miscreants, and reestablish the principles of religion.” ... The date of Krishna’s birth is traditionally given as 5.201 of Bhadra Krishna Astami, or 3.226 BC (or 3.227 BC, depends if we consider the year 0 or not). “Bhadra” is the name of a month (corresponds roughly to July-August; Vedic calendar is luni-solar), “krishna” here specifically denotes the dark part of a month (waning moon) and “astami” means “8th day”. If you download and calculate the Vedic calendar for your location you can see when Janmastami (“Krishna’s birth day”: janma - birth, astami - 8th day) occurs so that you can take part in its celebration with us in one of our centers. The peak of the celebration is midnight when Krishna appeared.

Vedic Knowledge On Line :
“Who is Krishna? - Questions about Krishna”
VEDA - Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Krishna.com
http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz
http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/bhaktiyoga/vaisnavism.htm