HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
Lord Krishna, the eighth avatar of God Vishnu is worshiped as a supreme God in Hinduism. Born in northern India (around 3,228 BCE), Lord Krishna’s life marks the passing of the Dvapara age and beginning of the Kal yuga (which is also considered as the current age).
History and Background
References to Lord Krishna can be found in several Hindu mythological books, especially in the epic Hindu book, the Mahabharata.
Lord Krishna is also described as an important figure in the Bhagavata Purana. This is another Hindu epic book that dates to the 10th century B.C. In the text, Lord Krishna is described as the charioteer for the warrior Arjuna who had guided him morally and gave military counsel to the leader.
The divine birth
There came a time when Mother Earth was unable to bear the sins and cruelty committed by evil kings and rulers. Mother Earth then prayed to Lord Brahma, the creator of the Universe, to relieve her from these sinful kings. Lord Brahma prayed to the supreme Lord Vishnu for reincarnation and to relieve the Mother Earth from these evil rulers. Lord Vishnu accepted the request and assured to defeat tyrannical forces.
The ruler of Mathura, Kansa was one such evil king. He had a sister named Devaki, who was married to Vasudeva. The day Devaki and Vasudeva got married, a voice from the sky forecasted that Devaki's eighth son will bring an end to Kansa’s rule and will kill him
Frightened Kansa held the couple. He then vowed that he will kill every child of Devaki and Vasudeva. Seeing their first seven children being killed by the cruel Kansa, the imprisoned couple feared giving birth to their eighth child.
One night Lord Vishnu appeared before them. He told them that in the guise of their son, he will return and rescue them from Kansa's autocracy.
The divine baby was born and the day he was born, Vasudeva found himself magically freed from prison. He ran away with the infant to a safer house and Lord Vishnu removed all the obstacles from Vasudeva's path.
Vasudeva reached a house in Gokul, exchanged Lord Krishna with a new born girl of Yashoda and Nanda and returned to the prison with the girl child. As soon as Kansa came to know about the new-born, he again tried to kill the child. The infant ascends to the heavens and transformed into the goddess Yogamaya and said, "O foolish Kansa! What will you get by killing me? Your nemesis is already born.”
Meanwhile, Krishna was raised as a cowherd in Gokul and became a skilful musician. On his return to Mathura, he slayed Kansa and restored his father to power.
Sri Krishna and Bhagavad Gita
Krishna befriended with the Pandava Prince Arjuna and became his counsel. In the Kurukshetra war, which was between the Pandavas and Kauravas (led by King Dhritarashtra), Lord Krishna became the Arjuna’s charioteer. Sri Krishna tried to avoid the battle despite the provocations by the Kauravas.
Dhritarashtra refused any compromise and war became inevitable. Sri Krishna offered a choice to his dearest friend Arjuna – either to choose Sri Krishna, or he could choose Krishna’s armies. Arjuna chose the counsel of Sri Krishna.
The war happened in Kurukshetra and it was on the battlefield when Sri Krishna gave the immortal dialogue of the Bhagavad Gita. This aspiring passage also mentioned how one can seek union with the God. The Bhagavad Gita did not require world renunciation but encouraged world acceptance.
The Bhagavad Gita and the life of Sri Krishna played an important role in making spirituality accessible to ordinary people. The central message of Bhagavad Gita and Sri Krishna was for man to take part in desireless action – motivated not by human ego, but for the divine cause.
In this way Lord Krishna became the supreme God and is considered as the creator of the whole world. He was born to save humanity from the terrible rulers and kings.
Janamashtmi
Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna is celebrated with great devotion and enthusiasm in India. As per the Hindu calendar, this religious festival is celebrated on the Ashtami of Krishna Paksh or the 8th day of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadon.
Janmashtami is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Krishna who is considered as Lord Vishnu’s incarnation. According to the Hindu calendar, Krishna was born on the eighth day of Shravan month. This auspicious day is celebrated in many different ways. Some people visit the temple and prepare a cradle of flowers in which a small miniature of Lord Krishna is placed while others cut a cucumber which signifies the mother’s womb and celebrate Lord Krishna’s birth. Devotees of Krishna celebrate this day with zeal and enthusiasm.
It is said that Krishna was born approximately 5200 years ago in Mathura and the sole aim of his birth was to free the earth from evil powers. He was a legend who was born in the darkness inside the cell of a jail as his parents were captured behind the bars. This cruel act was done by his uncle. Krishna was the son of Devaki and Vasudeva but he was raised by his foster parents Nanda and Yashoda. It is said that when Krishna was born, all the guards in the jail slept off, chains were broken and doors opened automatically. He was born at midnight and that is why the festival is celebrated at midnight 12.
Dahi handi
Festivities continue even after the day of Janmashtami. One most important activity or sport during Janmashtami is ‘Dahi Handi’. Dahi handi simply means ‘curd in an earthen pot’. Dahi handi is mainly celebrated in Mumbai and Pune where Janmashtami is also called as Gokulashtami. Let’s decode what is the significance of dahi handi and why it is celebrated.
It is believed that Lord Krishna loved eating curd, butter and milk. He would steal it from his home and also from other people living near to his house. That is why Krishna is also called as ’Makhan chor ’, the one who steals the makhan . So, to save the makhan from Krishna, his mother and his aunties use to keep the makhan away from his reach, somewhere at a height where he could not reach. From here originated this celebration of dahi handi, where dahi is kept in an earthen pot and is hanged from a height. Boys by making a human pyramid try to break it and steal the makhan just like Lord Krishna did. Girls surround the boys, sing songs and celebrate the day. The main boy who stands at the top is called as Govinda and the groups are either called as handis or mandals .
In places like Gujrat and Dwarka, where Krishna is believed to have established his kingdom, dahi handi is celebrated as makhan handi, where the earthen pot is filled with makhan (freshly churned butter). Others celebrate it by performing folk dances and singing bhajans.
Dahi Handi is called 'Uriadi' in Tamil Nadu and it forms a major event in the celebrations associated with Gokulashtami.
Significance of dahi handi
Krishna was brought up in Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh where there were lot of cows and thus a lot of milk products were made. Krishna loved all the products made from milk. As child Lord Krishna and his friends use to make human pyramids to break the pot filled with curd, hung from the roof. He also use to distribute it among his friends as during King Kamsa’s rule whatever things were produced, everyone was forced to give them at Kamsa’s home. Thus, the children in Vrindavan were deprived of milk products. This whole event imitates the actions of Lord Krishna.
The group of boys who participate in this event start practising weeks before the day of Janmashtami. All the boys who participate are called as Govinda which is the other name of Lord Krishna. The earthen pot is usually hung at the height of 20-30 feet from the ground. The pyramid formation needs a lot of focus and balancing. Usually, the boys with strong built stand at the ground level. Then stand the boys who are good at balancing as they have to take care of both standing above them and below them. At the top usually, stands a comparatively small boy who breaks the handi . All the material from the handi is spilled over the people breaking it. People standing around throw water on the participants to clean them. Spectators sing in Marathi ‘Govinda ala re ala’ which means Krishna has come.
