Do you know why Janmashtami is Celebrated? If not, then today's article is going to be full of information.
Everyone knows that Krishna Janmashtami or Gokulashtami is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Lord Krishna. According to ancestors, Lord Krishna, the eighth son of Devaki, was born on the 8th day of the dark fortnight of Bhadrapada month. Bhadrapada month falls in August or September.
Janmashtami will start from 9.20 pm on 18th August this year and will last till 10.59 pm on 19th August. Even before the arrival of Janmashtami, its preparations start in full swing. The enthusiasm of this festival is worth seeing all over India. The surrounding environment gets painted in the color of Lord Krishna. Janmashtami is celebrated with full devotion and devotion.
Why is Janmashtami Celebrated?
Janmashtami is the auspicious day when Lord Krishna was born on this planet. The birthday of Lord Krishna is celebrated with great enthusiasm and fervor in India in August or September. As per the Hindu calendar, this festival is celebrated on the 8th day of the dark fortnight celebrated as Ashtami of Krishna Paksha.
Lord Krishna is considered to be the most powerful avatar of Lord Vishnu. He was born in Mathura 5,200 years ago. And, that is why Mathura is called Krishna Bhoomi.
This festival is celebrated by Hindu majority people all over India. People know this festival by different names like Krishna Janmashtami, Shri Jayanti, Gokulashtami and Shri Krishna Jayanti. Lord Krishna was born to drive away evil from the earth and spread the message of love and brotherhood.
Lord Krishna was the eighth child of Devaki and Vasudeva and proved the prophecy of killing the merciful Kansa. However, King Kansa tried several times to kill Bal Krishna when he was very young but every time his efforts went in vain.
How is Janmashtami Celebrated?
The actual celebration of Krishna Janmashtami takes place during midnight as it is believed that Lord Krishna was born on a dark, stormy and windy night to end the rule of his maternal uncle Kansa. How to celebrate Janmashtami at home
Krishna Janmashtami is a very important festival for all Hindus and they also observe fast on the same day. The devotees break their fast after midnight the next day. In addition, they worship Lord Krishna by singing songs and aartis. Some shlokas of the Lord are also sung by the devotees. The idol of Krishna is decorated with new shining clothes, crowns and other ornaments.
Also many Hindu temples are decorated with lights and flowers to celebrate this day. There are many bhajans and kirtans in the temples. Many spiritual places dance and dramatize the life of Krishna. Even the school celebrates and has dance performances by dressing up small children in the attire of Lord Krishna.
Another major thing that happens during this festival is Dahi Handi which takes place on the day of Krishna Janmashtami. Lord Krishna was named Makhan Chor in his childhood and hence every Krishna Janmashtami this event is held in which Dahi Handi is hung on a rope at a certain height and a person has to make a group and make a hole in that Handi.
Places like ISKCON Temple in Delhi and Vrindavan, Prem Mandir in Vrindavan, Shri Nathji Temple in Rajasthan, Jagannath Temple in Orissa and Govind Dev Ji Temple in Jaipur are well decorated where huge crowds gather on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami.
In addition, some decorated jhakis are held in prominent areas to hold some of the unique aspects of the festival. This festival is more special in Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul and Dwarka. Raas Leela shows are held in many temples for which a large number of devotees visit the temples.
Janmashtami History and Significance
According to Hindu texts, Lord Krishna came to this world on this day as the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu and the destroyer of evil.
Ancient Hindu literature, including the Bhagavad Gita and the Bhagavata Purana, clearly tells the story of Lord Krishna's birth and how his maternal uncle, King Kansa, wanted to kill him. And since his birth, every 8th day called Krishna Paksha of Bhadrapada month is celebrated as Krishna Janmashtami.
Also, many consider this day as an occasion to honor the victory of good over evil.
What is the Story behind Janmashtami ?
Before starting the Story behind Janmashtami do you know why Janmashtami is celebrated only on Ashtami? It is believed that Krishna is the eighth child of his mother Devaki, hence Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated on the eighth day.
According to Hindu mythology, Mathura was ruled by the evil king Kansa. To expand his empire, he married his sister to the Yadu king Vasudeva. After the wedding, Kansa decided to shower the newlyweds with lavish gifts as he wanted to gain the trust of Vasudeva. When he takes over the reins of the marriage chariot, a voice comes from heaven that his sister's 8th child will end his evil ways.
After learning about his prophecy, Kansa sends his sister and her husband Vasudeva to prison. Actually, Kansa wants to kill Devaki but Vasudev promised him that he would give all his 8 children to Kansa if he spared Devaki's life.
Kansa agreed and one by one he killed all the six children who were born to the couple. When Devaki got pregnant 7 times, interesting things started happening. Through divine intervention, the seventh child of Devaki is transferred from her womb to the womb of Rohini, the first wife of Vasudeva, and thus, the seventh child of Devaki and Vasudeva was born safely.
When Devaki became pregnant again, Kansa was again eager to kill the couple's second child but the Lord's wish was different. Krishna was actually the eighth child of Devaki and also an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
While Devaki was going into labor, Lord Vishnu appears in her prison cell and informs Vasudeva that her eighth child is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu himself and will put an end to the kingdom of Kansa.
That night it was dark and there was thunder and lightning, Lord Vishnu destroyed all the locks and put the guards to sleep. He also instructed Vasudeva what to do and then suddenly Lord Vishnu disappears.
As per the instructions, Vasudeva left the palace with a wicker basket containing his divine son. They crossed the Yamuna and reached the village of Gokul and exchanged the child with the newborn baby girl of Gokul's head Nanda and his wife Yashoda.
Thus Krishna grew up in Gokul and eventually killed his uncle Kansa.
Janmashtami Facts
Shri Krishna was born in Rohini Nakshatra. He was the eighth child of Devaki and Vasudeva. Krishna may have been born by Devaki but he was brought up by Yashoda.
Shri Krishna's guru was Sandipani, Krishna had given such dakshina to his guru which hardly any guru has received. Sri Krishna gave his dead son to Sandipani as Guru Dakshina.
Shri Krishna had 16,108 wives. Eight of whom were his queens. Shri Krishna had 80 children from eight queens. Rukmani, the wife of Shri Krishna, is believed to be an incarnation of Lakshmi. All the eight queens had 10 sons each.
Radha's name may have always been associated with Shri Krishna, but do you know that there is no mention of Radha in any scripture. His name is not mentioned in either the Mahabharata or the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita.
According to Jain tradition, Lord Sri Krishna's cousin was Tirthankara Neminatha who is popularly known as Ghor Angiras in Hindu tradition.
Shri Krishna had so many types of divine weapons. But Lord Parashurama had given Sudarshan Chakra to Shri Krishna.
Do you know that Arjun was not the only person who first heard the essence of Gita from the mouth of Shri Krishna. Hanuman ji and Sanjay along with Arjun had also heard the essence of the Gita.
There are 108 names of Lord Krishna, of which Govind, Gopal, Ghanshyam, Girdhari, Mohan, Banke Bihari, Banwari, Chakradhar, Devkinandan, Hari, and Kanhaiya are prominent.
Conclusion
I hope why Janmashtami is celebrated? You must have found the answer to this question by reading this article. How is Janmashtami celebrated through this article? An attempt has been made to give information about the history and importance of Janmashtami as well. And we have also told some facts of Janmashtami in the last of this article, which you will get good information by reading. We hope that by reading this article of ours, you must have got a lot of information about Janmashtami. If you liked this article, then definitely share it and write us your suggestions in the comments.
FAQs
Q1. When is Janmashtami in 2022?
Janmashtami will start from 9.20 pm on 18th August this year and will last till 10.59 pm on 19th August.
Q2. Which is the birthday of Lord Shri Krishna?
Lord Shri Krishna was born in Bhadrapada month, Ashtami Tithi in Krishna Paksha, Rohini Nakshatra at 12 o'clock in the night. This day is celebrated all over the world by the name of Janmashtami.
Q3. Where is the birthplace of Lord Krishna located?
Mathura is the birthplace of Lord Krishna.
Q4. What is eaten on Janmashtami?
If you have kept a fast, then eat fruits, water, sago khichdi.
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