Krishna Janmashtami, also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu.
Gokulashtami
The birth of Lord Krishna represents the triumph of good over evil. He is worshipped as the eighth incarnation (avatar) of Lord Vishnu who is known for his compassion, righteousness, love and dharma.
The name ‘Krishna’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Krishna’, an adjective meaning ‘black’, ‘dark’, or ‘dark blue.’ The name ‘Krishna’ also means ‘all attractive.’ The word ‘janma’ means ‘birth’ and ‘ashta’ means ‘eight.’
The number 8 has much significance in this context. Lord Krishna was the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Krishna – 8th Child of Devaki
He was born as the eighth child of Princess Devaki and Vasudeva who belonged to the Yadava clan of Mathura on the eighth day (Ashtami tithi) of the Krishna Paksha (waning moon phase) under the Rohini Nakshatra in the holy month of Shravana. The waning moon is called Krishna Paksha and is related to the adjective meaning of ‘dark’.
Gokulashtami is also known as Krishnashtami, Ashtami Rohini, Sri Krishna Jayanthi etc. This celebration usually happens at the end of August or the beginning of September in the Western Gregorian calendar.
Most people in India celebrate Krishna Janmashtami based on the Lunar calendar but a few temples and some regions in South India like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and part of Karnataka observe Janmashtami based on the Solar calendar.
According to Hindu mythology, a prophecy stated that Kamsa, the tyrant ruler of the Vrishni kingdom with its capital at Mathura, would be killed by the eighth son of his sister Princess Devaki consequent on the sins committed by him. Kamsa therefore put his sister and her husband in prison. To prevent the prophecy from taking effect, he killed Devaki’s children one by one immediately after their birth.
When Devaki gave birth to her eighth child, the whole palace was put into deep sleep by some divine intervention. Vasudeva capitalized on the situation and secretly carried his infant in a basket out of Mathura during the night while it was pouring heavily.
Shesnag, who is known as the king of snakes, protected the two with his five-headed hood from the rain. Vasudeva managed to cross the Yamuna River with the help of divine forces and reach his friend Nanda’s house at Gokul near Brindavan in Mathura.
At that time, Nanda’s wife Yashoda had given birth to a girl baby who was deemed to be Goddess Durga’s incarnation. Vasudev conceived a strategy to fool Kamsa. Vasudeva took the infant girl to Devaki in jail. He inveigled Kamsa into thinking that the prophecy of his demise at the hands of Devaki’s eighth son was untrue, and it made Kamsa feel relieved. Thereafter, Devaki’s son was brought up by his foster parents, Nanda and his wife Yashoda at Gokul.
Why is the celebration named Gokulashtami
This is the reason why the celebration is also known as Gokulashtami. This boy was none other than an incarnation of Lord Vishnu who later took the name of Sri Krishna and killed his maternal uncle, Kamsa, ending his reign of terror. Lord Vishnu takes on various incarnations like this on the earth to restore the rule of dharma (righteousness) whenever the world is overtaken by chaos and terror.
He is thus the protector who keeps the world from being destroyed by adharma (wickedness) and its adherents.
Gokulashtami festival is celebrated across the world for 2-3 days. Mathura which happens to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna has some 400 temples dedicated to Him, all of which are decorated beautifully during this time. Celebrations begin almost 10 days before the birthday in Brindavan as Lord Krishna spent his formative years in Brindavan near Mathura.
After leaving Mathura, Lord Krishna is said to have stayed in Dwaraka, a beautiful city that became the home of Lord Krishna approximately for 5,000 years. The town holds a month-long festival in the name of ‘Janmashtami Utsav’.
On the day of Gokulashtami or Krishna Janmashtami
On the day of Gokulashtami or Krishna Janmashtami, Lord Krishna’s devotees all over the world offer prayers and fast all day. Devotees chant the Lord’s name, filling the air with their devotion and dedication. In addition to doing Janmashtami decorations at home with flowers, they sing hymns and recite mantras, blow conchs, and ring bells.
A lot of devotional songs are sung, particularly at Krishna temples all day long. The fast concludes at midnight, which is thought to be the time of Lord Krishna’s birth. During the festival, various rituals inspired by the life of Lord Krishna are held throughout the country.
Drama-dance enactments and elaborate skits retelling his different ‘leelas’ in His boyhood are played out in the form of ‘Krishna Leelas’. Children dressed as Lord Krishna and his Gopis (young girls) perform ‘Raas Leela’.
After midnight, the idol of baby Lord Krishna is bathed, adorned with new clothes and put in a cradle. Devotees then sing devotional songs or perform bhajans in praise of the new-born, beautiful Lord Krishna.
Offerings of sweets and flower garlands are made with joy. Many devotees paint tiny footprints outside the main entrance leading to their houses and it signifies that Lord Krishna is welcome to step into their houses.
Devotees break their fast the following morning and a festive ambience sets in where sweets made with milk, mainly payasam dry fruits and sugar, fruits, and other delicacies that were offered to the Lord are distributed as Prasad and relished by all.
Again, passages from the Bhagavad Gita are recited aloud to help us remember Krishna’s teachings and understand the meaning of life from a spiritual angle. Lord Krishna’s teachings in the Bhagavad Gita emphasize the importance of performing one’s duty without being concerned with the results thereof.
It teaches devotees significant life lessons such as the pursuit of righteousness, the value of selfless service, and the ultimate victory of good over evil.
Gokulasthami Celebrations in and Around TTD Temples
Gokulasthami, the festival of the birth of Lord Krishna is celebrated at Sri Venugopalaswamy temple in the Sri Kapileswara Temple grandly every year. Suprabatham and abhishekam will be performed for the Mula Virat in the morning and Gokulashtami Asthanam will be performed at night.
At Sri Kalyana Venkateswara temple at Narayanavanam, suprabatham, Thomala and Shuddhi will be performed and later abhishekam will be performed for Lord Sri Krishna. Later in the evening, Gokulashtami Asthanam and Nivedanam will be conducted.
At Sri Venugopalaswamy temple of Karvetinagaram, suprabatham, thomala, koluvu, panchanga shravanam will be performed in the morning and later a grand Gau puja Mahotsavam will be performed. Gokulashtami Asthanam and Unjal Seva will be grandly conducted in the evening.
