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JANMASHTAMI: Celebrating Krishna’s Arrival

Kamlesh Tripathi

    Janmashtami celebrates the stormy midnight birth of Lord Krishna, the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu, on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) in the Hindu month of Bhadrapada, during the waning phase of the moon. The hour is symbolic.

    The story begins with Kansa, the tyrannical king of Mathura. A divine prophecy warned him that the eighth child of his cousin, Devaki, would cause his death. Terrified, Kansa imprisoned Devaki and her husband Vasudeva and killed their first six children. The seventh child, Balarama, was miraculously transferred to the womb of Rohini, the first consort of Vasudeva and was thus saved.

    A comparison can be drawn with the Greek hero Perseus, who survives despite his grandfather Acrisius’ dastardly attempt to kill him. Though he is abandoned and left adrift in a wooden chest at sea with his mother, the gods protect him. On the other hand, Krishna, the eighth child of Devaki, is secretly carried away from the prison and saved, while Kansa kills infants in his attempt to escape fate. Both narratives show the failure of human power against divine will.

    Krishna was born in the prison of Mathura. Legend has it that when divine forces intervened, the chains of Vasudeva fell away, the prison doors opened, and the guards were overcome by sleep. Vasudeva carried the newborn Krishna across the swollen Yamuna to Gokul, where he left him in the care of Nanda and Yashoda. In return, he brought back their newborn daughter.

    Although born to Devaki and Vasudeva, Krishna became the beloved son of Yashoda and Nanda. He belonged simultaneously to the royal world of Mathura and the pastoral world of Gokul and Vrindavan.

    Krishna stole butter, teased the gopis, played his flute and wandered through the lanes of Vrindavan with his friends. His childhood is remembered not for grandeur but for mischief. Yashoda sometimes had to chase him, scold him and even tie him to a wooden mortar.

    The famous episode of Yashoda looking into Krishna’s mouth is especially symbolic. She saw the entire universe in it. The child she was trying to discipline was none other than the cosmic being himself. He is simultaneously the God, child, philosopher, prankster, warrior, lover, king and the cowherd.    

    In temples and homes, devotees fast and stay awake until midnight, waiting for the moment believed to be Krishna’s birth. At midnight, the idol of the infant Krishna is placed in a cradle. He is bathed and dressed in new clothes and adorned with flowers. Devotees sing bhajans and chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna as bells ring and conch shells are blown.

    In Maharashtra, the festival takes a particularly lively form through Dahi Handi. Inspired by Krishna’s childhood habit of stealing butter, young men and women form human pyramids to reach and break a pot of curd or butter suspended high above the ground.

    In Mathura and Vrindavan, the celebrations have a special emotional intensity. These are the lands associated with Krishna’s childhood, his flute, his friends and the Gopis. Temples are beautifully decorated, devotional music fills the streets, and the atmosphere becomes one of collective remembrance. Even homes are decorated with jhankis of Krishna. Janmashtami is celebrated all over India and in many parts of the world by the Indian diaspora. In Dwarka, the main ritual and midnight Abhishek take place at 12:00 AM, marking the birth of Lord Krishna.

    Krishna’s greatest gift to humanity is his wisdom. On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Krishna became the charioteer of Arjuna and delivered the Bhagavad Gita. There he addressed one of humanity’s oldest dilemmas: That one must perform one’s duty without becoming enslaved by the fruits of action. Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana—you have a right to action, but not to its fruits.

    He also teaches balance. Life is neither entirely about renunciation nor entirely about indulgence. Krishna played the flute, loved music, enjoyed friendship, fought battles, ruled a kingdom and imparted spiritual wisdom. His life embraced the world without becoming imprisoned by it.

    To a child, he is the mischievous Kanha who steals butter. To a mother, he is the adorable little boy whom Yashoda lovingly disciplines. To a devotee, he is the supreme Lord. To a philosopher, he is the teacher of the Gita. To a lover of poetry and music, he is the flute-playing Krishna of Vrindavan. And to those facing moral dilemmas, he remains the divine charioteer of Kurukshetra.

    Janmashtami asks us to discover Krishna within ourselves. It is the courage to confront Kansa-like forces of fear and tyranny. The symbolism of his midnight birth is perhaps the most powerful message of all. When the world appears darkest, hope can still be born. When injustice seems invincible, righteousness can still emerge. And when life appears imprisoned by circumstances, a new beginning may be waiting behind the closed doors. That is the enduring magic of Janmashtami.

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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