Shri Krishna Janmashtami-Prana Kishore



Krishna Janmashtami (Devanagari कृष्ण

जन्माष्टमी kṛṣṇa janmāṣṭamī), also known as Krishnashtami, Saatam Aatham, Gokulashtami, Ashtami Rohini, Srikrishna Jayanti, Sree Jayanti or sometimes simply asJanmashtami, is an annual celebration of the birth of the Hindu deity Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu.[4]







The festival is celebrated on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) of the month ofShraavana (August–September) in the Hindu calendar.



Krishna was the 8th son of Devaki and Vasudeva. Based on scriptural details and astrological calculations, the date of Krishna’s birth, known as Janmashtami,[7] is 19 July 3228 BCE and he lived until 3102 BCE. Krishna belonged to the Vrishni clan of Yadavas from Mathura,[8] and was the eighth son born to the princess Devaki and her husband Vasudeva.



Mathura (in present day Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh) was the capital of the Yadavas, to which Krishna’s parents Vasudeva and Devaki belonged. King Kansa, Devaki’s brother,[9] had ascended the throne by imprisoning his father, King Ugrasena. Afraid of a prophecy that predicted his death at the hands of Devaki‘s eighth son, Kansa had the couple locked in a prison cell. After Kansa killed the first six children, and Devaki’s apparent miscarriage of the seventh (which was actually a secret transfer of the infant to Rohini as Balarama), Krishna was born.







Following the birth, Vishnu ordered Vasudeva to take Krishna to Gokul to Nanda and Yashoda,[10] where he could live safely, away from his Uncle Kansa. Vasudeva took Krishna with him and crossed Yamuna to reach Gokul. There, everyone was asleep; so he quietly kept him there and returned with Yashoda‘s daughter. Kansa, thinking her to be Devki’s eight child, threw her on a stone. But she rose into the air and transformed into Yogmaya (who is Vishnu’s helper) and warned Kansa about his death. Then, she disappeared.[10] Krishna grew up in Gokul with his brother, Balram. He then returned toMathura and killed Kansa with the help of Balram.



Janmaashtami or Gokulashtami, popularly known in Mumbai and Pune as Dahi Handi, is celebrated as an event which involves making a human pyramid and breaking an earthen pot (handi) filled with buttermilk (dahi), which is tied at a convenient height. The topmost person tries to break the handi by hitting it with a blunt object. When the handi breaks, the buttermilk is spilled over the entire group. This event is based on the legend of the child-god Krishna stealing butter. A participant in this festival is called a govinda or govinda pathak butter. A participant in this festival is called a govinda or govinda pathak



In Tamilnadu, the people decorate the floor with kolams (decorative pattern drawn with rice batter). Geetha Govindam and other such devotional songs are sung in praise of Lord Krishna. They draw the footprints of Lord Krishna from the threshold of the house to the temple, which depicts the arrival of Lord Krishna into the house.[



Andhra Pradesh State Recitation of shlokas and devotional songs are the characteristics of this festival. Another unique feature of this festival is that young boys are dress up as Lord Krishna and they visit neighbors and friends. Different varieties of fruits and sweets are first offered to Lord Krishna and after the puja, these sweets are distributed amongst the visitors.



The Hare Krishna mantra is composed of Sanskrit names in the singular vocative case: Hare, Krishna, and Rama..



hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa



kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare



hare rāma hare rāma



rāma rāma hare hare



Wishing you all a very Happy Shri Krishna Janmastami today 17th Aug 2014