The birth of Lord Krishna is regarded as a very auspicious event in India and also around the world. Over 10 million people follow the Vaishnavism, or the path of Lord Krishna. There are above 2 million devotes of Lord Krishna only in USA. Janmashtami is the day when Lord Krishna took birth in the face of the earth. This is referred as the most powerful re-incarnation of Lord Vishnu on the earth as a human form. Krishna played a very important role in Mahabharata as well, favouring the sides of the Pandavas.
Janmashtami is celebrated all over the world with great show and pomp. International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is present in several states in India and also various other parts of the world. Devotees of Lord Krishna celebrate the day with lots of zest and enthusiasm.
What exactly is the significance of Janmashtami? How do people celebrate it? How do the people of India celebrate the occasion in their homes? We’ll be addressing all these questions in this post.
In India, we tend to read the history and legend side by side, and the line of difference between them is very thin, almost invisible. We refer Lord Krishna, Mahabharata and Ramayana as history, rather than some legends. Anyway, coming to the topic, Lord Krishna was the son of Devaki and Bsudeva, who was born on the 8th day or ashtami of dark fortnight, which is called Krishna Paksha.
Devaki’s brother, King Kansa wanted to kill Krishna, so Basudeva left Krishna to Nanda and Yashoda in Gokul. Though Devaki is the birth mother of Lord Krishna, he was brought up by Yashoda. Krishna grew up in Gokul, and then returned to his own homeland Mathura, and conquered the throne by killing King Kansa. This is how the story goes.
Occasion of Janmashtami
Janmashtami is celebrated on the 8th day of Krishna Paksha, in the month of Bhadra, according to the Hindu calendar. This day is celebrated especially in the birthplace of Krishna which is Mathura, and Vrindavan, along with several states of India, like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Gujarat, North-east India and many more. There is ISKCON in all the above mentioned states and many other places as well. Dwarka in Gujarat is well known for the pompous celebration of Janmashtami.
Why the birth of Lord Krishna is celebrated in such a magnificent way?
There are more than 33 crores of Gods and Goddesses in Hindu religion, and out of them the birthday of Lord Krishna is celebrate not only in India but all over the world. You may wonder why.
Krishna is very human like, and he listens to his devotees in unique and personal ways. Krishna is very mischievous son, most romantic and passionate lover, most adorable and compassionate friend. On Janmashtami, the devotees around the globe worships Him in all these aspects. Krishna reaches out to his devotees in unique ways, fulfilling all their desires and dreams. In whatever way you will pray to Lord Krishna, he will reciprocate to your prayers, it is not mandatory that you have to make magnificent arrangements to please him, only water and flowers can be enough. His messages through Bhagvad Gita have spread all around the world.
Janmashtami celebrations
In the Vaishnava temples, ISKCON the celebration starts from dawn until midnight, and the exact time of Krishna’s birth is being highlighted through puja and anjali. The events of the celebration include Kirtana, collective chanting of His name, Bhajana, singing hymns of His name, Japa, personal chanting using praying beads. Some prepare over hundreds of dishes, dance, drama and music are also performed. The idol of Lord Krishna is decked up with new clothes, garlands and many devotees observe fast on this day.
How will you celebrate the day at home?
The only thing that you need to please Lord Krishna is true devotion. The great pomp and show that is present in ISKCON can hardly be imitated in your home. You can worship and pray Him the way you want, there are no hard and fast rules.
You can invite all your friends and relatives in your home and worship Him together. We Indians are very religious minded, most of the festivals here are of religious in nature, and we enjoy them in our own way. Janmashtami is not an exception. You can have a big get together in your home and sing Kirtana or bhajana together with pure devotion.
Decorate the home with flowers, garlands, lights, festoon leaves, balloons etc. Make the home look beautiful and pure to welcome the appearance of Lord Krishna. You can engage the kids in the task of decorating so that they do not get bored or left out.
Krishna loves music and dancing, so these two activities are part of the Janmashtami celebration. You can select some Bhajans and Kirtans from Krishna Song book and then sing them together in a chorus. There are music CDs and DVDs and you can use them too.
If you have idols of Radha Krishna then you can buy new clothes and other gifts for the occasion of His birthday, like fruit baskets and several sweets, which Krishna likes.
You can do the abishek that is bathing the idol in some essential juices like milk, honey, curd, juices etc. You can bath the idol and then put on new clothes.
You can prepare some of the special dishes for Him, imagine if Lord Krishna visits your house then what will you do for him. You do not have to prepare hundred dishes, but 5-6 items will be fine. The sweets must be there, as he used to love sweets a lot.
You can buy special gifts for Krishna like fruit baskets, offering plate, new picture frame, arati set etc.
You can fast the whole day, if you feel sick doing so than you can have fruits for the day.
You can engage kids in the celebration, you can dress them as Radha Krishna and there can be some music, dance and drama performances as well.
Remember, the way you will like to get attention and love on your birthday, Lord Krishna will love that too. If you offer your true devotion to Him, His blessings will be there with you forever, till eternity.
Over to you
On the auspicious occasion of Janmashtami dedicate yourself completely to the prayers of Lord Krishna, you will gain peace of mind and strength to progress in future. Janmashtami is a very special occasion in India, he is worshipped everywhere, his life and actions are recreated through music, dance and drama. In places like Maharashtra an event called ‘Dahi Handi‘ is celebrated, where a man climbing a tower of several men breaks a ‘handi’ full of dahi or curd. This act reminds us of Lord Krishna’s mischievous act of stealing butter from a handi or an earthen pot. The main objective of celebrating Janmashtami is to love and pray to Lord Krishna with truest of hearts.
The birth of Lord Krishna is regarded as a very auspicious event in India and also around the world. Over 10 million people follow the Vaishnavism, or the path of Lord Krishna. There are above 2 million devotes of Lord Krishna only in USA. Janmashtami is the day when Lord Krishna took birth in the face of the earth. This is referred as the most powerful re-incarnation of Lord Vishnu on the earth as a human form. Krishna played a very important role in Mahabharata as well, favouring the sides of the Pandavas. 
