Festivals - Gokulashtami

Janmashtami

The birth anniversary of Lord Krishna, the incarnation of Vishnu is celebrated with great fervour all over India especially at Mathura and Brindavan where Lord Krishna spent his childhood. Temples and homes are beautifully decorated and lit. Night long prayers are offered and religious hymns are sung in temples. The priests chant holy mantras and bathe the idol with Gangajal (water from the holy Ganges River), milk, ghee (clarified butter), oil, and honey pouring all these from a conch shell.

Janmashtami is celebrated in various parts of India to mark the birth of Lord Krishna. It is observed on the Ashtami day of the Shravan (July/August) month according to the Hindu calendar. The temples of Brindavan witness an extravagant and colourful celebration on this occasion. Raasaleela is performed to recreate incidents from the life of Krishna and to commemorate his love for Radha.

Lord Vishnu is invoked in his human incarnation as Krishna on his birth anniversary in the festival of Janmashtami. The idol of the infant Krishna is bathed at midnight and is placed in a cradle. Devotional songs and dances mark the celebration of this festive occasion all over Northern India.

On this day, in some parts of India, especially Maharashtra, youths celebrate it by breaking clay pots called ‘Dahi-Handi’, filled with curd and butter suspended high above the ground, young men and children form human pyramid to reach the pot and break it. This custom follows the habit of Lord Krishna who used to steal butter in this manner from villagers along with his friends. The reason for this is that Gokul; the place where Lord Krishna spent his childhood used to generate a lot of milk and the people used to sell it in Mathura, thus depriving their children from milk and butter which is very essential for young boys and girls.

Legends

According to the legends, the birth of Lord Krishna took place under extraordinary circumstances. Krishna was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu who comes to the world to get rid of all evil demons. He was born at midnight stroke on a dark, rainy night to ‘Devaki’ and ‘Vasudev’ who had been imprisoned by Devaki’s brother Kamsa.

It had been foretold that the eighth son of Devaki would kill the evil king Kamsa. Upon hearing this prophecy, Kamsa had his sister put into prison. He killed her seven children one by one but when Krishna was born, there was divine intervention to save the life of baby Krishna. The guards had fallen into deep slumber and were unable to inform their master about the newborn child.

A voice commanded Vasudev to take the baby to Gokul and exchange with the newborn baby Nanda and Yashoda. The shackles and the prison gates opened miraculously and Vasudev carried the child in a small basket, through the waters of Yamuna. As it was a dark stormy night, the waters of Yamuna were raging but parted to let the carrier of the divine Krishna pass. A huge snake known as Adisesha with 2000 hoods, glided behind them, its hoods formed a protective canopy over the child.

When Vasudev returned back with Nanda’s child the shackles fastened and the doors closed and the guards awakened. Kamsa came and picked up the child to hurl it to the wall and kill him but somehow the baby slipped from his grasp and took the form of a Goddess laughing at Kamsa, she vanished after telling him that the one who would kill him had already taken birth and was elsewhere.

As a little boy, Krishna was the heartbeat of Gokul, a mischievous prankster who was his favourite amongst the gopikas. He used to steal curd and butter from the houses of gopikas. Even though he was a child, he performed several miracles. His exploits are now the immortal legends of Braj. He killed a number of ‘asuras’ (devils), vanquished the Kali Nag and later he killed Kamsa as it had been foretold.

Rituals

On Janmashatmi, devotees keep daylong fasts and keep themselves awake while chanting ‘bhajans’, until midnight follows. Midnight is the moment when Lord Krishna was born. The prayer ceremony is a simple affair. The priests chant holy mantras and bathe the idol of Lord Krishna placed on a swing with charanamrit or ganga-jal (water from the holy Ganges River), milk, ghee (clarified butter), oil, and honey from a conch shell.

Midnight prayers amidst the sound of hymns and religious songs extol the greatness of Lord Krishna. Devotees break their day-long fast and chant - “Radhe Krishna, Hare Krishna, Radhe Radhe.”

Celebrations

Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna, where his parents lived in captivity of the evil Kamsa and He as a young boy came and vanquished his maternal uncle Kamsa to ascend the throne and free his parents, celebrates Janmashtami with great enthusiasm. The main celebrations are performed at the Dwarkadhish temple, Mathura in the form of Jhulanotsava and the Ghatas during the entire month of Shravan. The ghatas are a unique feature of the month long celebrations. During the ghatas of a particular colour the whole temple is covered with decoration in the same colour. Even the Lord dresses up in the same colour. The twin cities of Mathura-Brindavan take on a festive look and spirit of devotion runs high among the people. It was on the banks of the Yamuna River where Lord Krishna played during his childhood and indulged in pranks and tricks with his friends and the gopis. There are about 400 temples dedicated to Lord Krishna in this sacred city and the major festivities are held at the Banke Bihari, Rangaji, Shri Krishna Balram temple and Gopinath temple. The Rasaleela of Braj is thematically the basis of many performing arts.

Lord Krishna was born in the Duapar Yug which came just before the Kal Yug and Janmasthami, his birthday falls on the Ashtami Paksh or the 8th day of the new moon fortnight in the month of Bhadra some time in July or August. The Jhankis (tableaux) depicting many significant scenes from Lord Krishna’s life are the intrinsic part of Janmasthami. Devotees also make beautiful Jhulans (Cradles) for the baby Krishna. In some parts of India, young men break the Matkas (Earthen Pots) filled with butter and curds. The most important tableaux is that of baby Krishna. An idol of baby Krishna is placed on a cradle, which is rocked to recreate scenes from Krishna’s infancy. The devotees believe that anyone who makes a wish and while rocking the cradle in which the Lord is, his or her wish will be granted on this day. Other popular Jhankis are Kaaliya Mardan (vanquishing the black snake Kali Nag), Kansha vadha (Killing Kansha) and lifting the Govardhan Parbhat.

In Brindavan, every year the Raasleelas or the folk theatre acting out Krishna’s Life stories begin much before the Janmasthami day. These Raasleelas are staged by professional drama troupes or even young children. These dramas characterised by colourful costumes and equally colourful backgrounds. Raasleelas are usually accompanied by musicians and are very popular among the people. The language spoken by the actors and the actresses is the Brajbhasha but sometimes Hindi is also used.

In Maharashtra, Janmashtami witnesses the exuberant enactment of the god’s childhood endeavours to steal butter and curd from earthen pots beyond his reach.

In Maharashtra, earthen pots of curd and butter are hung up over the streets. Young men enacting an episode from Krishna’s childhood form human pyramids by climbing on each other’s shoulders and try to break these pots.

Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna, has about 400 temples dedicated to him. The main celebrations are held at the Dwarkadhish temple, Banke Bihari, Rangaji, Shri Krishna Balram temple and Gopinath temple.

In South India, Janmashtami or Gokulashtami is celebrated with prayers, devotional renditions and offering of fruits and special prasadams to Lord Krishna. In some houses, a typical setting of ‘Gokulam’ is arranged with mud images of Devaki, Vasudeva with little Krishna perched in a basket on his head, a cow, besides other things related to Krishna’s legends.

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