krishna janmashtami

Janmashtami recipes rounds the celebration. The performance of puja finds end in the offering of bhog or delicious food items to the God. Since, Banke Bihari loved preparations of milk and milk products, hence all the recipes are made from milk, khoya.So, what are you waiting for? Make the tasty and delectable sweet recipes at home and enjoy the Janmashtami recipe with all family members, friends and relatives.

Janmashtami pooja is the one of the most well known pooja of India. The whole nation celebrates the divine birth of Lord Krishna on this day. All of us wish Shubh Janmashtami to each other and happy birthday to Bal Gopal or child Krishna. The day, indeed, commemorates the auspicious birth of Murlimanohar (name of Lord Krishna as he loved to play flute) on the earth in order to destroy evil things. According to the Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna was born at midnight. Hence, the birth ceremony is also celebrated with great zest and enthusiasm at midnight. Besides other Indian festivals, one of the most divine and pious is Janmashtami pooja. It is celebrated with lots of traditions and customs of the Hindu society. Besides, there are sweets, delectable cuisine, feasting and family gathering. The procession of jhankis is the main attraction of the day. People perform grand janmashtami pooja with different janmashtami pooja items. They do janmashtami arti and sing varied janmashtami bhajans. There are many people who observe fast on this day and eat at midnight only after the janmashtami pooja is over. Puja The puja begins early in the morning when the devotees give a bath to the Krishna idol with sacred Ganga jal (water collected from River Ganga). The idol is then adorned with new clothes generally in red, yellow and orange colors. These clothes are decked with stone or other precious jewelry. Jewelry is also put on the idol. Then, the idol is offered different food items or bhog . It can vary from milk and milk products, fruit, kheer, pedha. After this the special Krishna puja is performed. Diyas are lighted and the house is illuminated. Devotees sing aarti and bells are rung. Some devotees read out the 108 names of the Lord. The cradle of the Bal Gopal (child God) is rocked and conches are blown. Once the entire puja is over, the devotees break their fast by having panchamrit .

Janmashtami is celebrated in order to welcome Him on this earth and everyone offer him prayers and sing devotional Janmashtami bhajans to praise Him. Let us know more about Lord Krishna and Lord Krishnas birth. Lord Krishna is the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu and was born to Devaki and Vasudeva in Mathura. According to Hindu mythology, the people of Mathura were extremely unhappy with the wicked king Kansa. He had put King Ugrasen (his father) in prison and later declared himself to be the king of Mathura. Hence, Lord Vishnu decided to put an end to his cruelty and decided to take birth on Earth. Therefore, Lord Krishna was born. Legends and varied others sources reveal that Lord Krishna or Govardhan was born in the month of Shravana on the 8th day of the second fortnight. Shri Krishna was a Yudhuvanshi and was popularly known as makhan chor (thief of butter). Yashodha and Nand of Gokul brought him up. Actually, the term Krishna means, an individual always in the transport of joy . It also means Black . Lord Krishnas complexion was dark and hence, he was named so.Lord Krishna is known by many different names and some popular names of the God are: Bal Gopal Giridhar Nandgopal Shyamsundar Madhav Banvari Vasudev Gopal. As a child, Lord Krishna was very naughty and used to steal butter, milk, buttermilk and other milk products with his friends. In fact, the present tradition of breaking dahi handi was the favorite mischief of the God. As he loved milk and milk products, he used to break numerous dahi handis and eat the contents of the pot.

Janmashtami is celebrated for the Lord Krishna birth on this earth. People all over the world enjoy this festival with great joy and fervor. Indeed, it is a happy and joyous festivity to welcome the newborn baby God on earth. It is said that when the God was born, all the planets were in favorable condition and auspicious condition. Legends reveal that God selects a particular time to come on the earth. He decides as to when he would step into the world and thus the planets are adjusted. We are all aware that Janmashtami is the birthday of Shyamji. But most of us do not know about the planets, nakshatra , place of Krishna birth and the main objective behind this avatar . So, let us together unfurl the mystery that led to the Krishna birth. Let us find out about the events before and after the birth of Shri Krishna. Around the time of Krishna birth, the constellation or nakshatra called rohini was in the auspicious state as it was managed by Lord Brahma?the ultimate creator of the universe. Some other scholars opine that Bal Gopal was born on the 8th day of second fortnight in the month of Shravana. It was around 3227 BC and the year of Visvavasu. The age was known as Iron Age or Dwapur Yug. Most of the scholars have laid down 19th July 3228 BC to be the accurate date of Krishna birth. They said that Lord Krishna lived for 125 years and around 3102 BC or on 18th February disappeared. The day was a full moon night of Phalguna month. Indeed, from 3102 BC, the Kal Yug began that is still continuing today. Lord Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudev but was brought up by Yashodha and Nanda, who lived in Gokul. The sole objective of the birth of NandGopal was to free the earth from the tyranny of his maternal uncle Kansa and other demons. He came to destroy all evil on this earth.

The eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Shri Krishna is known by different names. Most of his names have some inherent meaning. Indeed, he is the most honored God according to the Hindu religion. Legends have that the family priest, Acharya Garga of the Yadavas named the Lord as the Shri Krishna. The name has its reference in the dark complexion of the God. Besides, the God is also popularly known as Shyamsundar for the same reason. However, the good was good looking with chiseled features. Check out some of the well known names of Shri Krishna with its meanings: Giridhari The lifter of Govardhan Hill Banvari Resident of groves of Vrindavan Gopal Protector of Cows Anant the Infinite Ajay Victorious Murlidhar The one with Flute Niranjan Honorable Hari Shri Hari or God Ananghaya The One without Sins Ilapataye Lord of Earth

Krishna Bal Leela as the name suggests, relates to the different activities of the God while He was a small child. Bal is a Hindi term meaning a child. So, let us find out about different amazing events that took place from His birth till the age of ten. He was a divine child was evident from various incidents in Gokul. The very first incident revealed that the God was born with heavenly form. The baby God had a lotus sign on his palms and there was a swastika sign on his sole. He was wearing a yellow colored silk cloth and a crown decked with emeralds. Some other Krishna Bal Leela episodes include killing a she devil Putana and demon Trinivarta. According to legends, the Lord s maternal uncle sent Putana in order to kill the baby. She smeared her breast with poison and fed Lord Krishna. However, while sucking milk, baby Krishna sucked her life out and killed her. Again, King Kansa sent Demon Trinivarta in order to kill Shyamji. The demon took the form of a storm and took away the child. But as he reached the sky, he could not carry the weight of the child further. In vain, he fell to the ground and died. While dying he took his original form and Yashoda was amazed to see her son lying on a dead demon. According to mythology, the small baby once overturned the cart full of milk in order to drink it, as he was hungry. Again, once Mata Yashoda was playing with the child Krishna. Krishna was feeling sleepy and yawned. Then, Yashoda could see the whole cosmos in his mouth. There is yet another popular folklore that once Bal Gopal went to a fruit seller and asked her to give Him fruits in return for handful of grains. As the kid was very loving and adored, the fruit seller gave the fruits, kept the grains in her basket and went home. To her surprise, when she opened the basket she found her basket shimmering with precious stones and gems instead of grains. In another incident, the God broke the milk pot of a village girl. Then, she went to Mata Yashoda to complain about His mischief. To her utter surprise, she found the little Krishna standing beside His mother. This incident proves that the God is omnipresent. His stories of bravery from Bal Leela are also very famous. There is also a story when small child Krishna manages to get the ball back from Kalia serpent for his friends. Again, once the little God lifted the Govardhan hill in order to save the villagers from violent storms and whirlwinds. So, episodes of Krishna Bal Leela are quite interesting.

When we think of celebrating Janmashtami, at once we remember the tyranny of King Kansa. From childhood, kids are told stories of the interesting episodes of Shri Kansa?the way he took birth on this earth to put an end to the tyranny of his maternal uncle, King Kansa. Legends have it that the story of Shri Krishna and Kansa dates back thousand of years. And the story ended with the death of Kansa. Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudeva. However, on the day of his birth, he was taken to Gokul where Mother Yashoda and Baba Nand brought him up. Actually, in Mathura, King Kansa had dethroned his father Ugrasen and declared himself to be the King of Mathura. One day there was akashvani that said that the child of his sister Devaki would kill him. Kansa was really worried and wanted to kill both Devaki and her husband Vasudeva. However, Vasudeva convinced him that he would hand over every child to him. As soon as a baby child was born, Kansa killed it. The saga of brutally killing the children continued until Lord Vishnu himself decided to come on earth and end this. Hence, the eighth child of Devaki was Shri Krishna who was stealthily taken to Gokul to safeguard him. Everything was conspired by the Gods that the girl child of Yashoda and Nand would replace the divine child?Lord Krishna. According to legends, exactly this happened. However, when King Kansa was about to the kill the girl child, she flew to the sky and told him that his destroyer had already taken birth and that he was in safe hands. Thus, the episode of Shri Krishna and Kansa continued. Kansa planned many attempts of killing the God. But all was in vain. He sent demon Putana and Trinivarta to kill the baby child in Gokul. Besides, Kansa invited Shri Krishna and Balrama to a wrestling match and ordered the powerful men to kill them. However, the Lord succeeded in killing his demonic uncle Kansa. Then, he established King Ugrasena to throne once again.

The story of Shri Krishna and Putana is also related to the conspiracy of Kansa in order to kill the Lord. Kansa planned anything to kill him but every time the God was saved. So, let us find out about the famous poisonous milk sucking episode of Shri Krishna and Putana. Putana was a demoness and send by Kansa to kill the Lord. Let us know the whole story of the Gods killing and ultimate victory. Kansa of Mathura was an evil, wicked and ambitious king. He was the brother of Devaki and maternal uncle of Shri Krishna. He put his father Ugrasen in jail and became the king. The people of Mathura were really terrorized by him. Hence, Lord Vishnu decided to end his rule and take birth on the earth. One day there was heavenly prophesy that that the eighth child of his sister would kill him. Kamsa was enraged and imprisoned Devaki, his sister and Vasudeva her husband. Then he killed every child of the couple as they were born. But just the midnight when the eighth child was born, the skies roared and Lord Vishnu advised Vasudeva to take the child across the river Yamuna to the village of Gokul and exchange with the daughter of Yashoda in Gokul. This girl child was the incarnation of the Goddess and announced that the destroyer of Kansa is alive. So, the event of the Shri Krishna and Putana continued. Kansa was in continuous search of the baby child of Devaki. He came to know that he was in Gokul and hence, in order to kill the little divine child he employed the she devil Putana. She was specially treated to murder the child. To do so, she smeared her breast with poison and went to breast fed the baby. She disguised as a nymph and appeared in Gokul. But the God saw through the game and as the baby sucked the milk, the demon fainted. This was a miracle. According to the legends, while sucking the milk, the God sucked the life out of the demoness and she died. The plot of Kansa to kill the God foiled.

Raas Leela was the favorite pastime or sport of Shri Krishna. In Sanskrit, it is known as kreeda or activity. As soon as Janmashtami arrives, one of the most famous aspect the strikes us is the Raas Leela. It is indeed one of the most important aspects of the celebration of Krishnashtami. The divine sport of Raas Leela was enjoyed by the Lord with his gopis on the banks of river Yamuna in Vrindavan. One of the most loved gopi of Krishna was Radhaji. She was closest to Him and her love for the God was complete and in its pristine form. Even today, various renowned theater groups perform raas leelas. Different plays are staged with famous actors playing the lead roles to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. It is usually performed in the brij bhasa. From the age of ten, the God started playing raas leela with his gopis. And all the popular raas leelas were performed in the city of Vrindavan. There is also a legend behind the raas leela of Shri Krishna. According to Hindu mythology, the Lord was greatly loved by the gopis or devotees. They were so engrossed in Him that they forgot all their worldly chores and remained magna or engrossed with Him. Their love was divine love or prerna. While performing the raas leela, the Lord was center staged with all the gopis surrounding Him. They all danced and sang in the glory of the Nandgopal. The raas leela was performed on the full moon night particularly during the season of autumn. Even the Gods and goddesses witnessed this divine performance from the sky as they all blessed them with flowers. One night, Lord disappeared to teach a lesson to all the gopis as they considered themselves to be superior to other women of the village. At that time of separation or virah, gopis sang Gopika Gitam and pleaded God to come back. After many requests, God did come back. Till date, raas leela hold great importance. It is loved by people and performed with same fervor and zest. However, teenager Brahmin boys around fifteen years perform this raas leela. Some of the major parts of raas leela are: Janamleela details regarding the birth of Lord Krishna, Shankarleela, Putanaleela killing of demoness Putana, Nagleela killing of the dreaded serpent Kaliya

Bhagavad Gita is also known as Gitopanishad or Yogupanishad. One of the most important Upanishad in Vedic literature is Bhagavad Gita. In fact, it is the essence of Vedic knowledge. It is, indeed, the Book of Song of God. There are even many commentaries written in English on the Bhagavad Gita. Most commonly, it is known as the Gita and is part of the itihaas scripture Mahabharata. It is in the form of a dialogue between Lord Sri Krishna and Arjuna?the mighty Pandava warrior. There are around forty chapters in the book and around 700 verses according to Adi Shankaracharya. Bhagavad Gita is the sacred book of the Hindus just like the Bible of the Christians and Quran of the Muslims. The book is written in a poetic form and the Bhagwan in the book is referred to Lord Krishna. The battlefield of Kurukshetra is its place of origin. The context of the book is the conversation between Arjuna and the Lord. The God explains Arjuna his duties as a warrior. The subject matter of the Bhagavad Gita is the explanation of five basic concepts or truths. They are: Kala (Time) Karma (Action) Ishvara (The Supreme Controller) Prakrti (Matter) Jiva (Living beings/the soul) The central message of Bhagavad Gita is that one should discharge ones duty bravely and with selfless dedication, however, hard and unpleasant it might be. We should not wait for results, but go on performing. In fact, every one of us has the responsibility of performing Svadharma to please God. Svadharma means ambition that is matched with one s capacity. Moreover, it also means the necessary inclination and drive so as to achieve the desired goal. In fact, Gita tells us that our well being lies in performing Svadharma. Performing duties for others or Paradharma will positively harm us if chosen by us. Furthermore, Gita also guides us to serve the world and to repay one s debt to the society.