India Hotels

The fascinating story of Krishna's birth, the day celebrated all over India

Centuries together, Krishna - The Dark One, has ruled over the hearts of millions of Hindus throughout India. A legendary mythological figure, the stories of his childhood adventures have enthralled not only the children but also adults throughout India. The fables of his feats, surmounting and vanquishing all obstacles will continue to inspire the spirits of one and all.

Although a superhuman, the story of Krishna also depicts the human qualities about his life. May it be devotion to parents, unchanged affection for friends, trustworthiness, or loving protectiveness towards all kith and kin, Krishna has always been an ideal human being and his greatness has never distanced him from those who love and worship him …Krishna for his devotees has always been someone dear and close, rather than a distant Godly figure.

 

A celebration of the birth of Krishna
Janmashtami, also called Gokulashtami or Shri Krishna Jayanti, is the celebration of the birth of the eighth Incarnation of Lord Vishnu. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu is known to have reincarnated himself twelve times, to protect good from evil. Krishna is his eight incarnation or ’Avatar’. As mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita, "As for Krishna, He is the Lord Himself"

The legend:
Akin to his life story, even the story of his birth is interesting. Krishna was born in the ancient town of Mathura, a tiny Yadava kingdom on the banks of the Yamuna, in northern India. Most of the population in town constituted of ‘charwahas’ – cowherds.

The King of Mathura, Ugrasen, had two offspring - a son called Kansa, who always had a devilish inclination, and a daughter Devki. He arranged his daughter’s marriage with Vasudeva, an enterprising and high-ranking officer in his army. All went fine till the marriage actually took place. After the wedding, as Kansa was riding in the chariot with his sister and brother-in-law, there was a sudden flash in the skies and a heavenly voice said to Kansa: "Fool…you are taking your sister around in great pomp, but you will regret later as it will be her eighth son who will cause you death!"

The devil inside Kansa was awakened, and he got ready to kill his own sister. Vasudeva implored him to spare her and instead assured him that he himself would hand over all their offsprings to him, as soon as they were born. On this, Kansa came down to sparing their lives but imprisoned them both. Still not satisfied, Kansa, in his insecurity, made a coup, and threw his father in the dungeons and unleashed a mad wave of tyranny throughout the kingdom.

Now all his fears rested upon the birth of Devki and Vasudev’s offsprings. One after the other, he brutally killed the first six babies, as both the parents watched in helpless anguish. The seventh one was a girl, a reincarnation of the ‘Goddess of Thunder’, who escaped his hold and disappeared, according to a legend. This was a divine warning to Kansa indicating that he would not be able to change the divine will.

It was a dark and rainy night, the eighth day in the month of Shravan (August-September, according to the English calendar), when Devki gave birth to her eighth child. A baby boy was born whose complexion was as dark as the night itself. This was just after Lord Vishnu, manifested himself in front of the scared couple, according to one legend. It is said that Vishnu had reincarnated himself, according to the promise he gave to his devotees that "whenever injustice, and suffering exceeded, He would come to the rescue of those who needed Him."

However, this time, as destiny would have it, in the deafening sound of thunder and rains, Kansa did not come to know of the newborn’s arrival. According to one legend, a voice inside Vasudeva urged him to take the child away to Gokul, where his trusted friend Nanda and his wife Yashoda resided. Miraculously, the doors of the prison lay open for him, and he encountered no obstacle, as he carried the baby, wrapped in blankets in a small basket, on his head, outside the gates of the palace.

In pitch darkness and thundering rains, he crossed the flooded Yamuna. The guardian snake god of the river supposedly spread his hood over the baby to protect it from rains. When he reached Gokul, Nanda told him, that his wife too, had given birth to a baby- a girl. On being told about the situation, both the babies were exchanged and Vasudeva went back with Nanda’s baby. Oblivious to this, and angrier than ever, Kansa came soon after to kill the eight child, his greatest fear. The brute was unaffected even as his sister begged of him to let go this one, as this one was a girl and he didn’t have anything to fear from a girl. However, this one was a reincarnation of the Goddess of Thunder, who escaped his hold and disappeared, according to a legend. This was a divine warning to Kansa, which also revealed to him that the eighth son had escaped him and his fears were not over…

Another legend explains this miracle by accounting the escape of Krishna from the clutches of wicked Kansa, to the swapping of the spirits of the babies growing in Devaki and Yashoda’s wombs. In the care of Yashoda and Nanda, Krishna grew up to fulfil the divine purpose…

Find the best accommodation in Hyderabad

The celebration of the Lord’s arrival
Whatever the Legend of his birth, Krishna’s arrival in Gokul was celebrated with great joy and splendour and the tradition of celebrating the birth of this divine figure has carried on by later generations in all communities. In Maharashtra, celebrations start the night before, as a cradle is decorated and rocked, as women sing songs dedicated to the glory of Krishna.

As a re-enactment of the mischievous ‘Leelas’ of the makhan-chor god, throughout the state, the ‘dahi-handi’ ceremony is performed, wherein a pot full of dahi, and goodies is hung on a rope tied high above the ground. Aband of boys (and nowadays girls, too) form a human tower and the smallest of them, breaks the ‘matki’. A very popular ceremony, literally celebrated in the every street of Maharashtra, has now spread over to other parts of the country, as well.

The festival, however, is celebrated slightly differently, in northern India, the birthplace of Krishna. Here the pilgrimage centres of Mathura (the actual birthplace) wear a festive look as the day approaches. Pujas and Bhajansessions are attended by thousands of devotees. Even in the south, where Krishna is one of the main deities of worship, religious ceremonies are performed to mark the occasion. Going by the great enthusiasm and fervour, that Janmashtami is celebrated in India, it would not be an overstatement, if one were to say that, the legend of Krishna continues to live on. Even today, naughty children are fondly are related to him. And the essence of his teachings – the ‘Bhagvad Gita’ still finds relevance in today’s modern world…. He continues to rule the hearts of millions of his devotees ……