Hindus all over the globe are celebrating Janmashtami, the birth of Lord Krishna. According to the Vedic Panchang or Hindu astrology, Janmashtami will begin from 9.21pm on Thursday 18 August in India and will end at 10.59pm on Friday 19 August. This means that Janmashtami in Australia starts around 1:51 am, 19 August.
The significance of Janmashtami
According to Hindu mythology, Krishna is the human incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the preserver and protector of the universe. Krishna was born on this day to destroy Mathura’s demon king, Kansa, the brother of Krishna’s virtuous mother, Devaki.
Krishna was born on the eighth (Ashtami) day of the dark fortnight in the Bhadrapada month (August–September) in Mathura and was Devaki and Vasudeva’s son.
Krishna was declared to be mankind’s saviour and the end of Kansa even before his birth. From the day of his birth, he exhibited that he was a special child with extraordinary powers.
There are many stories and legends associated with the celebration of this festival. It is also looked at as the victory of good over evil.
The celebration
In India, the largest celebration is held in the cities of Mathura and Vrindavan in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where Krishna is believed to have been born and spent his growing up years.
Devotees observe a fast and homes are decorated with flowers and lights. They also perform the Raas Leela that recreates incidents from Krishna’s life and to commemorate his love for Radha.
In the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, the Raas Leela is an important part of the traditional Manipuri culture, and forms one of the important components of the Manipuri classical Indian dance.
In Melbourne, the Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan (DJJS) is celebrating Janmashtami on 28 August in the suburb of Melton.
The day will see a three-hour function which will include dance and drama performances by children as well as adults. “We are going to perform a play on Mirabai, the mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. The philosophy of Lord Krishna is also about women empowerment,” says Dilsher Singh, organiser and member of DJJS.
“People will enact Krishna’s childhood endeavours to steal butter and curd from earthen pots. The matka phor (earthen pot) as it is popularly known, is where human pyramid is formed to reach the matka and eventually broken. We will explain all the leelas (dramas) of Krishna and what he did in his lifetime, from his childhood to his role in the epic war of Mahabharata,” says Singh.
Interestingly, the friendship between Krishna and Arjuna, who are first cousins, dominates the narrative in the Mahabharata. Krishna serves as Arjuna’s friend, philosopher and guide. “All these will be explained in speeches during the function on that day,” adds Singh.
With the theme of ‘Don’t just believe in Lord Krishna but obey Him too’, the event intends to address myths and misconceptions around Shri Krishna prevalent in society and acquaint masses with true essence of Krishna Bhakti. “Through the instrumentality of the Eternal Science of Self-Realisation—Brahmgyan, when a seeker witnesses Shri Krishna within, only then His teachings get truly imbibed in his life and true devotion in the lotus feet of Shri Krishna is attained”, explains a DJJS representative.
The program will begin at 11 am. Snacks will be served followed by lunch.
The Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan, established and run under the mentorship of His Holiness Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji in India, is a socio-spiritual-cultural, not-for profit organisation. It runs a lot of social initiatives and developmental workshops around the world.
The event will take place on 28 August Melton Community Hall between 11am to 2 pm. For free registration, click here
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