Happy Janmashtami
Janmashtami is a grand festival celebrated all over India to commemorate the birth of Lord Krishna, Janmashtami is usually celebrated in the months of August or September.
Janmashtami is a popular festival of the Hindus that revolves around the celebration of the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. This festival usually falls in the month of August or September.
In 2019, it is going to be celebrated on Saturday, 24 August.
Janmashtami is a grand festival celebrated all over India to commemorate the birth of Lord Krishna, Janmashtami is usually celebrated in the months of August or September.
About Lord Krishna and Janmashtami History
Krishna is considered to be one of the most powerful incarnations of Lord Vishnu, who was born into this world to help people get rid of evil demons. Janmashtami’s history dates back to several thousands of years when Lord Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudevaa, who were imprisoned by his maternal uncle Kansa, the king of Mathura.
Lord Krishna’s Childhood Days
There are various stories of Lord Krishna, which speak about his feats during his childhood. According to one such story, Krishna had killed lady demon, Putna and various other demons like Trunavarta, Aristhasur, and Keshi. He’s also famous for killing Kaliya Nag in order to remove poison from the river Yamuna.
As a child, Krishna was mischievous and adept at stealing curd and butter and playing pranks with the girls of the village. He mesmerized the village girls and ladies with the music of his flute and his cosmic dances. He spent 3 years and 4 months of his childhood in Gokul after which he went to Vrindavan and stayed there until he was 6 years and 8 months old.
One of the most exciting stories about Krishna’s childhood is that he lifted the Govardhana hill with his finger so as to protect the villagers of Vrindavan from the rain caused by Lord Indra. Krishna then stayed in Nandagram for 10 years after which he returned to Mathura. Next, he killed Kamsa and freed his parents from the prison. He made Ugrasena the king of Mathura and completed his education during his stay there.
About Lord Krishna’s Teachings
Lord Krishna emphasized on the fact that one should get rid of emotional attachments, as they are considered as illusions or Maya. He believed that every living or non-living object born on Earth must be free from worldly things and they should submit to God. Lord Krishna gave emphasis on the benefit of meditation, as he felt that it was a way of looking into our inner selves. He also asked everyone to get rid of materialistic things in the world.
Lord Krishna stressed on the spread of love and peace. He wanted people to move along the path of righteousness (or Dharma) and good deeds in order to attain salvation. Lord Krishna also emphasized on the concept of Satsanga; thus, he advised people to remain in the company of sadhus.
Due to the profound impact he had on the Hindus, Lord Krishna is widely worshipped by one and all. His birthday is celebrated as the Janmashtami, which usually falls on the 8th day of the Krishna Paksha during the month of Bhadrapada in the Hindu calendar.
About Janmashtami Rituals
Below, you will find information about the rituals performed on Janmashtami:
Fast & Pooja or Pooja Ideas
On the auspicious occasion of Janmashtami, the devotees of Lord Krishna observe fast and offer prayers in their own unique ways. There are devotees who observe fast even without pouring a single drop of water. Two types of fast observed on Janmashtami include Nirjal Fast and Phalahar Fast. While the former one doesn’t allow the devotees to consume water and any form of food, the latter one is lenient, allowing devotees to consume milk and fruits. Coming to the pooja part, it is believed that devotees who perform the Janmashtami pooja at sharp 12:00 am receive Lord Krishna’s blessings.
Puja Samagri for Janmashtami
- Milk
- Sweets
- Juices
- Ganga Jal
- Saffron
- Rose water
- Camphor
- Coconuts
- Flowers for performing the pooja
Chanting Mantras
A special highlight of Janmashtami is the ritual that includes chanting of mantras and shlokas describing the qualities and feats of Lord Krishna. An important ritual held during Janmashtami includes the chanting of 108 names of the Lord.
Mantras
कृष्णाय वासुदेवाय हरये परमात्मने। प्रणत क्लेशनाशाय गोविन्दाय नमो नम:॥
Om hrim shrim shriye fat
Om Vasudevay Namah
Dahi Handi Ceremony
This is one of the most popular Janmashtami rituals. The Dahi Handi ritual is performed as an act of remembrance of Lord Krishna’s love for milk and butter products. In his childhood, the Lord used to get into the houses of his neighbors to look for butter and other milk products.
In the Dahi Handi ceremony, the devotees of Lord Krishna fill an earthenware pot with fruits and milk products including butter. Then they suspend the pot from around 20 to 40 feet. The devotees form a human pyramid such that the person on the topmost position breaks the pot and claims the items in it. In most cases, the prize money is tied to the rope from which the pot is hung. The devotees forming the pyramid are usually allowed to divide this money among them.
108 Different Names of Lord Krishna
| Sr. No. | NAME | MEANING |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Adbhutah | Wonderful God |
| 2. | Ajanma | One Who Is Limitless And Endless |
| 3. | Achala | Still Lord |
| 4. | Adidev | The Lord Of The Lords |
| 5. | Aditya | The Son Of Aditi |
| 6. | Achyuta | Infallible Lord |
| 7. | Ajaya | The Conqueror Of Life And Death |
| 8. | Akshara | Indestructible Lord |
| 9. | Amrut | One Who Is Sweet As Nectar |
| 10. | Anaadih | One Who Is The First Cause |
| 11. | Anandsagar | Compassionate Lord |
| 12. | Ananta | The Endless Lord |
| 13. | Anantajit | Ever Victorious Lord |
| 14. | Anaya | One Who Has No Leader |
| 16. | Aniruddha | One Who Cannot Be Obstructed |
| 16. | Aparajeet | The Lord Who Cannot Be Defeated |
| 17. | Avyukta | One Who Is As Clear As Crystal |
| 18. | Balgopal | The Child Krishna, The All Attractive |
| 19. | Bali | The Lord Of Strength |
| 20. | Chaturbhuj | Four-Armed Lord |
| 21. | Danavendra | Granter Of Boons |
| 22. | Dayalu | Repositiory Of Compassion |
| 23. | Dayanidhi | The Compassionate Lord |
| 24. | Devadidev | The God Of The Gods |
| 25. | Devakinandan | Son Of Mother Devaki |
| 26. | Devesh | Lord Of The Lords |
| 27. | Dharmadhyaksha | The Lord OF Dharma |
| 28. | Dwarkapati | Lord Of Dwarka |
| 29. | Gopal | One Who Plays With The Cowherds |
| 30. | Gopalpriya | Lover Of Cowherds |
| 31. | Govinda | One Who Pleases The Cows, The Land And The Entire Nature |
| 32. | Gyaneshwar | The Lord Of Knowledge |
| 33. | Hari | The Lord Of Nature |
| 34. | Hiranyagarbha | The All Powerful Creator |
| 35. | Hrishikesh | The Lord Of All Senses |
| 36. | Jagadguru | Preceptor Of The Universe |
| 37. | Jagadisha | Protector Of All |
| 38. | Jagannath | Lord Of The Universe |
| 39. | Janardhana | One Who Bestows Boons On One And All |
| 40. | Jayantah | Conqueror Of All Enemies |
| 41. | Jyotiraaditya | The Resplendence Of The Sun |
| 42. | Kamalnath | The Lord Of Goddess Lakshmi |
| 43. | Kamalnayan | The Lord With Lotus Shaped Eyes |
| 44. | Kamsantak | Slayer Of Kamsa |
| 45. | Kanjalochana | The Lotus-Eyed God |
| 46. | Keshava | One Who Has Long, Black Matted Locks |
| 47. | Krishna | Dark-Complexioned Lord |
| 48. | Lakshmikantam | The Lord Of Goddess Lakshmi |
| 49. | Lokadhyaksha | Lord Of All The Three Lokas (Worlds) |
| 50. | Madan | The Lord Of Love |
| 51. | Madhava | Knowledge Filled God |
| 52. | Madhusudan | Slayer Of Demon Madhu |
| 53. | Mahendra | Lord Of Indra |
| 54. | Manmohan | All Pleasing Lord |
| 55. | Manohar | Beautiful Lord |
| 56. | Mayur | The Lord Who Has A Peacock Feathered-Crest |
| 57. | Mohan | All Attractive God |
| 58. | Murali | The Flute Playing Lord |
| 59. | Murlidhar | Murlidhar One Who Holds The Flute |
| 60. | Murlimanohar | Murlimanohar The Flute Playing God |
| 61. | Nandgopala | The Son Of Nand |
| 62. | Narayana | The Refuge Of Everyone |
| 63. | Niranjana | The Unblemished Lord |
| 64. | Nirguna | Without Any Properties |
| 65. | Padmahasta | One Who Has Hands Like Lotus |
| 66. | Padmanabha | The Lord Who Has A Lotus Shaped Navel |
| 67. | Parabrahmana | The Supreme Absolute Truth |
| 68. | Paramatma | Lord Of All Beings |
| 69. | Parampurush | Supreme Personality |
| 70. | Parthasarthi | Charioteer Of Partha – Arjuna |
| 71. | Prajapati | Lord Of All Creatures |
| 72. | Punyah | Supremely Pure |
| 73. | Purshottam | The Supreme Soul |
| 74. | Ravilochana | One Who Eye Is The Sun |
| 75. | Sahasraakash | Thousand-Eyed Lord |
| 76. | Sahasrajit | One Who Vanquishes Thousands |
| 77. | Sahasrapaat | Thousand-Footed Lord |
| 78. | Sakshi | All Witnessing Lord |
| 79. | Sanatana | The Eternal Lord |
| 80. | Sarvajana | Omniscient Lord |
| 81. | Sarvapalaka | Protector Of All |
| 82. | Sarveshwar | Lord Of All Gods |
| 83. | Satyavachana | One Who Speaks Only The Truth |
| 84. | Satyavrata | The Truth Dedicated Lord |
| 85. | Shantah | Peaceful Lord |
| 86. | Shreshta | The Most Glorious Lord |
| 87. | Shrikanta | Beautiful Lord |
| 88. | Shyam | Dark-Complexioned Lord |
| 89. | Shyamsundara | Lord Of The Beautiful Evenings |
| 90. | Sudarshana | Handsome Lord |
| 91. | Sumedha | Intelligent Lord |
| 92. | Suresham | Lord Of All Demi-Gods |
| 93. | Swargapati | Lord Of Heavens |
| 94. | Trivikrama | Conqueror Of All The Three Worlds Upendra |
| 95. | Upendra | Brother Of Indra |
| 96. | Vaikunthanatha | Lord Of Vaikuntha, The Heavenly Abode |
| 97. | Vardhamaanah | The Formless Lord |
| 98. | Vasudev | All Prevailing Lord |
| 99. | Vishnu | All Prevailing Lord |
| 100. | Vishwadakshinah | Skilfull And Efficient Lord |
| 101. | Vishwakarma | Creator Of The Universe |
| 102. | Vishwamurti | The Form Of The Entire Universe |
| 103. | Vishwarupa | One Who Displays The Universal Form |
| 104. | Vishwatma | Soul Of The Universe |
| 105. | Vrishaparvaa | Lord Of Dharma |
| 106. | Yadavendra | King Of The Yadav Clan |
| 107. | Yogi | The Supreme Master |
| 108. | Yoginampati | Lord Of The Yogis |
Janmashtami brings joyous moments for the devotees of Lord Krishna. They have a great time offering prayers to the Lord, and indulge in festive celebrations on this special occasion.
Check out some best happy Janmashtami messages for your loved ones.
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