Ramakrishna Mission celebrates Krishna Jan Mashtami on 14th August 2017 The program consists of puja stotra chanting and bhajans followed by arti and a discourse by our revered Swami Vimoshanandaji, Swamiji gives discourses on the Bhagavad Gita every Sunday so the subject matter is close,dear and near to his heart and he has mastered discourses on Lord Krishna.The apex of the function will be sumptous prasad made by devotees and volunteers as labors of love
Krishna Janmashtami, usually called Janmashtami, is a holiday in the Hindu calendar that celebrates the birthday of Krishna, the god of love and compassion. It celebrated widely in India and it is observed on different dates each year.
THE CELEBRATION OF KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI
On the first day of the event, called Krishan Ashtami, Hindus rise before dawn to engage in song and prayer in Krishna’s honor. Some Hindus also celebrate with dances and dramatic rituals that tell the story of Krishna’s birth and life, and many of them will fast in his honor.
Vigils are held until midnight when it is believed that the deity was born. Sometimes, Hindu faithful will also bathe and dress statues of the baby Krishna to commemorate his birth. On the second day, called Janam Ashtami, Hindus will break their fast of the previous day with elaborate meals that often contain milk or cheese curds, said to be two of Krishna’s favorite foods.
Krishna is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the eighth avatar of the god Vishnu and is also worshipped as the supreme God in his own right.[8]
He is the god of compassion, tenderness, and love in Hinduism and is one of the most popular and widely revered among Indian divinities.[9] Krishna’s birthday is celebrated every year by Hindus on Janmashtami according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar, which falls in late August or early September of the Gregorian calendar. Krishna is also known by numerous names, such as Govinda, Mukunda, Madhusudhana, Vasudeva, He is a central character in the Mahabharata, Bhagavata Purana and the Bhagavad Gita, and is mentioned in many Hindu philosophical, theological, and mythological texts Kishna was born in prison to devout parents – Devaki and Vasudeva. At the time of his birth, his life was in danger because the tyrant Kamsa was seeking to kill him. It had been foretold that Kamsa would be killed by Devaki’s eighth child. Since Sri Krishna was the eighth child, he was smuggled out of prison to be raised by his foster parents Nanda and Yasoda in Gokula. Nanda lived a simple lifestyle and was a chief in the local Cow-herding community. The young Sri Krishna is often depicted in these days as being a mischievous child, who enjoyed playing pranks and having fun. Some worship Sri Krishna as the ideal child of innocence.
His iconography reflects these legends, and show him in different stages of his life, such as an infant eating butter, a young boy playing a flute, a young man with Radha or surrounded by women devotees, or a friendly charioteer giving counsel to Arjuna. Some worship Lord Krishna as the God of love and Meera bai was one such devotee who is believed to be the reincarnation of Radha Lord Krishna’s consort
Lord Krishna the God of Love
Meera and Lord Krishna
MEERA BELIEVES HER MOTHER
Meera (1498 – 1557)was a Rajput princess who lived in the north Indian state of Rajasthan. When she was just four years of age on watching a marriage procession Meera , the child, asked her mother innocently, “Dear mother, who will be my bridegroom?” Meera’s mother smiled, and half in jest pointed towards the image of Sri Krishna and said, “My dear Meera Lord Krishna is going to be your bridegroom”. She manifested a deep devotion to Krishna. She lost her mother soon
MEERA RELUCTANTLY MARRIES RANA OF MEWAR
As Meera grew up she believed that Lord Krishna would come to marry her Meera was beautiful ,soft-spoken, mild-mannered, gifted, sweet, and sang with a melodious voice . Very reluctantly she consented to marry Rana Sangha, the powerful King of Mewar .After her household duties were over, Meera would go to the temple of Lord Krishna, worship, sing and dance before Lord Krishna’s Idol daily. Her mother-in-law and other ladies did not like her ways and forced her to worship Durga . But she maintained, “I have already given up my life to my beloved Lord Krishna”.
RANA SUSPECTS MEERA
Her sister-in-law Udabai conspired to defame the innocent Meera. She informed Rana Kumbha that Meera was secretly in love with some one .Kumbha ran with a sword in hand towards Meera but was calmed down .With his sister he went to the temple at night broke open the door, and found Meera alone in her ecstatic mood talking and singing to Krishna’s idol.He shouted “Meera, show me your lover with whom you are talking now”. Meera replied, “There sits He—my Lord She stood unruffled in the face of accusations of immoral character and said that she was married to Krishna .Her husband was heart-broken but he remained good and sympathized with her until his death
CONSPIRACY TO KILL HER
Meera was sent a basket with a cobra inside and a message that the basket contained a garland of flowers. Meera opened the basket and found inside a lovely idol of Sri Krishna with a garland of flowers. She was sent her a cup of poison saying that it was nectar. Meera offered it to her Lord Krishna as Prasad. It was real nectar to her. The bed of nails that Rana sent transformed into a bed of roses when Meera reposed on it. Such is the power of Lord Krishna when you are devoted to him he will protect you from dangers.
LORD KRISHNA IS LOVED BY INVARIABLY BY ALL HINDUS AND IS PERHAPS THE MOST POPULAR ISHTA DEVATA
