KRISHNA JANMAASHTAMI
(DISCOURSE BY N.R. SRINIVASAN, AUGUST 2011)
Six months before, we celebrated the dawn of Lingodbhava-moorti, incarnation of Siva. He was taking care of us all these days. Now he is handing over the responsibility to Lord Krishna who is worshipped as the eighth incarnation of Vishnu by all except Jayadeva who feels that being a Poorna avatar all the avataaras of Visnhu came from him only and so he considers instead Balarama as the eighth incarnation of Vishnu. Strangely both avataaras of Lingodbhava-moorti and Lord Krishna manifested during midnight.
Lord Krishna appeared when the moon entered Vrishabha at the constellation of the star Rohini on Wednesday, the eighth day of the second fortnight of the month of Sravana (Bhadrapada Krishnapaksha). Though this day is celebrated as his birthday as the eighth child of Devaki, in fact he did not take any birth in the real sense of the term. Neither did he die after spending 120 years on earth. He appeared and disappeared through his Yoga Maayaa as he has said in Geetaa. This fact is known only to his devotees, Yogis and Rishis. He appeared on earth in 3227 B.C.E., as per Puranas which has been verified of late by planetary software. His ascension marks the end of Dwaaparayuga and the beginning of Kali era.
Janmaashthami Day is a sacred "tithi" in Hindu concept which is in the middle of Dakshinaayana, i.e. when the moon travels in Southern solistice. Sri Krishna was born when it was exactly midnight in the three worlds--Svarrgaloka, Pitrloka and Manushyaloka. Thus his birth was heralded in the three worlds. He is therefore Jagannatha, the Lord of the Universe. Exactly after 180 days after Gokulaashthami comes Mahasivaraatri, the birth of Lingodhbhava Moorti.
According to Puranas, Vasudeva-Krishna was born of Vishnu's black hair, on a dark night, in the dark half of the lunar cycle when rainclouds rumbled across the sky and rains lashed the land of Vrajaa. As soon as he was born the gods cast a spell of sleep across Mathura, so that Sura Vasudeva, father of Lord Krishna could slip out of the city of Mathura with his son in his arms. Vasuki, the king of serpents, raised his mighty hood to shield escaping father and son in the dead of night. The river Yamuna parted and gave way helping them to reach Gokula safely. The baby was left in the care of the cowherd Nanda and his wife Yashoda.
Lord Krishna's birthday celebration takes place at night. Images of baby Krishna are placed in cradles and the tale of his descent as described in Srimad Bhagavata Purana is retold to delight the devotees. The next day is observed as Sri Jayanti. A day after that, as a part of Nanda Utsava, youths come together and form human pyramids to get the pots of curds and butter tied high up in community squares remembering Lord Krishna who enjoyed raiding the dairies of Vrindavana and teasing the Gopis. Thus the festivities last for three days. In Tamilnadu the last day is celebrated as "Uriyadi".
It is customary to do holy reading called Paaraayana of Srimad Bhagavata Purana during these three days similar to Ramayan Path or Paaraayana during Rama Navami and Navarathri festivals. If one is not able to read the whole of the Srimad Bhagavata during these three days, at least they should recite the four most important verses from the Bhagavata Puraana. The initial leading two verses and the closing verses which constitute the Prologue and Epilogue of this great epic convey the following meaning for the slokas recited in Sanskrit language:
"Hear from me the most secret knowledge coupled with the essential experience and its component parts. May you realize by my grace, the knowledge of myself and what form, qualities and actions I am endowed with"
"Before creation I alone existed. There was nothing, neither existence nor non-existence. I am that which remains after dissolution. Understand that to be Maaya or illusion which is devoid of any purpose, which is not to be found in the self and which is unreal like light and darkness. As the primary elements are amalgamated with one another and also separate from one another at the same time, so I pervade the whole universe and am also separate from it. The aspirant should, by the method of positive and negative, know that thing which exists always and everywhere. Experience this truth the highest super-conscious state so that you will not be disturbed even by illusory objects"
Some devotees read Chapter 11 of Geetaa which deals with the Vision of The Cosmic Form of Lord Krishna as narrated by him to Arjuna revealing His cosmic Form to him exclusively. Some even read the whole Bhagvadgeetaa during these three days, though it is customary to do Geetaa Paaraayana (sacred chanting of Geetaa) during Geeta Jayanti Day which falls on the Ekaadasi Day (11th Day) of the bright half of the month of Margasheersha. This was the day on which Sanjaya narrated the dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna to King Dhritaraashtra. Sage Vedavysa left it as Bhagavadgeetaa behind as divine wisdom and gift for us after compiling and suitably editing.
"Vasudeva sutam devam kamsa-chaanoora-mardhanam |
Devakee paramaanandam Krishnam vande jagadgurum ||"
Oh, the divine son of Vaasudeva, the killer of Kamsa and Chanoora, the darling of Devaki, and the guru of the Universe, my obeisance to you!
APPENDIX I
Hindu-way of life is modeled after Lord Krishna
(Krishna Janmashtami message by N.R.Srinivasan,
September 4, 2015)
We will be celebrating Krishna Janmashtami on
Friday September 4 and 5. Have you ever tried to compare Sri Rama at one
end and Buddha on the other to Krishna in the middle as Avatars?
Both resorted to extremes unlike Lord Krishna. One was a
stricter on Ksahtriya Dharma who neglected his family and the other who ran
away from the family as a recluse. Krishna as perfect avatar
was very much down to earth as Swami Chidananda explains sharing and
caring for family and friends and dealing with practicalities of life.
He showed the world how Karma is inevitable, born in prison, lived with foster
parents and being killed by an arrow. Did he brood over them. He
showed the way how to enjoy life whatever be the set backs. I am reminded of a
story my mother used to tell me when I was a child. He did not carry
sudarsanachakra always with him like Rama ecver ready to fight with his
Kodanda. He carried his flute all the time to cheer up the gloomy and
broody. It seems Tippu Sultan, the Muslim ruler of Mysore was attracted
to Mahabharata story and so hired a scholar to tell him the whole story to
which he keenly listened. At the end of the narration Panditji
asked him, who were the people that impressed the king most. Sultan at
once replied “Ek Buddha, Ek Chokra aur ek Chaalaakee”. By this he meant
Bhisma, Abhimanyu and Lord Krishna.
If you see the assembly of Gods
during Krishna Avatar in one sanctum worshiped together you get three popular
sets, unlike Rama which was always he and his brothers, Sita and Hanuman
sometimes Lakshmana and Bharata being omitted. In Chennai in Parthasarathy
Temple you will find Krishna, Balarama, Rukmini, Aniruddha, Pradyumna and
Satyaki. Satyaki was a friend who fought Mahabharata war on the side of
Pandavas leading one Aksahuheeni. Arjuna or Kuchela are not seen in this
assembly. Satyaki belong to Vrishni Class and was a Yadava. Here
Krishna chose a friend and Vrishni clan member. Hindus always invite family and
friends for any celebration and that too from their own clan mostly. This
tradition comes from Lord Krishna. Let us see another famous assembly on
Ratnavedi in Puri Jagannath. Here again we have Balarama and Subhadra. Here he
did not choose Radha, Rukmini or Satyabhama. His concern was for his brothers
and sisters. That is why Rakhi and Bhai Duj is very much focused in North
Indian Tradition. The third popular assembly in the north is Radha
Krishna. Though Lord Krishna had 16008 wives he did not cheat on any one of
them. He was open with his calf-love with Radha which did not materialize.
He did not cheat any of his legally wedded wives keeping his love for
Radha a secret. Narada once wanted to surprise Krishna to find out what
he was doing with such a large number of wives. He was astonished to find
Lord Krishna was leading a normal life with every one of his wives equally
enjoying life wherever he went. Lord Krishna even appreciates the
popular worship of Radha Krishna and the celebration of this wedding in
temples which never took place. Thus he was very practical to human
life, aspirations and realizations. The motivation for Father’s day Mother’s
day, Brother’s day, Sister’s day and Grand-parent’s day all look for Krishna as
role model. He was very much attached to his foster parents
even when he knew his real parents were different. He was equally attached and
in love with them. He did not hate his real parents for abandoning him as a
baby nor neglected his foster parents later. He was always with them sharing
and caring. He was very much attached to Balarama and
Subhadra, his cousins though they were not born to Devaki and Vasudeva and
always sought there advice and love. Krishna thus guides the Hindu-way of life.
It is no wonder we always end our worship with the words “sarvam
Krishnaarppanamstu”.
APPENDIX II
SWAMI CHIDANANDA’S MESSAGE FOR KRISHNA JANMASHTHAMI
Dear Divine Souls,
I hope that – by God’s grace – this finds you and all your loved ones in the best of health and happiness at this holy time of Janmasthami.
I hope that – by God’s grace – this finds you and all your loved ones in the best of health and happiness at this holy time of Janmasthami.
Krishna Janmasthami is the
celebration of the day that Bhagwan Krishna incarnated in human form upon the
Earth. It is celebrated at midnight on the eighth day of the dark fortnight in
the month of Bhadrapada (August-September).
The day is celebrated by
worshipping Bhagwan Krishna, fasting and chanting devotional kirtan and bhajans
until past midnight.
The Bhagavad Gita says that
whenever there is darkness in the world, whenever strife and ignorance prevail,
the Lord incarnates to shine His divine light on the darkness. He grabs hold of
the faltering world, preventing it from drifting too far astray.
However, the Lord does not simply
incarnate, give wisdom and depart. Rather, His divine light, His divine message
and His divine grace continue to shine, on and on, upon all future generations.
His wisdom is such that, once given, it is timeless and eternal, infinite and
universal. Lord Krishna’s message in the Bhagavad Gita and the message of His
entire life are not meant merely for those who lived 5000 years ago in the
lands of Mathura, Vrindavan, Kurukshetra and Dwarka. Rather, the messages are
as timeless as His presence and grace.
As we celebrate the divine
anniversary of the date He came forth into this world in human form, we must
ask ourselves, “Why did He incarnate?” What were the messages of Lord Krishna’s
life? What darkness did He come to dispel? In what ocean of ignorance were we
drowning, from which He came to save us?
Most Indians, know Krishna’s
verbal message to Arjun on the
battlefield was “Stand up. Do your duty.” However, there are many other important
messages in the Gita and also invaluable lessons and divine teachings embedded
in the very life He lived. At this holy
time of Janmasthami, let us examine and
take to heart these messages. We must remember that Bhagwan Krishna incarnated
FOR US. He incarnated to remove our veil of ignorance and darkness. It is our
duty to Him to take His message to heart and let it uplift, inspire and transform
us.
Never Lose Your Song:
One of the most beautiful
lessons of Bhagawan Krishna’s life is: never lose yourself due to external
circumstances, never lose your smile, never lose your song… Bhagwan
Krishna’s life was full of trials and tirbulations, beginning on the day when
He took birth in a locked jail cell and ending in the jungle shot by a hunter’s
arrow. However, throughout it all – through the innumerable challenges wrought
upon Him – He always maintained His divine smile. He always played His divine
flute. Even after His physical flute was left with Radhaji, the song of
Krishna’s flute was always on, wherever He went. The song emanated from His
very being. He never once said, “I’m in a bad mood today so I will not play my
flute.” No. Regardless of what the external world brought and wrought, the Song
was on. This is a beautiful message for our own lives.
So frequently we let small, small
things upset us and ruin our day. However, to truly be Krishna devotees means
that we should try, as much as possible, to follow His divine example. After
all, it is for us that He incarnated on Earth and gave His beautiful, divine
messages.
Therefore, whenever failure,
frustration or fury stares us in the face and we are tempted to let it ruin our
mood and our day, let us always remember the sound of Lord Krishna’s
ever-present flute. Let us try to emulate His divine example and let our own
song and our smile also be ever-present.
The Lord Unlocks All Locks in Our Life
Bhagawan Krishna came to Earth in
the darkness of night, into the locked confines of a jail cell where His mother
and father were being held prisoners, due to His evil uncle Kansa. However, at
the moment of His appearance (in the form of a human infant) all the guards
fell asleep, the chains were broken, and the barred doors gently opened. Thus
Vasudeva (Krishna’s father) safely and easily carried baby Krishna across the
flowing Yamuna to Gokul.
There is a beautiful message
here, even from the first moment of the Lord’s life. We may be living in the
darkness of midnight; we may be bound and chained by so many attachments, temptations,
anger, grudges, pain and by the binding
force of Maya. We may feel ourselves locked into the prison of our own bodies,
the prison of duality. However, as soon as we let the Lord live in our own
hearts, all darkness fades, all chains are broken and all prison doors open
freely. Wherever the Lord is, there are no locks.
Also, we can see that the door to the Lord – from any
direction, inside or outside – is always open. The only lock is the lock of our
own ignorance and our own illusions. As soon as that ignorance is dispelled, as
soon as we see His glowing form, all the doors in this life and in all lives
open to us.
Bliss All the Time
Beginning with His appearance in
a jail and the immediate rush to whisk Him away to a new family, across
Yamunaji in Gokul, the Lord was not given an “easy” childhood.
On the sixth day of the Lord’s life, Putna (the demoness)
made Him drink poison from her breast. In His third month of life a bullock
cart fell on Him. Then, when He was four, huge trees fell on Him.
Until the age of eleven, He was
in Vrindavan and Govardhan. The people
of Govardhan worshipped Indra, singing his praises and making daily offerings
to him. However, Bhagawan Krishna admonished them and said that they should
worship Govardhan instead, since it was Govardhan who gave them land, water,
grass for their cows. Yet, the people were afraid. Indra threatened to wreak
havoc upon their lives if they ceased his worship. As Indra pummeled the beautiful land of
Govardhan with rain, hail, thunder and lightning, the Lord held up the mountain
of Govardhan over the heads of the people, protecting them from the violent
storm. However, as He held up this mountain on the tip of His finger, for days and
days as Indra grew more and more furious, He never became angry, nor
frustrated, nor disheartened. No. He was
always smiling, even in the midst of the torrential storm.
A few short years later, He was forced to kill His uncle, and He had to flee His home in Mathura, barefoot to Junagar, with nothing but a small pitambar. For years, then, this King of all Kings lived in a simple ashram, doing seva for the saints with no facilities, no amenities and no comfort. He had no coat for winter, no umbrella for the rains…
A few short years later, He was forced to kill His uncle, and He had to flee His home in Mathura, barefoot to Junagar, with nothing but a small pitambar. For years, then, this King of all Kings lived in a simple ashram, doing seva for the saints with no facilities, no amenities and no comfort. He had no coat for winter, no umbrella for the rains…
Yet, wherever He went, wherever
He was, He was always blissful, always joyful, always shining His divine light
upon others.
We, on the other hand, may get
stuck in one traffic jam and our days are ruined. We have one business failure
and we feel dejected and broken. We become afflicted with disease and we lose
our faith in God.
So, what is the Lord teaching us? If He chose His birth and He chose the course of His life on Earth, why did He choose a life full of obstacles, turmoil, trials and tribulations? Why, if He could have lived His entire life as a king, did He spend so many years living in the jungle?
So, what is the Lord teaching us? If He chose His birth and He chose the course of His life on Earth, why did He choose a life full of obstacles, turmoil, trials and tribulations? Why, if He could have lived His entire life as a king, did He spend so many years living in the jungle?
He did this to show us that the
real palace is the palace of our heart. When our hearts are full of God, then
we live constantly in the most beautiful Golden Palace, regardless of where our
bodies may be. He chose this life to teach us that regardless of what insults
are hurled at us or what obstacles we face, we must remain immersed in Divine
Connection. Then we will not become depressed or frustrated. His life teaches
us that we cannot change what happens – it happens for various reasons – but we
CAN change our reaction to it. The message of His life is “adapt and adjust.”
Move forward. We cannot stop the wind from blowing, but we can change the
direction of our sails, so that instead of capsizing our boat, we use the wind
to take us to our destination.
Seeing Bhagwan Krishna
everywhere
A very important message from
Bhagawan Krishna’s life is to see him everywhere, in everyone, all the time. He
is embodied in every form and in all forms. In Lord Krishna’s childhood, he
gave Mother Yasoda the darshan of the entire world in his mouth. Everything was
shown to her in Lord Krishna’s mouth. When we sit in our puja, in our
worship/meditation we look at God’s divine image and we see everything in Him.
However, we must go further than just seeing everything in God. We must also
see God in everything! When we look at a poor child, or when we look at an old
widow, or when we look in the face of our enemy, we must see God. Then we will
truly have learned the message of Bhagwan Krishna’s teachings.
Fearlessness
One of the most important messages that Bhagawan Krishna gives to Arjuna is Abhayam, be fearless. Arjuna was afraid of battle, afraid of killing his relatives and loved ones. In our lives also we are paralyzed by fear. Omnipresent fear is one of the most insidious obstacles to our peace, happiness and progress in life.
One of the most important messages that Bhagawan Krishna gives to Arjuna is Abhayam, be fearless. Arjuna was afraid of battle, afraid of killing his relatives and loved ones. In our lives also we are paralyzed by fear. Omnipresent fear is one of the most insidious obstacles to our peace, happiness and progress in life.
When I say fear, I don’t
necessarily mean terror. But, rather I mean all that makes us anxious, nervous,
tense and in need of controlling our surroundings. The root of fear is
distrust. We have been betrayed, injured and abused. We decide that the world
and those around us cannot be trusted. In this way, we lose that faith which is
so crucial.
What is the answer? The answer to
fear is to firmly root ourselves in God (by whatever name, whatever form you
choose). When we realize that God is always with us, always for us, we will
never be afraid regardless of the circumstances.
Sure, our family and friends may
betray us. They may injure us. But, if we give ourselves to God, if we make our
relationship with Him our first priority then we will never be broken inside;
we will always be cared for.
There is a story of a very
powerful king. This king prided himself on being generous and caring for all
his subjects. He would often boast that no one in his kingdom was hungry or
cold or impoverished. Once, a holy man came to see the king. The king told the
holy man how he provided for everyone in the kingdom so well. The holy man
asked the king to come for a walk. While they walked in the forest, the saint
picked up a large rock by the side of a stream. “Break the rock,” he ordered
the king. The king looked surprised but immediately told his servant to smash
the rock. As the rock broke open they saw a small frog, living peacefully in
the nutrient-rich water which had gathered inside the rock. “Have you provided
this as well?” the holy man asked the king. The king realized that he could not
possibly provide something as perfect, as intricate as this food and shelter
for the frog. He realized that it is really God who provides for all His
subjects.
We must realize that if God can
provide for even the smallest insects, He certainly will provide for us.
I heard a beautiful story of a young boy on a ship. The ship was trapped in a large storm and waves rocked the boat furiously. The passengers screamed and cried and held each other for dear life. In the midst of this terror sat a very young boy, calm, composed and angelic. When asked why he did not cry he answered, “My mother is here, so I know everything will be all right.” This feeling we must cultivate. If God is here, if God is with us all the time, then everything will always be all right.
I heard a beautiful story of a young boy on a ship. The ship was trapped in a large storm and waves rocked the boat furiously. The passengers screamed and cried and held each other for dear life. In the midst of this terror sat a very young boy, calm, composed and angelic. When asked why he did not cry he answered, “My mother is here, so I know everything will be all right.” This feeling we must cultivate. If God is here, if God is with us all the time, then everything will always be all right.
We take out millions of dollars
(or pounds or rupees…) of insurance to protect our homes, our property, our
cars. But, what about our lives? Who will protect our lives? We must remember
our Divine Insurance Company. We must
place all of our faith in Him. He will never betray us, and we will rest
assured knowing that we are in the best of hands.
We must realize that we are God’s
children. Just as a child is never afraid when his mother is near, so we must
never fear. Fear immobilizes us. It freezes us. It prevents us from thinking
clearly. Most of all, it serves no purpose. No tragedy has ever been prevented
by fear. No catastrophe has ever been averted by anxiety. No. Calm, serene,
wise understanding of the situation coupled with undying faith is what is
needed.
Let us renew our faith in the Supreme. Let us give away our fears, our anxieties. Let us put all our insurance in the Divine Insurance Company. Let us realize that everything is just as it is supposed to be. We are in the lap of our Mother. How can anything go wrong?
Let us renew our faith in the Supreme. Let us give away our fears, our anxieties. Let us put all our insurance in the Divine Insurance Company. Let us realize that everything is just as it is supposed to be. We are in the lap of our Mother. How can anything go wrong?
Surrender to the Divine
The teachings of Lord Krishna in
the Bhagavad Gita are not applicable merely to life on a battlefield, when war
is imminent. Rather the true battlefield is within us constantly, and war is
being waged every day. Through His teaching to Arjuna on the battlefield of
Kurukshetra, Bhagwan Shri Krishna gives
us lessons for our lives. The Gita is a divine “Map of Life” for it shows us
clearly both the destination and also the clearest and best path to reach
there. Just as the GPS system in our
cars is always there to show us the path and to quickly tell us if we’ve gone
astray, so the Bhagavad Gita is like the GPS system for our lives. Wherever we
want to go, whatever we want to achieve, we simply need to turn to the Gita for
the instructions of how to reach our goal.
However, in order for the GPS
system in the car to start working, after we have entered the destination
address, we must push the “accept” button. This button activates the guided
instructions; without it the instructions will not begin and we will not be
guided to our destination. Similarly in our lives, we must accept His message
and surrender, constantly, over and over again, to His Divine Will. It is
surrender and only surrender that allows divine grace to work in our lives. It
is surrender, and only surrender, that brings Lord Krishna’s presence into our
lives.
But, how to surrender?
There is a beautiful mantra we
chant which is wonderful for cultivating a spirit of surrender: It is as
follows:
Kaayena vaachaa manasendriyairvaa
buddhyaatmanaavaa prakriteh svabhaavaat
Karomi yadyat sakalam parasmai
naaraayanaayeti samarpayaami
This means, “Oh Lord….whatever I
have done, whatever actions I have performed through my speech, through my mind
(anything I’ve thought), through my intellect (anything I’ve planned, achieved
or understood), through my hands or body or through any of my senses, therefore
anything at all I have performed, perceived or thought, it is all due to Your
divine grace and I lay it all humbly at Your holy feet.”
By chanting this mantra,
sincerely, deeply and devotionally every night, we remove any vestiges of ego
or attachment which may still be lingering, clinging and preventing us from
truly surrendering and therefore finding peace and divine connection.
On this beautiful and divine day of Janmasthami let us offer
to Him not only our prayers, our puja and our aarti, but let us offer our lives
at His holy feet. Let us surrender completely to His Divine Will. This will
bring great peace, purity and divinity into our own lives.
With love and blessings to you and all your loved ones,
In the service of God and humanity,
Swami Chidanand Saraswati
Swami Chidanand Saraswati
The Meaning of
Krishna Jayanti
Posted by Hari Parshada Das
| IndiaDivine.Org
Krishna has said in the Gītā (4.9) — janma
karma ca me divyam — my birth and activities are transcendental.
Especially his birth is known by two popular
names — Janmāṣṭamī and Kṛṣṇa-jayantī.
The term ‘jayantī’ has been used very
liberally in modern Indian culture and birthdays of kings, political leaders as
well as non-Vedic deities are also termed as jayantīs by many individuals. On a
particular website, the birthday of Karl Marx is also termed as ‘Marx-jayantī’
(the communist who did so neither understands his own siddhāntas nor the
siddhāntas of the Vedas).
The Haribhaktivilāsa (15.331) gives a precise
definition of the term ‘jayantī’ as follows:
अष्टमी कृष्णपक्षस्य रोहिणीऋक्षसंयुता
भवेत् प्रौष्ठपदे मासि ‘जयन्ती’ नाम सा स्मृता
भवेत् प्रौष्ठपदे मासि ‘जयन्ती’ नाम सा स्मृता
aṣṭamī kṛṣṇa-pakṣasya rohiṇī-ṛkṣa-saṁyutā
|
bhavet prauṣṭhapade māsi ‘jayantī’ nāma sā smṛtā ||
bhavet prauṣṭhapade māsi ‘jayantī’ nāma sā smṛtā ||
Translation: The name ‘jayantī’ is understood
to be applicable exclusively to the eighth day of the dark-fortnight of the
Bhādra Month aligned with the Rohiṇī constellation.
This verse is also found in the Kāla-mādhava
of Mādhavācārya. Srila Jiva Goswami says in the Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha as follows:
naivam avatārāntarasya kasya vānyasya
janma-dinaṁ jayanty-ākhyayātiprasiddham |
Translation: The appearance or birth of any
other incarnation of Krishna or of any other person is thus not popularly known
as ‘jayantī’.
By this it should be understood that the term
‘jayantī’ is applicable exclusively to the appearance day of Krishna and
applying it to the birthdays of other personalities, especially those who are
not born on the same day becomes an example of a misnomer.
Having said that, it is also necessary to end
on a sweet note (mādhuryeṇa samāpayet). Whether it is kathā or prasāda, we try
our best to end with something sweet. Therefore, I quote a verse from Srila
Jiva Goswami’s Gopāla-campūḥ which describes the great celebration that took
place at Nanda Maharaja’s palace after Krishna’s appearance. Srila Jiva Goswami
says:
विबभूव विना सत्यं ध्यानं त्रेतां विना मखः
विना द्वापरमभ्यर्चा हरेर्नाम कलिं विना
विना द्वापरमभ्यर्चा हरेर्नाम कलिं विना
vibabhūva vinā satyaṁ dhyānaṁ tretāṁ
vinā makhaḥ |
vinā dvāparam abhyarcāṁ harer nāma kaliṁ vinā ||
vinā dvāparam abhyarcāṁ harer nāma kaliṁ vinā ||
[In that celebration named Nandotsava]:
“Even though it was not Satya-yuga, everyone
meditated perfectly on Krishna. Even though it was not Tretā-yuga, the priests
performed fire-sacrifices. Even though it was not Dvāpara-yuga*, the pujārīs
worshipped the Viṣṇu-deities perfectly. And even though Kali-yuga had not yet
arrived, the holy name of Krishna was resounding everywhere.” (Gopāla-campūḥ,
Pūrva, 3rd Pūraṇa)
In this way, the simultaneous execution of the
supreme perfection processes of the respective four ages was seen in the
courtyard of Nanda Maharaja.
* — It was not exactly dvāpara-yuga because
Dvāpara had almost reached its end and such a time is technically known as
Yuga-sandhyā (the period between the two yugas when the former yuga has ended
and the new yuga has not yet started).
When Krishna appeared on Janmāṣṭamī, the
Śrīmad-bhāgavatam (10.3.4) says — vavau vāyuḥ sukha-sparśaḥ puṇya-gandhavahaḥ
śuciḥ — Pleasing, pure and aromatic winds (vāyu) started blowing.
Why would the wind suddenly start blowing in a
pleasing and aromatic way? The devotee poet Harisūri expresses a poetic
possibility for the same as follows:
पुत्रेण प्राग्घनुमता कृतयाऽस्य भूयः सुश्रूषयाऽत्र भृशमस्मि कृतार्थ एव
साक्षात्तथाप्यहमिहापि समाचरेयं सेवामतः परिचचार तदा स दासः
साक्षात्तथाप्यहमिहापि समाचरेयं सेवामतः परिचचार तदा स दासः
putreṇa prāg ghanumatā kṛtayā ‘sya
bhūyaḥ suśrūṣayā ‘tra bhṛśam asmi kṛtārtha eva |
sākṣāt tathāpy aham ihāpi samācareyaṁ sevām ataḥ paricacāra tadā sa dāsaḥ ||
sākṣāt tathāpy aham ihāpi samācareyaṁ sevām ataḥ paricacāra tadā sa dāsaḥ ||
Translation: The wind god thought, “In the
previous age (tretā), an immense amount of service was rendered for the Lord by
my son (Hanumān) and simply by his service, I am blessed. Yet it is very much
desirable that I should render direct service to the Lord through my body.”
Therefore that servant of the Lord named Vāyu
rendered this service of blowing pleasing winds for the pleasure of the Lord.
APPENDIX III
|| śrīkṛṣṇa sevā vidhānaṁ - śrīvyāsa kṛtaṁ - śrīgarga saṁhitā ||
Sri
Krishna Seva Vidhanam – By Sage
Vyasa – Sri
Garga Samhita
The following is a rare
prescription to perform Puja on Lord Krishna taken from Garga Samhita,
Vigyana Khanda and
Chapter 9 titled Krishna
Seva Vidhanam.
This prescription was given to King
Agrasena by Sage Vyasa.
At the end of Puja, one should perform Ahuti as
wellas Namaskara with the given names of Lord Vishnu followed
by prayers to various parts of His body, his weapons, etc. EditAfter this, prayer
should be performed to Lord
Vishvaksena, Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma, Goddess Durga, Lord Vinayaka, Dig Palakas
and Navagrahas.
Finally Arti to Lord Krishna should be shown with the given mantras and prostration on
the ground. This should be followed by Hari
Sankirtana with
instruments and finally Lord
Krishna should
be laid to sleep. The brief Phalashruti
mentions
that one who performs such a worship, which is rare even by Yogis, is revered
by the dwellers of heaven and attains Goloka
at the
end of his sojourn in this world while giving four Purusharthas in this abode.
śrīvyāsa uvāca -
upacārasya mantrāṇi vedoktāni śubhāni ca |
tubhyaṁ
vakṣyāmi rājendra śṛṇuṣvaikāgra-mānasaḥ
|| 1 ||
|| āvāhanam ||
goloka-dhāmādhipate ramāpate govinda dāmodara dīnavatsala |
rādhāpate mādhava sātvatāṁ-pate siṁhāsane'smin mama saṁmukho bhava || 2 ||
|| āsanam ||
śrīpadmarāga sphurad ūrdhva-pṛṣṭhaṁ
mahārhavaidūryakhacit padābjam |
vaikuṇṭha vaikuṇṭhapate gṛhāṇa pītaṁ
taḍiddhāṭaka-kumbha-khaṇḍam || 3 ||
|| pādyam ||
paraṁ
sthitaṁ nirmala raukma-pātre samāhṛtaṁ
bindusarovarāddhi |
yogeśa vedeśa jagannivāsa gṛhāṇa pādyaṁ
praṇamāmi pādau || 4 ||
|| arghyam ||
jalaja campaka puṣpa samanvitaṁ vimalaṁ arghyaṁ anarghadara-sthitam |
pratigṛhāṇa ramā-ramaṇa prabho yadupate yadunātha yadūttama || 5 ||
|| snānam ||
kāśmīra pāṭīra vimiśritena sumallikośīravatā
jalena |
snānaṁ
kuru tvaṁ yadunātha deva govinda gopālaka tīrthapāda || 6 ||
|| madhuparka snānam |
madhyāhna candrārka bhavaṁ malāpahaṁ
sitāṅga samparka manoharaṁ param |
gṛhāṇa viṣṇo madhuparkamenaṁ saṁdṛśya pītāmbara sātvatāṁ pate || 7 ||
|| Vastram ||
vibho sarvataḥ
prasphurat projjvalaṁ ca sphurad raśmi ramyaṁ paraṁ
durlabhaṁ ca |
svato nirmitaṁ
padma kiñjlaka-varṇaṁ
gṛhāṇāmbaraṁ deva pītāmbarākhyam || 8 ||
|| yajñopavītam ||
suvarṇābhaṁ
āpīta-varṇaṁ
sumantraiḥ paraṁ
prokṣitaṁ
vedavin nirmitaṁ ca |
śubhaṁ pañcakāryeṣu naimittikeṣu prabho yajña yajñopavītaṁ
gṛhāṇa || 9 ||
|| bhūṣaṇam ||
kanaka-ratna-mayaṁ
maya-nirmitaṁ madanarukkadanaṁ sadanaṁ rucām |
uṣasi pūṣa-suvarṇa vibhūṣaṇaṁ
sakala-loka-vibhūṣaṇa gṛhyatām || 10 ||
|| gandham ||
sandhyendu-śobhaṁ
bahu-maṅgalaṁ
śrīkāśmīra-pāṭīraka paṅka-yuiktam |
svamaṇḍanaṁ
gandhacayaṁ gṛhāṇa samasta-bhūmaṇḍala-bhāra-hārin || 11 ||
|| akṣatān ||
brahmāvarte brahmaṇā pūrvamuptān brāhmais toyaiḥ siñcitān viṣṇunā
ca |
rudreṇārād rakṣitān rākṣasebhyaḥ sākṣād bhūman akṣatāṁs tvaṁ gṛhāṇa || 12 ||
|| puṣpāṇi ||
mandāra santānaka pārijāta kalpadruma śrīhari candanānām |
gṛhāṇa puṣpāṇi hare tulasyā miśrāṇi sākṣān navamañjarībhiḥ || 13 ||
|| dhūpam ||
lavaṅga pāṭīraja cūrṇa miśraṁ
manuṣya devā'sura saukhyadaṁ ca |
sadyaḥ
sugandhī-kṛta harmyadeśaṁ dvārāvatī-bhūpa gṛhāṇa dhūpam || 14 ||
|| dīpam ||
tamo-hāriṇaṁ
jñānamūrtiṁ
manojñaṁ lasad varti karpūra pūraṁ
gavājyam |
jagannātha deva prabho viśvadīpa sphuraj jyotiṣaṁ dīpa-mukhyaṁ gṛhāṇa || 15 ||
|| naivedyam ||
rasaiḥ
śarair bheda vidhi vyavasthitaṁ rasai rasāḍhyaṁ ca yaśomatī-kṛtam |
gṛhāṇa naivedyaṁ idaṁ surocakaṁ gavyāmṛtaṁ
sundara nanda-nandana || 16 ||
|| jalam ||
gaṅgottarī vega balāt samuddhṛtaṁ suvarṇa-pātreṇa himāṁśu śītalam |
sunirmalābhaṁ
hyamṛtopamaṁ jalaṁ gṛhāṇa rādhāvara bhaktavatsala || 17 ||
|| ācamanam ||
rādhāpate śrīvirajāpate prabho śriyaḥ-pate sarvapate ca bhūpate |
kaṅkola jātīphala puṣpa vāsitaṁ
paraṁ gṛhāṇācamanaṁ dayānidhe || 18 ||
jātīphalailāsu lavaṅga nāgavallī-dalaiḥ pūgaphalaiśca saṁyutam |
muktā
sudhā khādirasāra-yuktaṁ gṛhāṇa tāmbūlaṁ
idaṁ rameśa || 19 ||
|| dakṣiṇā ||
nākapāla vasupāla maulibhir vanditāṅghri yugala prabho hare |
dakṣiṇāṁ
parigṛhāṇa mādhava lokadakṣa varadakṣiṇāya te || 20 ||
|| nīrājanam ||
prasphurat paramadīpti maṅgalaṁ go-ghṛtākta-nava-pañca-vartikam |
ārtikaṁ parigṛhāṇa cārtihan puṇya-kīrti viśadīkṛtāvane || 21 ||
|| namaskāraḥ ||
namo'stvanatāya sahasramūrtaye sahasra-pādākṣi-śirorubāhave |
sahasra-nāmne puruṣāya śāśvate sahasra-koṭi-yuga-dhāriṇe namaḥ || 22 ||
|| pradakṣiṇam ||
samasta tīrtha yajña dāna pūrtakādijaṁ
phalam |
labhate parasya śāśvataṁ
karoti yaḥ pradakṣiṇam || 23 ||
|| prārthanā ||
hare mat samaḥ
pātakī nāsti bhūmau tathā tvat samo nāsti pāpāpahārī
|
iti tvaṁ
ca matvā jagannātha deva yathecchā bhavet te tathā māṁ kuru tvam || 24 ||
|| stutiḥ ||
saṁjñānamātraṁ
sadasatparaṁ mahac chaśvat praśāntaṁ
vibhavaṁ samaṁ
mahat |
tvāṁ brahma vande hi sudurgamaṁ paraṁ
sadā svadhāmnā
paribhūtakaitavam ||25 ||
evaṁ
sampūjya deveśaṁ ebhir mantrair mahātmane |
praṇamya viṣṇuṁ sarvāṅga pūjāṁ
kuryāt prayatnataḥ || 26 ||
|| prāṇāyāmam ||
om namo nārāyaṇāya puruṣāya mahātmane |
viśuddha sattvadhīsthāya mahāhaṁsāya dhīmahi || 27 ||
|| mantra āhuti ||
om viṣṇave madhusūdanāya vāmanāya trivikramāya śrīdharāya hṛṣīkeśāya
padmanābhāya dāmodarāya saṅkarṣaṇāya vāsudevāya pradyumnāya aniruddhāya
adhokṣajāya purśottamāya śrīkṛṣṇāya namaḥ |
iti pāda gulpha jānūrukaṭyudara pṛṣṭha bhujā kandhara karṇa nāsikā
'dhara netra
śiraḥsu pṛthak pṛthak pūjyāmīti sarvaṅga-pūjāṁ
kuryāt | tathā sakhī sakha śaṅkha cakra
gadā
padmāsi dhanur bāṇa hala musalādīn tathā kaustubha vanamālā
śrīvatsa
pītāmbara nīlāmbara vaṁśī vetrādīn tathā tālāṅka garuḍāṅka ratha dāruka sumati
sārathi garuḍa kumuda nanda sunanda caṇḍa mahābala kumudākṣādīn | praṇava
pūrveṇa caturthyantena namaḥ samyuktena nāmnā
tathā viṣvaksena śiva vidhi durgā
vināyaka digpāla varuṇa navagraha mātṛkādīn mantraiḥ pūjayet |
om namo vāsudevāya namaḥ saṅkarṣaṇāya ca |
pradyumnāyāniruddhāya sātvatāṁ
pataye namaḥ || 28 ||
|| samarpaṇam ||
praṇamed daṇḍavad bhūmau mantrametaṁ udīrayet || 29 ||
dhyeyaṁ
sadā paribhavaghnaṁ abhīṣṭado'haṁ
tīrthāspadaṁ
śiva viriñci nutaṁ śaraṇyam |
bhūtyārtihan praṇatapāla bhavābdhipotaṁ
vande mahāpuruṣa te caraṇāravindam || 30 ||
|| phalaśrutiḥ ||
iti natvā
hariṁ rājan punar nīrājanaṁ hareḥ
|
kārayed vidhivad bhakto hari bhakta-janaiḥ saha || 31 ||
ghaṭi-vādya raṇad ghaṅṭākāṁsya vīṇādi kīcakaiḥ
|
kara tāla mṛdaṅgādyaiḥ
kīrtanaṁ kārayed budhaḥ || 32 ||
nṛtyanti śrīharer agre bhaktā vai prema vihvalāḥ |
jayadhvani samāyuktāḥ
satkathā gāna tatparāḥ || 33 ||
punaḥ
prabhuṁ namaskṛtya mandire tapanojjvale |
śayanaṁ kārayet samyak śrīkṛṣṇasya mahātmanaḥ
|| 34 ||
evaṁ
karoti śrīkṛṣṇa sevāṁ
yo lagna mānasaḥ
|
praṇamanti ca taṁ rājan devatāḥ svarga-saṁbhavāḥ || 35 ||
so'pi rājendra nāke'pi padaṁ dhṛtvā
harer janaḥ |
ante yāti paraṁ dhāma golokaṁ yogi durlabham || 36 ||
iti śrīkṛṣṇa sevāyā
vidhānaṁ
varṇitaṁ
mayā ||
catuḥ
padārthadaṁ nṝṇāṁ kiṁ bhūyaḥ
śrotuṁ icchasi || 37 ||
||
Iti śrīkṛṣṇa-sevā-vidhāna varṇanaṁ sampūrṇam ||
SRI KRISHNA ASHTOTTARAM
ॐ
श्री कृष्णाय नमः
oṁ śrī kṛṣṇāya namaḥ || 1 ||
Obeisance to Lord Shri Krishna, who has a dark, attractive complexion, who attracts the mind of others (i.e. ‘karshati iti’)
oṁ śrī kṛṣṇāya namaḥ || 1 ||
Obeisance to Lord Shri Krishna, who has a dark, attractive complexion, who attracts the mind of others (i.e. ‘karshati iti’)
ॐ
कमलनाथाय नमः
oṁ kamala-nāthāya namaḥ || 2 ||
the Lord of Goddess Lakṣmī, Kamalā,
oṁ kamala-nāthāya namaḥ || 2 ||
the Lord of Goddess Lakṣmī, Kamalā,
ॐ
वासुदॆवाय नमः
oṁ vāsudevāya namaḥ || 3 ||
Vasudeva’s son
oṁ vāsudevāya namaḥ || 3 ||
Vasudeva’s son
ॐ
सनातनाय नमः
oṁ sanātanāya namaḥ || 4 ||
the eternal Lord
oṁ sanātanāya namaḥ || 4 ||
the eternal Lord
ॐ
वासुदॆवात्मजाय
नमः
oṁ vāsudevātmajāya namaḥ || 5 ||
Salutations to Vāsudeva (Vāsudev’s son, Krishna)
oṁ vāsudevātmajāya namaḥ || 5 ||
Salutations to Vāsudeva (Vāsudev’s son, Krishna)
ॐ
पुण्याय नमः
oṁ puṇyāya namaḥ || 6 ||
the Meritorious One, who is consummate piety
oṁ puṇyāya namaḥ || 6 ||
the Meritorious One, who is consummate piety
ॐ
लीलामानुष विग्रहाय नमः
oṁ līlā-mānuṣa-vigrahāya namaḥ || 7 ||
who has assumed a human-like form (as Rama or Krishna) to perform His divine pastimes
oṁ līlā-mānuṣa-vigrahāya namaḥ || 7 ||
who has assumed a human-like form (as Rama or Krishna) to perform His divine pastimes
ॐ
श्रीवत्स कौस्तुभधराय नमः
oṁ śrīvatsa-kaustubha-dharāya namaḥ || 8 ||
the Lord who wears the Shri Vatsa (representing Shri Lakshmi) and the Kaustubha gem
oṁ śrīvatsa-kaustubha-dharāya namaḥ || 8 ||
the Lord who wears the Shri Vatsa (representing Shri Lakshmi) and the Kaustubha gem
ॐ
यशॊदावत्सलाय नमः
oṁ yaśodā-vatsalāya namaḥ || 9 ||
Mother Yashoda’s darling child, the object of Yashoda’s maternal affections
oṁ yaśodā-vatsalāya namaḥ || 9 ||
Mother Yashoda’s darling child, the object of Yashoda’s maternal affections
ॐ
हरये नमः ॥ १० ॥
oṁ haraye namaḥ || 10 ||
Salutations to Lord Hari
oṁ haraye namaḥ || 10 ||
Salutations to Lord Hari
ॐ
चतुर्भुजात्त चक्रासिगदा शङ्खाम्बुजा युदायुजाय नमः
oṁ caturbhujātta cakrāsi gadā śaṅkhāmbujā yudāyujāya namaḥ || 11 ||
the Four-armed Lord who carries the weapons of disc, conch, club and lotus
oṁ caturbhujātta cakrāsi gadā śaṅkhāmbujā yudāyujāya namaḥ || 11 ||
the Four-armed Lord who carries the weapons of disc, conch, club and lotus
ॐ
दॆवाकीनन्दनाय
नमः
oṁ devakī-nandanāya namaḥ || 12 ||
One who gladdens the heart of His Mother, Devaki and brings joy to her.
oṁ devakī-nandanāya namaḥ || 12 ||
One who gladdens the heart of His Mother, Devaki and brings joy to her.
ॐ
श्रीशाय नमः
oṁ śrīśāya namaḥ || 13 ||
the abode of Shri (Lakshmi)
oṁ śrīśāya namaḥ || 13 ||
the abode of Shri (Lakshmi)
ॐ
नन्दगॊप प्रियात्मजाय नमः
oṁ nanda-gopa-priyātmajāya namaḥ || 14 ||
Nanda Gopa’s darling child, dear son of the cowherd Nanda
oṁ nanda-gopa-priyātmajāya namaḥ || 14 ||
Nanda Gopa’s darling child, dear son of the cowherd Nanda
ॐ
यमुनावेग संहारिणॆ नमः
oṁ yamunā-vega-saṁhāriṇe namaḥ || 15 ||
the Lord who checked the flow of the Yamunā
oṁ yamunā-vega-saṁhāriṇe namaḥ || 15 ||
the Lord who checked the flow of the Yamunā
ॐ
बलभद्र प्रियनुजाय नमः
oṁ bala-bhadra-priyānujāya namaḥ || 16 ||
Balabhadra’s (Balarama’s) dear younger brother
oṁ bala-bhadra-priyānujāya namaḥ || 16 ||
Balabhadra’s (Balarama’s) dear younger brother
ॐ
पूतनाजीवित हराय नमः
oṁ pūtana-jīvita-harāya namaḥ || 17 ||
the Destroyer of the demoness Putana
oṁ pūtana-jīvita-harāya namaḥ || 17 ||
the Destroyer of the demoness Putana
ॐ
शकटासुर भञ्जनाय नमः
oṁ śakaṭāsura-bhañjanāya namaḥ || 18 ||
the Lord who destroyed the cart demon Sakatasura
oṁ śakaṭāsura-bhañjanāya namaḥ || 18 ||
the Lord who destroyed the cart demon Sakatasura
ॐ
नन्दव्रज जनानन्दिनॆ नमः
oṁ nanda-vraja-janānandine namaḥ || 19 ||
the Lord who brought great happiness to Nanda and the people of Vraja
oṁ nanda-vraja-janānandine namaḥ || 19 ||
the Lord who brought great happiness to Nanda and the people of Vraja
ॐ
सच्चिदानन्द विग्रहाय नमः ॥ २० ॥
oṁ saccid-ānanda-vigrahāya namaḥ || 20 ||
the Lord who’s embodiment is of eternal Existence, Knowlwdge and Bliss
oṁ saccid-ānanda-vigrahāya namaḥ || 20 ||
the Lord who’s embodiment is of eternal Existence, Knowlwdge and Bliss
ॐ
नवनीत विलिप्ताङ्गाय
नमः
oṁ navanīta-viliptāṅgāya namaḥ || 21 ||
the Lord whose body is smeared all over with butter
oṁ navanīta-viliptāṅgāya namaḥ || 21 ||
the Lord whose body is smeared all over with butter
ॐ
नवनीत नटनाय नमः
oṁ navanīta naṭanāya namaḥ || 22 || (naṭāya)
the One who danced to get butter
oṁ navanīta naṭanāya namaḥ || 22 || (naṭāya)
the One who danced to get butter
ॐ
अनघाय नमः
oṁ anaghāya namaḥ || 23 ||
the sinless One
oṁ anaghāya namaḥ || 23 ||
the sinless One
ॐ
नवनीतनवाहाराय
नमः
oṁ navanīta-navā-hārāya namaḥ || 24 || (navanīta-harāya)
whose first food was fresh butter
oṁ navanīta-navā-hārāya namaḥ || 24 || (navanīta-harāya)
whose first food was fresh butter
ॐ
मुचुकुन्द प्रसादकाय नमः
oṁ mucukunda-prasādakāya namaḥ || 25 ||
the Lord who blessed (gave salvation) to King Muchukunda
oṁ mucukunda-prasādakāya namaḥ || 25 ||
the Lord who blessed (gave salvation) to King Muchukunda
ॐ
षॊडशस्त्री सहस्रॆशाय नमः
oṁ ṣoḍaśastrī-sahasreśāya namaḥ || 26 ||
the Lord of sixteen thousand wives
oṁ ṣoḍaśastrī-sahasreśāya namaḥ || 26 ||
the Lord of sixteen thousand wives
ॐ
त्रिभङ्गिनॆ मधुराकृतये नमः
oṁ tribhaṅgine madhurākṛtaye namaḥ || 27 || (Tribhangi Lalitakritaye)
the sweet lord, who poses in a threefold-bending form
oṁ tribhaṅgine madhurākṛtaye namaḥ || 27 || (Tribhangi Lalitakritaye)
the sweet lord, who poses in a threefold-bending form
ॐ
शुकवागमृताब्धीन्दवे
नमः
oṁ śukavāg-amṛtābdhīndave namaḥ || 28 ||
the ocean of nectar in the form of Sukadeva’s words (spoken as Srimad-Bhagavatam)
oṁ śukavāg-amṛtābdhīndave namaḥ || 28 ||
the ocean of nectar in the form of Sukadeva’s words (spoken as Srimad-Bhagavatam)
ॐ
गॊविन्दाय नमः
oṁ govindāya namaḥ || 29 ||
the Lord of the cows
oṁ govindāya namaḥ || 29 ||
the Lord of the cows
ॐ
यॊगिनाम्पतयॆ नमः ॥ ३० ॥
oṁ yoginām-pataye namaḥ || 30 ||
the Lord of the yogIs
oṁ yoginām-pataye namaḥ || 30 ||
the Lord of the yogIs
ॐ
वत्सपालना संचारिने नमः
oṁ vatsapālanā sancārine namaḥ || 31 || (vatsavāṭi carāya – वत्सवाटचराय )
the Lord who roamed (in Vrindavana) with the company of calves and friendly cowherd boys
oṁ vatsapālanā sancārine namaḥ || 31 || (vatsavāṭi carāya – वत्सवाटचराय )
the Lord who roamed (in Vrindavana) with the company of calves and friendly cowherd boys
ॐ
अनन्ताय नमः
oṁ anantāya namaḥ || 32 ||
the Unlimited, Infinite One
oṁ anantāya namaḥ || 32 ||
the Unlimited, Infinite One
ॐ
धेनुकासुरभञ्जनाय
नमः
oṁ dhenukāsura-bhañjanāya namaḥ || 33 || (mardanāya – मर्दनाय)
the Lord who killed the ass-demon Dhenukasura
oṁ dhenukāsura-bhañjanāya namaḥ || 33 || (mardanāya – मर्दनाय)
the Lord who killed the ass-demon Dhenukasura
ॐ
तृणी कृत तृणावर्ताय नमः
oṁ tṛṇī-kṛta-tṛṇāvartāya namaḥ || 34 ||
the Lord who destroyed the whirlwind demon Trinavarta
oṁ tṛṇī-kṛta-tṛṇāvartāya namaḥ || 34 ||
the Lord who destroyed the whirlwind demon Trinavarta
ॐ
यमलार्जुन भञ्जनाय नमः
oṁ yamaḷārjuna-bhañjanāya namaḥ || 35 ||
the Lord who broke the two Yamala-Arjuna trees
oṁ yamaḷārjuna-bhañjanāya namaḥ || 35 ||
the Lord who broke the two Yamala-Arjuna trees
ॐ
उत्तलॊत्ताल भॆत्रॆ नमः (उत्ताल-ताल)
oṁ uttālottāla-bhetre namaḥ || 36 || (uttāla-tāla)
the Lord who broke all the big, tAla trees (killing Dhenuka)
oṁ uttālottāla-bhetre namaḥ || 36 || (uttāla-tāla)
the Lord who broke all the big, tAla trees (killing Dhenuka)
ॐ
तमाल श्यामलाकृतये नमः
oṁ tamāla śyāmalākṛtaye namaḥ || 37 ||
the Lord who is a beautiful blackish as the dark Tamala tree
oṁ tamāla śyāmalākṛtaye namaḥ || 37 ||
the Lord who is a beautiful blackish as the dark Tamala tree
ॐ
गॊपगॊपीश्वराय
नमः
oṁ gopa-gopīśvarāya namaḥ || 38 ||
The Lord of the gopas and gopīs (the cowherd boys and damsels of Vrindavan)
oṁ gopa-gopīśvarāya namaḥ || 38 ||
The Lord of the gopas and gopīs (the cowherd boys and damsels of Vrindavan)
ॐ
यॊगिनॆ नमः
oṁ yogine namaḥ || 39 ||
the greatest Yogī
oṁ yogine namaḥ || 39 ||
the greatest Yogī
ॐ
कॊटिसूर्य समप्रभाय नमः ॥ ४० ॥
oṁ koṭi-sūrya-sama-prabhāya namaḥ || 40 ||
the Lord who is as lustrous as a million suns
oṁ koṭi-sūrya-sama-prabhāya namaḥ || 40 ||
the Lord who is as lustrous as a million suns
ॐ
इलापतयॆ नमः
oṁ iḷā-pataye namaḥ || 41 ||
Lord of IlA, the earth
oṁ iḷā-pataye namaḥ || 41 ||
Lord of IlA, the earth
ॐ
परस्मै ज्योतिषे नमः
oṁ parasmai-jyotiṣe namaḥ || 42 || (parañjyotiṣe – परञ्ज्यॊतिषॆ)
the Supreme light, the Supreme Radiance
oṁ parasmai-jyotiṣe namaḥ || 42 || (parañjyotiṣe – परञ्ज्यॊतिषॆ)
the Supreme light, the Supreme Radiance
ॐ
यादवॆन्द्राय नमः
oṁ yādavendrāya namaḥ || 43 ||
the king of the Yadu clan (Yadavas)
oṁ yādavendrāya namaḥ || 43 ||
the king of the Yadu clan (Yadavas)
ॐ
यदूद्वहाय नमः
oṁ yadu-dvahāya namaḥ || 44 ||
the preeminent leader of the Yadu Dynasty
oṁ yadu-dvahāya namaḥ || 44 ||
the preeminent leader of the Yadu Dynasty
ॐ
वनमालिनॆ नमः
oṁ vanamāline namaḥ || 45 ||
One who wears the divine garland made of wild forest flowers (Vaijayanthi)
oṁ vanamāline namaḥ || 45 ||
One who wears the divine garland made of wild forest flowers (Vaijayanthi)
ॐ
पीतवाससे नमः
oṁ pīta-vāsase namaḥ || 46 || (pītavāsane)
the Lord who wears yellow garments
oṁ pīta-vāsase namaḥ || 46 || (pītavāsane)
the Lord who wears yellow garments
ॐ
पारिजातपहारकाय
नमः
oṁ pārijāta-apahārakāya namaḥ || 47 ||
the Lord who removed the parijatha flower (from India’s garden)
oṁ pārijāta-apahārakāya namaḥ || 47 ||
the Lord who removed the parijatha flower (from India’s garden)
ॐ
गोवर्धनाचलोद्धर्त्रे
नमः
oṁ govardhanācaloddhartre namaḥ || 48 ||
the Lord who held up the Govardhana mountain
oṁ govardhanācaloddhartre namaḥ || 48 ||
the Lord who held up the Govardhana mountain
ॐ
गॊपालाय नमः
oṁ gopālāya namaḥ || 49 ||
the protector of cows, Gopāla
oṁ gopālāya namaḥ || 49 ||
the protector of cows, Gopāla
ॐ
सर्वपालकाय नमः ॥ ५० ॥
oṁ sarva-pālakāya namaḥ || 50 ||
the protector of all beings
oṁ sarva-pālakāya namaḥ || 50 ||
the protector of all beings
ॐ
अजाय नमः
oṁ ajāya namaḥ || 51 ||
the all-victorious Lord who is unconquered/ invincible,
oṁ ajāya namaḥ || 51 ||
the all-victorious Lord who is unconquered/ invincible,
ॐ
निरञ्जनाय नमः
oṁ nirañjanāya namaḥ || 52 ||
the unblemished, untainted Lord
oṁ nirañjanāya namaḥ || 52 ||
the unblemished, untainted Lord
ॐ
कामजनकाय नमः
oṁ kāma-janakāya namaḥ || 53 ||
who incites the gopIs desires
oṁ kāma-janakāya namaḥ || 53 ||
who incites the gopIs desires
ॐ
कञ्जलॊचनाय नमः
oṁ kañja-locanāya namaḥ || 54 ||
the Lord who has beautiful eyes
oṁ kañja-locanāya namaḥ || 54 ||
the Lord who has beautiful eyes
ॐ
मधुघ्नॆ नमः
oṁ madhughne namaḥ || 55 ||
the Lord who killed the demon Madhu
oṁ madhughne namaḥ || 55 ||
the Lord who killed the demon Madhu
ॐ
मथुरानाथाय नमः
oṁ mathurā-nāthāya namaḥ || 56 || (madhurānāthāya)
Lord of Mathurā (the Lord of sweetnes)
oṁ mathurā-nāthāya namaḥ || 56 || (madhurānāthāya)
Lord of Mathurā (the Lord of sweetnes)
ॐ
द्वारकानायकाय
नमः
oṁ dvārakā-nāyakāya namaḥ || 57 ||
the hero and Lord of Dvārakā
oṁ dvārakā-nāyakāya namaḥ || 57 ||
the hero and Lord of Dvārakā
ॐ
बलिनॆ नमः
oṁ baline namaḥ || 58 ||
To the all-powerful Lord, the One with unlimited strength
oṁ baline namaḥ || 58 ||
To the all-powerful Lord, the One with unlimited strength
ॐ
बृन्दावनान्त सञ्चारिणॆ नमः
oṁ vṛndāvanānta-sañcāriṇe namaḥ || 59 ||
the Lord who roamed around Vrindavana
oṁ vṛndāvanānta-sañcāriṇe namaḥ || 59 ||
the Lord who roamed around Vrindavana
ॐ
तुलसीदाम भूषनाय नमः ॥ ६० ॥
oṁ tulasī-dāma-bhūṣaṇāya namaḥ || 60 ||
the Lord who adorns Himself with tulasi leaf garlands
oṁ tulasī-dāma-bhūṣaṇāya namaḥ || 60 ||
the Lord who adorns Himself with tulasi leaf garlands
ॐ
स्यमन्तकमणेर्हर्त्रे
नमः
oṁ syamantaka-maner-hartre namaḥ || 61 || (mani-hartre – मणिहर्त्रे)
the Lord who appropriated the Syamantaka jewel
oṁ syamantaka-maner-hartre namaḥ || 61 || (mani-hartre – मणिहर्त्रे)
the Lord who appropriated the Syamantaka jewel
ॐ
नरनारयणात्मकाय
नमः
oṁ naranārayaṇātmakāya namaḥ || 62 ||
the Lord who has the twin forms of Nara and Narayana
oṁ naranārayaṇātmakāya namaḥ || 62 ||
the Lord who has the twin forms of Nara and Narayana
ॐ
कुब्जा कृष्णाम्बरधराय
नमः
oṁ kubjā-kṛṣṇāmbara-dharāya namaḥ || 63 || (kṛṣṭāmbara – कृष्णाम्बर)
the Lord who wore the ointment (sandal paste) offered by Kubja, the hunchbacked lady
oṁ kubjā-kṛṣṇāmbara-dharāya namaḥ || 63 || (kṛṣṭāmbara – कृष्णाम्बर)
the Lord who wore the ointment (sandal paste) offered by Kubja, the hunchbacked lady
ॐ
मायिनॆ नमः
oṁ māyine namaḥ || 64 ||
the Lord of Maya, the master of illusion
oṁ māyine namaḥ || 64 ||
the Lord of Maya, the master of illusion
ॐ
परमपुरुषाय नमः
oṁ parama-pūruṣāya namaḥ || 65 ||
the Supreme person
oṁ parama-pūruṣāya namaḥ || 65 ||
the Supreme person
ॐ
मुष्टिकासुर चाणूर मल्लयुद्ध विशारदाय नमः
oṁ muṣṭikāsura cāṇūra mallayuddha viśāradāya namaḥ || 66 ||
the lord who expertly fought the demoniac wrestlers Muṣṭika and Cāṇūra
oṁ muṣṭikāsura cāṇūra mallayuddha viśāradāya namaḥ || 66 ||
the lord who expertly fought the demoniac wrestlers Muṣṭika and Cāṇūra
ॐ
संसारवैरिणॆ नमः
oṁ saṁsāra-vairiṇe namaḥ || 67 ||
the enemy of Samsara (the cycle of births and deaths)
oṁ saṁsāra-vairiṇe namaḥ || 67 ||
the enemy of Samsara (the cycle of births and deaths)
ॐ
कंसारयॆ नमः
oṁ kaṁsāraye namaḥ || 68 ||
the enemy of King Kamsa (who wanted to kill Krishna)
oṁ kaṁsāraye namaḥ || 68 ||
the enemy of King Kamsa (who wanted to kill Krishna)
ॐ
मुरारयॆ नमः
oṁ murāraye namaḥ || 69 || (murarine)
the enemy of the demon Mura
oṁ murāraye namaḥ || 69 || (murarine)
the enemy of the demon Mura
ॐ
नाराकान्तकाय नमः ॥ ७० ॥
oṁ nārākāntakāya namaḥ || 70 ||
the destroyer of the demon Narakāsura
oṁ nārākāntakāya namaḥ || 70 ||
the destroyer of the demon Narakāsura
ॐ
अनादि ब्रह्मचारिणॆ नमः
oṁ anādi-brahmacāriṇe namaḥ || 71 ||
the beginningless brahmacārī
oṁ anādi-brahmacāriṇe namaḥ || 71 ||
the beginningless brahmacārī
ॐ
कृष्णाव्यसन कर्शकाय नमः
oṁ kṛṣṇā-vyasana-karśakāya namaḥ || 72 ||
Kṛṣṇa, who removed Draupadi’s distress
oṁ kṛṣṇā-vyasana-karśakāya namaḥ || 72 ||
Kṛṣṇa, who removed Draupadi’s distress
ॐ
शिशुपालशिरश्छेत्रे
नमः
oṁ śiṣupāla-śiraś-chetre namaḥ || 73 || (śiccetre – शिच्चॆत्रॆ)
the Lord who cut off Sisupala’s head (with his Sudarsana Chakra)
oṁ śiṣupāla-śiraś-chetre namaḥ || 73 || (śiccetre – शिच्चॆत्रॆ)
the Lord who cut off Sisupala’s head (with his Sudarsana Chakra)
ॐ
दुर्यॊधनकुलान्तकाय
नमः
oṁ duryodhana-kulāntakāya namaḥ || 74 ||
the destroyer of the dynasty of Durodhana
oṁ duryodhana-kulāntakāya namaḥ || 74 ||
the destroyer of the dynasty of Durodhana
ॐ
विदुराक्रूर वरदाय नमः
oṁ vidurākrūra-varadāya namaḥ || 75 ||
the Lord who benedicted Vidura & Akrūra
oṁ vidurākrūra-varadāya namaḥ || 75 ||
the Lord who benedicted Vidura & Akrūra
ॐ
विश्वरूपप्रदर्शकाय
नमः
oṁ viśvarūpa-pradarśakāya namaḥ || 76 ||
the Lord who revealed His Viswarupa (the Universal Form)
oṁ viśvarūpa-pradarśakāya namaḥ || 76 ||
the Lord who revealed His Viswarupa (the Universal Form)
ॐ
सत्यवाचॆ नमः
oṁ satya-vāce namaḥ || 77 ||
To the Lord who utters only truth
oṁ satya-vāce namaḥ || 77 ||
To the Lord who utters only truth
ॐ
सत्य सङ्कल्पाय नमः
oṁ satya-saṅkalpāya namaḥ || 78 ||
the Lord of true resolve, whose determination is fact
oṁ satya-saṅkalpāya namaḥ || 78 ||
the Lord of true resolve, whose determination is fact
ॐ
सत्यभामारताय नमः
oṁ satyabhāmā-ratāya namaḥ || 79 || (ratāye)
the Lover of Satyabhama
oṁ satyabhāmā-ratāya namaḥ || 79 || (ratāye)
the Lover of Satyabhama
ॐ
जयिनॆ नमः ॥ ८० ॥
oṁ jayine namaḥ || 80 ||
the Lord who is ever victorious
oṁ jayine namaḥ || 80 ||
the Lord who is ever victorious
ॐ
सुभद्रा पूर्वजाय नमः
oṁ subhadrā-pūrva-jāya namaḥ || 81 ||
the elder brother of Subhadra
oṁ subhadrā-pūrva-jāya namaḥ || 81 ||
the elder brother of Subhadra
ॐ
विष्णवॆ नमः
oṁ viṣṇave namaḥ || 82 ||
Lord Viṣṇu
oṁ viṣṇave namaḥ || 82 ||
Lord Viṣṇu
ॐ
भीष्ममुक्ति प्रदायकाय नमः
oṁ bhīṣma-mukti-pradāyakāya namaḥ || 83 ||
the Lord who bestowed salvation on Bhishma
oṁ bhīṣma-mukti-pradāyakāya namaḥ || 83 ||
the Lord who bestowed salvation on Bhishma
ॐ
जगद्गुरवॆ नमः
oṁ jagad-gurave namaḥ || 84 ||
the Lord who is universal Guru, world preceptor
oṁ jagad-gurave namaḥ || 84 ||
the Lord who is universal Guru, world preceptor
ॐ
जगन्नाथाय नमः
oṁ jagannāthāya namaḥ || 85 ||
the Lord Lord of the universe
oṁ jagannāthāya namaḥ || 85 ||
the Lord Lord of the universe
ॐ
वॆणुनाद विशारदाय नमः
oṁ veṇu-nāda-viśāradāya namaḥ || 86 ||
the Lord who is an expert in playing flute music
oṁ veṇu-nāda-viśāradāya namaḥ || 86 ||
the Lord who is an expert in playing flute music
ॐ
वृषभासुर विध्वंसिने नमः
oṁ vṛṣabhāsura-vidhvaṁsine namaḥ || 87 ||
the Lord who destroyed the demon Vrishaba asura
oṁ vṛṣabhāsura-vidhvaṁsine namaḥ || 87 ||
the Lord who destroyed the demon Vrishaba asura
ॐ
बाणासुर करान्तकाय नमः
oṁ bāṇāsura-karāntakāya namaḥ || 88 || (karāntakṛte – करान्तकृतॆ)
the Lord who chopped off the hands of the demon Bāṇāsura
oṁ bāṇāsura-karāntakāya namaḥ || 88 || (karāntakṛte – करान्तकृतॆ)
the Lord who chopped off the hands of the demon Bāṇāsura
ॐ
युधिष्ठिर प्रतिष्ठात्रे
नमः
oṁ yudhiṣṭhira-pratiṣṭhātre namaḥ || 89 ||
the Lord who established Yudhiṣṭhira (as the king)
oṁ yudhiṣṭhira-pratiṣṭhātre namaḥ || 89 ||
the Lord who established Yudhiṣṭhira (as the king)
ॐ
बर्हिबर्हावतंसकाय
नमः ॥ ९० ॥
oṁ barhi-barhāvat-aṁsakaya namaḥ || 90 ||
the Lord whose crest is decorated with peacock feathers
oṁ barhi-barhāvat-aṁsakaya namaḥ || 90 ||
the Lord whose crest is decorated with peacock feathers
ॐ
पार्थसारथये नमः
oṁ pārtha-sārathaye namaḥ || 91 ||
the Lord who is the chariot driver of Arjuna (Pārtha Sārathi)
oṁ pārtha-sārathaye namaḥ || 91 ||
the Lord who is the chariot driver of Arjuna (Pārtha Sārathi)
ॐ
अव्यक्ताय नमः
oṁ avyaktāya namaḥ || 92 ||
the Lord Who appears unmanifest, who is subtle and unseen to material vision
oṁ avyaktāya namaḥ || 92 ||
the Lord Who appears unmanifest, who is subtle and unseen to material vision
ॐ
गीतामृत महोदधये नमः
oṁ gītāmṛta-mahodadhaye namaḥ || 93 || (mahodhadiye – महोधदियॆ)
the Lord who is the great nectar-ocean of Bhagavad-gita
oṁ gītāmṛta-mahodadhaye namaḥ || 93 || (mahodhadiye – महोधदियॆ)
the Lord who is the great nectar-ocean of Bhagavad-gita
ॐ
कालीय फणिमाणिक्य रञ्जित श्री पदाम्बुजाय नमः
oṁ kālīya-phaṇi-māṇikya-rañjita-śrī-padāmbujāya namaḥ || 94 ||
the Lord whose beautiful lotus feet danced on the jeweled hoods of the Kāliya serpent.
oṁ kālīya-phaṇi-māṇikya-rañjita-śrī-padāmbujāya namaḥ || 94 ||
the Lord whose beautiful lotus feet danced on the jeweled hoods of the Kāliya serpent.
ॐ
दामॊदराय नमः
oṁ dāmodarāya namaḥ || 95 ||
the One who was tied up with a rope to a grinding stone by His mother Yaśodā
oṁ dāmodarāya namaḥ || 95 ||
the One who was tied up with a rope to a grinding stone by His mother Yaśodā
ॐ
यज्ञभोक्त्रे नमः
oṁ yajña-bhoktre namaḥ || 96 ||
the enjoyer of sacrificial offerings
oṁ yajña-bhoktre namaḥ || 96 ||
the enjoyer of sacrificial offerings
ॐ
दानवॆन्द्र विनाशकाय नमः
oṁ dānavendra-vināśakāya namaḥ || 97 ||
destroyer of the leading demons, killer of the Lord of Asuras
oṁ dānavendra-vināśakāya namaḥ || 97 ||
destroyer of the leading demons, killer of the Lord of Asuras
ॐ
नारायणाय नमः
oṁ nārāyaṇāya namaḥ || 98 ||
Lord Nārāyaṇa, Viṣṇu
oṁ nārāyaṇāya namaḥ || 98 ||
Lord Nārāyaṇa, Viṣṇu
ॐ
परब्रह्मणॆ नमः
oṁ para-brahmaṇe namaḥ || 99 ||
the Supreme absolute Truth Brahman (which is spiritual)
oṁ para-brahmaṇe namaḥ || 99 ||
the Supreme absolute Truth Brahman (which is spiritual)
ॐ
पन्नगाशन वाहनाय नमः ॥ १०० ॥
oṁ pannagāśana-vāhanāya namaḥ || 100 ||
the Lord who has a serpent (Adisesha) as His seat, the great snake Vasuki that forms the bed of Vishnu
oṁ pannagāśana-vāhanāya namaḥ || 100 ||
the Lord who has a serpent (Adisesha) as His seat, the great snake Vasuki that forms the bed of Vishnu
ॐ
जलक्रीडा समासक्त गॊपीवस्त्रापहाराकाय
नमः
oṁ jala-krīḍā-samāsakta-gopī-vastrāpahārakāya namaḥ || 101 ||
the Lord who playfully stole the gopīs clothing while they played in the waters of the Yamuna river
oṁ jala-krīḍā-samāsakta-gopī-vastrāpahārakāya namaḥ || 101 ||
the Lord who playfully stole the gopīs clothing while they played in the waters of the Yamuna river
ॐ
पुण्य श्लॊकाय नमः
oṁ puṇya-ślokāya namaḥ || 102 ||
the Lord whose poetic depictions are virtuous, whose praises bestow merit
oṁ puṇya-ślokāya namaḥ || 102 ||
the Lord whose poetic depictions are virtuous, whose praises bestow merit
ॐ
तीर्थपादाय नमः
oṁ tīrtha-pādāya namaḥ || 103 ||
creator of holy places, the One whose feet are holy
oṁ tīrtha-pādāya namaḥ || 103 ||
creator of holy places, the One whose feet are holy
ॐ
वॆदवॆद्याय नमः
oṁ veda-vedyāya namaḥ || 104 ||
the Lord who is the source of the Vedas, who is revealed by the Vedas
oṁ veda-vedyāya namaḥ || 104 ||
the Lord who is the source of the Vedas, who is revealed by the Vedas
ॐ
दयानिधयॆ नमः
oṁ dayā-nidhaye namaḥ || 105 ||
the Lord who is the Treasure of compassion
oṁ dayā-nidhaye namaḥ || 105 ||
the Lord who is the Treasure of compassion
ॐ
सर्वभूतात्मकाय
नमः
oṁ sarva-bhūtātmakāya namaḥ || 106 ||
the Lord who is possessing the essence of the elements
oṁ sarva-bhūtātmakāya namaḥ || 106 ||
the Lord who is possessing the essence of the elements
ॐ
सर्वग्रह रुपिणॆ नमः
oṁ sarva-graha-rūpiṇe namaḥ || 107 ||
the Lord who forms all the planets
oṁ sarva-graha-rūpiṇe namaḥ || 107 ||
the Lord who forms all the planets
ॐ
परात्पराय नमः ॥ 108 ॥
oṁ parātparāya namaḥ
The Supreme beyond the highest
oṁ parātparāya namaḥ
The Supreme beyond the highest
Sri Janmashtami
Vrata/Puja Vidhanam – Brahma Vaivarta Puranam
BY K. Muralidharan
The following furnishes the
procedure to observe Lord Krishna Janmashtami Vratam and perform Puja on that
day taken from Brahma Vaivarta Puranam, Krishna Janma Khanda, and Chapter 8
titled Krishna Janmashtami Vrata Puja Upavasa Nirupanam as given by Lord Brahma
to Lord Kumara and retold by Lord Narayana to Sage Narada.
The first part titled Sri Janmashtami Vrata
Vidhanam furnishes the procedure for observing Janmashtami Vratam and the
benefits accrued. The middle part furnishes the procedure for performing
Janmashtami Puja with 16 Upacharas. The Upacharas given here are slightly
different from the usual ones. While most of the Upacharas contain Upachara
shlokas (which can be chanted while performing the particular Upachara, a
couple of them contain only the prescription of what to be done. The final part
provides the benefits of observing the Vratam and Do’s and Don’ts, a brief of
which is given below.
• One should eat only cooked rice
(Havishya) once on Saptami day (7th lunar day). On Ashtami day, one should get
up before sunrise, perform ablutions and start Vratam by performing Sankalpa
(resolution) that he would observe the Vrat to beget Bhagavan Krishna’s
blessings. He should get all materials ready for the puja such as 8 types of
flowers, sweets, coconut, Vastra, etc necessary for 16 Upacharas.
• One who observes this Vrata
gets the benefit of performing Vrata/Puja/Upavasa on a Manvadi day multiplied
by crore times. One who performs Tarpana to ancestors even with water gets the
benefit of performing Shraddha in Gaya for 100 years.
• After bath, he should wear pure
dress, be seated and wash hands. He should chant Swasti Vachaka shlokas. After
that he should install a pot filled with water (Ghata) and invoke 5 Devatas
(presumably Pancha Lokapala Devas – Ganapati, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Gauri) and
perform puja to them.
• After that, Lord Krishna,
Vasudeva, Devaki, Yashoda, Nanda, Rohini, Baladeva, Shashti Devi, Prithvi, Brahmani,
Asthtami, Sthana Devata, Ashwatthama, Bali, Hanuman, Vibhishana, Kripacharya,
Parashurama, Vedavyasa and Markandeya should be invoked in the Kalasha and puja
performed to them.
• Then one should perform Puja to
Lord Krishna as per the Puja Vidhi given under the tile Janmashtami Puja
Vidhanam (below). After that, perform puja to the other devatas invoked
earlier.
• After this, perform puja to
Sunanda, Nanda, Kumuda, Gopa, Gopi, Radhika, Ganesha, Kartikeya, Brahma, Shiva,
Parvati, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Dik,palakas, Planets, Shesha, Sudarshana, and
Parshadas with utmost devotion by offering flowers thrice and prostrate before
them.
• Offer Neivedyam and Dakshina to
Brahmins and listen to Krishna Janmashtami story from them.
• After that, sit on a seat made
of Kusha grass and keep vigil throughout the night.
• On the following day (Navami),
perform fire ritual (Havan) to Lord Krishna, feed Brahmins and perform Hari
Kirtan.
• If Ashtami Tithi as well as
Rohini Nakshatra occur during midnight, it is very auspicious and is capable of
destroying all sins accrued in a crore births. The conjunction of Mercury and
Moon at this time is even more auspicious and the observer of Vrat will never
enter a womb again.
• Janmashtami Vrata should never
be performed on a day in which both Saptami and Ashtami occur.
• One should do Parana (break
fast) only after Rohini Tithi is over.
• If one just observes fast only,
he attains the benefit of performing Ashwamedha Yajna. If one observes only
Vrat but without vigil, he gets the sins accrued in previous seven briths
nullified.
• One who eats on Janmashtami day
is to be considered as the lowest of the human being and will destroy all punya
accrued in the previous one crore births and becomes unfit for performing
ceremonies to ancestors (Pitrus) and will reside in the hell called Kalasutra
until Sun and moon exist. After that he takes hundreds of births such as worms,
etc. before being born as a Brahmin.
• If one really can’t do Upavasa
(i.e. unable to fast), then he should feed at least one Brahmin and offer
Dakshina to him. After this he should do 1008 Gayatri Japa along with
Pranayama.
śrīnārada uvāca –
Janmāṣṭamī-vrataṁ brūhi vratānāṁ-varataṁ-uttamam | phalaṁ jayantī
yogasya sāmānyenaiva sāṁpratam || 1 ||
ko vā doṣo 'pyakaraṇe bhojane vā
mahāmune | upavāsa-phalaṁ-kiṁ vā jayantyāṁ ca susaṁmatam
|| 2 ||
vrataṁ pūjā-vidhānaṁ ca saṁyamasya ca sāṁpratam | upavāsa-pāraṇayoḥ
suvicārya vada prabho
||3 | |
śrījanmāṣṭamī vrata vidhānam || śrīnārāyaṇa uvāca - kṛtvā haviṣyaṁ
saptamyāṁ saṁyataḥ pāraṇe tathā aruṇodaya-velāyāṁ
samutthāya pare 'hani || 4 ||
prātaḥ kṛtyaṁ saṁvidhāya snātvā saṅkalpaṁ ācaret | vratopavāsayor
brahmañ chrīkṛṣṇa-prīti-hetukam || 5 ||
manvādi-divase prāpte yatphalaṁ
snāna-pūjanaiḥ | phalaṁ bhādrapade 'ṣṭamyāṁ bhavet-koṭi-guṇaṁ dvija || 6 ||
tasyāṁ tithau vāri-mātraṁ pitṛṇāṁ yaḥ prayacchati | gayā-śrāddhaṁ-kṛtaṁ
tena śtābdaṁ nā'tra-saṁśayaḥ || 7 ||
snātvā nitya-kriyāṁ-kṛtvā nirmāya sūtikā-gṛham | loha-khaṇḍa-vahni-jālair
yuktaṁ rakṣaka-saṅghakaiḥ || 8 ||
tatra-dravyaṁ bahu-vidhaṁ nābhicchedana-kartanam | dhātrī-svarūpāṁ nārīṁ
ca yatnataḥ sthāpayed budhaḥ || 9 ||
pūjā-dravyāṇi cārūṇi sopacārāṇi ṣoḍaśa | phalānyaṣṭau ca miṣṭāni dravyāṇyeva
hi nārada || 10 ||
jātīphalaṁ ca kaṅkolaṁ dāḍimaṁ śrīphalaṁ tathā || 11 ||
nārīkeraṁ ca jambīraṁ kūṣmāṇḍaṁ ca suvāsasam | āsanaṁ vasanaṁ pādyaṁ
madhuparkaṁ tathaiva ca || 12 ||
arghyaṁ ācamanīyaṁ ca snānīyaṁ śayanaṁ tathā | gandhaṁ puṣpaṁ ca
naivedyaṁ tāmbūlaṁ anulepanam || 13 ||
dhūpa-dīpau bhūṣaṇaṁ vai copacārāṁśca ṣoḍaśa | pāda-prakṣālanaṁ-kṛtvā
dhṛtvā dhaute ca vāsasī
|| 14 ||
ācamya cā'sane sthitvā svasti-vācana-pūrvakam | ghaṭasyā 'ropaṇaṁ kṛtvā
saṁpūjya pañca-devatāḥ
|| 15 ||
ghaṭe hyāvāhanaṁ kṛtvā śrīkṛṣṇaṁ parameśvaram | vasudevaṁ devakīṁ ca
yaśodāṁ nandameva ca
|| 16 ||
rohiṇīṁ baladevaṁ ca ṣaṣṭhī-devīṁ ca vasundharām | rohiṇīṁ brāhmaṇīṁ
caiva aṣṭamīṁ sthāna-devatām || 17 ||
aśvatthāmnā saha baliṁ hanūmantaṁ vibhīṣaṇam | kṛpaṁ paraśurāmaṁ ca
vedavyāsaṁ mṛkaṇḍujam || 18 ||
sarvasyā''vāhanaṁ kṛtvā dhyānaṁ kuryād hares tadā | puṣpakaṁ mastake
nyasya punar dhyāyed vicakṣaṇaḥ || 19 ||
dhyānaṁ ca sāmavedoktaṁ śṛṇu vakṣyāmi
nārada | brahmaṇā kathitaṁ pūrvaṁ kumārāya mahātmane || 20 ||
|| dhyānam ||
bālaṁ nīlāmbujābhaṁ atiśaya-ruciraṁ smera-vaktrāmbujaṁ tam | brahmeśā
'nanta dharmaiḥ katikati-divasaiḥ stūyamānaṁ paraṁ yam | dhyānā 'sādhyaṁ ṛṣīndrair
muni-gaṇa-manujaiḥ siddha-saṅghair asādhyam | yogīndrāṇāṁ-acintyaṁ
atiśayamatulaṁ sākṣi-rūpaṁ bhaje'ham || 21 ||
dhyātvā puṣpaṁ ca dattvā ca tatsarvaṁ ca nivedayat | evaṁ vratī vrataṁ
kuryāc chṛṇu mantra-kramaṁ mune || 22 ||
|| āsanam ||
āsanaṁ sarva-śobhāḍhyaṁ
sadratna-maṇi-nirmitam | vicitraṁ ca vicitreṇa gṛhyatāṁ śobhanaṁ hare
|| 23 ||
|| vastram ||
vasanaṁ vahni-śaucaṁ ca nirmitaṁ-viśvakarmaṇā | pratapta svarṇa-khacitaṁ
citritaṁ gṛhyatāṁ hare
|| 24 ||
|| pādyam ||
pāda-prakṣālanārthaṁ ca svarṇa-pātra-sthitaṁ-jalam | pavitraṁ nirmalaṁ
cāru pādyaṁ ca gṛhyatāṁ hare || 25 ||
|| pañcāmṛta snānam ||
madhusarpi dadhi kṣīraṁ śarkarā saṁyutaṁ param | svarṇa-pātra-sthitaṁ
deyaṁ snānārthaṁ gṛhyatāṁ hare || 26 ||
|| arghyam ||
dūrvā 'kṣataṁ śukla-puṣpaṁ svaccha-toya-samanvitam | candanāguru
kastūrī sahitaṁ gṛhyatāṁ hare
|| 27 ||
|| ācamanīyam ||
susvādu-svaccha-toyaṁ ca vāsitaṁ-gandha-vastunā | śuddhaṁ ācamanīyaṁ ca
gṛhyatāṁ parameśvara || 28 ||
|| snānam ||
gandha-dravya-samāyuktaṁ viṣṇo tailaṁ suvāsitam | āmalakyā-dravaṁ caiva
snānīyaṁ gṛhyatāṁ hare || 29 ||
|| śayyā ||
sadratna-maṇi-sāreṇa racitāṁ sumanoharām | chāditāṁ-sūkṣma-vastreṇa
śayyāṁ ca gṛhyatāṁ hare
|| 30 ||
|| gandham ||
cūrṇaṁ-ca-vṛkṣa-bhedānāṁ mūlānāṁ-drava-saṁyutam | kastūrī-drava-saṁyuktaṁ
gandhaṁ ca gṛhyatāṁ hare || 31 ||
|| puṣpam ||
puṣpaṁ-sugandhi-yuktaṁ ca saṁyuktaṁ-kuṅkumena ca | supriyaṁ-sarva-devānāṁ
sāṁprataṁ gṛhyatāṁ hare || 32 ||
|| neivedyam ||
gṛhyatāṁ svastikoktaṁ ca miṣṭa-dravya-samanvitam | supakva-phala-saṁyuktaṁ
neivedyaṁ gṛhyatāṁ hare || 33 ||
laḍḍukaṁ modakaṁ caiva sarpiḥ kṣīraṁ guḍaṁ madhu | novaddhataṁ dadhi
takraṁ neivedyaṁ gṛhyatāṁ hare || 34 ||
|| tāmbūlam ||
śītalaṁ śarkarā yuktaṁ kṣīraṁ svādu supakvakam | tāmbūlaṁ bhogasāraṁ ca
karpūrādi samanvitam | bhaktyā niveditaṁ idaṁ gṛhyatāṁ parameśvara || 35 ||
|| abīra-cūrṇam ||
candanā 'guru kastūrī kuṅkuma drava saṁyutam | abīra-cūrṇaṁ ruciraṁ gṛhyatāṁ
parameśvara
|| 36 ||
|| dhūpam ||
taru-bheda-rasotkarṣo gandha-yukto 'gninā saha | supriyaḥ-sarva-devānāṁ
dhūpo'yaṁ gṛhyatāṁ hare || 37 ||
|| dīpam ||
ghorāndhakāra-nāśaika hetureva śubhāvahaḥ | supradīpo dīptikaro dīpo'yaṁ
gṛhyatāṁ hare || 38 ||
|| pānīyam ||
pavitraṁ nirmalaṁ toyaṁ karpūrādi-samāyutam | jīvana sarva-jīvānāṁ
pānārthaṁ gṛhyatāṁ hare
|| 39 ||
|| mālyam ||
nānā-puṣpa-samāyuktaṁ grathitaṁ-sūkṣma-tantunā | śarīra-bhūṣaṇa-varaṁ
mālyaṁ ca pratigṛhyatām || 40 ||
|| anya dravyāṇi ||
dattvā deyāni dravyāṇi pūjopayogitāni ca | vrata-sthāna-sthitaṁ dravyaṁ
haraye devameva ca || 41 ||
|| phalam ||
phalāni taru-bījāni svādūni sundarāṇi ca | vaṁśa-vṛddhi-karāṇyeva gṛhyatāṁ
parameśvara || 42 ||
|| anya devatā evaṁ uttarāṅga
pūjā ||
āvāhitāṁśca devāṁśca pratyekaṁ pūjayet vratī | tān pūjya bhakti-bhāvena
dadyāt-puṣpañjali-trayam
|| 43 ||
sunanda nanda kumudān gopān gopīśca rādhikām | gaṇeśaṁ kārtikeyaṁ ca
brahmāṇaṁ ca śivaṁ śivām || 44 ||
lakṣmīṁ sarasvatīṁ caiva dikpālāṁśca
grahāṁs tathā | śeṣaṁ sudarśanaṁ caiva pārṣada-pravarāṁs tathā || 45 ||
saṁpūjya-sarva-devāṁśca praṇamya daṇḍavad bhuvi | brāhmaṇebhyaśca
neivedyaṁ dattvā dadyācca dakṣiṇām || 46 ||
kathāṁ ca janmādhyāyoktāṁ śṛṇuyād-bhakti-bhāvataḥ | tadā
kuśāsane-sthitvā kuryāj jāgaraṇaṁ vratī || 47 ||
prabhāte cā 'hnikaṁ kṛtvā saṁpūjya
śrīhariṁ mudā | brāhmaṇān bhojayitvā ca kārayed-hari-kīrtanam || 48 ||
|| phalaśrutiḥ ||
nārada uvāca - vrata-kāla-vyavasthāṁ ca vedoktāṁ sarva-saṁmatām |
vedārthaṁ ca samālocya saṁhitāṁ ca purātanīm || 49 ||
upavāse jāgaraṇe vrate kiṁ vā phalaṁ mune | kiṁ vā pāpaṁ tatra bhuktvā
vada vedavidāṁ-vara
|| 50 ||
śrīnārāyaṇa uvāca - aṣṭamī karkṣa-saṁyuktā rātryardhe yadi dṛśyate | sa
eva mukhya-kālaśca tatra jātaḥ svayaṁ hariḥ || 51 ||
jayaṁ puṇyaṁ ca kurute jayantī tena saṁsmṛtā | tatropoṣya vrataṁ kṛtvā
kuryāj jāgaraṇaṁ budhaḥ
|| 52 ||
sarvā'pavādaḥ kālo'yaṁ pradhānaḥ sarva-saṁmataḥ | iti vedavidāṁ vāṇī
cetyuktvā vedhasā purā
|| 53 ||
tatra jāgaraṇaṁ kṛtvā yaścopoṣya vrataṁ caret | koṭi-janmārjitāt-pāpān
mucyate nātra saṁśayaḥ
|| 54 ||
varjanīyā prayatnena saptamī-sahitā-'ṣṭamī | sā sarkṣā'pi na kartavyā
saptamī-sahitā-'ṣṭamī || 55 ||
aviddhāyāṁ kaṛkṣāyāṁ jāto devakī-nandanaḥ | veda-vedāṅga-gupteti viśiṣṭe
maṅgala-kṣaṇe || 56 ||
vyatīte rohiṇī ṛkṣe vratī kuryāc ca pāraṇām | tithyante ca hariṁ smṛtvā
kṛtvā devārcanaṁ vratī || 57 ||
pāraṇaṁ pāvanaṁ puṁsāṁ sarva-pāpa-praṇāśanam | upavāsāṅga-bhūtaṁ ca
phaladaṁ siddhi-kāraṇam || 58 ||
sarveṣvevopavāseṣu divā pāraṇamiṣyate | anyathā phalahāniḥ syāt kṛte
dhāraṇa pāraṇe || 59 ||
nā rātrau pāraṇaṁ kuryād ṛte vai
rohiṇī vratāt | niśāyāṁ pāraṇaṁ kuryād varjayitvā mahāniśām
|| 60 ||
pūrvāhṇe pāraṇaṁ śastaṁ kṛtvā vipra-surārcanam | sarveṣāṁ saṁmataṁ
kuryād ṛte vai rohiṇī vratam || 61 ||
budha-soma-samāyuktā jayantī yadi labhyate | na kuryād garbha-vāsaṁ ca
tatra kṛtvā vrataṁ vratī |
|| 62 ||
api varṣa-śatenāpi labhyate vā na labhyate | vrataṁ tatra vratī kuryāt
puṁsāṁ koṭiṁ samuddharet
|| 64 ||
nṛṇāṁ vinā vratenāpi bhaktānāṁ hīna-saṁpadām | kṛtenaivopavāsena prīto
bhavati mādhavaḥ || 65 ||
bhaktyā nānopacāreṇa rātrau jāgaraṇena ca | phalaṁ dadāti daityārir
jayantī vrata saṁbhavam || 66 ||
vitta-śāṭhyaṁ-akurvāṇaḥ saṁyak phalaṁ avāpnuyāt | kurvāṇo vitta-śāṭhyaṁ
ca labhate sadṛśaṁ phalam || 67 ||
aṣṭamyāmatha rohiṇyāṁ na kuryāt pāraṇaṁ budhaḥ | hanyāt purā kṛtaṁ puṇyaṁ
copavāsārjitaṁ phalam || 68 || tithir aṣṭa-guṇaṁ hanti nakṣatraṁ ca caturguṇam
| tasmāt prayatnataḥ kuryāt tithi-bhānte ca pāraṇam || 69 ||
mahāniśāyāṁ prāptāyāṁ tithi-bhāntaṁ yadā bhavet | tṛtīye 'hni muniśreṣṭha
pāraṇaṁ kurute budhaḥ || 70 ||
ṣaṇmuhūrte vyatīte tu rātrāveva
mahāniśā | labhate brahma-hatyāṁ ca tatra-bhuktvā ca nārada
|| 71 ||
go-māṁsa viṇmūtra samaṁ tāmbūlaṁ ca phalaṁ jalam | puṁsāṁ abhakṣyaṁ
śuddhānāṁ odanasya ca kā kathā || 72 ||
triyāmāṁ rajanīṁ prāhus
tyaktvā''dyaṁ ca catuṣṭayam | nāḍīnāṁ tad ubhe sandhye divasādyanta saṁjñite ||
73 ||
janmāṣṭamyāṁ ca śuddhāyāṁ kṛtvā
jāgaraṇaṁ vratam | śata-janma-kṛtāt-pāpān mucyate nātra saṁśayaḥ || 74 ||
janmāṣṭamyāṁ ca śuddhāyāṁ upoṣya kevalaṁ naraḥ | aśvamedha-phalaṁ tasya
vrataṁ jāgaraṇaṁ vinā || 75 ||
yad-bālye yacca-kaumāre yauvane yacca-vārdhake | sapta-janma-kṛtāt-pāpān
mucyate nātra saṁśayaḥ || 76 ||
śrīkṛṣṇa-janma-divase yaśca bhuṅkte narādhamaḥ | sa bhaven mātṛgāmī ca
brahma-hatyā-śataṁ labhet || 77 ||
koṭi-janmārjitaṁ-puṇyaṁ tasya naśyati niścitam | anarhaścāśuciḥ śaśvad
deve pitrye ca karmaṇi
|| 78 ||
ante vaset kālasūtre yāvac candra-divākarau | kṛmibhiḥ śūla tulyaiśca
tīkṣṇa-daṁṣṭraiśca bhakṣitaḥ
|| 79 ||
pāpī tataḥ samutthāya bhārate janma cellabhet | ṣaṣṭi-varṣa-sahasrāṇi
viṣṭhāyāṁ ca kṛmir bhavet
|| 80 ||
gṛdhra-koṭi-sahasrāṇi śata-janmāni sūkaraḥ | śvāpadaḥ śata-janmāni sṛgālaḥ
sapta janma ca || 81 ||
sapta-janmasu-sarpaśca kākaśca-sapta-janmasu | tato bhaven naro mūko
galat kuṣṭhī sadā'turaḥ
|| 82 ||
tato bhavet paśughnaśca vyālagrāhī tato bhavet | tadante ca bhaved
dasyur dharma-hīnaśca gṛdhrakaḥ || 83 ||
tato bhavet sa rajakas tailakāras tato bhavet | tato bhaved devalako
brāhmaṇaśca sadā 'śuciḥ || 84 || upavāsā 'samarthaśced ekaṁ vipraṁ ca bhojayet
| tāvad dhanāni vā dadyād yadbhuktaṁ dviguṇaṁ bhavet || 85 ||
sahasra saṁmitāṁ devīṁ japed vā prāṇa-saṁyamān | kuryād dvādaśa saṅkhyā
kānyathārthe tad vrate naraḥ || 86 ||
ityevaṁ kathitaṁ vatsa śrutaṁ yad dharma-vaktrataḥ | vratopavāsa pūjānāṁ
vidhānamakṛte ca yat
|| 87 ||
|| iti brāhme-vaivarte mahāpurāṇe
śrīkṛṣṇa-janma-khaṇḍe kṛṣṇa-janmāṣṭamī-vrata-pūjopavāsa nirūpaṇaṁ nāmādhyāyaṁ
sampūrṇam ||
LORD KRISHNA’S DYNASTY AND HIS 80 SONS FROM 8 WIVES
“We would believe as
authentic Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey,
think of Hercules as having existed but when we recover the skeletons purported
to be that of Kadothgaja, we say it is non sense.This despite the detailed
descriptions of cities, people, Dynasties and Geographical descriptions which
exist even to-day.” Says Ramani in his
popular Blog.
Here is the Dynasty of Lord Krishna.
And this includes Lord Krishna’s sons, Grandsons as posted in his Blog
1. Brahma
2. Daksha 3. Vivasvat 4. Manu 5. Chandra 6. Pururava 7. Aayu 8. Nahush 9. Yayati 10. Yadu 11. Kroshtu 12. Vrujjinvanta 13. Swahi 14. Swati 15. Rasadu 16. Chitrarath 17. Shashabindu 18. Pruthusravas 19. Antar 20. Suyajna 21. Ushanas 22. Shineyu 23. Maruta 24. Kambalbarhis |
25. Rukmakavach
26. Paravrushta 27. Jayamadh 28. Vidarbh 29. Kray 30. Kunti 31. Dhashti 32. Nivrutti 33. Dashai 34. Vyom 35. Jimut 36. Vikruti 37. Bhimrath 38. Rathvar 39. Navrath 40. Dashrath 41. Ekadashrath 42. Shakuni 43. Kurambhi 44. Devrat 45. Devkshetra 46. Devan 47. Madhu 48. Puruvash |
Lord Krishna, the Dwarkadheesh,
the son of Vasudev, had 80 sons. Here’s the list of the 80 sons the Lord had
from his eight prime queens (ashta patraanis).
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Shri Krishna-Rukminiji’s Sons:
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Srimad Bhagavata says that the
first son of Queen Rukmini was Pradyumna,
and also born of her were Charudeshna,
Sudeshna
and the powerful Charudeha,
along with Sucharu, Charugupta,
Bhadracharu,
Charuchandra,
Vicharu and Charu
(SB 10.61.8-9). Charudeshna
mentioned here is an incarnation of Ganesha or Vinayaka according ISKCON Following
whom Siva appointed as Vighnesa or Vighnaraja or Lord of Obstacles.
Shri Krishna-Rukminiji’s Sons:
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Shri Krishna-Satyabhama‘s Sons:
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Shri Krishna-Jambavati‘s Sons:
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Shri Krishna-Nagnajiti alias
Satya’s Sons:
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Shri Krishna-Kalindi‘s
Sons:
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Shri Krishna-Lakshmana’s Sons:
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Shri Krishna-Mitravinda’s Sons:
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Shri Krishna-Bhadra alias
Shaibya’s Sons:
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Source:
Lord Krishna demonstrates
his impartiality towards all the wives as demonstrated by 10 sons for each of
his wives.
DAVID FRAWLEY ON KRISHNA WE NEED TO CONNECT TODAY
For the practice of yoga, Krishna is the Yogavatara, the
incarnation of yoga in all its aspects of knowledge, devotion and action.
If
there is any single figure who represents India, its yogic spirituality,
vibrant culture and great history, it is Shri Krishna. This is not any easy
choice as India is also the land of Buddha, Rama, Shankara and other sages of
the highest order.
Similarly,
if there is any single book that conveys the wisdom of India to the world, with
its synthesis of yogic teachings and cosmic consciousness, it is Krishna’s
Bhagavad Gita. The Gita remains the most read and published book from India
after many thousands of years.
The
Bhagavad Gita is the prime scripture of Hindu dharma and Shri Krishna is its
most visible teacher. Yet this fact has occurred not because Krishna gave us a
simple dogma or en masse prescription,
or claimed to have spoken the last word – but because Shri Krishna brings
together all that is profound, beautiful and wonderful in human thought and
action, and links it with the Supreme Divine.
Shri
Krishna was a multisided personality, a renaissance man who mastered every
domain of human life according to the highest inner vision. He was not simply a
monk, a prophet or a saint, but a master of our full human potential, in the
world and beyond the world, as illumined by an unlimited Divine Light from
within the heart.
Shri Krishna’s many teachings
For
the study of the most transcendent Vedantic philosophy of Atman and Brahman,
Krishna’s key teachings in the Bhagavad Gita remain central, unlocking the
Upanishadic wisdom of the highest Self-realisation.
For
the practice of yoga, Krishna is the Yogavatara, the incarnation of yoga in all
its aspects. His Gita is one of the most important Yoga Shastras with each
chapter forming a special yogic approach of its own.
As
a teacher of devotion, Shri Krishna reigns supreme as the ultimate image and
guide of Divine Love, as detailed in the many heart-rending stories about him.
For
Karma Yoga and transformative action, Krishna’s counselling to Arjuna in the
Gita is the foundational teaching. As a statesman and diplomat par excellent no
one compares with Krishna.
That
is why Krishna and the Gita became the inspiration for India’s Independence
movement with Tilak, Aurobindo and Gandhi.
Shri Krishna and the beauty of life
Yet
besides his towering spiritual and philosophical stature, Krishna became the
splendorous icon of art, music and dance – lauded in India’s literary and
artistic traditions and temple worship, north and south, east and west. His
flute is the basis of all music. His ras lila is the ultimate dance. Indian painting
revolves around his colorful image.
Moreover,
Krishna has a special form and teaching for every age group and every phase of
human life. There is the infant or bal Krishna delighting his mother, the
trickster youthful Krishna fascinating his friends, Krishna as the enchanting
lover with his consort Radha, extending to Krishna as the husband, friend,
warrior, king, and supreme guru, each with its own wide dimension of experience
and wisdom.
Krishna
holds all the colo\rs of the rainbow of human life, extending into all the colors
of the boundless universe, represented by the peacock feather that he wears,
and the all-encompassing cosmic form that he assumes in the Gita.
The need to connect with Krishna today
Krishna
reflects the beauty, diversity, abundance, paradox and profundity of India as a
whole. On his birthday one can honor any or all the many facets of the
bejeweled light of Krishna.
The
world today needs the vast wisdom of Krishna, along with his creative
inspiration, diplomatic sagacity, and divine sense of play and delight.
Our
world is too heavy with material attachment, intellectual opinions, political
propaganda, exploitation of nature, and violence inciting cults in the name of
God.
We
should listen to Krishna’s flute once more and open up to our own inner reality
in the divine play of consciousness and bliss.
We
can contact Krishna in any way we wish, with or without form, within or
without, in music or in silence, in dance or in stillness. He will surely
respond.
The
message of Krishna is to carefully face all life’s difficulties directly and
decisively but remember to affirm that bliss is eternal, from Kurukshetra to
Vaikuntha.
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