Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevãya
Krishna
is considered to be the eighth Avatar of Lord Vishnu who incarnated on earth in
the ‘Dwapara Yuga’ thus depicted as wearing yellow garments, with a dark skin
and a peacock feather in his crown, playing the flute or herding cows or as the
supreme God holding his weapon the ‘Sudarshana Chakra’. Krishna rid the kingdom of Mathura of his evil
uncle Kamsa in his youth and thereafter joined the ‘Pandavas’ to rid the evil
Kauravas and their leader ‘Duryodhana’ in the epic Mahabharata.
Kamsa was a
powerful evil king who was prophesised to die at the hands of his sister Devki
and Vasudev’s eighth son. He therefore imprisoned them and successfully killed
their first six children. The seventh, ‘Balaram’ who is considered to be also
an avatar of Vishnu escaped however because he was transferred from his mothers
womb as the story goes. Vasudev was helped by divine powers to protect his
eighth son ‘Krishna’ by carrying him across the flooded Yamuna River to
exchange with the daughter of cowherd ‘Nand’ in ‘Brindavan’ village. Krishna
thus grew up as the son of Nand and Yashoda.
Stories
abound of his miracles and mischief even in young age displayed whilst growing
up herding cows, stealing his favourite butter and teasing the local milkmaids
(‘Gopis’). The powers and stories of Sri Krishna led to him being worshipped by
various names such as Murlidhara (as mesmerizingly playing his flute),
Govinda/Gopala (protector of cows), Keshava (the longhaired killer of the kesi
demon-horse sent by Kamsa), Murari (he who killed the demon Mora), Madhusudan
(destroyer of demonic Madhu), Bihari (for his playful episodes with the gopis
which are popularly known as ‘ras leela’). Krishna is famously worshipped as
the saviour of his people from the wrath of Indra who showered them with
incessant rain whereupon Krishna held up the ‘Govardhan Hill’ for protection of
all and came to be known as ‘Govardhan Giridhari’. As a young boy Krishna also
demonstrated his supreme powers when he fought with the poisonous snake
‘Kaliya’ polluting river Yamuna and rid the villagers of their fear of Kaliya
by his divine dance on Kaaliya’s head.
Krishna’s playful love for the gopi
Radha is immortalized as an example for loving relationships among couples ever
since so that Krishna and Radha are worshipped together as avatars of Vishnu
and Lakshmi. Krishna ruled over the Kingdom of Dwarka as leader of the Yadav
dynasty. When the war of Mahabharata threatened, Krishna decided to help his
cousins the Pandavas as ‘Parthasarthi’ (charioteer of prince Arjuna in the war
at Kurukshetra). Lord Krishna answers prayers also as Hari (who rids us of our
sins if we pray sincerely to the lord) and Mukunda (who can free mankind
from all problems and all ties)
Festivals
Krishna Janmashtami is a celebration of Krishna’s birthday
usually in the month of August or September (Shravana) with decoration of murtis
of ‘Bal Krishna’ in a baby swing and depictions of motherly love of Yashoda for
Krishna as well as his childhood life among Gopis and cows. As Krishna was very
fond of butter and other dairy products, these are used to prepare sweets and
delicacies as families gather together in households or communities to
celebrate until midnight when Krishna was said to be born. At this time people
wish each other and partake the food in the form of ‘Prasad’. This day is also
known as Krishna Jayanti or Gokulashtami. Krishna’s love for stealing
butter/ghee is celebrated also on this day through the custom of ‘Dahi Handi’.
A huge human pyramid is formed by youngsters in the community in order to reach
up to the pot of delicious butter hanging high up in the sky and when the pot
breaks, all in the community rejoice in this recreation of Bal Krishna’s games.
The narrations and enactment of Ras Leela in temples etc. is another way for
devotees to celebrate marking Krishna’s love whilst playing the flute and
dancing with Gopis.
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