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Happy Janmastami: Birthday Of Lord Krishna
Happy Janmastami: Birthday Of Lord Krishna
Siddhi B Ranjitkar
August 14, 2017
Kathmandu: tonight: the eighth day of the dark fortnight of Bhadra (August/September) called as Janmastami, Devaki is going to deliver Lord Krishna in the prison cell in Mathura, as her brother Kamsa: the king of Mathura put her in jail following the prophesy of an ascetic that the eighth son of Devaki would be the cause of his death. He has killed seven babies: one after another Devaki gave birth to at the prison cell. The eighth one is Lord Krishna.
In order to esacpe baby Krishna from the killing hands of Kamsa, the voice in the sky told Basudev living with his spouse at the prison cell, take the new born baby to Gokul, and swapped the baby with the baby born there. Basudev was concerned with how he could do so when his spouse and he were in the cell locked in at seven places. The voice said, “You don’t have to worry about that, take the baby and go.”
Basudev took the newborn baby put it on a wicker basket and carried it on his head. As he approached each lock it was automatically unlocked and locked again after his departure. He walked and walked and then came to the Yamuna River: one of the largest rivers in the area. Basudev carrying the wicker basket with the baby on his head waded; the water level in the river gradually rose until it reached to his neck. By the time Lord Krishna in the wicker basket as a baby knew that the River Goddess wanted to touch him. So, the baby Krishna slowly lowered his right leg giving a touch to the River Goddess. The water level immediately went down making Basudev to wade ashore easily.
Basudev upon arrival at Gokul went directly to Yasoda and the baby girl she had given birth to just a minute before, and swapped Krishna with the baby girl while Yasoda was still in sleep. With the baby girl in the wicker basket carrying on his head, Basudev immediately returned back. As he approached the prison locks they were automatically unlocked and then locked again while prison guards were in the deep sleep. After Basudev put the baby in front of his spouse Devaki, Basudev instantly lost the memory of what he had done.
Kamsa had been anticipating the news of Devaki giving birth to an eighth baby boy any time soon. So, he had been spending sleepless nights. As soon as prison guards came to inform him the birth of a baby girl he was amazed, as the prophesy of the ascetic went wrong. The baby girl did not pose any death threats to Kamsa; anyway, he did not like to see any child of his sister Devaki alive.
So, King Kamsa went with his courtiers to the prison cell, and laughed at his sister Devaki saying, “How come you gave birth to a baby girl against the prophesy of the ascetic. However, I am not going to leave her alive.”
Ignoring the pleading of Devaki that the baby girl did not pose any threats to anybody, Kamsa snatched the baby from her, and as usual he spun the baby holding her legs over his head to smash on the prison wall, the baby slipped away from his hand and flew in the air. She said, “Kamsa, you have no power to take my life but a baby boy has been born in Gokul to take your life. Beware of it.”
In fact, Lord Vishnu incarnated as Krishna to destroy Kamsa and his misdeeds, and other evil spirits prevailing there. So, no matter what tricks Kamsa played to take the life of Krishna, he did not succeed, and ultimately, Lord Krishna killed Kamsa, and freed his father and mother from the prison, and went to the prison cell of his grandfather, and freed him and returned him the kingdom his son Kamsa had usurped. Thus, Lord Krishna brought back the law and order in the then world killing other evil spirits cropping up then and there.
Today, devotees of Lord Krishna visit Krishna Mandir elsewhere in Nepal to worship the lord. Devotees have lined up at the Krishna Mandir in Patna starting early in the morning, and it will end up only late night today.
Devotees have been fasting for a day for welcoming a baby Krishna. They decorate a baby Krishna in a bronze idol and treat it as a newborn baby. Some devotees make offerings to an idol of crawling Krishna. They break the fasting in the evening after making offering to a baby Krishna.
Some devotees keep an idol of a baby Krishna in a crib and swing it throughout a day singing the songs in praise of Lord Krishna. Others dance following the tune of the songs. Most of them don’t eat for a day means keeping their bodies clean and fresh, as eating anything would pollute or defile their bodies.
In the evening in the towns of the Kathmandu Valley, devotees decorate a man as Lord Krishna and a woman as his spouse Radha as the pageant mounted on a vehicle or carried on shoulder poles, and take them around every town in the evening today. That ends the celebration of the birthday of Lord Krishna today.
August 14, 2017
