KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI FESTIVAL

 SRI KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI CELEBRATION AT HOME 

How to celebrate Janmashtami festival? For Whom this festival intended? What is the significance of Lord Sri Krishna worship?

Here some of the hierarchical steps to follow........

               WHO IS KRISHNA?

He is the Lord of sweetness, He is the Absolute Truth, "BHAGAVAN", He is the supreme personality of Godhead, His beautiful smile, His gait, His eyes, His glowing moonlight face, His lips, His lotus feet are as sweet as honey. He is the supreme controller of so called Maya, the illusion and thus He is known as "Maya Krishna". He took birth in India for a very special reason to kill the wicked and to restore righteousness. It is stated in Bhagavad Gita by Bhagavan that whenever there is an imbalance in Dharma or righteousness, He will take His advent in every Yuga to restore peace and Dharma in the world. 

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF JANMASHTAMI?

The other names for krishna Janmashtami are Gokulashtami, Krishnashtami, Sri Krishna jayanthi, SaatamAatham, Sri Jayanthi and Yadukulashtami. Lord Krishna was born in Mathura at the midnight of ashtami, the eighth day for Devaki and Vasudeva as the eighth child. Lord Vishnu incarnated as Lord Muraari on this auspicious day which is celebrated as Janmashtami all over the world. In accordance with the Hindu calendar, it is the 5247th birthday of Lord Sri Krishna. 

HOW TO WORSHIP LORD MURAARI ON THE DAY OF JANMASHTAMI?  

Lord Muraari is the complete whole. One must seek and worship Lord Muraari in their lifetime to attain Krishnaloka after the eternal soul is liberated from the material body. So, here comes the hierarchical steps to worship Lord Muraari on Janmashtami.

• Wake up early in the morning. Fast on Janmashtami.
• Make your Altar clean and neat before performing puja.
• Chant His name through out the day. It is not only supposed to be chanted on Janmashtami, but each and every second in our material life to self realize who we are.
• Sing hymns and devotional songs in the name of Lord Muraari
• Make delicious dishes especially made of  milk products like milk, ghee, butter, etc.
• Decorate the Deity with ornaments, outfits, garlands and saffron chalk.
• Do prayers for the Spiritual Masters (Guru),  Who have visualised Him face to face  and are very close to Lord Muraari. Because, if we surrender unto a Spiritual Master, He will make us to experience that Lord is within us and He is with us. 
• Worship Lord Muraari, the God of victory and Srimati Radharani, the Goddess of fortune.
•  After the completion of Puja, the prasadam has to be distributed to everyone around you. Because, if one who affectionately offers prasadam even though it is a leaf, Lord Muraari reflects love upon us by eating the food. We should wait for the supreme Lord to take part in prasadam by closing our eyes and thinking of His lotus feet for five minutes. When we eat the remnants of the supreme Lord, the prasadam will be so delicious than usual days. Because, this prasadam is touched in His honey like lips.
• One should not offer any products from the shop. It must be made in home and that is paramount important for any festive occassion.

 

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF LORD MURAARI WORSHIP?

It is stated in Bhagavad Gita that one who surrenders unto the lotus feet of Lord Muraari, he or she will not be abandoned by the supreme God. Normally, we cannot see Him as we are in the fog of temporary changes of material world. To reveal mercy upon us, Lord Krishna is visualized as idol deity. He is the supreme soul Who indwells in everybody's heart with the soul. Therefore, He is Paramatma, He is within us. The more we decorate our deity Lord Krishna with ornaments, outfits, turbans, tilak, etc, the more our soul is beautified with His consciousness forever. And thus we self realize the supreme soul. 

Seek Madhava ; Worship Madhava!