Even after 1000 years, the whole country celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna as he is the epitome of love, faith, friendship and peace.
Janmashtami, is the birthday of Lord Krishna, which is celebrated with great zeal during the monsoon month in India, and if we stick to the Hindu calendar, this important day falls on Ashtami or the eighth day of Krishna Paksh or dark 14 days of the month of Bhadon.
Nobody really knows when this festival started! Perhaps a thousand years ago, this festival took root in our culture. In fact, one would come across various legendary stories and myths related to the birth of Janmashtami.
Of all, the most accepted opinion is that Lord Krishna is the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. According the Mahabharata, the birth of Lord Krishna happened to kill the demon Kansa who happens to be his maternal uncle. Whenever there is an imbalance in the universe in terms of peace and prosperity, it is said that Lord Vishnu is coming to save humanity.
Historians say that Lord Krishna was biologically born to Vasudeva and Devaki in a cell prison in Dwapar Yug. But Vasudeva had to cross the Yamuna River on a stormy night to hand his son over to a friend, to save him from the evil one. Then Maiya Yashodha and Nanda from the Gokul region of Mathura adopted Lord Krishna.
Lord Krishna was a wonderful child and his abilities were noticed from childhood. People started to believe that this little boy named Krishna belongs to the citizens in order to save them from all turbulent situations. Slowly, the residents of Nandgaon began to celebrate Krishna's birth on a grand scale, believing that this day would be a happy one.
We can say that this festival originated in Gokul and slowly spread to the Mathura region and later the entire state of Uttar Pradesh. And now, even after 1000 years, the whole country is celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna as he is the epitome of love, faith, friendship and peace.
Why are we celebrating?
The story of Mahabharata has much to do with the life of Lord Krishna. During Dharma Yuddha, or the just war between two Pandavas and Kauravas, Lord Krishna played the role of Arjuna's charioteer. He advised Arjuna on various stages of life such as dharma (right path), karma (deeds), theistic devotion, yogic ideals, salvation, knowledge, etc. The verses mentioned in this book are often referred to as the life guide or spiritual dictionary.
Lord Krishna explained that whenever evil deeds are in the foreground in this universe, he will be reborn in various appearances and outfits to show people the way of justice, peace and strengthen unity.
Dahi Handi is another important aspect of this festival, which is celebrated on the second day of Janmashtami. When he was a child, Lord Krishna was called "Makhanchor" or the one who steals butter. He stole butter from every house in Gokul. Dahi Handi is an event where the same butter stealing activity is narrated by Lord Krishna.
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