Janmashtami 2020: Making Krishna's Philosophy Your Reality

When we hear “Janmashtami”, we are filled with joy, zeal and enthusiasm. Thousands of things start popping in our head! We think of Lord Krishna, his “Bal Leela”, tales and anecdotes encircling the origin of Janmashtami, the ideologies of Krishna, our culture and customs which symbolise Lord Krishna’s journey.

Significance and origin

Janmashtami, also known as Krishna Janmashtami or Gokul Ashtami, is an annual Hindu festival which is celebrated on the day of the birth of Lord Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, who had come to save mankind from demons and monsters and perform his “Leela”. It is a 2-day-long ceremony and according to the Hindu calendar, it falls on the eighth day (Ashtami) of Krishna paksha in “Bhadra” month. Devotees fast till mid-day, worship the idol of Krishna and offer milk as well. The air is filled with the beauty of “bhajans” and “kirtans”. Dahi Handi is another famous ritual held on Janmashtami, in the context of  Lord Krishna being known as “Makhan Chor”.

Why should each one of us follow Lord Krishna?

Lord Krishna is considered as the supreme deity in the Hindu religion. He is worshipped not only because he is considered the utmost power but because his ideologies have the power to unite people and indicates that services towards mankind can lead to salvation.

Be true to your friend

Unlike the present, where people use the aid of deceit and cruelty to edge over others, Shri Krishna is a symbol of “true friendship”. Who is unaware of the exemplary friendship of Shri Krishna and Sudama? Being the Lord of the Sphere, the King of kings, he bowed down and cleaned the feet of Sudama. He identified with Sudama's plight, without Sudama saying a single word and gifted him lots of wealth and riches as well. This reflects his true friendship.

Simple and modest

He is considered to be the humblest person ever born. Ever seen a person with so much wealth and jewels yet be an epitome of generosity? Despite being the King of Dwarika, he agreed to be the “Charioteer” of Arjun, his beloved friend and devotee, in the “Mahabharat Yudh”. There is not one, but innumerable instances which prove his kindness and consideration be it saving the people of Gokul from Kalia Naag or the residents of Mathura from Kansa.

Respect towards elders and women

Shri Krishna had no clue about his actual parents. When he reached manhood and came to know about them, he did not wait for a single second and headed straight towards Mathura, where he fought with Kansa and freed his parents from captivity. The first thing he did was, he bowed down to them, touched their feet and with due respect took them to the mansion.

Unfortunately, children don’t behave like this these days. They don’t even realise the love their parents shower them with.

An instance which highlights the respect towards women is “Draupadi’s Vastraharan”. Who doesn’t know about this incident? Whenever women are objectified or there is a sign of violence against them, Lord Krishna saves them. Remember how he had saved Draupadi’s self-respect? He always defended women’s rights and motivated them to take decisions independently.

No job is big or small and the value of sacrifice

No doubt, Lord Krishna was born in a wealthy family but until adolescence, he lived a very decent and simple life and accepted being called a “cowherd”. No job is big or small as long as you enjoy doing that. He sacrificed his mansion and went to seek education where he again lived a simple life. His life is a true reflection of sacrifice. Even in Mahabharat, he sacrificed Ghatotkach to save Arjun’s life and ensured the victory of the Pandavas.

Likewise, we also have to give up many things to achieve success.

Lord Krishna’s life teaches us infinite lessons. He lived his entire life virtuously, even though he was the divine power. It is indeed an honour for us to learn from his life and inculcate those ideologies in our life.