🌼 Krishna Janmashtami 🌼

      Krishna Janmashtami is also known as “Krishnashtami “,”Saatam Aatham” ,”Gokulashtami”, “Ashtami Rohini”, “Srikrishna Jayanti”, “Sree Jayanthi” or sometimes merely as “Janmashtami”, is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna, an avatar of hindu deity Vishnu.

              In Shravana Masa (as per the amanta tradition) or Bhadrapada Masa (as per the purnimanta tradition), people commemorate and celebrate the birth of Krishna on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha). The Gregorian months of August or September coincide with this.

            The Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism holds great significance for this event. A festival is held in observance of Janmashtami, along with reading and reciting religious texts, dancing, acting out Krishna’s life as told in the Bhagavata Purana, devotional singing until midnight (the time of Krishna’s birth), and fasting (upavasa), among other celebratory customs. India and other countries celebrate it widely.

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 ✨Krishna Janmashtami Puja Vidhi:✨

              The puja vidhi of this festival is very important as the birth of Laddoo Gopal is the focal point of all preparations. To ensure that you get the most out of this puja, we have provided a detailed puja vidhi below:

• Take a bath in the morning and wear clean clothes.
• Start the puja preparations at night by decorating Shri Krishna’s cradle and cleaning the temple with Gangajal.
• Keep this thing in mind before starting the puja. Place the idol of Lord Krishna respectfully on the cradle. If you do not have a cradle, you can also use a wooden stool.
• Pouring water at the feet of the Lord is called padya. Offer arghya to the Lord.
• Perform achamana, which is the act of offering water to the Lord and then drinking it.
• To perform the Lord’s bath ceremony, pour the five ingredients of panchamrit on the idol: milk, curd, honey, ghee and Gangajal.
• Collect the five ingredients, then prepare panchamrit using them later as prasad.
• Adorn the idol with new clothes and accessories which is called the deity’s Shringar.
• Offer the holy Janeu to the Lord. Then apply sandalwood paste on the Lord.
• Adorn the idol with a crown, jewelry, peacock feathers, and a flute.
• Offer flowers and Tulsi leaves to the Lord. Light an incense stick and an oil lamp.
• Offer butter and sugar candy to the Lord. Offer Tamboolam made of coconut, betel nut, turmeric, paan, and kumkum to the Lord.
• Sing Kunj Bihari Aarti in honor of the Lord and then perform parikrama.
• Fold your hands and pray to the Lord to keep you and your family safe from all calamities.

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🍀Legends associated with Krishna Janmashtami🍀

              When Devaki gave birth to her eighth son, the kingdom of Mathura was plunged into silence due to divine intervention. Vasudeva took advantage of this situation and took his infant out of Mathura. Krishna was carried in a basket in heavy rains. Sheshnag, who is known as the king of snakes, protected the two with his five-headed hood. With the help of divine powers, Vasudeva was able to cross the Yamuna River and reach Gokul. Vasudeva brought his son here and left him with his foster parents Yashoda and Nanda.

          Yashoda, on the other hand, had given birth to a girl who was believed to be the incarnation of Goddess Durga. Vasudeva took the newborn girl back to Mathura. He deceived Kansa into thinking that the prophecy of his death at the hands of Devaki’s eighth son was false, which made him feel relieved and happy. Every year, devotees celebrate the festival of Janmashtami with great zeal and enthusiasm on the birth of their lord and protector Krishna.

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🦚Rituals performed during Krishna Janmashtami🦚

             The rituals performed on Krishna Janmashtami have a lot to do with why people of all ages love this festival. Some of the important practices associated with this day are as follows:

• Devotees observe a full day fast on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami. The entire day is spent remembering the Lord and the fast ends at midnight, which is believed to be the time of Lord Krishna’s birth.
• Devotees chant the Lord’s name throughout the day and fill the atmosphere with their devotion and dedication. A lot of devotional songs are sung, especially in Krishna temples.
• Plays detailing the life story of Krishna and his various leelas are performed. Children dressed in the costumes of Krishna and his gopis perform Raasleela.
• Lord Krishna loved butter, so it is a must-have dish. To please little Gopal, devotees offer sweets made of milk, dry fruits, sugar and khoya.
• To help us remember Krishna’s teachings and the meaning of life, passages from the Bhagavad Gita are recited aloud.

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