History

According to the Puranas Krishna took birth on the 8th lunar day (Ashtami) of the waning moon of the month of Smvana at midnight, upon the moon’s entrance into Rohini asterism. This day is marked as Janmashtami. Krishna is one of the most worshipped Gods in India and belongs to the Hindu Trinity. He is believed to be one of the eight incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The story of birth of Krishna is an intriguing one. The story goes like this: One day Mother Earth was appalled by the number of sins that were being committed on her surface. She went to Brahma that God of the Gods and appealed to him for help. Brahma, after listening to her, appealed to Lord Vishnu who said that He would take birth on earth and His avatar will destroy every kind of sin that was being committed on earth then.

During that time, Mathura was in miserable state as Kansa, brother of Devki, had put his father, King Ugrasen in prison and declared himself the new king. To put an end to his evil rule, Lord Vishnu decided to take birth in the human form. As such, at the wedding ceremony of Devki and Vasudev, there was a divine prophecy which proclaimed that Vasudeva’s eighth son would kill Kansa. To protect himself, Kansa rushed to kill his sister but gave up the idea of killing after being assured by Vasudev that he will hand over all his children to Kansa. Kansa put his brother-in-law and sister in prison. Kansa killed all the six infants as soon as they were born. The seventh child (Balram) was saved due to divine intervention, when he was transferred from Devki’s womb to that of Rohini’s (other wife of Vasudev).

As Devki conceived the eighth child, everything around was imbued with benevolence and majestic beauty. Lord Krishna was born in the divine form with lotus like eyes, his palms bearing the signs of a lotus, while his sole has a swastika sign. He was adorned with jewels and was wearing a crown. Just as he was born at midnight, a chain of events astonished Vasudev, when he saw the gates of the cell flow open and all the guards fast asleep. He immediately thought of Nand, his close friend in Gokul and decided to hand over his child to him in order to save him from the clutch of Kansa. Crossing the River Yamuna, Vasudev reached Nand’s residence and exchanged his son with Nand’s daughter. Upon reaching the prison, the door got locked behind him and he was chained again as if nothing happened in between. The guards also woke up and after hearing the cry of the baby, informed Kansa about the birth of the eighth child. Just as Kansa rushed to kill the baby, it slipped out of his hand and flew towards the sky, proclaiming that the annihilator of Kansa was born and was safe.

Why do we celebrate?

The tale of Mahabharata has a lot to do with the life of Lord Krishna. During the Dharma Yuddha or righteous war between two Pandavas and Kauravas, Lord Krishna played the charioteer of Arjuna. He was counselling Arjuna on various segments of life like Dharma (righteous path), Karma (deeds), Theistic Devotion, Yogic ideals, salvation, knowledge, etc. because Arjuna was in emotional turmoil in killing his brothers and cousins. The verses mentioned in this book is often called a life guide or spiritual dictionary. Lord Krishna stated that whenever there will be prominence of evil deeds in this universe, he will reincarnate in various looks and attire to show the path of right and peace to people. The sole reason of celebrating this festival is bringing people together so that principles of unity strengthens.

Dahi Handi is another important aspect of this festival that is observed in the second day of Janmashtami. As a kid Lord Krishna was named “Makhanchor” or the one who steals butter. He used to steal butter from every household of Gokul. Dahi Handi is an event where the same butter stealing activity of Lord Krishna is narrated. An earthen pot or handi is filled with butter, clarified butter or ghee, dry fruits, and milk is suspended at a considerable height with help of ropes. All the local young guys gather to make a human pyramid and climb on each other to reach the handi and break it. This is an activity that teaches the team work principles.

Rituals

People fast on this day, usually a waterless fast. They spend the day immersed in Shri Krishna’s glory by reading, reciting and singing his divine leela especially in the evening in mandirs. Temples of Lord Krishna are decorated most beautifully and children are adorned as Lord Krishna and Radhika, his spiritual beloved. Krishna Leela or the plays depicting scenes from Krishna’s life, especially childhood, are performed. At midnight, the Lord’s birth hour, arti is performed. He is also installed in the form of ‘Lalji’ (child form) in a swing and devotionally offered many sumptuous food dishes. ‘Makhan’ (butter) is especially included since Shri Krishna loved this in childhood. The traditional prasad is ‘Panchajiri’ – made of five ingredients: powdered ginger, ‘suva’, coriander, sugar and ghee. Other ingredients include poppy seeds (khaskhas) and dessicated coconut shavings.The most popular ceremony of Dahi-handi (breaking a pot full of milk and its derivatives} takes place on the second day.

Celebrations

Hindus all over India observe fast on this day and recite the life story and teachings of Sri Krishna noted in the form of ‘shlokas’ in Bhagwad Gita. Temples of Lord Krishna are decorated most beautifully and children are adorned as Lord Krishna and Radhika, his spiritual beloved. Krishna Leela or the plays depicting scenes from Krishna’s life, especially childhood, are performed. At midnight, when Lord Krishna was believed to have taken birth, an ‘aarti’ is performed and people break their fasts by feasting on sweets and delicious dishes prepared especially for the occasion. In many parts, the idol of baby Krishna is installed in a swing and offered sumptuous food, especially ‘Makkhan’ (butter) and ‘Mishri’ (sugar cubes).

The Ceremony of Dahi-Handi

During this ceremony a large earthenware pot is filled with milk, curds, butter, honey fruits etc. and is suspended from a height between 20 to 40 feet. Sporting young men and boys come forward to claim this prize. To do so they construct a human pyramid by standing over each other’s shoulders till the pyramid is tall enough to enable the topmost person to reach the pot and claim the contents after breaking it. Normally, currency notes are tied to the rope by which the pot is suspended. This prize money is distributed among those who participate in the pyramid building.

This ceremony replicates Krishna’s love for milk and butter. In his childhood, the Lord Krishna along with his mates used to raid the houses of his neighbors in search of milk and butter.

Fast & Pooja or Pooja Ideas

On the auspicious occasion of Janmashtami, the devotees of Lord Krishna observe fast and offer prayers in their own unique ways. There are devotees who observe fast even without pouring a single drop of water. Two types of fast observed on Janmashtami include Nirjal Fast and Phalahar Fast. While the former one doesn’t allow the devotees to consume water and any form of food, the latter one is lenient, allowing devotees to consume milk and fruits. Coming to the pooja part, it is believed that devotees who perform the Janmashtami pooja at sharp 12:00 am receive Lord Krishna’s blessings.

Puja Samagri for Janmashtami

• Milk
• Sweets
• Juices
• Ganga Jal
• Saffron
• Rose Water
• Camphor
• Coconuts
• Flowers for performing the pooja

Types of Janmashtami Fast

The different types of fast observed by Hindus on the Janmashtami are mentioned below.

Nirjal Fast: Under the Nirjal Fast or Upavasa on Janmashtami, one stays without food and water all throughout the day. People believe that if they observe a fast and sacrifice food and water on this auspicious occasion, they would get closer to god. They also believe that observing a fast is the only thing they can offer to the almighty to have their desires fulfilled. Janmashtami fast is believed to help the devotees of Lord Krishna get rid of helplessness. The devotees break the fast at midnight when the aarti is performed and a special offering of food is made to Lord Krishna.

Phalahar Fast: The devotees who fail to observe the Nirjal Fast conduct the Phalahar Vrat. This kind of fasting is not as strict as the Nirjal Fast. As such, the devotees can have milk and fruits. However, they are usually not allowed to have cereals and salt on the day of Janmashtami. Whether the devotees keep a Nirjal Fast or Phalahar Vrat, they usually indulge in singing devotional songs and chanting the mantra – ‘Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya’. Some of them also read out chapters from the Srimad Bhagavad Purana during the fast.

Janmashtami Fast Dishes

• The devotees of Lord Krishna offer special sweets like pedha and kalakand to the god on the occasion of Janmashtami.
• In addition, they offer sweet dishes like shrikhand and til ki kheer (or sesame pudding) to the deity.
• Since the Lord was fond of milk and butter products, hence sweet dishes are mostly offered to him on this occasion. The devotees would only consume the dishes after they’ve offered it to the deity.

Recipes for Janmashtami Fast Dishes

Shrikhand

This is one of the most popular Janmashtami fast dishes that you may offer to the deity. The total time required to prepare this dish is around 15 minutes. The ingredients and instructions for this recipe are given below.
Ingredients

• 1 kg of curd
• Around 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon of warm milk
• 2 teaspoon of cardamom powder
• Saffron strands
• Small and thin pieces of pistachios and almonds

Instructions

• Put saffron strands into the milk.
• Pour the saffron and milk mixture, cardamom, sugar, and curd in a bowl.
• Stir the ingredients using a blender.
• Garnish the sweet dish with pistachios and almonds.

Til ki kheer or Sesame pudding

• Dry roast til and keep it aside after crushing it.
• Boil milk in a saucepan for around 10 minutes and stir repeatedly.
• Add condensed milk into the saucepan.
• Stir and cook the mixture for around 10 minutes.
• Crush the cardamom pieces and add them into the milk.
• Add sugar to the milk and cardamom, and stir the mixture.
• Add roasted til and coconut.
• Stir the mixture and cook it for more than 10 minutes.
• Use cashew nuts and raisins to garnish your sweet dish.

Pedha

If you’d like to prepare pedha during the Janmashtami fast, here’s how you should go for it.
Ingredients

• 500 gms of crushed khoya
• 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom powder
• 300 gms of powdered sugar
• 8 to 10 sliced pistachios
• Cookie moulds
• 2-3 drops of food color

Instructions

• Add sugar to the crushed khoya in a pan.
• Heat the khoya on low flame.
• Stir the mixture repeatedly.
• Cook the mixture until it turns thick.
• Cool the mixture for 10 minutes.
• Add cardamom and food color.
• Stir the mixture and take a small amount of it to press into the cookie mould.
• Press 3 slices of pistachio at the center.