Just after the Aadi celebrations, comes the Krishna Jayanthi utsavam in the month of Aavani . It is believed that Goddess Durga and Lord Krishna appeared on the Earth at the same time 5,000 years ago as siblings.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna gives three reasons for his appearance on the Earth. In the famous paritranaya sadhunam verse (Gita, Chapter IV), Krishna tells Arjuna, “Whenever there is a need to protect the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to re-establish the principles of religion, I will appear.” There seems to be something mysterious about Krishna’s appearance, because in the next verse he says, “One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities is not, upon leaving the body, born again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” Across the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna refers very often to the unique nature of his personality. In the ninth chapter he says, “Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord.”
Kamsa’s fear
Srimad Bhagavatam helps us understand His unique personality that makes his appearance on the Earth mystical. It is puzzling why King Kamsa, who was driving the chariot of his newly wedded sister Devaki and her husband Vasudeva, should be informed that Devaki’s eighth child would be the cause of his death. This shot Kamsa into a life-long fear as if he expected immortality. The first thing he tried was to kill Devaki. But the clever Vasudeva convinced him not to take on the bad reputation of killing an innocent woman on his head. “I will hand over all her children to you,” he promised.
Kamsa had Devaki and Vasudeva imprisoned. Instigated by Narada, who informed him that the Supreme Lord was going to appear along with the demigods, Kamsa decided not to wait for the eighth child, but kill all of them so that the eighth child may have no sibling support to vanquish him. He was successful in killing the first six babies who were anyway meant to be killed by him as per a curse from his previous birth as the demon Kalanemi. The seventh child, Balarama was mystically transferred by the yoga-maya energy of Krishna, from the womb of Devaki to the womb of Rohini, another wife of Vasudeva who was under the shelter of the nomadic cowherd Nanda Maharaja in Gokula.
When it was time for Devaki’s eighth child to be born, the Earth naturally became prosperous and lush. The rivers were in spate, and the lakes looked enchanting with lotus flowers. The forests were alive with animals and beautiful birds.
The Supreme Lord then appeared from the heart of Devaki in the darkness of night. His form was astoundingly lustrous. He had lotus-like eyes and bore on His four hands the conch, disc, mace and a lotus flower. On His chest was the mark of Shrivatsa and on His neck the brilliant Kaustubha gem. Dressed in yellow, His body black like a rain cloud, His scattered hair fully grown, and His tiara and earrings sparkling with Vaidurya, the child, decorated with a brilliant belt, vanki , bangles and other ornaments, was stunning.
Understanding that the Supreme Lord had appeared, Vasudeva offered his prayers. He prayed, “O my Lord, proprietor of all creation, You have now appeared in my house, desiring to protect this world. I am sure that You will kill all those moving around the world under the leadership of politicians who are dressed as rulers but are actually demons.”
In response, the Lord reminded Vasudeva and Devaki, how in their earlier births they had prayed to have Him as their child three times. He was Prshnigarbha in His first birth and Upendra, in His second. The third time He was born as Vasudeva Krishna. Krishna ordered Vasudeva to shift him to the house of Nanda Maharaja and in return bring to the prison the girl baby that was born to Yashoda.
Vasudeva obeyed and when Kamsa tried to kill the new born girl, she flew out of his hands and warned him that his agent of death was already born and growing elsewhere. She lay the seed for Kamsa to send his demon friends to find Krishna and kill him. Krishna, in his transcendental body, killed all these demons. Putana was killed by Krishna when he was just seven days old. Surely, that speaks for the supremacy and unique feature of his transcendental form — a form that looks human but is in no way subject to the laws or dimensions of this world!
Devotees of Krishna stay awake till the midnight and worship by offering him abhishek and snacks and sweets to eat. There is joy all around and a belief as if Krishna had personally come into each household.
Cultural events
The grandest celebrations take place at the ISKCON temples, spread over 800 centres across the world with a branch at Akkarai, Sholinganallur, Chennai. The festivities include cultural programmes, kirtan and distribution of prasadam. At midnight, elaborate abhishekam is performed for Krishna.
All ISKCON temples are open for darshan from early morning till midnight.
A contribution from ISKCON
