KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI

Leadership Assignment 101

SUBMITTED BY-
ANURAG TANDON &
AVINASH SINGH
 Festival of Janmashtami

This year, on August 24, 2019, the country is going to observe Janmashtami, a day
celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna who is considered to be one of the most powerful
human incarnations of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that the purpose of the birth of Lord
Krishna was to eradicate all the evils from the face of the earth and propagate the
theory of bhakti and good karma. It is because of His spiritual teachings that the Lord
is profusely worshipped and believed in by people from across religions.
The festival is celebrated with much enthusiasm all over India but the northern part of
the country observes this festival with fairly more pomp and show than the rest.
Rightly so since the Lord is believed to be born over 5,200 years ago in Mathura which
is located in the northern belt of the country only. Devotees from different regions of
the country have come up with their own local way of celebrating the festival over the
years.
The birth of Lord Krishna is considered to be a religious festival celebrated with great
devotion by His followers. People decorate their homes and throng the beautifully
illuminated and embellished temples. The festivities are observed from dawn till
midnight- the countdown of Janmashtami starts before dawn and continues all
through the day until midnight hours which is the exact moment of the birth of Lord
Krishna.
The celebrations typically begin a week or so before the actual day of Janmashtami.
Most of the Krishna temples organize ‘Rass Lila’ (a dance drama) and recitation of
verses from Bhagwad Gita, among other things in build up to the day of festival. One
such temple known for grand Janmashtami celebrations is ISKCON temple. What
started in New York in 1966 as “Hare Krishna movement” soon gained traction and
became behemoth of a religious organization having more than 600 centers all over
the world to this date.
ISKCON Delhi is reputed to celebrate one of the largest Janmashtami celebrations of
its kind since last 20 years and tends to attract vast number of devotees who start
participating in celebrations way ahead of the grand day. The festivities last for 12 days
beginning with a Srimad Bhagavat Katha for a week, followed by a shoba yatra
(procession outside the temple). The processions are organized by the temple wherein
the worshippers take the chanting of the mantras to the streets. Congregations are
called on to perform bhajans, kirtans and spiritual talks are held at the temple to
remember Lord Krishna.
Preparations start months in advance to herald the appearance of Lord Krishna.
Hundreds of devotees work tirelessly to ensure that the thousands of devotees and
visitors who flock to the temple have comfortable darshan of the Lord on Janmashtami
day and the midnight when the appearance of the Lord is celebrated.
Various arrangements are made to take care of the necessities of the thousands of
pilgrims who visit the temple on this day, and their security is ensured by the additional
personnel deployed for the occasion.
The entire temple is cleaned, painted and electrified with dazzling lights. The temple
hall is decorated with flowers and festoons. Truckloads of vegetables, grains, and fruits
arrive at the kitchen. Numerous people are engaged in various culinary activities.
People donate exquisite clothing and ornaments for dressing up the idol of Lord
Krishna and Radha. The devotees and temple priests also prepare breathtaking idols
of the Lord with flowers and other handicraft products. The magnificent flowers add
more charm to the beauty of the occasion and bring sanctity to the atmosphere.
Beautiful tableaus (jhanki) are set up recreating scenes from the life of Lord Krishna-
from being born in prison to slaying His evil uncle, Kansa, to His sacred connection
with Radha. Given the huge assembly of devotees on the occasion, big screens are
put up for those outside the temple to watch all that is happening inside.
Many disciples of Lord Krishna usually observe a day-long fast on this auspicious day
with meals comprising of fruits and water only. They break the fast at midnight to
mark the birth of the Lord.
The idol of