In Indian culture..Why do we celebrate Krishna Janmashtami?

In Indian culture..Why do we celebrate Krishna Janmashtami?

      Bhagwan Shri Krishna incarnated five thousand years ago, at the end of cosmic phase, known as Dwapar-yug.

Purpose of Incarnation

      In the Gita [4/7.8], Shri Krishna proclaims:

     "Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati Bharat...

     ... Dharma sansthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge."

      i.e., I incarnate whenever Dharma declines and evil predominates, to establish Dharma Dharma and vanquish evil.

       In the Bhavishyottar Puran Shri Krishna himself extols the celebration of Janmashtami to Yudhishtir, the eldest of the five Pandavas.

       He incarnated in Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) to vanquish evil elements who were harassing pious people.  His second reason was to fulfill the pledge he gave to Vasudev and Devki.  When they married, Kamsa heard a divine proclamation that the couple's eighth son would be his nemesis.  To obviate this, Kamsa imprisoned the couple and killed the first seven sons born to Devki.  When Shri Krishna was born, Vasudev placed him in a cradle.  The prison's doors opened miraculously and he forded the river Yamuna with the divine child.  Thus, Shri Krishna survived.  

       During childhood he eradicated evil elements such as Bakasur, Aghasur, Putna, Kaliyanag and Kamsa.  Later he removed mighty evil kings from all over Bharat who were causing anarchy and inflicting needles misery on people.  By this mission, he fulfilled Paramatma's prophecy to remove evil and established dharma and peace in the whole of Bharat and reunified it.

Sentiments

       The first important sentiment of Janmashtami is to observe dharma.  Since humans are all imprisoned in samsar, Paramatma incarnates in this 'prison' with man, establishes dharma and redeems him from maya.  Man can transend maya only if he seeks Paramatma's aid, as did Arjun during the battle of Mahabharat.  As Bhagawan Ved Vyas proclaims:

       'Yato Krishnastato dharmaha, yato dharmastato jayaha."

       - Mahabharat Critical edition 13/153/39, 6/62/34

      i.e., Where there is Krishna, there is dhama,  where there is dharma, there is victory.  

       Since Duryodhan, leader of the Kauravas, did not observe dharma, he did not have Krishna.  No Krishna, no victory.

Sharanagati [Refuge]

   
      During the battle, Shri Krishna imparted divine knowledge to convince the relucatant Arjuna to fight.  This divine knowledge is known as Bhagavad Gita.  In the Bhagavad Gita 18/66 the following slok [18/66] as its essence:

       Sarva dharman parityajya maekam sharanam vraja,

       aham twa sarvapapebhyo mokshishyami ma shuchaha.

       i.e., O Arjun!  Forsake all your personal beliefs and surrender to me.  Do not lament for I shall deliver you free from all sins.

       Therefore, the true spirit of Janmashtami is for devotees to implicitly surrender at Paramatma's lotus - feet, while staunchly observing dharma.

Ideal Devotee

       Shri Krishna stipulates:
       "Brahma bhutaha prasannatma na shochati na kankshati,
       Samaha sarveshu bhuteshu madbhaktim labhate param." - Bhagavad Gita 18/54

       i.e., One who becomes brahma-rup and offers devotion to Parabrahma, forever remains blissful and attains the highest glory of Paramatma.  'Brahma-rup' simply means to become an ideal devotee, like Arjun, who represents Nar, and to then worship Krishna - Narayan.  Hence, the murtis of Nar-Narayan.

       Similarly, Shri Krishna played the Maha Ras (divine stick dance) with the Gopis of Vrundavan because of their unalloyed devotion to him.  Radha was the foremost among them.  Therefore, devotees should develop Gopi-bhav, to become Radha-rup (like Radha) to worship Shri Krishna.  Hence, the murtis of Radha-Krishna are consecrated in mandirs.  This establishes the eternal principle of worshipping Paramatma, by becoming Radha-rup, like His ideal devotee; to become Akshar-rup to worship Purushottam.  Hence to become Akshar-rup or gunatit, Shri Krishna has given two chapters in the Bhagavad Gita, aksharbrahma Yoga [Chapter 8] and Purushottam Yoga [Chapter 15].

       In addition to such surrenderance, how should an aspirant strive to attain the exalted state of the Gopis - Gopi-bhav - to please Paramatma?  Shri Krishna himelf provides the answer in the Bhagavatam.

Interesting age-related figures about Shri Krishna.

• Shri Krishna was only a child of about 12 when he played Maha Ras with the Gopis, prior to leaving for Mathura at the age of 13.

• He first met Pandavas prior to the battle, at the age of 83.

• He always did pranams to Yudhishthir [aged 87] and Bhim [aged 86] since they were older than him.

• When he attended Draupadi's svayamvar, he brought along with him, his son Samb and Pradyumna, and the latter's son Anirudh, from Dwarka.

• He was 125 years old at his demise [Bhagavatam 11/625].

Such longevity was common then.  Even 2.5 millennia later, when the Greeks arrived around 300-200 BCE, a chronicler [Arian] noted "many Hindus aged 140 years olds and many more who are 100!"

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Source: Excerpts from the book Hindu Festivals written by Sadhu Mukundcharandas

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