Sri
Krishna Janmastami
Maha-Mahotsav
(20-Aug-2003)
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Sri
Krishna Janmastami |
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WARNING: Date shown above is applicable in India for this year only. |
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Srila Prabhupada's Quotes:
Please accept my blessings. In your last letter you asked how to celebrate Krishna's and Radha's birthday. As last year, on Krishna's with fasting up to midnight, and Radha's fasting up to noon. Then feasting. Certainly those who take Krishna's advent as that of an ordinary man are great fools, but if one can simply understand the transcendental nature of this event as well as His disappearance, he becomes immediately liberated. (Letter to: Brahmananda, Vrindaban, 15 August, 1967)
BIG SANKIRTANA-PROCESSION
ON JANMASTAMI & GAURA-PURNIMA
In the spring you may lead a very big procession on Lord Chaitanya's
birthday. This is a good plan to celebrate this great spring festival out of
doors. So make this a very opulent procession with large Sankirtana Party and
you may also celebrate in this way again with a procession on Janmastami day.
These two important subjects may be observed in this way by all the three areas
and similarly in other centers also. (Letter to: Madhudvisa Los Angeles, 14
February, 1970)
Krishna is God, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. This fact is stated and corroborated in the Vedic scriptures and by
various authorities. Lord Brahma in Brahma Samhita says, "Krishna who is known
as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He
is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all
causes" (BS 5.1). In the Bhagavata Purana Krishna becomes the chief object of
devotion. After describing various incarnations of the Lord such as Rama,
Balarama, Vamana, Nrsimha, and Vishnu, Srila Sukadeva Goswami states, "All of
the above mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the
plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Krishna is the original Personality of
Godhead" (SB 1.3.28).
Lord Shiva in Gita Mahatmya, states that "only one God - Krishna, the son of
Devaki" (Verse 7). In the Padma Purana it is stated, "By scrutinizingly
reviewing all the revealed scriptures and judging them again and again, it is
now concluded that Lord Narayana is the Supreme Absolute Truth, and thus He
alone should be worshipped". Similarly it is said in the Skanda Purana, "In the
material world, which is full of darkness and dangers, combined with birth and
death and full of different anxieties, the only way to get out of the great
entanglement is to accept loving transcendental devotional service to Lord
Vasudeva. This is accepted by all classes of philosophers".
The position of Krishna as God is confirmed by great personalities like Narada,
Asita, Devala, Vyasa, Parasara, Brahma and Shiva. Finally Krishna Himself
confirms this fact in the Bhagavad-gita to His friend and devotee, Arjuna. He
clearly says that He is "the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods" (BG
5.29), that "there is no truth superior to Me" (BG 7.7) and - "I am the source
of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me" (BG 10.8).
What is the position of Krishna?
As God, there is no one equal to or greater than
Krishna. He is the original, unborn, eternal person, the most ancient,
completely independent, and the cause of all causes. Parasara Muni, the father
of Srila Vyasadeva and a great scholar who had himself held the position of
Vyasa in a previous kalpa, very nicely defines the position of Bhagavan (God) as
one Who is complete in six kinds of opulence namely - wisdom, beauty, fame,
power, wealth and renunciation. While there are many great personalities who are
very famous or very wealthy, only Krishna as God is replete in all six
opulence.
The scriptures not only give us the unique position of Krishna but also give us
a detailed description of all His aspects. They tell us that above this
temporary material universe is an eternal spiritual world called Vaikuntha, and
Krishna lives in the topmost planet of this universe called Goloka Vrindavana
which is full of palaces made of touch-stone (cintamani), with trees that
are capable of fulfilling all desires (kalpa-vraksha) and cows that are
called Surabhi.
Here Krishna eternally resides, served by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of
fortune. He sports with His most confidential and intimate devotees, headed by
Srimati Radharani. He has a form just like us but His body is spiritual and thus
eternal. His complexion is dark-blue, like that of a rain-filled cloud and
His eyes are like lotus petals. He is ever youthful, full of bliss and His
beauty excels that of thousands of cupids. He likes to play the flute, He sports
a crown with a peacock feather and He is adorned by the exquisite kastuba jewel.
What is Krishna avatar?
In Chaitanya-charitamrita (2.20.263-264) it is
stated that the "avatar, or incarnation of Godhead, descends from the
kingdom of God for creating and maintaining the material manifestation. And the
particular form of the Personality of Godhead who so descends is called an
incarnation, or avatar. Such incarnations are situated in the spiritual
world, the kingdom of God. When They descend to the material creation, They
assume the name avatar."
The Srimad Bhagavatam states that there are countless incarnations just like the
waves of the oceans. They fall in various categories like lila (pastime),
yuga (period of yuga), manavantara (period of Manu),
purusa (Vishnu expansions) and shaktivesa (empowered). These
avatars perform various pastimes based on the time, place and circumstances,
but their purpose is always the same - "to attract the conditioned souls back to
their eternal spiritual abode".
The incarnations emanate from Vishnu. Maha-Vishnu is the original cause
of all material creation and from Him Garbhodakashai-Vishnu expands and
then Ksirodakasayi-Vishnu. Generally all incarnations appearing within
the material world are plenary portions of Ksirodakasayi-Vishnu (also known as
Hari).
However only once in a day of Lord Brahma (which lasts for 4.32 billion of our
years), does Krishna descend in His original form, as the
avataree, the
cause of all avatars. When Krishna appears all the incarnations join with
Him. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the complete whole and all the
plenary portions and incarnations always live with Him. So when Krishna
appeared, Lord Vishnu was always with Him, and while Krishna enjoyed His
pastimes in Vrindavan, the killing of the demons was actually carried out by the
His Vishnu portion. Since Krishna eternally resides in Vrindavan, when He left
Vrindavan at the age of ten, it was His Vasudeva expansion that actually left.
Appearance of Krishna
In the era of the Svayambhuva Manu, prajapati
Sutapa and his wife Prsni were instructed by Lord Brahma to have progeny. They
performed severe austerities for twelve thousand years of the demigods to have
the Lord as their child. Pleased by their austerities the Lord appeared and
granted them this benediction. Since He gave them this benediction three times,
in Satya-yuga He first appeared as the son of Prsni and Sutapa and was
called Prsnigarba. In Treta-yuga they were Aditi and Kasyapa Muni
and the Lord appeared as Vamanadeva. Finally in the Dvapara yuga,
Krishna in His original form, appeared as the child of Devaki and
Vasudeva.
Krishna appeared specifically on the request of Bhudevi, the presiding deity of
the Earth planet. Distressed by the burden of many demons who had appeared as
powerful Kshatriyas and were ruling the planet impiously, she assumed the form
of a cow and pleaded to Lord Brahma for help. Lord Brahma with all the demigods
prayed to Lord Vishnu in Svetadvipa by chanting the Purusa-sukta prayers.
At this time the Lord informed Brahma that in order to establish religiosity and
destroy evil, He would soon appear as His original Self. In the meantime the
various demigods were instructed to take birth in various families in the Yadu
dynasty and prepare for the appearance of the Lord.
Lifeline of Krishna
Historically, Lord Krishna appeared in the
Dvapara yuga, on the midnight of the 8th day of the dark half of the month
of Sravan. This corresponds to July 19th 3228 BC. He exhibited His
pastimes for a little over 125 years and disappeared on February 18th 3102 BC
on the new moon night of Phalgun. His departure marks the beginning of
the current age of corruption known as Kali.
The great scholar Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti neatly outlines Lord Krishna's
activities in this way. He was born in Mathura in the prison cell of
Kamsa and carried to Gokul. The first three years and four months were
spent in Gokula, then equal lengths of time in Vrindavan and Nandagram.
At the age of eleven He left Vrindavan for Mathura where He lived for eighteen
years and four months, and finally ninety-six years and eight months in
Dvaraka totaling about 126 years of manifest pastimes. At the time of
Mahabharata, when Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-gita, He was about ninety years of
age.
Pastimes of Krishna
The tenth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam describes the
activities and transcendental pastimes of Sri Krishna. They are also described
in the epic Mahabharata, specially in the Bhishma parva which also contains the
Bhagavad-gita. The pastimes of Krishna appeal to the liberated souls, those that
are trying to get liberated and also to the gross materialists.
The pastimes of Sri Krishna, known as Krishna-katha fall into two
categories. Words spoken by Krishna, as the Bhagavad-gita, and
words spoken about Krishna, as in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Souls in
the liberated stage derive great pleasure in relishing anything and everything
related to Krishna. For those that are trying to be liberated, Krishna-katha
makes their path of liberation very clear.
By studying the Gita one becomes fully
conscious of the position of Sri Krishna; and when one is situated at the
lotus feet of the Lord, he understands the narration's of Krishna as described
in the Srimad Bhagavatam.
Even the gross materialists are attracted by the pleasure pastimes of Krishna
with the Gopis and His wives. Even though the loving affairs of Krishna have
nothing to do with the gross, mundane sex affairs, they attract the people
engrossed in sense-gratification and gradually elevate them to higher levels of
spirituality.
Causeless mercy of Krishna
Even though Krishna is completely self sufficient
and self satisfied, He descends for the benefit of all the conditioned souls.
His most endearing quality is that of "bhakta vatsala". His pure devotees
are always trying to please Him, and He is always trying to please His devotees.
Just as He lives in the heart of His devotees, His devotees constantly reside in
Him.
Krishna is so merciful that He not only helps His devotees, but also those who
are envious of Him. Krishna destroys evil by providing them with an opportunity
to take up devotion.
On the greatly auspicious day of Krishna-Janamashtami, let us all pray to
Sri Krishna for a drop of His causeless mercy, for only that alone is sufficient
to take us out from this material word, back home, back to Godhead.
All glories to the appearance day of Lord Krishna ! All glories to Sri Krishna
and His devotees !!
JANMASTAMI & BACK TO GODHEAD
MAGAZINE
Sarasvati Thakur
liked Abhay-da (Srila Prabhupada) and would be very
pleased to see him because he knew that Abhay-da liked to preach. On the
occasion of the annual varshik-utsav (festival of Janmastami), in
Sarasvati Thakur's room, upstairs at the Baghbazaar Math, Jotisekhar saw
Abhay-da sitting near his guru maharaja, who told him to start a magazine in
Bengali, giving him the idea, "ghore phiray chala - return back to home
'Back To Godhead,' as a title. He also quoted a sloka in Sanskrit: "yad
gatva nanuvartante, tad dhama paramama mama (Gita 15.6)," on the same topic
and then said, "This idea of going back to Godhead is the basis of the Gaudiya
Math." (From HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami's book on SBSST.)
JANMASTAMI & VAMSIDAS BABAJI
On Janmastami he was in Baleshvar, a town in North
Orissa. At midnight he said to Gopal, "Last year I gave You some palmfruit. This
year I shall give You some mango. Gopal, don't be impatient, mango is coming to
You." Within ten minutes a brahmana teacher called Jogendra Mukherjee arrived,
explaining how he had just dreamt that a sadhu wanted a mango, so he went to the
market and bought one. That brahmana was then told, "Yes, yes, you come. He said
he wanted a mango." (From HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami's book on SBSST.)
Vows, Worship, and
Fasting on Sri Janmastami
Sri Janmastami-vrata-pujopavasa-nirupana
Chapter Eight: Sri Brahma-vaivarta Purana
[ACBSPN Note: The next day of Janmastami is the most auspicious appearance day of our spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada has the undisputed honor of being reputed as a Pure Devotee Vaishnava Acharya coming in disciplic succession in Brahma Sampradaya.
In line with the Vaishnava tradition, an Acharya's appearance day is celebrated with nir-jala fasting by his followers and admirers. We remain in a state of nir-jala (fasting even from drinking water) on Srila Prabhupada's appearance day because we are busy cooking various prescribed items to be offered to him on his appearance. We remain busy making and then performing various wonderful arrangements for abhishek, arati and glorifications, marking his most merciful appearance.
In the noon, Srila Prabhupada's abhishek is performed followed by guru-puja. Then Bhoga is offered with ecstatic kirtan and festivities going on among the devotees. Finally after the maha-prasad is removed, arrangements are made for the maha-feast. Guests line up in long queues and Srila Prabhupada's maha-prasad is then served to all assembled devotees. Amongst Krishna-katha, the devotees honor maha-prasad with great taste and satisfaction. Everyone is fed till they collapse! With lot of vaishnava-jokes, brotherhood and cheering everyone swims in the ocean of spiritual nectar and spontaneously glorifies the mercy of the Acharyas - the pure devotees of the Lord.
So in this regard, we the followers and admirers of Srila Prabhupada, break our Janmastami fast right after the mid-night abhishek of the Lord with ekadasi-prasadam. Immediately then we go into nir-jala fasting observing Srila Prabhupada's auspicious appearance day. This fast remains till the afternoon and then the fast is broken with maha-feasting. This is a vaishnava tradition approved of by Srila Prabhupada himself, so this is what we follow. -Webmaster ACBSPN]