WHAT IS KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI?

The sacred occasion of Lord Krishna’s birth, is popularly called “Krishna Janmashtami” pronounced as ‘Krish-na‘ ‘Jan-mash-ta-me‘. Jan-mash-ta-me, is a Sanskrit word that means birthday falling on the 8th day of the moon cycle.  The day of birth of Krishna is on the 8th day of the descending moon which commemorates the earthly appearance of Lord Krishna, a highly venerated God in the Hindu religion besides which he has many followers from other religions as well.

This festive occasion marks the birth of Lord Krishna – the supreme deity who descended on Earth many many years ago to free mankind from the shackles of the vicious cycle of life and death. He threw light on the principle of Karma, which explains the cause and effect relationship of how all deeds and actions done by an individual affects that individual.

This day is celebrated by His devotees with great enthusiasm, pomp and show as an expression of their love and gratitude to the Lord for coming to earth to show the truthful right pathway of the soul. With the blessings and graces of Lord Krishna, those seeking the truth can connect to their Krishna or Christ consciousness in order to achieve the true connection of mind, body and spirit.

SIGNIFICANCE OF LORD KRISHNA’s EARTHLY APPEARANCE

The birth of Lord Krishna is symbolic of the victory of light over darkness, to assist the seekers of light to connect to their true state of being, which is called Krishna consciousness (also called Christ-consciousness in the western world) meaning truest clear consciousness. As Lord Krishna is the embodiment of the same divine energies as Jesus Christ, Krishna Janmashtami is energetically a highly significant occasion like Christmas.

As humans we are bound in the shackles of anger, greed, temptations, attachments and pain and we tend to spend our lives engulfed in the darkness of our own vices. Lord Krishna shows people the pathway to freedom from all vices through His teachings compiled in Bhagavad Gita, the Holy book of the Hindus.

Like the Bible, Bhagavad Gita is considered an eminent guide for the seekers of realisation.  It teaches self-mastery and inner composure to conquer the binding emotions to open the pathway to ultimate freedom.

In order to connect to the highest truth, the key is to travel inwards towards one’s true self where none other than the Lord resides. If one travels outwards, the mind gets entrapped in endless worldly activities and fails in making the true connection. The observances of the day of Janmashtami help the seeker to overcome the physical limitations of the mind and body and assist in making the highest connection to the divine truth.

LORD KRISHNA and LORD JESUS CHRIST

There are similarities in the titles “Krishna” and “Christ” and in the tales of the miraculous birth and early life of both. They both were divinely conceived and their births and God-ordained missions foretold. Jesus was born in a lowly manger and Krishna in a prison where his parents were held captive. They both were spirited away to safety from a death decree to all male infants. As they grew up, Jesus got referred to as a shepherd and Krishna as a cowherd.

Lord Krishna who shared in detail how every action has an equal and opposite reaction in the life cycle of the soul.  Lord Jesus, who took upon himself to bring an end to barbarism and show mankind the selfless nature of love and giving.

Their titles identify the state of consciousness – the Universal Krishna Consciousness or Christ Consciousness manifested in these two illuminated beings. Their consciousness is universal as they shed the Light of God’s consciousness on the entire world.

As history reveals that Lord Krishna came to this world to dispel the darkness and Open the Light, Guruji Poonamji lovingly calls Lord Krishna, “the Jesus of the East” for he changed the world of his era by his selfless service to mankind. 

TEACHINGS OF LORD KRISHNA

Bhagavad Gita, a compilation of Krishna’s message and teachings to mankind is considered an eminent guide for the seekers of self-realization. It teaches self-mastery and inner composure to conquer the binding emotions like anger, fear, ego, desire and manipulation. These are the key emotions while all other emotions are a direct or combined bi-product of these. For example, anger whether at self, others or a situation is the major emotion – irritation, frustration, anxiety and even depression are all under its umbrella.