Janmashtami 2024: The story of Lord Krishna's birth as per Shastras
Janmashtami, also known as Krishna Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, is the annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Godhead. It falls on the eighth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Shravana (July-August) according to the Hindu calendar. The festival is observed with great devotion and enthusiasm across India and by Hindus worldwide.
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FollowThis year, Krishna Janmashtami is being celebrated on Monday (August 26). Devotees of Lord Krishna honour this sacred festival by fasting, participating in night-long kirtans, organizing bhakti events, and more. The day is observed by Sri Krishna's devotees as an expression of their deep love and devotion to the Lord. The significance of Lord Krishna's appearance is profound. His Janam Leela is both divine and sacred. The Supreme Lord's arrival was intended to put an end to the tyranny of the evil Kansa and bring joy to His devotees.
Let's check how Shastras describe Lord Krishna's appearance on Ashtami:
When Devaki conceived for the seventh time, she was filled with a mix of joy and trepidation. She was thrilled that Lord Krishna had chosen her womb as His refuge, but feared for the child's safety, knowing that Kamsa would seek to harm Him upon birth. In response, Krishna summoned His divine energy, Yogamaya, to intervene. Yogamaya cast a spell, simultaneously affecting Devaki and Rohini, another wife of Vasudeva, who resided in Gokula with King Nanda and Queen Yasoda. Rohini and other members of the Yadu dynasty had fled Mathura to escape Kamsa's cruelty.
Under Yogamaya's influence, Krishna's primary expansion was transferred from Devaki's womb to Rohini's, leading people to believe Devaki had miscarried. However, Rohini gave birth to a boy in Gokula, who would become Balarama, Krishna's brother and companion. With the eighth child's arrival imminent, Krishna entered Vasudeva's heart from the spiritual realm, radiating like the sun. From there, He transferred to Devaki's heart, akin to the sun's rays illuminating the rising moon. Notably, Krishna's birth was not through ordinary means, but by His own divine power, independent of human conception.
Devaki became the sacred vessel for the Supreme Being, the singular force behind all creation. Though confined within Kamsa's palace, her divine radiance shone like a contained flame, visible only to Kamsa. Upon beholding his sister's extraordinary beauty, Kamsa realized that God had indeed incarnated within her.
How Shastras describe Lord Krishna's birth:
Some argue that the Lord cannot be born, yet Krishna emerged from Devaki's womb. However, His birth was not like an ordinary child's, where the mother endures labor pains. Krishna's arrival was extraordinary, defying the conventional process of birth. According to scriptural accounts, Lord Krishna was born in His four-armed (chaturbhuj) divine form, and subsequently assumed the appearance of a human child.
The Supreme Lord transcends the cycles of life and death, and His appearances in various places are merely a continuation of His divine pastimes, unfolding in different locales as He chooses.
The two most well-known shlokas (verses) from the Bhagavad Gita are:
yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛijāmyaham (-Bg 4.7)
This means when adharma starts to prevail, and Dharma starts to perish. Lord Sri Krishna appears at his own will.
Now the question arises what the purpose of His self appearance is?
The purpose is-
“paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśhāya cha duṣhkṛitām
dharma-sansthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge” (-Bg 4.8)
The Supreme Lord constantly lives in His dham (divine abode), but when He descends to the material world, He is called Avatar. This is because He descends for the redemption of His devotees and to end evil.
Significance of Krishna Avatar:
There are various types of Avatars, including Purusha, Gunavatar, Lilavatar, Shaktyavesh, Manvantara, and Yugavatar, each appearing in a specific sequence. However, Lord Krishna is the ultimate source and Supreme Personality of Godhead, from whom all Avatars emanate. He possesses the power to eradicate evil in any form or manner He chooses.
Lord Krishna, being the Supreme, doesn't necessarily need to incarnate. However, He chooses to take Avatar for a special reason: to alleviate the anxieties of His devotees who yearn to witness His authentic, divine pastimes in Vrindavan.
The ultimate purpose of Lord Krishna's Avatar is to delight His pure devotees, who are free from material desires, by manifesting His divine presence. The Supreme Lord is not limited to appearing in India alone; He can incarnate anywhere, anytime. Through each Avatar, He propounds Dharma, aiming to instill spiritual sentiments and obedience to righteous principles in humanity, thereby fostering a deeper connection with the divine.
Lord Krishna appears in Brahma’s one-day seventh Manu twenty-eighth Chaturyuga’s end of Dwapara. We are fortunate to be born in this period of Kaliyuga, only 5,249 years after His departure.
Janmashtami 2024: Why did Lord Krishna appear on Earth? Read
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