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Krishna Janmashtami
Krishna Janmashtami is a day on which Lord Krishna was born to Devki and Vasudev. Krishna Janmashtami is also known as Gokulashtami or Gopalkala. On the occasion of Janmashtami, Dahi-Handi is played by young boys & girls. Sweets prepared using milk and milk products are served. Dahi Handi 2011 or Gopalkala 2011 date is August 22.
Krishna is the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. This religious festival is celebrated throughout India with devotion and enthusiasm on the eighth day of the Hindi calendar month, Bhadon. Janmashtami is also known as Krishnashtami, Gokulashtami and Srijayanti.
Significance
Janmashtami celebrated in Mathura and Brindawana, where Lord Krishna spent his childhood, is famous and devotees from all over India wish to be present there. The song and religious hymns praising Lord Krishna are sung all through the night. The idol of Lord Krishna as a child is bathed in a mixture of Ganga water, ghee (butter), honey, yogurt, milk, jaggery or sugar and tulsi leaves. The idol of infant Lord Krishna is then placed on the cradle and devotees sing various songs with vigor and zeal.
Janmashtami is celebrated in different ways in different places. In Maharashtra it is celebrated as Dahi-Handi, in which young boys and girls break the pots filled with yogurt and butter. These pots are hung high and group of young boys make a human pyramid and then break the pot. In some places they are even honored and prizes are given to the winning team. This custom resembles the events when Lord Krishna used to steal butter from the pots.
Celebration of Janmashtami
Most of the people have a day long fast and they worship the God in the evening. The process continues till midnight in which song, dance, rasleela (skits) and jhankis are involved. At midnight, which is considered the right time of the birth of Lord Krishna, the idol of Infant Krishna is bathed in panchamrit (mixture of milk, ghee, curd, honey and tulsi leaves) and the idol is put on the cradle and rocked.
It is a tradition that all devotees will come forward and rock the cradle and in this way they feel they have spent some time with the Lord. Some of the devotees chant the 108 names of Lord Krishna to please him.
Achala – Krishna Who is Still and Motionless
Achyuta – Krishna Who is Infallible
Adbhutah – Krishna Who is Opulant and Wondrous
Adidev – Krishna who is the God of gods and goddesses
Aditya – Krsna who is the Son Of Aditi
Ajanma – Krsna Who Is Infinite And Boundless
Ajaya – Krishna Who is Beyond both Life And Death
Akshara – Krishna Who is Indestructible
Amrut – Krsna Who Is Sweet As Nectar and Immortal
Anaadih – Krsna Who Is The First Cause
Anandsagar – Krishna Who is an Ocean of Bliss
Ananta – Krishna who is Infinite
Anantajit – Krsna who is Ever Victorious
Anaya – Krsna, above Who there is none
Aniruddha – Krsna Who is the Lord of Obsticles
Aparajeet – Krishna Who Cannot Be Defeated
Avyukta – Krsna Who Is As Clear As Crystal
Balgopal – The Child Krishna, The All Attractive One
Bali – The Lord Of Strength
Chaturbhuj – Four-Armed Lord (Vishnu)
Danavendra – Krishna Who is the Granter Of Boons
Dayalu Krsna who is the Repositiory Of Compassion
Dayanidhi – Krsna from Whom Compassion is Born
Devadidev – Krishna who is Supreme among Gods
Devakinandan – Krishna Who is the Son Of Mother Devaki
Devesh – Lord Of The Lords
Dharmadhyaksha – The Lord of Dharma
Dwarkapati – Lord Of Dwarka
Gopal – Krsna Who Plays With The Cowherds (Gopas)
Gopalpriya – Lover Of Cowherds
Govinda – Krsna Who pleases the cows, the Earth and all of Nature
Gyaneshwar – The Lord Of Knowledge
Hari – The Lord Of Nature
Hiranyagarbha – The All Powerful Creator
Hrishikesh – Krsna who is the Lord of the Heart
Jagadguru – Preceptor Of The Universe
Jagadisha – Protector Of All
Jagannath – Lord Of The Universe
Janardhana – Krishna Who bestows boons on one and all
Jayantah – Krsna who is the Conqueror of all Enemies
Jyotiraaditya – Krsna Who shines with the Effulgence of a Billion Suns
Kamalnath – Krishna Who is the Lord of the Goddess Lakshmi
Kamalnayan – Krsna Whose eyes are like Lotuses
Kamsantak – Krsna, Slayer Of Kamsa
Kanjalochana – The Lotus-Eyed God
Keshava – Krsna Who Has Long, Black Matted Locks
Krishna – Dark-Complexioned Lord
Lakshmikantam – The Lord Of Goddess Lakshmi
Lokadhyaksha – Krsna Who is the Lord Of All The Three Lokas (Worlds)
Madan – The Lord Of Love
Madhava – Krsna Who is Lord of Nature
Madhusudan – Krishna, Slayer Of Demon Madhu
Mahendra – Krishna, Lord Of Indra
Manmohan – Krsna Who Captivates the mind utterly
Manohar – Krsna Who Attracts
Mayur – Krishna Who Has A Peacock Feathered-Crest
Mohan – Krishna Whose Beauty Intoxicates
Murali – Krishna, Who plays the Flute
Murlidhar – One Who Holds The Flute
Murlimanohar – The Flute Playing God
Nandgopala – The Son Of Nand
Narayana – Krishna, the Refuge Of All Beings
Niranjana – Krsna, the Unblemished
Nirguna – Krsna Who is Beyond All Descriptions
Padmahasta – Krishna, Whose Hands are Like Lotuses
Padmanabha – The Lord Who Has A Lotus Shaped Navel
Parabrahmana – Krsna Who is the Supreme Absolute Truth
Paramatma – The Soul of Souls
Parampurush – Supreme Personality
Parthasarthi – Charioteer Of Partha – Arjuna
Prajapati – Krishna Who is the Creator Of All Creatures
Punyah – Krishna Who is Supremely Pure
Purshottam – Krsna as the Supreme Soul
Ravilochana – Krsna Whose Eye Is The Sun
Sahasraakash – Thousand-Eyed Lord
Sahasrajit – Krsna Who Vanquishes Evil Hordes by the Millions
Sahasrapaat – Thousand-Footed Lord
Sakshi – All Witnessing Lord
Sanatana – The Eternal Lord
Sarvajana – Omniscient Krsna
Sarvapalaka – Protector Of All
Sarveshwar – Krsna Who is in Charge of all Gods
Satyavachana – Krsna Who speaks only the Truth
Satyavrata – The Truth Dedicated Lord
Shantah – Lord of Pure Peace
Shreshta – The Most Glorious Lord
Shrikanta – Krishna who is Beautiful
Shyam – Dark-Complexioned
Shyamsundara – Krsna who is the All Attractive, Dark Colored God
Sudarshana – He Whose Sight is Auspicious
Sumedha – Lord of Intelligence
Suresham – Lord Of All Demi-Gods
Swargapati – Krsna Who Rules all Heavens
Trivikrama – Conqueror Of All The Three Worlds
Upendra – Brother Of Indra
Vaikunthanatha – Lord Of Vaikuntha, The Heavenly Abode
Vardhamaanah – The Formless Lord
Vasudev – Son of Vasudeva
Vishnu – All Prevailing Lord
Vishwadakshinah – Skilfull And Efficient Lord
Vishwakarma – Krsna, Creator Of The Universe
Vishwamurti – The Universe Whose Form is Krsna
Vishvarupa – Krsna, Whose Universal Form Encompasses every form and formlessness
Vishwatma – Soul Of The Universe
Vrishaparvaa – Lord Of Dharma
Yadavendra – Krsna, King Of The Yadav Clan
Yogi – The Supreme Master
Yoginampati – Lord Of The Yogis
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Janmashtami Pooja, Lord Krishna Pooja, Krishna Pooja, Krishna Pray, How to do Krishna Pooja, How to Pray Krishna
How to perform a simple puja of Lord Krishna.
Select a calm and quite place.
Clean the place and then take a bath.
Place a photograph or idol or picture of Lord Krishna also of Lord Ganesha.
Keep a lamp ready. Place some flowers and fruits or sweets ready in a plate.
Pray to Ganesha.
Meditate for a few minutes to clear the mind of unwanted thoughts.
Now light the lamp.
Meditate or pray to Lord Krishna.
Offer flowers – Tulsi leaves is the best offering made to Krishna. You can light incense or agarbathis. If needed you can ring the bell, while offering flowers.
Chant the shloka – Om Namo Vasudevaya Namah.
Now offer fruits or any sweet or usual food prepared for the deity. You can sprinkle some water after making the offering.
You can meditate for a few minutes or read some shlokas or prayers dedicated to Krishna.
After the Krishna Puja remove the fruits and share it as ‘prasad’ with others.
After the puja, find some time to read the Bhagavad Gita and contemplate. You will find ideas and thoughts rushing in, which will help you in finding new meaning and direction in your life. Other spiritual books that can be read include Uddhava Gita and Srimad Bhagavad Purana.
Shri Krishna taught us to rise above rituals and to perform action. The best offering to Shri Krishna is to perform one’s duty by realizing the Brahman within.
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Grate the coconut, roughly chop the cucumber & finely chop the green chilies and ginger.
Melt ghee in a small pan for the tempering; add the jeera, green chilies and ginger.
Pour over the beaten rice and add in the remaining ingredients. Mix well.
Some other Janmashtami Favorite Dishes
Murukku (Rice Chakli)
Preparation time:20-25 minutes
Ingredients : Rice flour 340 gms.
Gram flour 120 gms.
Til seeds 1 tbsp.
Chilli powder 3 tsp.
Asafoetida ½ tsp.
Butter 2 tbsps.
Oil as required
Salt to taste
Method of Preparation : Mix both rice and gram flour, add chilli powder, asafoetida, butter and salt. Wash the til seeds and add to the flour mixture. Add water and knead into a soft dough. Put small quantities of dough in a murukku mould, hold it over a kadhai with hot oil and press murukkus into the oil. Remove murukku from kadhai when brown and crisp.
Kheer
Preparation time: 30-40 minutes
Ingredients 1 cup Basmati rice
1 cup condensed milk
1 tablespoon custard powder, dissolved in warm milk
3-4 cups of whole milk, diluted with 1-2 cups of water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp cashewnuts, dry roasted.
1 tsp powdered cardamom
Method of preparation: Pour milk in a pan and add rice to it. Boil rice and milk in the pan on medium flame until completely cooked (appx. 25-30 minutes). Add custard powder to milk and stir continuously. Add condensed milk, sugar and stir till sugar gets completely dissolved and the mixture thickens.
Add nuts and raisin. Sprinkle it with powdered cardamom for extra flavor.
Can be served both hot as well as cold.
Kalakand
Ingredients :
2 litres Milk
1/2 to 3/4 cup Sugar
Chopped nuts to decorate (pista, almonds)
Silver foil (optional)
1/2 tsp. Citric acid dissolved in 1/2 cup water
Method of Preparation : Boil half the milk and add the citric solution as it comes to boil. Switch off the gas. Once the chenna settles sieve through muslin cloth, press out excess water, take
it in a plate and press down. Do not knead. Put the remaining milk in a heavy pan
and boil to half. Add chenna and boil till the mixture thickens. Stir continuously. Add sugar and continue to cook. Stir all the while till it softly thickens in a lump. Set in a tray, apply silver foil and sprinkle the chopped nuts.
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