Krishna Janmashtami , also known as Krishnashtami, Gokulashtami, Srikrishna Jayanti or sometimes merely as Janmashtami, is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Krishna, a poorna-avatar of the god Vishnu.Sri Krishna is considered as the eighth avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu’s  on earth. He is considered to be the Lord’s most glorious incarnations. It is said that his remembrance true heart brings extreme joy and pleasure because Sri Krishna himself was a manifestation of joy at all levels and in all walks of life. No other God in the Hindu pantheon, or for that matter in any other religion, is associated with so many romantic tales and so fully radiating with all the divine attributes as Sri Krishna.

The life and message of Sri Krishna is the most stirring saga of one of the greatest saviour and profounder of Dharma. Born in the dungeons of Kansa who was out to kill him at the very moment of his birth, Sri Krishna’s life is replete with many such mortal dangers which he successfully triumphs over. He was the unchallenged hero of his times both in terms of his bodily prowess and his intellectual brilliance .

Krishna Janmashtami is observed on the Ashtami tithi, the eighth day of the dark half or Krishna Paksha of the month of Shraavana in the Hindu calendar, when the Rohini Nakshatra is ascendant. The festival always falls in August or September in the Gregorian calendar.Since Sri Krishna lived in luxury throughout his life, Sri Krishna Jayanti is celebrated with pomp and splendor. Plenty of sweets are made on this day. Among these are laddus (yellu oonde), chakli, cheedai, payasam (kheer), and so on. In addition, plenty of milk products especially butter, which was Sri Krishna’s favorite childhood food, is given in offerings. A wide variety of fruits are also offered. The most common sweets made laddus and payasam.

Sri Krishna Jayanti, therefore, signifies not merely the birth of a great and Divine teacher of mankind in some distant past but the lighting of the spark of the Divine Power in every one of us, which spurs us on to play our dynamic part in this world of practical and hard realities with a sense of high spiritual purpose. Krishna represents the total power of attraction (Aakarshna Shakti) like a magnet of infinite rise. Hence Krishna is the source of joy.

Janmastami vow

Sri Krishna taught us Karma Yoga. He strongly dictated in Gita that a man is bound to get the fruits of his actions. If he has done good actions/deeds throughout his life, he will get good results. The real meaning of Janamashtami vow is to become Karamyogi like Krishna. One should always follow the right path and never tolerate injustice. Karma yoga is action (karma) performed without expectations or thought of reward. This selfless service of karma yoga is the path by which the mind is most quickly purified and its limits transcended. The karma yogi works hard, both physically and mentally. He seeks to eliminate the ego and its attachments, to serve humanity without expecting rewards, and to see unity in diversity . This enables him to tune to the one underlying divine essence that dwells within all beings. Karma yoga is most suitable for people who have an active temperament. It involves working in the world and giving of oneself in a selfless way. The real essence is to become a selfless Karamyogi.
He only mentions in Gita
“ yad yad acarati shresthasthat devetaro janah|
sa yat pramam kurute lokas tadanuvartate|| ”

Born in Dwapur Yuga
According to some scholars, Krishna was born on Wednesday,the eighth day of second fortnight in Sravana month in the year of Visvavasu around 3227 BC, also known as Dwapur Yug. July 19th 3228 BC to be more accurate. He lived for 125 years and disappeared on February 18th 3102 BC on the new moon night of Phalguna. His death was the onset of the current corrupt age known as Kaliyug.

Universal Happiness of all Forms of Life
From the time, Devaki conceived Sri Krishna, she began to glow and exude divine light. The prison walls glowed with the aura of the new born infant. Atmosphere of peace and happiness prevailed all over, Forests were all green and full of trees with all kinds of beautiful flowers, rivers were all swollen due to joy, peacocks began to dance in sheer joy, people in all villages started being happy.

Objective of Krishna’s Birth
The main objective of Lord Krishna’s birth was to free Mother Earth from the wickedness of demons. Playing an important part in Mahabharata (legendary battle in Kurukshetra) and propagating the theory of bhakti and good karma were other important objectives.

Events Before The Birth of Sri Krishna
The people of Mathura were extremely unhappy with the wicked king Kansa who put his father, king Ugrasen in prison and declared himself the king of Mathura. It was to put an end to his evil ways and other demons that Lord Vishnu decided to take birth on Earth in human form. According to Akashvani (heavenly voice) at the wedding of his beloved sister Devki, Kansa got to know that the eighth child of his sister will take birth to kill him. So, in turn he rushed to kill his sister. Kansa gave up the idea of killing after being assured by Vasudev that he will handover all his children to him. He put them in Prison. Kansa killed all the six infants as soon as they were born. The seventh child (Balram) was saved due to divine intervention, when he was transferred from Devki’s womb to that of Rohini’s (other wife of Vasudev).

Events During the Birth of Lord Krishna
Lord Krishna was born in a prison cell in the captivity of King Kansa. He took birth in divine form with lotus like eyes,his palms bearing the signs of a lotus and discus. He had a swastika sign on his sole. Wearing a yellow colored silk cloth, adorned with precious diamond earrings and a crown made of emeralds. Soon after the birth, a chain of events astonished Vasudev,when he saw the gates of the cell flow open and all the guards fast asleep. He immediately thought of Nand ,his close friend in Gokul and decided to handover his child to him in order to save him from the clutch of Kansa.

River Yamuna Bows To The Feet of Sri Krishna
The night of birth was witnessed by heavy rains which led to River Yamuna being in floods. As soon as the feet of Lord immersed in the river, the flow became normal and Yamuna made way for the Lord. Sheshnag, the serpent formed an umbrella to save the new born baby from rain.

Exchange of the Babies
Vasudev kept his child next to fast asleep Yashoda and took the baby girl lying with him back to Mathura. The baby girl is believed to be the sister of Lord Vishnu.

Disappearance of The Divine Child
On hearing the news of birth of the eighth child of Devki and Vasudev, Kansa rushed to the prison-cell and lifted the baby girl to kill her despite pleadings from Devki. However, instead of hitting the stone, the child flew up in the air and announced that the annihilator of Kansa was born and in safe hands.

Krishna later grew in Gokul and finally killed his maternal uncle, King Kansa

Rituals and Customs Observed during Janmashtami

• Fasting : The most common ritual observed all over during Janmashtami is fasting by devotees on the day of the festival. Devotees fast for the entire day and break it after the birth of Lord Krishna at midnight. People prefer to have only milk and milk products as they were the favourite of Lord Krishna. Some devotees of Lord Krishna go to the extent of keeping ‘Nirjal’ fast- It involves fasting without having a single drop of water. There are other ardent followers , who keep the fast for two days in the honour of Lord Krishna.
• Chanting : Devotees indulge in continuous chanting all day long. They chant mantras and shlokas to please the lord. Religious atmosphere prevails everywhere. Devotees highlight his feats and his divine characteristics. Chanting of 108 names of Lord Krishna is another ritual that takes place in various temples. Chanting of names is accompanied by showering of flowers on the idol of Lord Krishna.
• Devotional Songs and dances :Another popular ritual is singing of songs (bhajans) in the praise of Lord Krishna. Bhajans are an important custom of the midnight celebration during the festival. Dances are also performed by devotees depicting the various events of Lord Krishna.
• Staging of Plays or Dramas of Lord Krishna: Plays depicting various events and accomplishments of Lord Krishna during his lifetime is another important custom during the festival. Both professional artists as well as amateurs stage plays at various places that are widely attended by devotees.
• Preparation of Sweets: According to legend, Lord Krishna was very fond of milk and milk products like butter and buttermilk. He was also fond of Sweets like Kheer, Pedhas etc. Therefore devotees all over make sweets during the festival to please the Lord.
• Rituals in South India during Janmashtami: The houses in South India are beautifully decorated by women on Janmashtami. Various sweet meals are prepared and offered to the Lord. Butter, one of the favourite dishes of Lord Krishna is offered to please him in almost every house. The entire house right from the door to the temple is marked with the footprints of a child. Mixture of water and flour is used to make footprints. This custom creates a feeling of joy among the people as they feel Lord himself has blessed them by entering their homes. The day is marked with the ritual of chanting of the holy Bhagavatam, accompanied by singing of devotional songs and dances.

Teachings of Krishna in brief:

• Four Kinds Of actions : According to Lord Krishna there are four kind of Actions or karma that a human can perform they are, Kamya Karma- Actions performed for selfish gains, Nishiddha Karma- Actions that are forbidden bu holy texts and scriptures, Nitya Karma- Actions that must be performed daily and finally Naimittika Karma-Actions that must be performed on certain special occasions. Lord Krishna clearly forbade his devotees to perform the first two kinds of Karmas as they lead to rebirth and laid stress on the performance of the latter two as they help in getting Moksha or Nirvana, in other words, salvation.
• Liberation and Bondage : Lord Krishna emphasised on being free from all kinds of negative and positive emotions like, joy, sorrow, grief, happiness, jealousy, as they are all illusions or maya. These emotions are ephemeral. All the beings are bonded due to lack of knowledge but they get free and achieve liberation once they realize that the world is nothing but illusion. All the souls taking birth on the Earth must surrender to Lord, be free form attachments to living and non living objects. One should not be conditioned by body or the worldly things around.
• Glory Of Satsanga : Lord Krishna described, ‘satsanga’ as the fastest means to be closer to him and please him. Satsanga literally means being in the company of Sadhus or the knowledgeable one, as it helps in reducing and finally putting an end to attachment of all kinds.
• Withdrawal from Sense-Objects : Lord Krishna preached withdrawal from all the sensory- objects as a means to avoid delusion. All the objects of desire ultimately lead to misery. One must control his senses and not run after the pursuit of desires. As soon as one of the desire is fulfilled, another desire takes its place thus creating a vicious circle. One shoul give up ahmkara or Ego and identify only with God.
• Path to Life Long Happiness : Lord Krishna describes, Karma(action) Jnana(Knowledge) and Bhakti (Devotion) as the three fold way to attain Lord and please him. This is sure shot way to achieve happiness and Moksha. Being knowledgeable will help perform the right Karma and not worry about the fruit of the action. Devotion to God heps introspect and remove from the worldly desires. The three paths lead to removal of illusion or maya.

Demons got killed by Krishna
1. Putana – Disguised as mother.
2. Sakatasura (the cart demon) – carrying the burden of a cart-load of old and new bad habits, lethargy and vanity.
3. Trinavarta (the whirlwind demon) – false pride that comes from material scholarship, which leads to bogus philosophies.
4. Deliverance of Nalakuvara and Manigriva (breaking the twin arjuna trees) – Arrogant pride that comes from puffed-up prestige, which is rooted in madness for wealth.
5. Vatsasura (the calf demon) – a childish type of mentality which gives rise to a type of greediness, which results in a wicked type of mischievousness.
6. Bakasura (stork demon) – Cunning duplicity, deceptiveness and false types of behavior.
7. Aghasura (the snake demon) – Cruelty and violence.
9. Dhenukasura (the ass demon) – gross materialistic intelligence, ignorance of spiritual knowledge.
10. Kaliya (chastising the Kaliya serpent) – brutality and treachery.
11. Extinguishing the Forest Fire – inter-communal discord among Vaishnavas.
12. Pralambasura (killing the Pralamba demon) – lusty inclinations; desire for personal gain and honor.
13. Second Forest Fire – disturbance of religious principles and interference with religious people who are atheist.
16. Nanda Maharaja Captured by Varuna – thinking that spiritual life can be enhanced by intoxication.
18. Sankhacuda (killing the conch-shell demon and getting the jewel that was stolen by him) – proneness toward acquiring name and fame, and desire for sensuous enjoyment, under the plea of devotion.
19. Aristasura (the bull demon) – pride arising from indulging in false religions invented by cheaters which causes neglect of devotional service (bhakti).
20. Kesi (the horse demon) – The feeling that “I am a great devotee and spiritual master.”
21. Vyomasura (the demon in the sky) – associating with thieves and other rascals, and with people who put themselves forward as avataras.
22. Kamsa(Krishna’s uncle)
23. Chanura(Wrestler)
24. Shishupala(Relative of Krishna)
25. Danatavakra(Brother of Shishupala)
26. Kuvalayapida – elephant in the Kamsa’s court
27. Mura
28. Bhoumasura
29. Banasura and still more……….

Eight wives of Sri Krishna

1. Rukmini
2. Satyabhama
3. Jambavati
4. Kalindi
5. Mitravrinda
6. Nagnajiti
7. Bhadra
8. Lakshana.

Brief Life chart of Sri Krishna

Till 3
lived in Gokula
killed Putana, Sakatasura, Trinivarta demons

3 – 6
moved to Vrindavana
killed Bakasura, Aghasura, Dhenuka and Balarama killed Pralamba
moved to Nandagrama

7-10
Brahma steals and returns cowherd boys
Govardhana puja
played rasa-lila with the gopis
invited to Mathura for wrestling match
killed Canura and Balarama killed Mustika
killed Kansa and Balarama killed his brothers

10-28
lived in Mathura
Intiated with Balarama into chanting Gayatri by Gargamuni
Instructed with Balarama in the sixty four arts by Sandipani Muni
Protects Mathura from many demons

29 – 125
establishes kingdom in Dvaraka
marriage to Rukmini and 7 principal queens
marriage to 16,100 princesses
161,080 sons born to Krishna
speaks Bhagavad-Gita at Kuruksetra Battle(~90)(3138 BC)
saves King Pariksit in the womb
instructs Uddhava

125
Disappearance on February 18th 3102 BC

108 Names of Lord Sri Krishna

• 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