Krishna ji

Kanha · Gopal · Govind · Madhav

6 Mantras
7 Tirth

जय श्री कृष्ण

About

Shri Krishna is the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu, and for many devotees the Supreme God himself. He was born at midnight in a prison in Mathura to Devaki and Vasudev, and grew up in Gokul and Vrindavan as the darling of Maa Yashoda and Nand Baba. There he was the naughty butter thief, the cowherd boy with the flute and the beloved of Radha Rani. Later he became the king of Dwarka, the friend and guide of the Pandavs, and he gave the Bhagavad Gita to Arjun at Kurukshetra. People greet each other with 'Jai Shri Krishna', and his birthday, Janmashtami, is celebrated with joy all over India.

The story

The tenth book of the Shrimad Bhagavatam tells the story of Govardhan. Every year the cowherds of Braj held a big puja for Indra, the god of rain. One year little Krishna saw Nand Baba and the elders preparing for it and asked why. Then he said, 'Our cows graze on Govardhan hill, and the forests and the hill give us everything. This time, let us worship the cows, the Brahmins and Govardhan.' The people of Braj loved Krishna, so they agreed. They cooked a mountain of food, offered it to the hill and happily walked around it.

Indra felt insulted. In his anger he sent dark clouds over Braj that poured down heavy rain, hail and storm. People and cows, shivering, ran to Krishna for help. Smiling, Krishna lifted the whole Govardhan hill with one hand, as easily as a child picks up a mushroom; people lovingly say he held it on his little finger. He called everyone, with their cows and calves, to shelter under it.

For seven days the storm raged, and for seven days Krishna stood holding up the hill, forgetting hunger and thirst, while everyone below stayed safe. At last Indra understood whom he was fighting. He stopped the rain and later came to Krishna and asked for forgiveness. In memory of that day, on Govardhan Puja homes make a small Govardhan of cow dung and offer Annakut to Krishna.

How they are shown

Krishna ji is dark blue, the colour of a rain cloud, which is why he is called Ghanshyam. He plays the bansuri, whose music drew all of Braj to him. He wears a peacock feather in his crown, a yellow pitambar and a Vaijayanti garland of forest flowers. He often stands in the tribhanga pose, gently bent at three points, with a cow nearby, because he is Gopal, the protector of cows. As the teacher of the Gita he is shown driving Arjun's chariot.

How to worship

Offerings

Makhan-mishri, milk and milk sweets, panchamrit and fruit, with a tulsi leaf on every offering; chhappan bhog (56 dishes) on Govardhan Puja

How

Keep a small murti or picture of Krishna ji (many homes keep Laddu Gopal). Gently bathe or wipe him, dress him and offer makhan-mishri with a tulsi leaf. Chant the Hare Krishna mahamantra on a mala, or read a few verses of the Bhagavad Gita. In the evening sing 'Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki'. On Janmashtami, families fast, sing bhajans and stay awake till midnight, the hour of his birth. Then baby Krishna is bathed, dressed in new clothes and rocked in a little cradle, and the fast is opened with prasad.