Birthday Celebration Of The Blue-Eyed Boy In Bharata .

A thrill of anticipation strikes while recalling the festival’s classic ingredients — the compelling aroma of cheedai and sweets, dahi handi (uriyadi), raas-lila enactments, little children dressed up as Krishna, and brightly decorated homes, awaiting the little charmer to secretively walk in, on their portrayal of his lotus feet.

Bharta is welcoming the birthday of the blue-eyed boy.

Sage Vyasa is sitting on the banks of the River Ganga. He has completed the mammoth task of editing and compiling the Vedas.

He has also finished composing the Mahabharatha and other puranas. But Vyasa is not happy.

There’s turbulence in his mind.

Narada appears and reasons with Vyasa: “You have written about humanity, analysed every conceivable dilemma faced by the mind. But you have not sung the glory of the Supreme. Compose verse extolling the glory of Krishna. You will be at peace.” He briefly narrates the theme of Bhagavatha.

Composing the Srimad Bhagavatha makes Vyasa feel satisfied and complete.

The human mind is constantly longing for ananda (happiness) or peace (shanti). We do experience it in small measures.

But the soul wants it in an unbroken stream — infinite. This wish for joy is symbolically represented by Krishna.

He is joy and celebration personified.

What the epic say ?

Krishna was the son of Devaki and Vasudeva and his birthday is celebrated by Hindus as Janmashtami, particularly those of the Vaishnavism tradition as he is considered the eighth avatar of Vishnu.

Janmashtami is celebrated when Krishna is believed to have been born according to Hindu tradition, which is in Mathura, at midnight on the eighth day of Bhadrapada month (overlaps with August and 3 September in the Gregorian calendar).

Krishna was born in an era of chaos, persecution was rampant, freedoms were denied, evil was everywhere, and when there was a threat to his life by his uncle King Kansa.

Immediately following the birth, his father Vasudeva took Krishna across Yamuna, to foster parents in Gokul, named Nanda and Yashoda.

This legend is celebrated on Janmashtami by people keeping fast, singing devotional songs of love for Krishna, and keeping a vigil into the night.

After Krishna's midnight hour birth, statues of baby Krishna are washed and clothed, then placed in a cradle.

The devotees then break their fast, by sharing food and sweets. Women draw tiny foot prints outside their house doors and kitchen, walking towards their house, a symbolism for Krishna's journey into their homes.

Celebration in Bharata :

Hindus celebrate Janmashtami by fasting, singing, praying together, preparing and sharing special food, night vigils and visiting Krishna or Vishnu temples.

Major Krishna temples organize recitation of Bhagavata Purana and Bhagavad Gita.

Many communities organize dance-drama events called Rasa Lila or Krishna Lila.

Mathura :

Janmashtami is the largest festival in the Braj region of north India, in cities such as Mathura where Hindu tradition states Krishna was born, and in Vrindavan where he grew up.

The festival typically falls as the monsoons in north India have begun retreating, fields laden with crops and rural communities have time to play.

In the northern states, Janmashtami is celebrated with the Raslila tradition, which literally means "play (lila) of delight, essence (rasa)".

This is expressed as solo or group dance and drama events at Janmashtami, wherein Krishna related compositions are sung, music accompanies the performance, while actors and audience share and celebrate the performance by clapping hands to mark the beat.

Manipur, Assam :

Janmashtami is widely celebrated in the Hindu Vaishnava communities of eastern and northeastern India.

The widespread tradition of celebrating Krishna in these regions is credited to the efforts and teachings of 15th and 16th century Sankardevand Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

They developed philosophical ideas, as well as new forms of performance arts to celebrate the Hindu god Krishna such as Borgeet, Ankia Naat, Sattriya and Bhakti yoga now popular in West Bengal and Assam.

Further east, Manipur people developed Manipuri dance form, a classical dance form known for its Hindu Vaishnavism themes, and which like Sattriya includes love-inspired dance drama arts of Radha-Krishna called Raslila.

These dance drama arts are a part of Janmashtami tradition in these regions, and as with all classical Indian dances, there contextual roots are in the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text Natya Shastra, but with influences from the culture fusion between India and southeast Asia.

On Janmashtami, parents dress up their children as characters in the legends of Krishna, such as gopis (cow maids) and as Krishna.

Temples and community centers are decorated with regional flowers and leaves, while groups recite or listen to the tenth chapter of Bhagavata Purana, and the Bhagavata Gita.

Janmashtami is a major festival celebrated with fasts, vigil, recitation of scriptures and Krishna prayers in Manipur.

Raslila performances (also referred to as Rasleelaor Manipuri Ras) are a notable annual tradition around Janmashtami.

Janmashtami is celebrated in Assam at homes, in community centers called Namghars , and the temples usually though Janmaashtami.

According to the tradition, the devotees sing the Nam, perform pujas and sharing food and Prasada.

Bengal & Orissa :

In the eastern state of Odisha, in the region around Puri and in Nabadwip, West Bengal, the festival is also referred to as Sri Krishna Jayanti or simply Sri Jayanti.

People celebrate Janmashtami by fasting and worship until midnight. The Bhagavata Purana is recited from the 10th chapter, a section dedicated to the life of Krishna.

The next day is called "Nanda Utsav" or the joyous celebration of Krishna's foster parents Nanda and Yashoda.

On this day, people break their fast and offer various cooked sweets after midnight.

Andhrapradesh:

In recitation of shlokas and devotional songs are the characteristics of this festival.

Another unique feature of this festival is that young boys are dress up as Krishna and they visit neighbors and friends.

The people of Andhra Pradesh observe a fast too.Various kinds of sweets are made to offer Gokulnandan on this day.

Eatables along with milk and curd are prepared to make offerings to Krishna.

Joyful chanting of 's name takes place in quite a few temples of the state.

The number of temples dedicated to Krishna are few.

The reason being that people have taken to worship him through paintings and not idols.

Popular south Indian temples dedicated for Krishna are Rajagopalaswami Temple in Mannargudi in the Tiruvarur district, Pandavadhoothar temple in Kanchivaram, Sri Krishna temple at Udupi, and the Krishna temple at Guruvayur are dedicated to the memory of Vishnu's incarnation as Krishna.

Legend says that the Sree Krishna Idol installed in Guruvayur is from Dwarka which is believed to be submerged in the sea.

Tamilnadu :

The people decorate the floor with kolams (decorative pattern drawn with rice batter).

Geetha Govindam and other such devotional songs are sung in praise of Krishna. Then they draw the footprints of Krishna from the threshold of the house till the pooja room, which depicts the arrival of Krishna into the house.

A recitation of Bhagwadgita is also a popular practise.

The offerings made to Krishna include fruits, betel and butter. Savories believed to be Krishna's favorites are prepared with great care.

The most important of them are Seedai, Sweet Seedai, Verkadalai Urundai.

The festival is celebrated in the evening as Krishna was born at midnight.

Most people observe a strict fast on this day and eat only after the midnight puja.

Maharashtra:

Janmashtami is popularly known as "Gokulashtami" in Maharashtra and Pune. Dahi Handi is celebrated every August/September, the day after Krishna Janmashtami.

The term literally means "earthen pot of yoghurt".

The festival gets this popular regional name from legend of baby Krishna.

According to it, he would seek and steal milk products such as yoghurt and butter and people would hide their supplies high up out of the baby's reach.

Krishna would try all sorts of creative ideas in his pursuit, such as making human pyramids with his friends to break these high hanging pots.

This story is the theme of numerous reliefs on Hindu temples across India, as well as literature and dance-drama repertoire, symbolizing the joyful innocence of children, that love and life's play is the manifestation of god.

Per the annual tradition, teams of youth and boys called the "Govindas" go around to these hanging pots, climb one over another and form a human pyramid, then break the pot.

Girls surround these boys, cheer and tease them while dancing and singing.

The spilled contents are considered as Prasada(celebratory offering). It is a public spectacle, cheered and welcomed as a community event.

Rajasthan ,Gujrat :

People in the city of Dwarka in Gujarat – where Krishna is believed to have established his kingdom – celebrate the festival with a tradition similar to Dahi Handi, called Makhan Handi (pot with freshly churned butter).

Others perform folk dances at temples, sing bhajans, visit the Krishna temples such as at the Dwarkadhish Temple or Nathdwara.

In Kutch district region, farmers decorate their bullock carts and take out Krishna processions, with group singing and dancing.

The carnival-style and playful poetry and works of Dayaram, a scholar of the Pushtimarg of Vaishnavism, is particularly popular during Janmashtami in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

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