The holy city Haridwar was drenched in religious fervor on Janmashtami which was celebrated on Sunday and Monday. Palaki yatra, Nagar kirtan yatra and Mahabhishek were some of the programmes which marked the celebrations on the occasion which stretched to two days celebrations with Ashtami and Navmi.
Speaking to The Pioneer, head of Parmarth Niketan, Swami Chidanand Saraswati said, “Krishna Janmasthami is the celebration of the day that Bhagwan Krishna incarnated in human form upon the earth. It is celebrated at midnight on the eighth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadrapada (August-September).
Today as people all over the world reenact and celebrate his birth, let us also take this time to reflect and introspect upon how lord Krishna can incarnate in our own lives. let us reflect on how His divine light, His divine message and His divine grace can continue to shine, on and on, upon every moment and every minute of our own lives.
His wisdom is such that it is timeless and eternal, infinite and universal. When His wisdom and message shine in our own lives then we can celebrate Janmasthmi everyday.”
“Additionally, as we celebrate the birth of lord Krishna in human form let us also reaffirm our pledge to work together to make this world a place in which He can live, play and perform His leelas. let us ensure that the beautiful trees, mountains, rivers and all of Mother Nature not only survive but thrive,” he added.
Speaking on the importance of the festival, ISKCON temple in charge Jai Jagdeesh Das told The Pioneer that every festival celebrated in Vedic culture is deeply related to God and is meant to be celebrated in such a way as to help everyone come joyfully closer to God. The Supreme lord is called by many names like ‘Krishna’, ‘Christ’ and ‘Allah’.
“The Greek word ‘krstos’ comes from Sanksrit word ‘Krsta’ or ‘Krsna’ meaning ‘all attractive’. So when we address God as Christ, or Krishna we indicate the same all-attractive Supreme God. The 5000 temples of lord Krishna in the tiny 88 square miles of Vrindavan, the birth-place of Krishna, bear eloquent testimony to the fact that devotion to Krishna is no imaginary sentiment. The remains of Dwarka, gradually being found in the Arabian Sea, Kurukshetra, the site of the massive fratricidal Mahabharata war, continues to exist even today,” added Das.
Quoting from the holy Bhagavad Geeta, the priest said, “The Supreme lord is not just a neutral administrator, but the best friend of all living beings. The love that the heart longs for through relationships with various persons finds fulfillment only when it is reposed in the supreme personal God, because it is only then that the love is never interrupted, never betrayed, never let down, never disappointed.”
Meanwhile, various cultural programmes around plays and frolics of lord Krishna along with dance were enacted at different locations in the city.
At Jwalapur a ‘Phool dola of Jagannath’ was organised by ISKCON and devotees from foreign countries joined for 'Dravya sanan' of lord Krishna on Janmashtami. This holy bath comprises of bathing the deity with 35 fragrant 'dravyas' (liquids).
While the young mothers were busy planning ways of dressing their children in Krishna’s costumes and jewellery, children were seen visiting temples rehearsing for the various competitions like ‘Haridwar ka Kanha kaun’ being held in the city.