Published: 12:28 AM, 31 August 2018
Celebration of Lord Krishna's birth in Bangladesh
Lord Krishna said, "Whatever belongs to you today, belonged to someone else yesterday and it will belong to someone else tomorrow. Don't be illusioned by maya. Maya is the root cause of all pain and misery."Krishna is a major deity in Hinduism.
He is worshiped as the eighth avatar of God Vishnu and also as the supreme God in his own right. He is God of compassion, tenderness, and love in Hinduism and is one of the most popular and widely revered among Indian divinities.
Krishna's birthday is celebrated every year by Hindus on Janmashtami according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar, which falls in late August or early September of the Gregorian calendar.
The name "Krishna" originates from the Sanskrit word K???a, which is primarily an adjective meaning "black", "dark", or "dark blue." The waning moon is called Krishna Paksha, relating to the adjective meaning "darkening." The name is also interpreted sometimes as "all-attractive."
Krishna is represented in the Indian traditions in many ways, but with some common features. Ancient and medieval reliefs and stone-based arts depict him in the natural color of the material out of which he is formed, both in India and in South-East Asia.
In some texts, his skin is poetically described as the color of Jambul (Jamun, a purple-colored fruit). Krishna is often depicted wearing a peacock-feather wreath or crown, and playing the bansuri (Indian flute).
The Hindu faithful would observe 'Janmashtami', the festival to celebrate the birth of the special child worthy of love and devotion, Krishna. A revered religious saying - Mother Yashoda wished to punish and discipline her playful child Krishna for stealing butter.
Open your mouth she ordered the naughty one and as he innocently obeyed to show what he was eating, Yashoda was astonished to see the whole world in his mouth. She realized the child was not an ordinary mischievous being but an Avtaar, a reincarnation of God Himself.
It is believed that Vishnu, the mythological Lord Protector was beseeched to rid mankind of evil forces. He obliged and himself became the saviour by assuming a human form - Krishna.
This birth of the Avtaar is revered as Janmashtami and it is an occasion to fast, visit temples, pray together, sing and dance besides organizing special recitations of Bhagvad Gita and preparing and sharing special meals. The very name Krishna spells out love and devotion.
The philosophy of Karma and nonattachment to material surroundings as preached in the Lord's celestial songs provide heavenly solace and enlightenment.
The human character and colorful life of Lord Krishna coupled with the romantic and soothing flute playing and luring his beautiful milk maids, the Gopis, makes him one of the most admired and loved Hindu deities. His colorful and romantic life and worldly achievements have inspired many a cultural and religious expositions from times immemorial.
Film makers, dance, ballet and drama producers the world over have capitalized on the immense life content and devotional moods of the deity's story. In Bangladesh and elsewhere in the world, theatre and dance institutions have always excelled when presenting expositions based on the Krishna theme.
Bangladesh's Hindu faithful and Krishna bhagats displayed great reverence and enthusiasm visiting temples, singing bhajans in praise of the romantic Lord and offering special prayers for love, understanding and peace to prevail within our borders and beyond. Gifts were exchanged and traditional sweet dishes enjoyed at family and communal get together.
There are numerous versions of Krishna's life story, of which three are most studied: the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Vishnu Purana.
They share the basic storyline but vary significantly in their specifics, details, and styles. The most original composition, the Harivamsa is told in a realistic style that describes Krishna's life as a poor herder but weaves in poetic and allusive fantasy.
It ends on a triumphal note, not with the death of Krishna. Differing in some details, the fifth book of the Vishnu Purana moves away from Harivamsa realism and embeds Krishna in mystical terms and eulogies. The Vishnu Purana manuscripts exist in many versions.
The tenth and eleventh books of the Bhagavata Purana are widely considered to be a poetic masterpiece, full of imagination and metaphors, with no relation to the realism of pastoral life found in the Harivamsa. Krishna's life is presented as a cosmic play (lila), where his youth is set as a princely life with his foster father Nanda portrayed as a king.
Krishna's life is closer to that of a human being in Harivamsa, but is a symbolic universe in the Bhagavata Purana, where Krishna is within the universe and beyond it, as well as the universe itself, always. The Bhagavata Purana manuscripts also exist in many versions, in numerous Indian languages.
A wide range of theological and philosophical ideas are presented through Krishna in Hindu texts. Across the various theologies and philosophies, the common theme presents Krishna as the essence and symbol of divine love, with human life and love as a reflection of the divine.
The longing and love-filled legends of Krishna and the gopis, his playful pranks as a baby, as well as his later dialogues with other characters, are philosophically treated as metaphors for the human longing for the divine and for meaning, and the play between the universals and the human soul.
Krishna's lila is a theology of love-play. According to John Koller, "love is presented not simply as a means to salvation, it is the highest life". Human love is God's love.
The worship of Krishna is part of Vaishnavism, a major tradition within Hinduism. Krishna is found in south-East Asian history and art. The Krishna stories have played a key role in the history of Indian theatre, music, and dance, particularly through the tradition of Rasaleela. These are dramatic enactments of Krishna's childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
Krishna Janmashtami also known simply as Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu in Bangladesh and across the world where the Hindu Community exists.
The sole objective of Sri Krishna's birth was to free the earth from the sinfulness of demons. He played an important role in the Mahabharata and spread the theory of bhakti and good karma which are narrated deeply in the Bhagavad Gita.
The actual celebration of Janmashtami takes place during midnight as Sri Krishna is believed to be born on a dark, stormy and windy night to end the rule and violence of his uncle. This day is celebrated with devotional songs and dances, pujas, arti, blowing of the conch and rocking the cradle of baby Sri Krishna.
This is mainly a Hindu festival. But to be specific, one can say that for the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism, this is the most important festival. This celebration is mainly noticed in Mathura and Vrindavan of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh in Central or North India, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh from Southern India, West Bengal, Manipur, Assam, and Odisha, in Eastern India, and Rajasthan and Gujarat from the Western India. And Bangladesh is no exception to it.
Wherever there are Vaishnava temples, the countdown of Janmashtami enunciates before dawn and continues all through the day until midnight hours which is the exact moment of the birth of Lord Krishna. Kirtan - the soulful devotional Lord Krishna songs are sung by group of singers is common in this festival.
People of Hindu religion fast all through this important time from dawn till midnight. The Kirtan songs, dance, drama, praying, etc. keeps people engaged all through this fast session. A majority of Krishna temples consolidate a dance drama named "Raas-Lila" and recitation of Krishna dialogues from Bhagwad Gita. Both these generally start a few days before the Janmashtami day.
Devotees prepare garlands, bathes the idol of Krishna in fragrant water, read religious scriptures, etc. The bathing of Lord Krishna in various fragrant and auspicious water is called Abhishek. Finally when the clock strikes 12 at midnight, the priest of the temple draws the curtain off to show the newly dressed Lord Krishna idol decorated with variety of garlands.
Nanda celebrated the birth of Lord Krishna by distributing gifts to the whole community and this practice is still observed in the name of Nandotsav where rich people distribute required food and clothing to the whole community.
This summary is a mythological account, based on literary details from the Mah?bh?rata, the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Vishnu Purana. The scenes from the narrative are set in ancient India, mostly in the present states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, and Gujarat of India. The legends about Krishna's life are called Krishna charitas.
May Lord Krisna's flute invite the melody of love into our Hindu brothers, sisters and mothers lives all over the world! May Radha's love teach not only how to love once but to love eternally! HAPPY JANMASHTAMI to our brothers, sisters, mothers and all of the Hindu community in Bangladesh!
The writer is a freelance
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