SRI KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI 2018 AT SRI DHAM MAYAPUR
ALSO KNOWN AS KRISHNASHTAMI, GOKULASHTAMI, SRI KRISHNA JAYANTHI OR SREE JAYANTHI.
SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPEARANCE DAY - TUESDAY, 4TH SEPTEMBER 2018 (Fasting till noon).
THE MOST AUSPICIOUS DAY TO FAST AND CELEBRATE THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE APPEARANCE OF THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, SRI KRISHNA.
AS LORD KRISHNA APPEARED AT MIDNIGHT SO THE (MAHA ABHISHEK), BHOGA OFFERINGS AND MAHA ARATI ARE MIDNIGHT FESTIVITIES. PLEASE BE DETERMINED TO STAY THROUGH THE NIGHT TO PARTAKE ALL THESE AUSPICIOUS MIDNIGHT FESTIVITIES OF THE SUPREME LORD.
THE ADVENT OF LORD SRI KRISHNA - THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD.
By Yamuna Devi Dasi.
Srimad Bhagavatam, the cream of all the Vedas, describes the various incarnations (avatars) of the Supreme Lord who appeared in different forms at different times for specific purposes. In His appearances we see Him uphold the legs of righteousness and demolish the miscreants or those who defy the religious laws of this world.
Lord Sri Krishna said to Arjuna:
yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavathi bharatha
abhyuthanam adharmasya
tadat manam srjami yaham
“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharatha,
and a predominant rise of irreligion, at that time I descend Myself.” (Bg.4.7)
Here Lord Sri Krishna explicitly explains the reason for His descent. In His pastimes, we read and see pictures of the Lord killing many demons and protecting His devotees. In these scenes, unimaginable battles were fought with demons that were much more powerful than our modern day movie or book creations. When Krishna slays Kamsa and delivers His parents from their capture, the true meaning of His verse is portrayed. Some may question that if God is all-powerful, why does He descend, Himself, instead of a representative? The Lord explains further that simply for the satisfaction of His devotees and to engage them in loving service, He personally descends. However, when He desires, a representative known as a shaktyavesh-avatar (an empowered servant of God) is sent. One such representative was Srila Prabhupada, who delivered the Holy Names to all parts of the world as a weapon against the increasing rise of sin and corruption. Slaying the “demons” within our hearts by chanting is illuminating the world by changing the consciousness of millions of people and this is the incarnation of deliverance in this age. We constantly battle the good and bad within ourselves and the true superhero is God Himself, His holy name, and the message He speaks. This constant assurance that as long as we imbibe the shelter of God, then we shall always be able to conquer the negative within and without the heart.
Let us celebrate the Lord’s appearance through His actions, words and glorious battles so that our end is always like a Harry Potter ending…a victory.