The Birthday of Krishna (Janam Astami or Krishnanashtami)
8th of the lunar waning part of the month of Shravan (July/August)

Krishna is one of the best-Loved Hindu gods, being one of the incarnations of Vishnu, second of the Supreme Trinity. A t various times Vishnu has been down to earth to rectify the balance between good and evil in his role as 'the Preserver'. Most Hindus believe that Krishna is the eighth descent of Vishnu and that there are ten altogether (though some say there are over twenty and others that they are innumerable). The seventh incarnation is Rama; the ninth the Buddha, and there is one more still to come before destruction of the world occurs and the cycle of creation begins again.

Krishna was born in Uttar Pradesh at Mathura between Agra and Delhi. Devotees fast the day before and sing at the temple until midnight when his birth is celebrated, especially in central and northern India. After offerings have been made to an image of the god or to a baby Krishna in a flower-bedecked cradle, sweet things are eaten and singing and rejoicing may continue until morning . Krishna is usually depicted as a youth playing a flute and dancing with the girls of his village. He is Lord of the World and lover of all who contemplate him, even in hate. (See also The Festival of Colour-Holi.)

The Birth of Krishna

The great god, Vishnu, has been to earth a number of times to help when evil seemed to be winning against good. Many Hindus worship Vishnu in the form of Krishna who was Vishnu's eighth appearance in the world.

There was a time when the north of India was ruled by the evil king, Kallsa. He was so wicked and cruel and selfish that many people believed he was a demon in the form of a man. The gods watched the cruelties performed by Kallsa for as long as they could, until one day the goddess of the Earth begged the Supreme Three Gods to help mankind. The first of the gods, Brahma promised that he would help and sent Vishnu to earth to be born as an ordinary human baby. The child was called Krishna and he grew up to kill the wicked Kallsa.

Kallsa had a sister, Devaki. She was married to a man called Vasudeva. After the wedding Kallsa himself drove Devaki and Vasudeva back to their home. As he whipped up the horses and they galloped along, Kallsa heard a voice echo across the skies, saying, '0 Kallsa, listen well! The eighth son of Devaki and Vasudeva will be the cause of your death. Hear this and believe it, O Kansa.'

Immediately Kansa pulled up the horses, drew his sword and seized his sister by her long hair. He was ready to kill her right there. Vasudeva held on to the King's arm and begged him not to. He reminded Kansa that Devaki was his own sister and he flattered him saying that a great king need to take no notice of what he had heard. He pleaded that Devaki's life should be spared. Kansa took no notice and raised his sword to strike. Vasudeva then made a terrible promise.

He promised that if Kansa spared Devaki's life, they would give Kansa any boy children the very minute they were born. Kansa agreed.

As the years went by Devaki gave birth to a number of sons. Kansa had them killed even before they could take their first breath. The years passed and Devaki and Vasudeva began to wonder if they had done the right thing. When Devaki became pregnant for the eighth time, Vasudeva felt no happiness. He knew exactly what would happen if the child was a boy. But the gods had other ideas.

As the time came near for Devaki to give birth, Kansa locked her in prison chained to Vasudeva. Soldiers, elephants, dogs, and lions were put to guard them. There could be no escape. At sunset, Devaki knew that the birth of her baby was near. As the night grew late, storm clouds began to roll across the sky and rain began to fall. The guards had orders to rush in and kill the baby as soon as they heard it cry. But at midnight, when the child was born, the sky echoed with thunder. Lightning flashed and it poured with rain. The guards heard nothing -neither the baby crying nor the sharp snap as Devaki and Vasudeva's chains fell off.

The baby Krishna lay in his cradle, his skin dark like thunderclouds but his eyes bright like the sky. Devaki and Vasudeva knew that theirs was no ordinary child. They bowed their heads and prayed before him. As they did so, the room filled with light and the god Vishnu appeared before them.

'I have appeared like this to show you that your child is I, the Lord Vishnu. It is I who care for the world. It is I who shine like a torch to show men the way to live. I shall save you from your enemies.'

As the vision faded and the room became as dark as the night again, Devaki and Vasudeva were left with their tiny baby in the cradle. But Vasudeva had a plan. He wrapped up the baby and pushed open the door. Outside the animals had run off and the guards were all in a deep sleep. Vasudeva walked straight out. He carried his baby son across the River Yamuna and out into the country to where Nanda, a poor keeper of cows, lived with his wife.

Now Vasudeva had been told by Lord Vishnu that Nanda's wife, Yashoda, would have her baby at the same time as Devaki. He arrived at their poor cottage and found Nanda and Yashoda sleeping. By Yashoda's side there lay a new-born baby girl. Quietly, Vasudeva placed Krishna by Yashoda 's side, and the baby girl was wrapped up and taken back to the prison where Devaki was. The guards slept soundly until morning. Whey they found that Devaki had given birth to a girl they left her alone. Kansa's dream had foretold his death by a son of hers, not a daughter.

As King Kansa came to inspect the child, he heard that same haunting voice warning him, 'Hear this, O Kansa! It was said that the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudeva would bring you to your death. You have been tricked, mighty King. Your enemy is alive and well in the city of Mathura.

That morning in the cowherd's cottage, Yashoda woke. She remembered that she had given birth to a child the night before, but whether it was a boy or a girl, she couldn't remember. And so Nanda and Yashoda never knew that Krishna was not really their child at all. But then neither was he really Devaki and Vasudeva's: Krishna was the god Vishnu on earth.

So the King of Kings was born to a princess, but he lived his early life amongst the ordinary people of the countryside as the son of a keeper of cows.

It was to be many years before Kansa met Krishna, but the end of the story would be as the strange voice had said it would be.
Here is part of the holiest book of the worshippers of Krishna. This is from a speech by Lord Krishna on what God is like and how people should come to him:

I am the ancient wise man, without beginning ;
I am the ruler of the worlds and support all life ;
I cannot be understood by men -
I am more difficult to understand than the smallest atoms.
I am the cause of the whole world .
It is made by me and destroyed by me.
I live in wisdom in everyone's heart ;
I am the goodness of the good.
I am the beginning, and the middle,
I am the end and I am all time,
I am the birth and death of all;
I have made all things out of myself.
Think of me,
Have faith in me,
Adore and worship me,
Meditate upon me,
And you shall come to me.
(from the Bhagavad Gita, c. lst century CE)