JANMASHTAMI AND THE BHAGAVAD GITA

The cardinal figure in both the festival of Janmashtami and the Gita is the 8th avtar of Bhagwan Vishnu who is known to us as Lord Krishna; Janamashtami is a pan India festival that celebrates the birth of the Lord. The mythology behind Janmashtami is well known. Krishna, the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudev was born in prison, in Mathura. Its ruler, Kansa, had learnt that he would die at the hands of Devaki’s child. To obviate this, he imprisoned her and her husband, and their children were killed immediately after birth. On the night of the birth of Krishna, the prison guards fell asleep and Vasudev carried the divine baby across the Yamuna River to Vrindavan and left him in the care of Yashoda and Nanda. Krishna grew up as a cowherd and returned to Mathura to eliminate Kansa. The death of the powerful, but wicked Kansa signifies the triumph of righteousness over evil.

Janmashtami is always celebrated with fervor and enthusiasm in the entire country. Temples and houses are decorated, people fast, prayers are offered and the Lord’s fondness for butter and curd is enacted through the Handi Festival the following day.

Lord Krishna became the spiritual guide to Arjuna, the prince of the Kuru kingdom. Both were participants in a pugnacious battle against the Pandavas. Krishna had relatives on both warring sides, and Arjuna had to fight relatives who opposed him. On the first day of the Kurukshetra war, Arjuna, full of doubt felt that he could not participate in a battle that would destroy friends, teachers and relatives. He turned to his charioteer Krishna, for guidance. The dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna constitutes the core of the teachings of the Gita. It lays out the right course of human action or the path of dharma. Some key takeaways constitute moral pathways in life, which are still valid today:

Nishkama Karma or the selfless, courageous performance of one’s duty, regardless of the outcome.

Balance in life, taking both success and failure with equanimity.

Self-realization or the steps to moksha, jettisoning ego and living within a frame of righteousness.

Embracing the concept that the soul is eternal and is unaffected by birth or death.

Janmashtami commemorates the avtar of the Lord who came to earth to guide humanity. Living a life that incorporates the transformative, eternal wisdom of the Gita, is the true way to commemorate Janmashtami.

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