Legend of Janmashtami

Janmashtami, one of the most popular festivals of Hindus celebrates the birth of their beloved God, Sri Krishna. Detailed story of Janmashtami or Lord Krishna's birth has been narrated in Puranas. Please read on to know more about the various fascinating aspects of the legend of Janmashtami as stated in Puranas.

Mathura, a prominent town of Northern India and the birth city of Sri Krishna was ruled by King Ugrasen, a Yaduvanshi ( Belonging to the Community of Yadavs). He was a great king loved by his subjects. He had two children, a son Kansa and a daughter Devki. Kansa was quite cruel by nature, his wickedness knew no bounds when he jailed his father and forcefully became the king of Mathura.

Love for sister Devki and Brother in law Vasudev
Though Kansa was hard hearted but he loved his sister immensely and married her off to Vasudev, one the high ranking officers in his army. However on the day of wedding, as a result of a heavenly prediction that Devki’s eighth child will be born to kill him, Kansa decided to kill his sister. On Vasudev's pleading, he put both of them in dungeons and let them live but with a promise that they will handover all their children to Kansa, only to be killed by him.

Birth of Balram
Kansa succeeded in killing all the six new born babies of Devki and Vasudev, however the seventh child was saved by divine intervention as the child was transferred from Devki’s womb to that of Rohini's, Vasudev's other wife. Thus Balram, the elder brother of Krishna was born but Kansa thought that Devki had a miscarriage.

Birth of Krishna
The birth of the eighth child of Devki, Lord Krishna was followed by a chain of dramatic events. Soon after the birth of the child, as if by a sheer miracle, all the soldiers guarding the couple fell asleep and the gates of the dungeon flew open themselves. Vasudev decided to smuggle the child safely in a basket to his friend Nand in Gokul. Since it was raining heavily, River Yamuna was all swollen and Vasudev feared that both he as well as his child will drown if he tried to cross it, however, as soon as the feet of the infant touched the river, the flow of water became normal and Vasudev was able to cross it easily. Sheshnag, the five headed serpent of Lord Vishnu protected the child with its fangs. Vasudev knew that his was not an ordinary child but a divine being. After handing his child, to his dear friend, Nand, Vasudev returned back safely with a girl child and no one got to know about it.

Yogmaya’s prediction
On hearing the news of the eighth born child, Kansa rushed to kill the girl. He paid no heed to Devki’s plead of sparing the girl. He held the child by her legs and just as he was about to bang her against the wall, the girl vanished into thin air and told Kansa that his slayer had been born and was safe in Gokul. The girl child was none other than Yogmaya (divine illusion). The eighth child grew up as Yashoda and Nand’s son in Gokul and later killed his maternal uncle Kansa, freeing all the people of Mathura from his tyranny.

Rituals and Customs of Janmashtami

Janmashtami festival witnesses many interesting customs and rituals in various states and cities of India. While some rituals are common to all, others are unique and restricted to a particular region or city. These customs and rituals are followed religiously by all the Lord Krishna devotees year after year.

Rituals and Customs Observed during Janmashtami

Fasting: The most common ritual observed all over during Janmashtami is fasting by devotees on the day of the festival. Devotees fast for the entire day and break it after the birth of Lord Krishna at midnight. People prefer to have only milk and milk products as they were the favourite of Lord Krishna. Some devotees of Lord Krishna go to the extent of keeping 'Nirjal' fast- It involves fasting without having a single drop of water. There are other ardent followers , who keep the fast for two days in the honour of Lord Krishna.

Chanting: Devotees indulge in continuous chanting all day long. They chant mantras and shlokas to please the lord. Religious atmosphere prevails everywhere. Devotees highlight his feats and his divine characteristics. Chanting of 108 names of Lord Krishna is another ritual that takes place in various temples. Chanting of names is accompanied by showering of flowers on the idol of Lord Krishna.

Devotional Songs and dances

Another popular ritual is singing of songs (bhajans) in the praise of Lord Krishna. Bhajans are an important custom of the midnight celebration during the festival. Dances are also performed by devotees depicting the various events of Lord Krishna.

Staging of Plays or Dramas of Lord Krishna

Plays depicting various events and accomplishments of Lord Krishna during his lifetime is another important custom during the festival. Both professional artists as well as amateurs stage plays at various places that are widely attended by devotees.

Preparation of Sweets

According to legend, Lord Krishna was very fond of milk and milk products like butter and buttermilk. He was also fond of Sweets like Kheer, Pedhas etc. Therefore devotees all over make sweets during the festival to please the Lord.

Rituals in South India during Janmashtami

The houses in South India are beautifully decorated by women on Janmashtami. Various sweet meals are prepared and offered to the Lord. Butter, one of the favourite dishes of Lord Krishna is offered to please him in almost every house. The entire house right from the door to the temple is marked with the footprints of a child. Mixture of water and flour is used to make footprints. This custom creates a feeling of joy among the people as they feel Lord himself has blessed them by entering their homes. The day is marked with the ritual of chanting of the holy Bhagavatam, accompanied by singing of devotional songs and dances.

Ritual in Gujarat

Gujarat witnesses a very peculiar as well as an interesting ritual by the womenfolk during Janmashtami. Women give up all the household chores like cooking and cleaning etc. to play cards. This is an age old tradition. Women doing mind placing bets during the card session. The exact history of this peculiar tradition during Janmashtami is unknown but according to sociologists, this custom may have begun as a pass-time for women in the joint family system. Fasting all day long, the women played cards to kill time as well as keep them awake the entire night. It is said that women eat cold food prepared two days in advance.

Raas leela

Performing Rasleela

One of the most important aspects of the festival Janmashtami is Rasleela. Rasleela is a divine sport (Kreeda), which Sri krishna played with his gopis on the banks of river Yamuna in Vrindavan. Radha was the most important gopi and closest to the Lord. Her love for Lord Krishna was complete and in its purest form. Sri Krishna was ten years old when he performed Rasleela. Rasleelas are particularly performed in the city of Vrindavan.

History
According to Bhagavata Puran, Lord Krishna was loved immensely by gopis. The love gopis felt for Lord was not carnal,it was prerna (Divine love).The love for Sri Krishna was so strong that gopis forgot all about their worldly chores. The gopis were totally merged in the love of god through the practice of constant smaran (remembrance).

Performance of Rasleela
Lord Krishna promised gopis that he will dance with all of them. So Bhagwan Krishna stood in the centre suurounded by gopis who danced and sang in the glory of Lord. Sometimes Sri Krishna would put his arms around the neck of gopis and all of them would dance together. All the demigods, like Gandharva, Yakshas were witness of the divine dance, as they threw flowers from the sky, giving their blessings. The gopis would rejoice with sheer bliss in the company of the lord and consider themselves fortunate

Disappearance of God during Rasleela
Dancing almost every full moon night during autumn made the gopis conceited. They started considering themselves superior to other women who were not fortunate enough to be with Lord Krishna. One night during Rasleela, lord Krishna did the disappearing act to teach them a lesson of humility. Not finding Krishna amongst them, the gopis started feeling the agony of desertion. Overwhelmed with grief, they started searching for God and prayed him to come back. During their search for Lord they sang songs popularly known as Gopika Gitam. Lord returned after many pleadings.

Rasleela in its present form
In the current age, Rasleela is performed only by Brahmin boys between the age of 10-13 years. The main theme of rasleela revolves around the formative years of Lord Krishna. There are five main raslilas performed like janamleela- details regarding the birth of Lord Krishna, Shankarleela, Putanaleela- Killing of demoness Putana, And Nagleela- killing of the dreaded serpent Kaliya . They are performed by professional troupes with utmost devotion and love. The troupe captivates the audience with their performance. Rasleelas are usually performed in the local language, Brajbhasa, which is somewhat similar to Hindi language and therefore easy to understand. At the end of the performance, devotees throng to touch the feet of the young boy dressed as Lord Krishna. The young boy ceases to be human for the devotees and becomes a divine being during the festival.

Rasleelas are performed by various renowned theater groups, plays are stages with celebrities playing the lead roles to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna.

From Atom to "at OM"

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1945 में द्वितीय विश्व युद्ध के अंतिम चरण के दौरान, संयुक्त राज्य
अमेरिका ने जापान में हिरोशिमा और नागासाकी के शहरों के खिलाफ दो परमाणु
बम विस्फोट, 6 अगस्त, 1945 को पहली और 9 अगस्त, 1945 को दूसरी बार प्रयोग
 किया | यह  दो घटनाएँ ही  युद्ध इतिहास में परमाणु हथियारों के  प्रयोग
की एकमात्र घटनाएँ हैं परन्तु परमाणु बम की असीम ताक़त के पीछे भागते
देशों की अंधी दौड़ ने संसार को एक ऐसे विन्दु पर लाकर छोड़ दिया है कि
यदि अब युद्ध हुआ तो इस  धरती पर जीवन पल भर में समाप्त हो जायेगा और
युद्ध हे बाद  जीवन की संभावनाएँ भी नगण्य भर रह  जाएँगी  |
हिरोशिमा  परमाणु बम आपदा के बाद यह एक प्रमुख प्रश्न है कि क्या हमारे
देश को भी  परमाणु अस्त्रों को इकट्ठा करने की अंधी दौड़ में शामिल होना
चाहिए अथवा अंतर्राष्ट्रीय परिद्रश्य में देश की वर्तमान परमाणु नीति
को लेकर पुनर्विचार की  आवश्यकता  है ?आज की संगोष्ठी इसी विषय को लेकर
आयोजित की  गयी थी  |

परमाणु शक्ति का प्रयोग बिजली बनाने में भी हो रहा है |  .परमाणु शक्ति
भारत में चौथा  सबसे बड़ा  बिजली का  स्रोत है | आईटीईआर परियोजना में
अपनी भागीदारी के माध्यम से परमाणु संलयन रिएक्टरों और थोरियम आधारित
फास्ट ब्रीडर रिएक्टरों के विकास में भारत विश्व में अपनी एक पहचान बनाता
जा रहा है | किन्तु जापानी  परमाणु आपदा के बाद यह एक प्रमुख प्रश्न है
कि क्या हमारे देश को भी  परमाणु विद्युत परियोजनायों को लेकर पुनर्विचार
की  आवश्यकता  है ?आज की संगोष्ठी में इस विषय पर भी परिचर्चा की गयी |
साथ ही बिजली उत्पादन के अन्य ऐसे श्रोतों पर भी परिचर्चा हुई जो परमाणु
उर्जा का विकल्प बन सकें  |

संगोष्ठी में बड़ी संख्या में लखनऊ के प्रबुद्ध जनमानस एवं समाजसेवियो ने
प्रतिभाग किया |

संगोष्ठी का आरम्भ करते हुए प्रसिद्ध समाजसेविका  और येश्वर्याज सेवा
संस्थान की सचिव उर्वशी शर्मा  ने कहा कि भारत के पास बिभिन्न परमाणु
हथियार हैं   जिनमें  लघु और मध्यम दूरी के बैलिस्टिक मिसाइलों, परमाणु
सक्षम विमान, सतह जहाजों, और पनडुब्बियों आदि हैं  | हालांकि भारत ने
अपने परमाणु शस्त्रागार के आकार के बारे में कोई आधिकारिक बयान नहीं किया
है, हाल के अनुमान बताते हैं कि भारत के बीच 80 और 100 परमाणु हथियार हैं
 | भारत के सामरिक परमाणु कमान को औपचारिक रूप से 2003 में स्थापित किया
गया था   |संयुक्त सेवाएँ SNC  भारत के परमाणु हथियार मिसाइलें और परमाणु
संपत्ति के  संरक्षक है  | यह  भारत की परमाणु नीति के सभी पहलुओं को
क्रियान्वित करने के लिए जिम्मेदार है  | हालांकि, सीसीएस के रूप में
नागरिक नेतृत्व, (सुरक्षा पर कैबिनेट समिति) एकमात्र संस्था है जो
परिस्थितियों के अनुसार  एक परमाणु हमले का  आदेश करने के लिए अधिकृत:
हैं  | इस प्रकार भारत का  परमाणु बटन    प्रधानमंत्री के नियंत्रण में
ही है  | उर्वशी ने प्रधानमंत्री से अपील  की कि अब समय आ गया है जब भारत
को आगे आकर अंतर्राष्ट्रीय पटल पर परमाणु निरस्त्रीकरण के लिए सार्थक
प्रयास करने चाहिए |

प्रसिद्द समाजसेवी और सेव कल्चुरल values foundation  के सचिव आशीष कुमार
श्रीवास्तव नें चर्चा को आगे बढ़ाते हुए सभा के सम्मुख यह तथ्य रखा कि
यधपि हथियार कार्यक्रम के लिए इस्तेमाल यूरेनियम को ऊर्जा कार्यक्रम से
अलग किया गया है तथापि उर्जा उत्पादन के लिए चल रहे संयंत्रो में समय समय
पर होने बाली दुर्घटनाएं समस्त मानव जाति के लिए खतरा हैं    |  उन्होंने
कहा कि परमाणु विकिरण मानव द्वारा बनायीं गयी भौगौलिक सीमाओं को नहीं
मानता और दुर्घटना होने पर निर्बाध रूप से सम्पूर्ण विश्व में फेलता है
|  उन्होंने कुछ उदाहरण देते हुए बताया कि  अमेरिकी विश्वविद्यालय में
शोधकर्ताओं ने 1993 और 1995 के बीच भारत में परमाणु संयंत्रों पर कम से
कम 124 "खतरनाक घटनाओं" गणना की थी  |  Fukushima आपदा के बाद आज  देश की
सभी परमाणु विद्युत परियोजनाएं  चिंता का विषय हैं  | उन्होनें परमाणु
उर्जा के प्रयोग के स्थान पर उर्जा के वैकल्पिक साधनों के प्रयोग पर बल
दिया  |

 परिचर्चा में भाग लेते हुए अन्य वक्ताओं ने बिचार रखे कि   हमारे पास
हवा, सूर्य, और बायोमास जैसे तीन अक्षय ऊर्जा श्रोत है |   हमारे पास
धूप, हवा, बारिश, ज्वार, और धरती के गर्भ की गर्मी है, जो अक्षय हैं और
प्राकृतिक संसाधनों से आता है  |    अक्षय ऊर्जा जीवाश्म ईंधन और परमाणु
ऊर्जा के लिए एक विकल्प है  |   संगोष्ठी में परमाणु meltdowns और
Fukushima में  (2011) परमाणु दुर्घटना, तीन माइल आइलैंड दुर्घटना (1979)
और चेरनोबिल आपदा (1986) जैसे अन्य रिएक्टर दुर्घटनाओं पर सामूहिक चिंता
व्यक्त की गयी  | संगोष्ठी में इस तथ्य पर भी चिंता व्यक्त की गयी कि
कोयला और पनबिजली विद्युत उत्पादन कि तुलना में  परमाणु बिजली उत्पादन
में प्रति यूनिट अधिक लोगों की मृत्यु का आकलन किया गया है  |  संगोष्ठी
में  रेडियोधर्मी कचरे के भंडारण की समस्याओं पर भी चर्चा हुई|

संगोष्ठी में बिहार के प्रसिद्ध समाजसेवी सरफराज अहमद - प्रबंध निदेशक अल
खेर सोसाइटी , बिहार के प्रसिद्ध समाजसेवी मोहम्मद फरीदी , झारखण्ड के
प्रसिद्ध समाजसेवी मनोज चौबे , धर्मेन्द्र , अजय , प्रतापगढ़ के प्रसिद्ध
समाजसेवी सुशील , सेव कल्चुरल values foundation  लखनऊ  और येश्वर्याज
सेवा संस्थान लखनऊ के सदस्यों के साथ बड़ी संख्या में लखनऊ के प्रबुद्ध
जनमानस ने प्रतिभाग कर विचार एवं सुझाव व्यक्त किये |

संगोष्ठी में यह निर्णय लिया गया कि सभी बक्ताओं के विचारों और सुझावों
का समावेश कर एक ज्ञापन महामहिम राज्यपाल के माध्यम से देश के
प्रधानमंत्री को प्रेषित किया जायेगा |

संगोष्ठी के अंत में सरफराज अहमद ने सभी आगंतुकों को  धन्यवाद ज्ञापित किया |



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