Kamsa

• Many Hindus around the world will celebrate Krishna Janmashtami, the birthday of the Hindu god Krishna, on Sept. 6.
• In Sanskrit, Krishna means “dark” or “black,” and like the deity Vishnu with whom he is associated, Krishna is often depicted as dark-skinned.
• Today, in the global community of about 1.2 billion Hindus, Krishna Janmashtami is considered an important holiday among all lineages and traditions.

Krishna’s birth

• The story of Krishna’s divine birth is told in households across South Asia on Krishna Janmashtami.
• In an effort to preserve his reign, Kamsa imprisoned Devaki and her spouse, Vasudeva, and killed each child born to them.
• Devotees commemorate the love of Yashoda for Krishna and recall his playful pranks in songs and dances.

Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita

• In the Gita, Krishna, disguised as a charioteer, advises the warrior Arjuna, who is heartbroken that he has to fight his own cousins, about his duty on the battlefield.
• In its 18 chapters, Krishna counsels Arjuna about three paths, or “margas,” to realize salvation, or “moksha,” from the eternal cycle of suffering and rebirth.

Festivities on the day

• On the first day of the celebration of Krishna Janmashtami, activities culminate in a “Krishna puja,” a devotional form of worship using a form or an image, such as an idol of Krishna.
• After midnight, statues of Krishna are bathed in milk and water, dressed in new clothes and venerated in homes and temples.
• A 2012 group from Mumbai holds the world’s record for forming a 13-meter tall Dahi Handi pyramid.

Beyond South Asia

• Krishna devotion spread in the United States with the founding of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, or ISKCON, in New York City in 1965.
• Since then it has become a global movement, with the devotees being referred to as “Hare Krishnas” due to their devotional chants to Krishna.
• On Krishna Janmashtami, the devotees observe the birthday of the founder, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, as his “Appearance Day,” believing him to be another incarnation of Krishna.