The appearance day of Krishna falls on the night of the 8th lunar day… with the celebration including the day before and after. This year, that is August 26th-27th. You can honor this day in a multitude of ways, but most especially by listening to stories & teachings of Krishna, chanting mantras to Krishna or Nārāyaṇa and committing to sacred study of Krishna’s teachings [more on this below].
Janmāṣṭamī is the celebration of the manifestation of Nārāyaṇa as Kṛṣṇa. The the one who upholds the cosmic order was “born” on earth to Devakī on one side of the river Yamuna and raised by Mother Yaśodā on the other side of the river.
Nārāyaṇa takes an “as though” human birth as Krishna on āṣṭamī, the 8th lunar day of the waning moon. He’s born at midnight, with dark blue-black skin. His divine sister, YogaMaya enshrouds everyone into a sleep-like delusion, allowing him to cross over the river to safety and then gives his parents hope that dharma will be restored! Along the way, the river goddess wishes to have his blessing and rises to touch him. Then satisfied, she parts ways to let him cross.
Krishna is raised by his adoptive parents until he is 14 years old.
Later, his birth mother asks Krishna, “if you are the lord, why did you leave me to be raised by another mother?”
Krishna responds that, in his previous manifestation as Rāma, he had to leave his mother Kausalyā for 14 years of exile. Mother Yaśodā is the reincarnation of Kausalyā and now in his Krishna incarnation he has repaid her that lost time as a mother”.
As Krishna says later in his dialogue with Arjuna, “the ways of karma are mysterious”.
Krishna’s whole life is shrouded in blueness, mystique and the feminine. The rātri – night – of his appearance is one of the most sacred nights of the year which is also a night of Kālī Mā!.
Jai Śri Krishna!
