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Janmashtami 2024
Date - 26, August 2024

Sri Krishna Janmashtami

Injecting a spiritual aura into the environment, Sri Krishna Janmashtami surfaces every year on the eighth day of Krishna Paksha of the month of Bhadrapada when the Rohini Nakshatra is ascendant. It is a festival to commemorate the appearance of Lord Krishna in Dwapar Yuga and the celebration assumes different hues matching the mood of different devotees. Sri Krishna is rasa raj and He reciprocates with each and every devotee as per their mood and surrender.

Janmashtami is not only a fun filled festival entwined with dramas, kirtan, tantalizing bhogas and the likes, but is a festival that strongly rings in the message of dharma. Amidst all the festivities and fun and frolic, a stern message comes out loud and clear, “Reject adharma, accept dharma,” for the Lord descends for this purpose. Janmashtami, therefore, is a time for soul searching and deep introspection for making sincere efforts to kill the demoniac qualities existing in our heart.

Janmashtami celebration also offers a platform to remember the Lord in various ways. The nine processes of devotional service converge together on this day basking in the glory of the Lord’s advent. The euphoria created with devotees singing and dancing in ecstasy assumes a new proportion. The spirit of devotees surrendering to please the Lord seems to spill all over. The surcharged devotional atmosphere is a reminiscence of the rasa lila with Radha Krishna in the deity form enjoying with the devotees singing and dancing for their pleasure.

And last but not the least; Janmashtami affords a platform to broadcast the message of Lord Krishna to the world at large for people to take stock of their lives for their own benefit.

And to keep in tune with the mood of Janmashtami, ISKCON Thane arranges wonderful festivities on this day ringing in the euphoria of Vrindavan. Right from a heart warming welcoming ceremony to an eye catching setting of Sri Sri Radha Krishna’s swing pastime, the venue becomes a winding walkway through the streets of Vrindavan where every corner unfolds some pastime of the Lord. A wonderful abhishek ceremony awaits everyone, with the smiling deities glittering in colourful dresses adding to the glory.

The highlights of Puri are also drawn in with a ratha yatra with Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladeva and Subhadraji adorning the chariot. With a transcendental gift stall and many other stalls with transcendental items on display, the venue becomes a major crowd puller with visitors arriving from all directions. And to top it all, discourses with deep insights and ecstatic kirtan vibrating in the background augment the essence of the programme. The festivities finally sign off with a dinner prasadam for all.