Krishna Janmashtami 2019 : Meaning and Significance Of This Popular Festival

Janmashtami is an important festival for the Hindus and this year it will be celebrated on 24th August, Saturday. This festival is celebrated with great fervour and enthusiasm throughout the country.

On Janmashtami, Hindus celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna on the the Earth. It is celebrated on the eighth day of the Krishna paksha of the Bhadrapada month, according to the Hindu calendar.

Janmashtami or the birthday of Lord Krishna has a huge spiritual significance in Hinduism. As the legend goes, Lord Krishna was born in the darkness of night, inside a cell of a jail where His parents were locked up by his cruel uncle. It is said that at the moment of his birth, all the guards slept off, the chains broke and the barred iron doors gently flew open.

Janmashtami's meaning is deep rooted and it conveys a message that all human beings spend their life engulfed with the darkness of their own vices. We are bound with so many shackles of anger, greed, temptations, attachments and pain. But as the Lord takes birth, every bit of the darkness fades away and we are released from all the chains of the worldly pleasures.

Hindus celebrate Janmashtami by fasting and staying awake until midnight. Midnight is significant since Lord Krishna is believed to have been born at midnight. So, people gather at midnight to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna by singing devotional songs and reading scriptures.

The idol of the 'Baal Gopal' or Little Krishna is placed in a cradle as a symbol of his birth. Devotees, rock the cradle joyfully while reciting hymns and singing songs.

Janmashtami holds a special place among all Hindu festivals. It is said that whenever darkness and evil prevails on Earth the Lord takes birth and eradicates all evil. So, Janmashtami is also symbolic in this sense. Janmashtami is celebrated to encourage the good and destroy the evil. This occasion brings everyone together which encourages unity and faith.