| Devaki, his sister. Kamsa imprisoned Krishna's parents Devaki and Vasudev, and killed their first seven children, as soon as they were born. Krishna was the eighth son, and miracles happened soon after his birth. The guards fell asleep and the prison doors opened, and Krishna's father took him to a nearby village, Gokul, across the river Yamuna. It was a stormy night and the river was roaring and overflowing. But the waters parted to allow Krishna's passage to safety. Vasudev exchanged Krishna for a newborn girl in Gokul and came back to the prison. When Kamsa heard of the birth of Devaki's "eighth child," a girl, he came to kill the child. But the child, who was a divine being herself, escaped Kamsa's grasp and disappeared, warning him that his killer was alive and well. Krishna grew up to destroy Kamsa and several other enemies of morality and revived the rule of law in those kingdoms. Krishna is one of the most popular divine forms that Hindus worship, and many stories from Krishna's life provide a rich source of themes for Hindu art, culture, and religion. The greatest contribution of Krishna to humanity is the Bhagavadgeeta (the divine song), where he teaches the path to spiritual enlightenment. The setting of this teaching is a battlefield, where the forces of good and evil face each other. Krishna is on the side fighting for justice -- serving as chariot driver, friend, and guide to the great warrior Arjuna. Although Arjuna has prepared for this battle for many years, he is confused just before the battle begins, seeing his relatives, elders, and friends on the other side. Krishna then teaches Arjuna the highest goals of human life and his duty to fight for morality and justice. The story of the battle is actually a symbol for the moral struggle that all humans face every day between right and wrong. In the Bhagavadgeeta, Krishna teaches that the body is temporary but the spirit is eternal, and that the goal of human life is to realize one's identity with the spirit, which is divine. The path to this enlightenment and peace includes correct understanding, morality, selfless service, spiritual discipline, acceptance of the divine will, and offering of one's actions to God with prayer and love. Krishna teaches Arjuna to be an instrument of the divine and not to be confused by the ego. Priya Bansal read the substance of the 18 chapters of Geeta, that Krishna synthesizes many different streams of human spirituality and offers a universal, non-sectarian path that nourishes body, mind, and soul. After the bhajan and discourse, all devotees stood in front of the altar and chanted Aarati of Lord Krishna. At the end, prasad was distributed and lunch was served to all devotees. |
| Celebrating Krishna Janmastami by Krishna Sijapati |
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| The celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna is a great Hindu tradition. This is the day Lord Krishna was born to destroy evil and end injustice on earth. The Hindu Dharma Circle organized an event at the Neighborhood House Community Center on August 20 to observe this festival. The program included worship of Lord Krishna, chanting of special bhajans, discourses on the life of Lord Krishna, and a potluck lunch. In the beginning, an extensive worship was offered to Lord Krishna followed by the worship of Diyo, Kalas, and Ganesha |
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| which is the common norm for beginning any puja ceremony. Slokas were chanted adoring Lord Krishna kindness to eliminate evil and save the world. Krishna is regarded as the eighth avatar or 'incarnation' of Lord Vishnu. He is also the greatest savior of "Hindu Dharma." His life is filled with numerous dangers over which he ultimately gained victory. The stories of how he killed demonic adversaries -- Pootana, Shakata, Agha, Dhenuka, Bakaa, Keshi, Kansa, Shishupala, Jarasandha etc. -- has made him the peerless savior of mankind. During the program, Dr. Robert Maynord explained the birth of Lord Krishna. He narrated that Krishna's evil maternal uncle, Prince Kamsa, had been warned in a prophecy that he will be killed by the eighth son of |
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