Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday greeted people on the occasion of Janmashtami, the day marking the birth of Lord Krishna, the revered Hindu deity considered the reincarnation of Vishnu, one among the supreme triumvirate, according to Hindu religious belief.
“Greetings to you all on the auspicious occasion of Janmashtami.,’ the Prime Minister tweeted on the auspicious occasion. ‘Jai Shri Krishna,’ he further greeted the people in Hindi.
Janmashtami is being celebrated with all the religious fervor and gaiety across the country. Mathura, a city in the north Indian State of Uttar Pradesh is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna, who figures prominently in the legend of Mahabharata as the charioteer of Pandava prince Arjuna in the battle of Kurukshetra.
Lord Krishna is considered the culmination of the supreme consciousness of the collective ethos of humanity. His teachings to Arjuna in the decisive battle between Kaurava, representing the forces of evil and Pandava representing godliness, in Kurukshetra, forms the bulwark of core human values and ways of dealing with life’s numerous vicissitudes have been compiled in the book of ‘ Bhagwat Gita’.
According to Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudev in Mathura. Krishna’s maternal uncle Kansa, the King of Mathura, however, saw Krishna as a great threat to his life and Kingdom following a prophecy about his imminent death at the hands of the eighth son of his sister Devaki, Lord Krishna. However, as fate would have it despite all-out efforts of Kansa to eliminate Krishna he was eventually eliminated by Lord Krishna.
The day is being celebrated besides Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and other states across the country. The day-long special prayers and worship of Lord Krishna will culminate in the finale at 12 in the night, the time when Lord Krishna is believed to have been born.