Manmohana...

decked up palki of Kanhaiyaji

" yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham 

paritranaya sadhunam 

vinashaya cha dushkritam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya 

sambhavami yuge yuge "

-Srimad Bhagavad Gita

Through these verses of the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna proclaims the meaning of his descent for the ascent of the spirit of man. God's incarnation is a perpetual act, an eternal occurrence. It is not merely a historical event that took place centuries back and is not taking place now. The words, 'Yuge yuge', imply every juncture of time. At a great juncture and critical moment and crisis, God manifests Himself to dissolve that crisis and conflict.Whenever there is discrepancies in the discharge of natural laws of God, then God incarnates. Either He incarnates Himself, or He sends His bona fide representative, or He sends His powerful representative.
 

Krishna on his "jhoola" or swing.

Krishna! The lotus eyed charmer, who will endear himself to you and melt your heart with one naughty smile. Celebrating his birth, his return to earth to bring back peace and harmony, is the festival of "Janamashtami."

Krishna, is beautiful in every form, be it as a son, as a lover, or as a guru. To me this festival not just signifies the birth of Krishna, but also the birth of hope. A hope that all that is not well, will be well soon. The birth of faith. A faith, that he will hold my hands when I need him the most. A renewed hope and a renewed faith, that gives me the courage to go on despite the odds.

To me this form of Krishna as a child, is more endearing as he brings out maternal instincts, that want me to hold him in my arms, sing him to sleep, nourish him. He can be playful and responsible, innocent and naughty, all at the same time. He can be so full of mischief one moment and teach you the principles of life the next moment. His one look will melt your heart and keep you in his captivity! Such is his magic!

A traditional rangoli

I welcomed him home last night with rangolis on my doorstep and in the puja room. Little footsteps signifying his walking into our home and heart.

And how can a welcome be complete without offerings?
Offerings made of "Poha" or puffed rice flakes/ beaten rice flakes are his favorites. I made sure to include a savory form of the poha with capsicum, carrot and peas, a sweet Poha with freshly grated coconut and jaggery , and poha with curd and seasonings.

 He is known as "maakhan chor" or the one who steals butter, so I included little cups of butter, curd and milk just to make him feel at home!

varieties of poha..and butter, curd and milk...

ladoo

He is also known as "ladoo-gopal" , I had to treat him to an array of mouth-watering ladoos, that included, Rava ladoo( made of semolina, sugar, coconut and a dash of cardamom), groundnut and jaggery ladoo and besan ka ladoo(made of gram floor, sugar and lots of ghee!)

savouries

After all the sweetness, isn't it just right to add a plateful of savories,like the choicest of "chaklis" and south Indian "murukku, to cater to his palate?

The festive spread, fruits and flowers, the rangolis and songs all make for a beautiful welcome for the lord, who deserves nothing less.

His love is not confined to the pomp and splendour though. A simple offering of a "tulsi" leaf( Indian sacred basil) and handful of raw "poha" with a heart full of "Bhakti" (devotion) and love would make him equally happy!

dahi haandi (image courtesy : google)

In many parts of the country, especially in Mumbai, "Dahi-Haandi" is a popular event, with boys forming a pyramid, piling on top of each other and reach for the pot of curds hung high on a rope.

Dahi Handi though portrays the playful and adoringly mischievous attitude of Krishna, it also carries a profound philosophy behind it. The pot is the ego or the sense of the body mind identification that dangles in the grasp of Samsara ( the universe). The butter or Dahi which forms the content is embodied as the essence, or the being. The Lord breaks the pot or the ego to release the content from the binding Samsara. His eagerness to savour it reveals the bliss that one enjoys on realising the true essence or the true self.






Krishna, is joy, he is celebration, he is love, he is devotion, he is consciousness, he is perfection, he is spiritual energy, he is totality. And I know that when I surrender to him, he takes care of everything.

Jai Sri Krishna!