Good morning and Happy Janmastami, peoples!

I swore to myself that I’d never spend another Janmastami alone in Lewisburg. But with the store not selling (and no one to cover the three days I’d be gone) and my bus in the shop, what choice do I have?

What is Janmastami? It’s Krishna’s birthday! Or as krishna.com more eloquently puts it:

Janmashtami commemorates the earthly appearance of Krishna, who is described in India’s sacred writings as God Himself. One of the biggest religious festivals in the world, it is celebrated by nine hundred and thirty million people around the world–and two million in the US alone. To devotees, it’s Christmas and New Year’s in one, a day of deep spiritual renewal and celebration that effectively finishes an old year and begins a fresh one.

But why Janmashtami, you may ask? What’s so special about Krishna, as opposed to any other form of God? It’s His personableness. For every devotee who offers Him love, He reciprocates in uniquely human ways. He is a mischievous son, a romantic lover, a compassionate friend. And on Janmashtami, devotees celebrate Krishna in all of these aspects. For just as Krishna reciprocates individually with His relatives and confidantes, he responds to the distinct feelings and desires held most deeply in the heart of every single worshipper.

So remember that whatever way you worship Krishna on Janmashtami, He will reciprocate with you accordingly. It’s a meditation that makes for an extremely rewarding devotional experience.

To celebrate Janmastami, devotees take on a whole day of fasting. We fast until midnight, which is the time when Krishna appeared. And that’s what I’m doing today. Well, I’m going to try. I have trouble fasting sometimes – a blood sugar thing. But I should be ok.

If I were at a temple, I’d be engaged in service and/or hanging out with devotees and having a lovely little time. And then, around 9pm, the temple activities would start in earnest. At midnight, the altar doors open and we see the deities in their new (and aptly titled) Janmastami outfits. For Janmastami, the deities get the finest outfits of the year. There’s something really special about it. But before the doors open, the kirtana builds, excitement fills the air and we all get a little giddy.

Here are the New Vrndavana deities on Janmastami 2006:

Then at midnight, the doors open and the temple room explodes into a roaring kirtana. It’s moving, beautiful and will bring tears to the eyes of almost anyone.

WHY do I have to be here on this day? I miss New Vrndavana very much. But at this point, any temple would be great. I thought about going to Gita Nagari (about an hour and a half away), but the bus is down and I have to work the next morning. I probably wouldn’t be able to leave until 2am. By scooter, I’d make it home at 4am. It just wouldn’t work. And I don’t know the roads well enough to ride them at night.

But I miss New Vrndavana very much.

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WHAT YOU CAN DO

Webcasts
If you go to Krishna.com, you’ll see web casts from several different temples that you can watch. At midnight, things will be fun. I’ll be watching the Alachua one.

You can also read more about Janmastami there.

Watch a cheesy (but charming) Bollywood version of Krishna’s birth!
And so, I’ll personally be celebrating Janmastami first at work, by watching the related episodes of the Mahabharata. Let me explain, the Mahabharata is a great Indian epic. It’s where the Bhagavad-gita comes from. It’s basically the story of two families and the fighting that rips them apart.

In the mid 80′s Indian TV did a 94 episode series of the Mahabharata. In it, they threw in the birth and early past times of Krishna. Krishna is in the Mahabharata, but I don’t think he’s there as a child. But I’m glad they filmed it.

Because now it is available to watch for free online! It’s mid 80′s Bollywood TV. Yes, it’s bad. But that’s the charm of it.

The episodes in question are episodes 10 – 12. That’s the back story and then the appearance of Krishna. The next five episodes, 13 – 17, are about Krishna’s early boyhood days. They’re fun too. Especially Krishna’s friend Sridhama. That wacky Sridhama!

You can watch them for free here: Mahabharata!

Scroll down for episode 10. The rest are on page two.

I remember that Ashley and I would watch these. So Ashley, if you’re reading this, I hope you have some time today to watch an episode or two.

Listen to this…
Also, if you want even more info and have 16 minutes to spare – you can listen to this.

What I’ll do…
When I get home, I’ll listen to a Tripurari Maharaja lecture on Janmastami. I remember last year, Varsana Maharaja gave an amazing class for Janmastami. If anyone has a recording of that, let me know.

I’ll cook a little feast (very little) and offer it and then break the fast at midnight while watching the Alachua temple webcast.

While it’s true that with Krishna you’re never alone… but without devotees, I feel very very alone anyway.

More soon…

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edit - I just posted a Prabhupada lecture and transcription from a Janmastami lecture in 1973.
That is here.