Janmashtami and Its Spiritual Significance
The festival of Lord Krishna’s birth
Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated to mark the birth of Lord Krishna. He is believed to be the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu and is revered across India.
Lord Krishna’s birth story-
Kansa, the evil king of Mathura, who is unjust and is in constant conflict with the neighboring Yadu dynasty, marries his sister Devaki to the Yadu king Vasudeva in an attempt to expand his kingdom.
He hopes to take over Vasudeva’s territory, but the heavens have other plans for the wicked king. When he takes the reigns of the chariot of the newlyweds, a voice from heaven comes out and tells him that soon his sister’s eighth child will end his evil ways.
Kansa gets afraid and draws his sword to slay his sister, Devaki. To save his wife, Vasudeva makes a deal with the evil king. He promises to bring his first eight children to the king on the day they are born if he would spare Devaki’s life.
As promised, he offers the king his first six newborns. Through divine intervention, Devaki’s seventh child is transferred from her womb to the womb of Rohini, Vasudeva’s first wife, and is born safely.
