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BELIEF & PRACTICE:
Janmashtami
September 8, 2006 Episode no. 1002
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BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: Now Belief & Practice -- this week, the major Hindu festival Janmashtami celebrating the birth of the popular deity Krishna, and with a real baby. Nidhi Singh was our guide at a Hindu temple in Chantilly, Virginia.
NIDHI SINGH (Rajdhani Mandir Temple, Chantilly, Virginia): In Hinduism, we believe in one God. However, our one God has several forms -- Brahma, who's the creator; Vishnu, who is the preserver; and Shiva, who's the destructor of all evil. Lord Krishna is a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu.
The teachings that Lord Krishna imparted in the Gita -- I can take from that and incorporate into my life and find hope, guidance, spirituality, peace, comfort, many different things.

The devotees come here to participate and celebrate Lord Krishna's birth. When we celebrate Lord Krishna there's a lot of singing and dancing because that's what he used to do when he as younger. There's loud chanting and people are singing and getting very excited about the midnight hour, and we're getting ready to welcome Krishna.

As the midnight hour approaches, we dim the lights. The priest comes out and actually brings a live baby in a cradle, carrying him on his head, depicting how it truly happened with Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna was carried in a cradle by his father on his head to safety, to keep him safe from the evil king.
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What we do is called "aarti," which means we take a flame, rotate it clockwise around the God, and worship him with that flame, and then that flame is offered to the congregation to take the blessings.
The priest start handing out "prasad,"which is God's offerings -- food items, typically milk-based products, because Lord Krishna was very fond of milk and butter.

I come with all my worries, my thoughts from the outside world, everything that's on my mind. I'm giving up my ego. I'm leaving behind my worries and being reminded of God's love, of not feeling defeated by any hardship that I might be facing and getting strength to continue to do my dharma as Krishna taught -- continuing to do the right things, not questioning why or what I'm going to get in return for it.
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Related R & E Material:
Ganesha Chathurti, September 24, 2004
Devotion to Kali, October 24, 2003
Hare Krishna Temple, August 29, 2003
Hindu Temple Dedication, October 18, 2002
Hindus in America, August 17, 2001
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Related Links:
Seattle Art Museum: "Stories of Krishna: The Adventures of a Hindu God"
108 Names of Krishna
Janmashtami
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