Nostalgic epiphany - Janmashtmi

The God of love has come to me, I want to pass it on...
Baby Krishna

My fondest memories are those of my grandmother and the festivities in which we participated together. All festivals brought with them their own gaiety, but Janmashtmi had a special place in my grandmother’s heart. For a loving devotee of Krishna, anything to do with the cowherd God was sacrosanct. And nothing less than the best was acceptable to her for her baby Krushna!

We children waited for Janmashtami with bated breath and participated enthusiastically in the celebrations. But of course, the prasad happens to be the major attraction. The special mithais made out of coconut, makhana and groundnut would tempt us no end. But all goodies meant for the prasad were forbidden fruit till the puja was through. We vied with each other for the larger share.

The vanar sena, monkey-brigade as dadi called us was kept busy decorating the puja-room to keep our hands full so that we could be held back from stealing the goodies meant for makhan-chor. The room was decorated wall to wall with leafy vandandwar and intricate alpana, flower and tinsel streamers, the jhoola receiving the maximum attention. It was to be the divine baby’s cradle after all! With the soft gaddi and tiny cushions (all handmade) –a throne meant for kings!

Krishna smiled mischievously as he sat in it; his Asht-dhatu body glistening after several scrubs of lime, curd, milk, honey, and tears of devotion. We sat up till midnight to welcome Gopal. Dholak, manjeera, dancing and singing, infused infectious enthusiasm in the air. The music of bells and conch shells sounded the sacred hour. Everyone took their turn at darshan and aarti. Time stood still and our senses were enveloped in the sacred beauty of that moment. Such moments left their marks on young minds and even today strains of a soulful bhajan take us back to those moments of pure delight.  

Spontaneously, the notes of an old school hymn strike a note: That’s how it is with God’s love, once you’ve experienced it, you want to sing you feel like spring, you want to pass it on …

Anisha Sharma
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wow! this is by far the best one. :)

Rishikesh Barpuzari on Friday, August 1, 2008


घिर आई कारी बदरिया बरसे आधी रात, जमुना किनारे पड़ो झूलो, झूले राधे श्याम, Bhajan, Jhoolan Mahotsav #Vrindavan