Celebrating Birth of Lord Sri Krishna ~ Gokulashtami 2019
yajna-dana-tapah-karma * na tyajyam karyam eva tat
yajno danam tapas caiva * pavanani manisinam
Acts
of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up but should be
performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls.
~ heavenly advice of Lord Sri Krishna in His Bhagwat Geetha. The yogis should perform acts for the
advancement of human society. There are many purificatory processes for
advancing a human being to spiritual life. The Lord says here that any
sacrifice which is meant for human welfare should never be given up. All
prescribed sacrifices are meant for achieving the Supreme Lord. Therefore, in
the lower stages, they should not be given up. Similarly, charity is for the
purification of the heart.
Today 24th
Aug 2019 is a day of great
significance, for we Celebrate the ‘Birth of Bhagwan Sri Krishna’. Ithihasa Puranas are the
fundamentals to tenets of Vaishnava philosophy and one can learn everything in
Sri Ramayana and Mahabaratha.
The
dark ocean-hued Lord Krishna should come to our homes – at our homes we should have
Him leave His imprints of one foot etched with the conch (Sangam) and the other
with the discuss-(Chakram) giving us waves of lasting joy that rise over and
over again, as Lord Krishna comes toddling.
கண்ணன்
பிறந்த இந்நாளை எல்லா திருகோவில்களிலும், எல்லாரது இல்லங்களிலும் சிறப்புற கொண்டாடுகிறோம்.
யசோதை ஸ்ரீக்ருஷ்ணருடைய திருப்பாதங்களில் ஒன்பது விரல்களுக்கு நவரத்ன வர்ணத்தையும்
மற்றொரு விரலுக்குப் பொன்னிறத்தையும் இட்டு
கண்ணனை கொஞ்சி சீராட்டி வளர்த்தாக பெரியாழ்வார் பாடியுள்ளார். அந்த குழந்தை கண்ணன் நம் இல்லங்களுக்கு தவழ்ந்து
தளர்நடையிட்டு வரும் அனுபத்தை ரசித்து, இல்லங்களில் கண்ணனின் திருப்பாதங்களை வரைந்து, பூஜை அறையில், கண்ணபிரானை நீராட்டி, புது ஆடை உடுத்தி,
அவருக்கு பலவித பழங்களையும் பக்ஷனங்களையும் படைத்தது நாம் கொண்டாடுகிறோம்.
குழவி
தளர்நடை காண்டல் இனிதே .. .. .. தளர்நடை
! குழந்தைகள் வளரும் ஒவ்வொரு பருவமும் ஒவ்வொரு
விதமான இனிமை. குழந்தை தவஸ்த்த பிறகு, நின்று,
இரண்டொறு அடிகள் எடுத்து வைக்கும் போது - விழுந்துவிடுமோ என பெற்றோர் ஐயுறுவர். இந்த பருவத்திலே குழந்தைகள் தடுமாறி நடப்பது போன்ற நடை. தளர்நடை.
மாயக்கண்ணனின் பிறப்பின் ஒவ்வொரு பருவத்தையும் அனுபவித்து பாடிய பெரியாழ்வார்
- தளர்நடை பருவத்தையும் சிலாகிக்கிறார்.
ஒருகாலில்சங்கு ஒருகாலில் சக்கரம்
உள்ளடி பொறித்தமைந்த
இருகாலும்கொண்டு அங்கங்கு எழுதினாற்போல்
இலச்சினை படநடந்து
பெருகா நின்ற இன்பவெள்ளத்தின்மேல்
பின்னையும் பெய்துபெய்து
கருகார்க்கடல்வண்ணன் காமர் தாதை தளர்நடை
நடவானோ.
மிகவும்
கருநிறமுள்ள ஸமுத்ரம் போன்ற திருநிறமுடையவனும், காமதேவனுக்குப் பிதாவுமான சிறுபிள்ளை
கண்ணபிரான், ஒரு பாதத்திலே சங்கமும், மற்றொரு பாதத்தில் சக்கரமும் பாதங்களின் உட்புறத்திலே
பொறித்து, ரேகையின் வடிவத்தோடு கூடி அமைந்திருக்கப் பெற்ற இரண்டு திருவடிகளினாலும்
அவ்வவ்விடங்களிலே அடி வைத்து, அழகான படத்தை சித்திரித்ததுபோல இலச்சினை அடையாளமுண்டாம்படி அடிவைத்து நடக்கின்ற வடிவழகைக் கண்டு பொங்குகிற இன்ப வெள்ளத்தின் மேல்
ஆநந்தத்தை மிகுதியாக உண்டாக்கிக்கொண்டு தளர்நடை நடக்க வேணுமாய் பிரார்திக்கிறார் நம்
பெரியாழ்வார்.
Mathura
is the holy place where Lord Krishna was born…. ~ the centre of what is fondly
referred as Braj bhoomi. Remember Lord
was born in a prison cell at Mathura, the capital of Surasena kingdom ruled by Kamsa, the
maternal uncle of the Lord. This is a
very old place dating back to Ramayana days.
According to the Archeologists, the Ikshwaku prince Shatrughna slayed a
demon called Lavanasura and claimed this
land. By some accounts this place
was a densely wooded Madhuvan. This
place was closely associated with history too.
Centuries later, Mathura was one
of the capitals of Kushan dynasty. Megasthenes, writing in the early 3rd
century BCE, mentions Mathura as a great city.
The
land of Braj is full of sacred places, revered on account of their being the
reputed haunts and homes of Krishna. The pilgrims can never rest until they
have made the round of these holy shrines, and hence, especially upon the
occasion of Krishna's birthday, called JanmAshtami, falling in the month
Bhadon, corresponding with our August-September, in the midst of the rainy
season, they may be found by the thousands making the Ban Jathra, or
perambulation of Braj. The distance travelled is popularly said to be
eighty-four kos, or one hundred and sixty-eight miles, with Mathura as the
central point in the circle. The
pilgrims naturally start from the holiest place in the holy city of Mathura,
namely, Visrant Ghat. The first halting place is Mahaban, some four or five
miles southwest of Mathura, in the present village of Maholi, lying back from
the river about the same distance. This is the reputed place, as has been
before related, where Rama's brother, Satrughna, founded the city of Madhupura,
which Hindu classic literature from the earliest period identifies with
Mathura.
The birth of Lord Sri Krishna at Mathura to
Vasudeva and Devaki is celebrated with gaiety everywhere. While
some celebrate the coming of Lord Krishna to this Universe on Ashtami day as
‘Gokulashtami’ – in South India, it is more with the star of ‘Rohini’ and the
birth day is being celebrated as : Krishna Jayanthi, Janmashtami,
Gokulaashtami, Sri Jayanthi and more – all various names celebrating the birth
of Bhagwan Lord Sri Krishna in this Universe on the Ashtami (8th day of dark
half of Krishna paksha) on the Rohini Nakshathiram. This year, Srijayanthi is being celebrated grandly at Thiruvallikkeni and
other divyadesams today 24th Aug 2019.
At
the place where Lord Krishna was born now exists a Temple popularly known as
‘Janmasthan temple’ - Kesava Deo Temple considered most sacred for
all Hindus. There is a huge complex
comprising of a small temple, the Janmasthan, gallery, a huge temple later
built by Dalmiyas – the prison cell – the exact place where Lord Krishna was
born is under a doom – all heavily fortified and guarded these days. At the Janmasthan is the most beautiful Kehsav Dev(Krishna), the worshipped deity of this temple. According to traditions
the original deity was installed by the
great-grandson of Krishna. This
temple is considered a monument of Gupta period (320 to 550 CE)which was destroyed
in 1661 CE by Aurangzeb. Vrindavan is the twin town of Mathura and there are
other holy places of Gokulam and Govardhana giri – all in the vicinity.
Krishna's
birthplace is shown at the back of the Katra, near the site of the temple of
Kesva Deva, now occupied by the mosque of Aurangzeb, built in 1669. It is on
the margin of a large quadrangular tank called Potara Kund, where it is said Krishna's "baby
linen" was washed. It is a small room called Janam Bhoomi, "the
birthplace/' or Karagrah, "the prison house," where the parents of
Krishna, Basudeva and Devaki, were imprisoned. Apart from inscriptions and
other fragmentary archaeological vestiges of its ancient glory, the first
authentic contemporary record of Mathura that we find in existing literature is
dated the year 1017 A.D., when it was sacked by Mahmud of Ghazni in his ninth
invasion of India. The original source of information recording Mahmud’s
campaigns is the Tarikh Yamini of A1 Utbi, who was himself secretary to the
Sultan, though he did not accompany him in his expeditions. Years later, after
reign of Shahjahan, Murshid Ali Khan, in
the year 1636, made a commander of 2,000 horse, and appointed by the Emperor
Governor of Mathura and Maha-ban, with express instructions to be zealous in
stamping out all rebellion and idolatry. The climax of wanton destruction was,
however, attained by Aurangzeb, the Oliver Cromwell of India, who, not content
with demolishing the most sacred of its shrines, thought also to destroy even
the ancient name of the city by substituting for Islamabad. Mathura was
casually connected important events in his life as born here
in 1639, his eldest son, Muhammad Sultan, who expiated the sin of
primogeniture in the Oriental fashion by ending his days in a dungeon, as one
of the first acts of his father, on his accession to the throne, was to confine
him in the fortress of Gwaliar fortress
of Gwaliar, where he died in 1665. .
In
1944, Madan Mohan Malviya was distressed at plight of the site and arranged for
purchase of land from Raja Krishna Das of Benaras; then Jugal Kishore Birla of Birla group took the leading role to fulfill the wishes of
Malviyaji and formed a private trust in 1951 to which the rights of land were
later transferred. Jaidayal Dalmia of Dalmia Group was another leading
personality, who took untiring efforts and the temple was finally constructed
over the site. The trust which runs the temple has a glorious list of Trustees
besides Birla and Dalmia family members.
Though this modern temple attracts pilgrims, the original place of birth
lies within the complex - a small
room of
a prison cell, where it is fully
believed that Lord Krishna was born.
There is a mosque overlooking this place.
Born in
this land and following Lord Sri Krishna, we are blessed to have received His
upadesams ~ the most sacred ‘Bhagavad Gita’ -
also known as Gitopanishad. It is the essence of Vedic knowledge. It is handed over to mortals by Bhagwan Sri
Krishna Himself. For a Srivaishnavaite, the simplest karma is to worship Lord
Krishna, fall at His golden feet, follow Him truthfully, do service to Him and
to His bhagavatas.
அடியேன்
ஸ்ரீனிவாசதாசன் [ஸ்ரீ சம்பத்குமார்]
24th
Aug 2019.
