KRISHNASTAMI

Krishnastami is the birthday of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna considered as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the Hindu deity of preservation has a large following in Nepal. His visual feature is projected in blue, a traditional color of Lord Vishnu. His being blue inside is to remind his devotees that he is all-pervading and ever-fascinating like the brilliant blue sky. In the words of Adi Shankaracharya, Lord Krishna is that changeless Absolute of whose real and conscious existence in the form of the blue color of the universe gives us a mysterious glimpse. 

There is perhaps no deity like Lord Krishna in the entire Hindu pantheon who has been so highly honored by millions of his devotees including great Rishis (seers), brave kings, and simple souls. Krishna is also generally regarded as a great god of love and romance. It is said that thousands and thousands of Gopinis had been enamored by the beauty of his bright blue body. The work Gopini denotes girls whose occupation is to raise cows and treat them with great care and love. Since the most peaceful animal on earth for all Hindus is the cow Gopinis has great respect for cows and Krishna. It must be remembered here that one of the more popular names of Krishan is Gopal, which means the protector of cows. 

It is said that merely by playing a tune on his magic flute he can put his devotees in a trance. This is the reason why he is always shown in artworks with a flute in his hands. And another interesting feature of his image is his standing position with his right leg slightly bent. This kind of gesture is said to represent his being involved in non-stop actions to keep everything of the world in order. So the saints and seers have rightly called him a great Karma Yogi, meaning the great man of actions. Geeta is a divine gift from Lord Krishna to all spiritual seekers and followers of his path. 

Lord Krishna is a divine dancer, too. The Gopinis dancing with the Lord in the middle is called Raasa Leela meaning the dance of spiritual ecstasy.  Lord Krishna in the middle surrounded by the Gopi girls is said to represent the supreme reality or Parabrahma. The devotees surrounding the lord are to represent their intensive desire for ultimate union with the supreme being. Not surprisingly,  the scene of devotees dancing on the occasion of the birthday of Lord Krishna is one of the most enjoyable highlights of the celebration.