2. BACKGROUND
• The Hindus celebrated Krishna Janmashtami on 19th August
2022 - the birth of Lord Krishna. Krishnaji is believed to be an
incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who is revered as the supreme
being in the Vaishnavism denomination.
• Lord Krishna is believed to have been born in
Mathura around 3,228 BCE to Devaki, the sister of King Kansa,
and her husband Vasudeva.
• It was prophesised that the couple's eighth child would kill
Kansa, putting an end to his reign of evil. To stop it from
coming true, Kansa imprisoned them. He killed six children
they had in prison.
• Devaki and Vasudev's seventh child Balram was saved as god
transferred him to the womb of Rohini, Vasudev's second
wife. Balram was the incarnation of Shesh Nag, the 10-headed
serpent on whom Lord Vishnu rested.
3. BACKGROUND
• Their eighth child Krishna, who would kill his evil uncle, had to
be saved. The night he was born, his father found himself
magically freed of prison chains.
• Braving a storm and a swelling Yamuna, he carried the baby to
his brother and sister-in-law Nanda and Yashoda in Gokul,
with the help of divine intervention.
• Krishna grew up as a cowherd in Gokul. He eventually
returned to Mathura to kill the evil king Kansa.
• In Hindu scriptures, Krishna is portrayed in various shades-- a
miracle child, an ideal lover and a divine hero. He is an
important presence in in Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita and
the Bhagavata Purana.
• Hindus celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna by fasting, singing
and praying. Baby Krishna idols are bathed and put in cradles
on Janmashtami.
