Janmashtami celebrations go virtual amidst Coronavirus

Mumbai : International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temples all over the world today organized day-long celebrations to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna popularly known as ‘Janmashtami’ amidst religious fervor and hope that the pandemic would now end soon.

However, the celebrations that included Maha Aartis, chanting of Mantras, Havans and religious discourses, were shown online on the temple website Facebook and YouTube as the temple authorities cautioned the devotees not to throng to the places of worship in view of the current pandemic.

The main function of Janmashtami, the birth of Lord Krishna would be held at the stroke of midnight in all the ISKCON temples tonight after performing Maha Abhishek and Maha Aarti, said Lucky Kulkarni ISKCON Spokesperson

At the Radha Gopinath Temple at Girgaum Chowpatty in South Mumbai, the authorities have organized ‘Shringar Darshan’ which showcases spectacular dresses adorned by Lord Krishna and Radha Rani on the occasion. The unique dresses were specially made and designed by Ms Rekha Mafatlal and her team.

There are two traditional dresses made for deities of the Radha Gopinath temple. Night Dress made up of ‘Lappe ka kaam’ or work of appliqué which is also called as gota, adorns the royalty of the universe with a fine blend of contemporary English colours making it perfect for the cosmopolitan city of Mumbai. The Day Dress for Krishna & Radha is an extra ordinary beautiful royal outfit with zardozi designs, temple pattern, with vibrant colour scheme, Concentric lights giving the jaal effect, Geometric feeling, where the Rhombus becomes bigger in size, Starry svaroaki stones and golden frame designs on the dress

In the dresses, the design makers have tried to capture the mood of the festival of the lord rising with all his glitter and glamour in the dark rainy night of Ashtami, very much like how we would like the lord to shine back in our lives in this dark and gloomy times of the pandemic.

“Celebrations at the Radha Gopinath ISKCON temple in Mumbai started with Mangal Aarti for the Lord Krishna at 5 am this morning followed by Tulsi Arti & Guru Puja. The temple organized Katha and Kirtan throughout the day and Sandhya arati at 7 pm followed by Maha Abhishek at 10.00 pm for Lord Krishna and then finally Maha Aarti at 12 mid night, said ISKCON Spiritual leader Radhanath Swami Maharaj.

Similar programs were organized by ISKCON temples all over the world, including temples Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune in India. Devotees also celebrated Janmashtami in their individual homes by offering puja and Bhog to the Lord.

The temple authorities offered Bhoga to Lord Krisha comprising of 56 variety of ‘Pakwaan’ preparations during the day and 108 variety of other preparations during night.

“5248 years ago when Krishna was born at 12 midnight, the atmosphere outside was tense, it was dark, uncertainty prevailed, there was fear of King Kansa. The situation today when Janmashtami is being celebrated is somewhat similar, Uncertainty still prevails, there is fear of this pandemic, the atmosphere is dark … in terms of economy, health of people. The hope now is welcoming Krishna back in our lives”, said Radhanath Swami Maharaj.