Gokul Ashtami

Gokul Ashtami is a Hindu festival celebrated for the birth of Lord Shri Krishna Vasudev, the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu. It is celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm throughout India.

Gokul Ashtami is celebrated on the eighth day of Krishna Paksha in the month of Bhadrapada in the Hindu calendar which falls in August or September.

Hindus all over the world celebrate Gokul Ashtami with great enthusiasm and joy. Gokul Ashtami is celebrated all over India with different names such as Ashtami Rohini, Srikrishna Jayanti, Krishnashtami, Saatam Aatham, and Janmashtami. On this holy day, Hindus observe fast and chant shlokas of Bhagwad Gita.

History of Gokul Ashtami

Gokul Ashtami has a dynamic history and has great importance and impact on Hindus. Around 5,200 years ago, Lord Krishna was born on this day in Mathura city in the present state of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lord Krishna was the 8th son of Devaki and Vasudev and at the time of Krishna’s birth, Devaki and Vasudev were imprisoned by evil king Kansa of Mathura. Lord Krishna’s father Vasudev gave newborn Krishna to his cousin Nanda to protect him from Devaki’s brother Kansa as he knew that Kansa was evil-minded. After being saved from Kansa, Sri Krishna grew up in a Gokul family. Sri Krishna after some time became strong and he was able to kill the evil Kansa.

Lord Krishna was the most powerful avatar of Lord Vishnu. Lord Krishna was born on earth for a very special reason. He was born to free the world from evil. Krishna’s role in Mahabharata was very important and he preached about good karma and the theory of Bhakti.

Gokul Ashtami Celebrations

In our society, Gokul Ashtami is celebrated annually with great joy and enthusiasm. People decorate society as a whole with colourful lights. People decorate temples with tiny electric lights of various colours, flowers, and other materials. The elderly ladies of society sing Bhajans of Lord Krishna in the society park.

As Sri Krishna was very fond of eating Makhan (Butter) people enjoyed playing Dahi Handi. Children of society take part in the contest of Dahi Handi with great energy. Little Krishna was known as a butter thief or Makhan chor. During his childhood, Krishna was very naughty and was really fond of butter. Thus he and his group of friends used to steal butter from their neighbours.

Last year, we had an exciting experience in our society. During the Gokul Ashtami festival, many earthen pots hung high above the street. Soon a group of children began making a human pyramid below the pot. They fell again and again but finally, they were able to build the pyramid. The smallest boy went right up to the top and broke the pot flooding everyone below with its content of curd.

Whether poor or rich, everyone gets together and partakes in this festival with lots of activities. People celebrate Gokul Ashtami with their friends, relatives and neighbour. People get together, dance, sing, and exchange gifts. Youngsters take participation in the function organised by the society members. They partake in a singing and dancing competition and perform delightfully to the song of Lord Krishna. Winners are also awarded by society heads with prizes to motivate them.

Gokul Ashtami generates belief in good deeds and marks a day of happiness, joy, and the end of evilness. It motivates us to fight against demons and marks the victory of good over evil. One should follow the teachings and advice given by Lord Krishna to lead a happy and successful life.

You Asked, We Listened – Get Free Access to All Writing Lists 😍😍