Janmashtmi–The Appearance of Sri Krishna
Lord Krishna is identified by vedic authorities as being the Supreme Source of all that exists in the material and spiritual worlds.
Historians record that Sri Krishna appears personally in the material universes from time to time to rectify and heal the suffering of all living entities.
The energies of Sri Krishna are especially powerful on the night of his appearance in the material world. In recent times He appeared on this planet just over 5,000 years ago at the end of the age known as Dwapar Yuga (just before the present Kali Yuga commenced).
The word ‘janmashtmi’ refers to the appearance/birth (‘janma’) on the 8th day (‘ashtmi’) from the full moon in the 2nd fortnight of the month of Shravana according to the vedic lunar calender.
‘Mantra’ means ‘that which protects the mind.’ Highly empowered mantras such as listed here not only protect the mind but change our karmic balance for the better.
How this works is very interesting.
We are guided to act through a 5-step destiny process of desiring-thinking-planning-willing-acting. The final action leads to consequences and results. This in turn stimulates a further cycle of action and all such activities go to create our destiny patterns.
In order to specially empower the world population for direct service to the Divine and freedom from rebirth in a fast and easy way, Sri Krishna appeared in the form of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu some 500 years ago.
At this time there was a great Bhakti revival worldwide which spanned different religions including Sikhism and Islam. In these it gave rise to the gurbani chantings and the Sufi devotional movement using group congregational chanting and singing. The Sufi movement was revolutionary because it involved devotional singing and dancing which was not approved by the mainstream Islamists.
This chant is especially recommended as a group chant. The chanting avataar of Sri Krishna is foretold in the Srimad Bhagavatam millenia before the appearance of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and is therefore considered most authentic.
“In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the holy name of Krishna (chaitanya Mahaprabhu). Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.”
—(Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.5.32)
Chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra was popularized worldwide in recent times in the english speaking world most notably by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s ISKCON movement. ISKCON was officially registered in the USA in 1966–the same year that Nalin did his Cambridge University ‘O’ level exams.
In America this was the era of the hippies and flower-children, free mind-expanding drugs, free relationships and free sex.
Srila Prabhupada famously sat under a tree in New York’s Tompkins Square Park and chanted ‘Hare Krishna’.
The drug-addicts and hippies were transformed in their consciousness and lifestyle by this chant, becoming the first disciples of Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada used to say that he took the hippies and made them ‘happies’.
The intellectual, philosophical and scientific-minded soon followed because the philosophy appealed to their sensibilities and sense of orderliness of the universe.
This became a revolution of consciousness that spread worldwide.
This later date ISKCON painting of Srila Prabhupada evokes the aspirational dreamlike 60’s mood of a youthful generation who were looking for spiritual solutions to material problems.
It is in the context of a similar background that Nalin and Renoo Nirula came across ISKCON in their search for universal truths.
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1981-1994
For a period of about 14 years from 1981 Nalin and Renoo Nirula actively participated in this global movement preaching and propagating Krishna Consciousness. They were very closely associated with, and hosted all the Governing Body Commissioners of ISKCON at their home in Anand Niketan. The Nirulas were blessed by the presence of many senior sannyasis, disciples and god-brothers of Bhaktivedanta Swami during this time.
Nalin participated in numerous preaching and food distribution (‘food for life’) programs and padayatras in India and abroad. He also edited and produced the first few issues of the official ISKCON Journal in the early 1990’s, as well as starting Delhi ISKCON’s Every Town and Village newsletter.
During that time Nalin and Renoo also organized and took part in a major fund-raising and awareness campaigns in Delhi called ‘Free the Soviet Hare Krishnas’. This was at a time where the Russian government would jail anyone connected to so-called religious movements–especially the very publicly visible ISKCON Hare Krishna devotees.
Nalin recalls organizing the distribution of banned Bhagavad Gitas in Communist Russia and ‘Krishna-izing’ the whole visiting Bolshoi Ballet team in Delhi as one his more memorable subversive activities for Krishna!
(A brief article here narrates the tortures Soviet devotees underwent for the ‘crime’ of chanting Hare Krishna. Those were very dangerous times for devotees, and even today religious persecution against them persists in Russia.)
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In 1994 Nalin graduated from ISKCON, receiving Harinaam and Brahmin initiation from Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj of the Chaitanya Saraswat Math, at Kolerganj in Nadia, West Bengal. Navadweep is the ‘hidden’ Vrindavan and the C.S. Math is situated on the hidden Giri Goverdhana hill there–Krishna’s most favorite friend.
March 27, 2010: Srila Govinda Maharaj leaves for the Divine Home
No special qualifications needed for chanting the empowered Mahamantra
All highly empowered rebirth-liberating mantras and processes require special initiation and the following of a rigorous self-disciplinary lifestyle.
Healing and Mantras for Sri Krishna Janmashtmi
For added benefit on this day and night, fast from meats, eggs, fish, lentils, legumes, grains and salt.
The mantras given below may be chanted each 108 times or more sequentially on Janmashtmi-Friday, August 14, 2009 until midnight or shortly thereafter. (During the day of Janmashtmi you can chant these mantras as may be possible for you.)
Janmashtmi Mantras