Over 50 Lakh Devotees Participate In Janmashtami Celebrations At ISKCON Temples Across India

On the auspicious occasion of Sri Krishna Janmashtami, the 500+ ISKCON temples welcomed over 50 lakh devotees, creating a vibrant tapestry of devotion, culture, and community. The festival was a spiritually uplifting experience enriched by culture and devotion.

The day began with the Mangala Arati, offering prayers at the first darshan on this auspicious day. The temples were beautifully decorated with fresh flowers from India and abroad, colourful rangolis, decorative lights, and glowing lamps. Throughout the day, the devotees participated in the nonstop soulful kirtans, and prasad was served to lakhs of visitors.

Before midnight approached, the highlight was the majestic Maha Abhishek, featuring ceremonial bathing with various fruit juices, flowers, milk, curd, honey, and other special ingredients. This was followed by the Maha Aarti, where the temple hall was filled with enthusiastic chanting of the Hare Krishna mahamantra.

Many temples witnessed cultural programs such as traditional dances and drama plays on Lord Krishna’s pastimes, such as ‘Meeting with Sudama’ and ‘Stealing the butter from Mother Yashoda’s kitchen,’ and discussions on the instructions of Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita. Children and adults alike participated, enriching the celebration with artistic devotion.

ISKCON’s community services continued alongside spiritual festivities. This year also witnessed large-scale prasadam distribution, sharing devotional literature such as the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam to make Lord Krishna’s blessings reach everyone.  

“Janmashtami has been celebrated for thousands of years as a day to re-dedicate ourselves to the service and teachings of Lord Krishna. Today, we witnessed how people from all backgrounds and social strata joined together in celebrating Lord Krishna’s appearance without any differences. This growing enthusiasm reflects how spirituality is finding a place in modern lifestyles. The next day, 17th August, is equally special, as it’s the day on which Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON, was born. It was due to his deep compassion and selfless service that today all of us are benefitting from living a life of Krishna consciousness. As the world today grapples with wars, disagreements, and conflicts, the message of Lord Krishna and the teachings of Srila Prabhupada are even more relevant,” said Yudhistir Govinda Das, Trustee and Country Director of communications for ISKCON India.

This year, Madurai lit up the skies with a spectacular Krishna Lila drone show, visible from nearly 10 kilometres away. The festival attracted a wide range of followers ranging from students to working professionals to housewives. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, Chief Minister of Delhi Rekha Gupta, Deputy Chief Minister Pravesh Verma, and other movie stars and business leaders also joined the celebrations across various ISKCON temples in the country. 

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