Krishna showing his cosmic form to mother Yashoda, as he opens to reveal the entire universe in his mouth.

here at utopiat we celebrate wisdom and teachings from all religions and cultures. today our very own utopiat family member bhawna is fasting for Janmashtami and we loved learning about this sacred holiday from her beloved native hindu culture.

Janmashtami is an Indian festival that celebrates the birth of the Hindu deity Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu.

Because Lord Krishna was born in the midnight, people gather in the midnight to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna, various devotional songs are being sung and scriptures are being read. In the Bhagavad-Gita (the most sacred scriptures for Hindus), Shri Krishna says that whenever there will be predominance of evil and decline of righteousness, I will reincarnate to destroy the evil and to save the good.

Janmashtami is not just a festival, it conveys a great message to all humans that every human spends his life engulfed in darkness of their own vices. Everyone is bound with so much of anger, greed, temptation, pain, attachment, agony. The main significance of Janmashtami is to encourage goodwill and celebrates togetherness The holy occasion brings people together, thus it signifies unity and faith.

Some key teachings of Gita:

1) This physical world is all delusion. Do not fret, fear or ruminate… Hold fast to the awareness that you are following a path, the exact path, which you are intended to be following.

2) How you enter truth is irrelevant; whether you call your path Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, Islam etc is not important, all paths lead to divinity. If your focus is on right action, action for the greater good, offering this action without attachment, you will arrive in the light. You are light.

3) The importance lies in the letting go, just Be. Trust in the Self.

4) Act out of love with no attachment to the outcome.

Happy Janmashtami and namaste.

if you feel called to meditate, you can chant the maha mantra: Hare Ram Hare Ram, Ram Ram Hare Hare Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare.