கராச்சியில் (பாகிஸ்தான்) கிருஷ்ண ஜெயந்தி

Karachi’s Hindus celebrate Lord Krishna’s birthday with milk and roses at Soldier Bazaar

Staff Report

KARACHI: The room was filled with the perfumed smoke of the Loban and Agarbatti and about four dozen men and women sat, eyes closed and legs crossed, on the floor in a circle around the holy fire, reciting verses in low voices. Meanwhile, a pundit, clad in a saffron robe and wearing prayer beads around his neck, poured oil in the havan (holy fire) and recited Om Namaho Bhagavat Vashodeva in a loud voice. They were all gathered in this small temple in Soldier Bazaar to celebrate the Janam Ashtami (Lord Krishna’s birthday).

Lord Krishna, the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is the most popular avatar. For the Hindus, he is a warrior, a philosopher, a teacher and god himself, and they accept him as the purna (complete) avatar. “He was great teacher and through his lectures in Kiro Khaitar (the place where the Maha Bharat happened), he taught us all the aspects of the Hindu religion,” said Maharaj Hargun Garagwansi, caretaker of the temple.

The clang of the bell at the main entrance to the room stopped them for a while as a group of young women entered the room, wearing new Banarasi sarees and Bindia on their foreheads, carrying fruit, milk and Parshad for the pooja (worship). The pundit and the others resumed their mantras from the Bhagavat Geeta (the holy scriptures). Some children were playing around the courtyard and as midnight struck, the voices reciting the mantras grew louder and the pundit stood up and the whole congregation moved to the four-foot tall statue of Lord Krishna, which is shown to be playing a flute and bearing a peacock feather on the forehead. There are some smaller statues around the largest statue. The pundit slowly touched the statue and some men came to help him. They lowered the statues into a tub filled with milk, with roses floating in it, to bathe them as the congregation recited Krishnas in loud voices.

“We usually bathe Krishna secretly, but on his birthday, we arrange a grand ceremony so that everybody can celebrate his arrival into the world,” explained Garagwansi.

After the bath, they take the statues back to their original places and stand them in the room, singing Aartis in course. As they finish the Aartis, a young man carrying a brass glass distributes Charnamantra (a mixture of water and milk) among the congregation with each member opening their right palm to receive a spoonful of the mixture. Two men distributed Parshad and fruits. This brought the main ritual to an end and then they all sing Bhajans in praise of Shri Krishna till dawn in the courtyard.

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http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\08\26\story_26-8-2008_pg12_11