Some Extraordinary Way
Toronto, Ontario
On the birthday of Krishna it is a custom for many devotees to fast the entire day. After the fast you have a feast. The only difference between the two words is the letter ”e’ which could stand for ecstasy. In both scenarios fasting or feasting it is done with Holy intent. There is some satisfaction derived from these dual activities. In both cases the participant makes spiritual progress even though externally you may find a convex or concave difference in the stomach region.
Sometimes lack of food could weaken the person abstaining from eating. I know some people with physical conditions when devoid of food who encounter dizziness or black outs. To this concern my dear god-brother Yadubar, who is visiting us, relayed to me, “In the early days, Srila Prabhupada, (our guru) was lenient with us. He said we could eat fruit on a full day fast if we needed to. “
Since many things needed to be done which involved physical activity this strong consideration was given. The main principal is that on this day, Janmastami, the eigth day after the waning moon, one attempts to increase his/her devotion to Krishna. The primary outlet for this is through seva, service and Kirtan, chanting.
At the strike of midnight when that moment of glory occurred five millennia ago, devotees did become ecstatic to commemorate Krishna’s coming. All over the globe conches blew, hands clapped, women ululated, men rolled drums, devotees lept in the air. All expressed joy in their own individual ways at the highest point in time.
For me personally it was a great moment standing within the roar of kirtan and hearing the sounds of hundreds of balloons popping as the doors gave way to the beautiful deities of Krishna.
Whether a believer or not, in Krishna, the moment of His birth must hit everyone in some extraordinary way.
8 KM
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