Govinda · The cowherd and teacher
Krishna
Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu, was the butter thief of Gokul, the flute player of Vrindavan and the teacher of the Bhagavad Gita. Follow his life in eight places, sing his aarti, and see when to worship him next in your city.
- His day
- Wednesday
- Next: Wed 28 Oct
- Next Krishna day
- Govardhan Puja
- In 15 days · Tue 10 Nov
1 of 8 · Born in Kamsa’s prison
Mathura
King Kamsa had locked up his sister Devaki and her husband Vasudeva, told that their eighth child would end him. Krishna was born to them at midnight, in the prison. The guards fell asleep, the doors opened, and Vasudeva carried the baby across the flooded Yamuna to safety.
2 of 8 · A child with Yashoda and Nanda
Gokul
In Gokul the cowherd chief Nanda and his wife Yashoda raised him as their own. He stole butter from every house, and charmed his way out of trouble. When Yashoda looked into his mouth, she saw the whole universe there. Kamsa sent demons after him, like Putana, and the child beat every one.
3 of 8 · The cowherd with the flute
Vrindavan
When trouble kept coming to Gokul, the cowherds moved to the forests of Vrindavan. There he grazed the cows with his brother Balarama, and the gopis left everything when they heard his flute. On autumn nights he danced the rasa with them by the Yamuna, and he drove the serpent Kaliya out of its waters.
4 of 8 · The hill he lifted
Govardhan
Krishna asked the people of Braj to worship Govardhan hill, which fed their cows, instead of Indra, the god of rain. Angry, Indra sent a storm. Krishna lifted the whole hill on his little finger and held it up like an umbrella for seven days, until Indra gave in.
5 of 8 · The end of Kamsa
Mathura
Kamsa sent for the brothers to come to Mathura, meaning to have them killed. Krishna and Balarama beat his elephant and his wrestlers, then Krishna pulled Kamsa from his throne and ended his rule. He freed his parents and gave the crown back to Ugrasena, Kamsa’s father.
6 of 8 · His city by the sea
Dwarka
King Jarasandha attacked Mathura again and again, so Krishna moved his people west to a new city on the sea, Dwarka. There he ruled as king, married Rukmini, and welcomed his poor childhood friend Sudama, whom he sent home with more than he had dared to ask for.
7 of 8 · The Bhagavad Gita
Kurukshetra
In the great war of the Mahabharata, Krishna carried no weapon but drove Arjuna’s chariot. When Arjuna lost heart before the battle, Krishna taught him the Bhagavad Gita: do your duty without clinging to its fruits, and know that the self within all beings never dies.
8 of 8 · Where he left the world
Prabhas
After the war, the Yadavas, his own clan, fought among themselves at Prabhas, by the western sea near Somnath. Resting under a tree, Krishna was struck in the foot by the arrow of a hunter, Jara, who took it for a deer. He forgave the hunter and left the world, and with him the Dvapara age ended.
Tap an emblem or a name to follow his life, place by place.
His days, in your city
Dates and puja times for the city you pick
For New Delhi
The day after Diwali: the hill he lifted, honoured with Annakut, a hill of food.
- Every Wednesday
- Wed 28 OctHis day of the week
- Holi in Braj
- Mon 22 Mar
- Krishna Janmashtami
- Wed 25 Aug12:01 am to 12:46 am, 26 Aug
Sing his aarti
आरती कुंजबिहारी की,
श्री गिरिधर कृष्णमुरारी की॥
Aarti Kunj Bihari ki,
Shri Girdhar Krishna Murari ki.
The aarti of Krishna, who wanders the groves of Vrindavan; the aarti of Shri Krishna, Murari, who held up the hill!
वृंदावन के कुंजों में घूमने वाले कृष्ण की आरती; पर्वत उठाने वाले श्री कृष्ण मुरारी की आरती!
The best-known aarti of Krishna, sung in homes and temples across North India, above all at Janmashtami.
Sing the whole aartiA simple puja
Many keep Wednesday for Krishna, and his great night is Janmashtami. At home, a short puja before his image, or Bal Gopal, the baby Krishna, is enough. Follow your family’s way where it differs.
- Clean the place of worship and set his image there, on a yellow cloth if you have one.
- Bathe the image, or sprinkle it, with water or panchamrit, then dry and dress it.
- Offer tulsi leaves, yellow flowers and sandal paste.
- Offer butter and sugar, or a sweet made with milk.
- Chant Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya 108 times, or read a chapter of the Gita.
- Sing Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki while waving the lamp, then share the prasad.
What you need
- His image or picture
- Tulsi leaves
- Yellow flowers and a yellow cloth
- Panchamrit or water
- Butter and sugar, or a milk sweet
- A ghee lamp and incense
Prayers for the puja
Who is Krishna
Krishna is the eighth avatar of Vishnu, and for many devotees the Lord himself. He was born in a prison in Mathura and grew up among cowherds, loved for his mischief, his flute and his care for the people around him.
As a young man he ended the tyrant Kamsa, built the city of Dwarka by the sea and stood beside the Pandavas in the Mahabharata. Before the battle of Kurukshetra he taught Arjuna the Bhagavad Gita, still one of the most read books in the world.
He is worshipped as a baby, as Bal Gopal; as the young lover of Radha in Vrindavan; and as the wise king and teacher. Each is the same Krishna.
- Govinda he who cares for the cows
- Gopala the cowherd
- Madhava the beloved of Lakshmi
- Keshava he of the beautiful hair
- Vasudeva son of Vasudeva
- Giridhari he who held up the hill
- Makhan Chor the butter thief
- Dwarkadhish lord of Dwarka
ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
I bow to the Lord Vasudeva, who lives in every being: the mantra of twelve syllables.
हर प्राणी में बसने वाले भगवान वासुदेव को मेरा नमन: यह बारह अक्षरों का मंत्र है।
कृष्णाय वासुदेवाय हरये परमात्मने।
प्रणतक्लेशनाशाय गोविन्दाय नमो नमः॥
Krishnaya Vasudevaya Haraye Paramatmane,
Pranata kleshanashaya Govindaya namo namah.
To Krishna, son of Vasudeva, to Hari, the supreme self, to Govinda, who takes away the troubles of all who bow to him: I bow again and again.
वसुदेव के पुत्र कृष्ण को, परमात्मा हरि को, और उन गोविन्द को जो शरण में आए सबके कष्ट दूर करते हैं: बार-बार नमन।
His teaching
Bhagavad Gita 2.47
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥
Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana,
Ma karma phala hetur bhur, ma te sango stv akarmani.
Your part is the work alone, never its fruits. Do not work for the reward, and do not hold back from your work either.
तुम्हारा काम केवल कर्म करना है, उसका फल कभी नहीं। इनाम के लिए काम मत करो, और काम से पीछे भी मत हटो।
The order follows the Bhagavata Purana and the Mahabharata. Mathura comes twice: his birth there, and his return to end Kamsa.
What his symbols mean
The flute
Its music calls every heart to God; it is hollow, and so the Lord can play through it.
The peacock feather
Worn in his crown: beauty, and a sign that he holds every colour of life lightly.
Butter
Pure love, which he steals from the hearts of those who love him.
The cow
He grew up among cows and cares for them: gentleness, plenty and the gifts of the earth.
His stories
Across India
Braj, Uttar Pradesh
Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Barsana and Nandgaon: Janmashtami at midnight, Holi played for weeks, and Lathmar Holi, when the women of Barsana chase the men of Nandgaon with sticks.
Maharashtra
Dahi Handi on the day after Janmashtami: teams build human towers to break a pot of curd hung high, as the boy Krishna did.
Gujarat
Krishna as Dwarkadhish, king of Dwarka, and as Ranchhodrai at Dakor; at Janmashtami homes and temples rock the baby Krishna in a swing at midnight.
Odisha
Krishna as Jagannath at Puri, with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, drawn through the streets on huge chariots at the Rath Yatra.
Kerala and Karnataka
Guruvayurappan, Krishna as a child, in Kerala, where many children have their first rice; and the Krishna of Udupi, seen through a small window.
Manipur and Bengal
The Ras Lila danced in Manipur, and the kirtans of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who sang the names of Krishna through the streets of Bengal.
His temples
- Krishna Janmabhoomi TempleMathura, Uttar Pradesh
- Banke Bihari TempleVrindavan, Uttar Pradesh
- Dwarkadhish TempleDwarka, Gujarat
- Jagannath TemplePuri, Odisha
- Udupi Sri Krishna MathaUdupi, Karnataka
- Guruvayur Sri Krishna TempleGuruvayur, Kerala
Questions
When is Krishna Janmashtami in 2027?
Krishna Janmashtami is on Wednesday 25 August 2027 in New Delhi, with the muhurat 12:01 am to 12:46 am, 26 Aug. Pick your city at the top of this page for its own date and muhurat.
Which day is Krishna’s?
Many keep Wednesday for Krishna; others keep Thursday, the day of Vishnu, whose avatar he is. Customs vary by family and region. His great day is Janmashtami, his birthday, in Bhadrapada (August or September).
What is Krishna’s mantra?
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, the twelve-syllable mantra. Many also chant the Hare Krishna mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare.
Where did Krishna live?
He was born in Mathura, grew up in Gokul and Vrindavan, came back to Mathura to end Kamsa, ruled from Dwarka by the sea, taught the Gita at Kurukshetra and left the world at Prabhas, near Somnath.
Is Krishna an avatar of Vishnu?
Yes: he is counted as the eighth of Vishnu’s ten avatars. Many devotees, among them the followers of Chaitanya, worship him as the supreme Lord himself, from whom all avatars come.
Why does Krishna wear a peacock feather?
The peacock feather in his crown is a sign of beauty and of his life among the cowherds and the forests of Vrindavan. Many stories say the peacocks gave it to him when he played his flute.