Lord Krishna - Youth and Childhood

Nanda was the head of a community of cow-herders, and he settled in Vrindavana. The stories of Lord Krishna's childhood and youth tell how he became a cow herder, his mischievous pranks as Makhan Chor (butter thief), his foiling of attempts to take his life, and his role as a protector of the people of Vrindavana. Shri Krishna killed many Rakshasha's sent by Kansa (king of Mathura). Krishna lifted the Govardhana hill to protect villagers of village vrindavan  from the anger of Indra. Shri Krishna’s childhood reinforces the Hindu concept of lila, playing for fun and enjoyment and not for sport or gain. His interaction with the gopis at the rasa dance or Rasa-lila . Krishna played his flute and the gopis came immediately from whatever they were doing, to the banks of the Yamuna River, and joined him in singing and dancing. Even those who could not physically be there joined him through meditation.

Birth History Of Shree Krishna

Lord Krishna was born to Devaki and her husband, Vasudeva  Because of his sympathy for the earth, the divine God Vishnu himself descended into the womb of Devaki and was born as her son kanha (krishna),By the time of conception and birth of Krishna, Devaki was married to Vasudeva and had already borne 7 children. The Hindu Vishnu Purana relates: "Devaki bore in her womb the lotus-eyed deity...before the birth of Shri Krishna, no one “could bear to gaze upon Devaki, from the light that invested her, and those who contemplated her radiance felt their minds disturbed.” This reference to light is reminiscent of the Vedic hymn "To an Unknown God," which refers to a Golden Child.Krishna belonged to the Vrishni clan of Yadavas from Mathura, and was the eighth son born to the princess Devaki, and her husband Vasudeva.

Mathura (  district, Uttar Pradesh) was the capital of the Yadavas, to which Shri Krishna's parents Vasudeva and Devaki belonged. King Kansa, Devaki's brother, had ascended the throne by imprisoning his father, King Ugrasena. Afraid of a prophecy from a divine voice from the heavens that predicted his death at the hands of Devaki's eighth "garbha", Kamsa had the couple locked into a prison cell. After Kansa killed the first six children, Devaki apparently had a miscarriage of the seventh. However in reality, the womb was actually transferred to Rohini secretly. This was how Balarama, Shri Krishna's elder brother was born. Once again Devaki became pregnant. Now due to the miscarriage, Kansa was in a puzzle regarding 'The Eighth One' but his ministers advised that the divine voice from the heavens emphasised "the eight garbha" and so this is the one. That night Krishna was born in the Rohini nakshatra and simultaneously Goddess Durga was born as Yogamaya in Gokulam to Nanda (Respectable person of Gokul village) and Yashoda (Nanda's wife). Since Vasudeva knew Krishna's life was in danger, Krishna was secretly taken out of the prison cell to be raised by his foster parents, Yasoda and Nanda, in Gokula ( Mathura district). Two of his other siblings also survived, Balarama (Devaki's seventh child, transferred to the womb of Rohini, Vasudeva's first wife) and Subhadra (daughter of Vasudeva and Rohini, born much later than Balarama and Krishna).

Names of Lord Krishna

Some Names of Lord Krishna :-

NAMES                                            MEANING

Achala                                              Still Lord
Anandsagar                                       Compassionate Lord
Ananta                                              The Endless Lord
Balgopal                                           The Child Krishna, The All Attractive
Bali                                                   The Lord Of Strength
Chaturbhuj                                        Four-Armed Lord
Devakinandan                                   Son Of Mother Devaki
Dwarkapati                                       Lord Of Dwarka
Gopal                                               One Who Plays With The Cowherds, The Gopas
Govinda                                           One Who Pleases The Cows
Hari                                                  The Lord Of Nature
Jagannath                                         Lord Of The Universe
Kamalnayan                                    The Lord With Lotus Shaped Eyes
Krishna                                            Dark-Complexioned Lord
Lakshmikantam                               The Lord Of Goddess Lakshmi
Madan                                              The Lord Of Love
Madhava                                          Knowledge Filled God
Madhusudan                                    Slayer Of Demon Madhu
Manmohan                                      All Pleasing Lord
Murlidhar                                        One Who Holds The Flute
Murlimanohar                                The Flute Playing God
Nandgopala                                    The Son Of Nand
Narayana                                        The Refuge Of Everyone
Paramatma                                      Lord Of All Beings
Shyam                                             Dark-Complexioned Lord
Shyamsundara                                Lord Of The Beautiful Evenings
Sudarshana                                     Handsome Lord
Vaikunthanatha                              Lord Of Vaikuntha, The Heavenly Abode
Vishwatma                                     Soul Of The Universe

Lord Krishna - Kanahiya- eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu

Lord Krishna ( Kanahaiya) is the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu in Hinduism. The name Shri Krishna appears as the 57th and 550th name of Lord Vishnu in Vishnu Sahasranama of the Mahabharata, and is also listed in the 24 Keshava Namas of Lord Vishnu which are recited and praised at the beginning of all Vedic poojas. According to the Bhagavata Purana, which is a sattvic purana, Shri Madhav (Krishna) is termed as Svayam Bhagavan since he was the purna-avatara or full incarnation of the Supreme God Vishnu. Nandlal (Krishna) is often described and portrayed as an infant or young boy playing a flute as in the Bhagavata Purana,or as a youthful prince giving direction and guidance as in the Bhagavad Gita. The stories of Achala (Krishna) appear across a broad spectrum of Hindu philosophical and theological traditions.They  portray him in various perspectives: a God-child, a prankster, a model lover, a divine hero and the supreme being. The principal scriptures discussing Madhusudana's (Krishna) story are the Mahabharata, the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Vishnu Purana.

Maa Durga - The Adi-shakti of Vedas

Goddess Durga mean "the inaccessible or "the invincible. Maa Durga is the most popular incarnation of Devi and one of the main forms of the Goddess Shakti in the Hindu pantheon. Durga is the original manifested form of Mother Adi-Parashakti. She is Adi- Parashakti herself. The Devi Gita declares her to be the greatest Goddess. Thus, she is considered the supreme Goddess and primary deity in Shaktism, occupying a place similar to Lord Krishna in Vaishnavism. According to Skanda Purana, Goddess Parvati accounted the name 'Durga' after she killed the demon Durgamaasura. Goddess Parvati is considered to be the complete incarnation of Adi Parashakti or Goddess Durga, with all other Goddesses being her incarnations or manifestations. Whatever deity one is worshiping, ultimately, they are worshiping her. Adi Parashakti or Mahadevi, the Supreme power, is called Durga Shakti as per Devi-Mahatmya. Adi parashakti or Devi Durga is a Hindu concept of the Ultimate Shakti or Mahashakti, the ultimate power inherent in all Creation. According to Markandeya Purana she is Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati in her mild form; Goddess Kali and Goddess Chandi in her wrathful form.

Handmade Rajasthani Damroo - Musical Instrument.

A damaru or damroo is a small two-headed drum, used in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism. Damru is known as the instrument of Lord Shiva. Damru was first created by Shiva to produce spiritual sounds by which this whole universe has been created and regulated. The drum (damru) is typically made of wood, with leather drum heads at both ends; the damaru might also be made entirely out of human skulls. The resonator is made of brass. The height of the damru is 6 inches and weight varies from 250-330 gm. Its height ranges from a few inches to a little over one foot. It is played single headedly. The strikers are typically beads fastened to the ends of leather cords around the waist of the damaru. Knots in the leather can also be used as strikers, also crochet material is common. As the player waves the drum using a twisting wrist motion, the strikers beat on the drumhead. The damaru is very common throughout the Indian subcontinent. The damaru is known as a power drum, and when played, it is believed to generate spiritual energy. It is associated with the Hindu deity Shiva. It is believed that Sanskrit language was recognized by the drumbeats of the damaru (see Shiva Sutra for the sounds), and His performance of the cosmic dance of tandava. The damaru is used by itinerant musicians of all stripes, due to its small portable size. In the shield shape of some damaru’s, the triangular upward representation also symbolizes male procreativity (the Lingam), and the downward round representation symbolizes the female procreativity (the Yoni). Symbolically, the creation of the world begins when the lingam and yoni meet at the midpoint of the damaru, and the destruction takes place when they separate from each other.

Handmade Rajasthani Silk Table Runner

Table runner is a long strip of cloth that is put down the middle of the table, lengthways, to decorate it and to protect the surface from dishes, etc. We use Table runner on a special occasion’s for decorations,  a table runner is a simple solution to cover a table and add colour or reflect a theme. There's no need for a tablecloth when a runner is used; however, a formal table with a tablecloth becomes more decorative with a runner. A white tablecloth topped with a coloured runner is a simple choice. Runners also work well for everyday use and will change a bare table into one with modest charm. Themed table runners are available for holidays, birthdays or special events. A simple red, white and blue runner is an option for a July Fourth celebration, for instance.