Who is ‘Kansa’ of today’s world? It is not a demon of distant land but the greed, hatred and jealousy of our hearts-Puri

Jaswant Singh Puri/ August 16,2025

Janamashtami, also known as Krishna Janamashtami or Gokulashtami, marks the birth of Lord Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He embraced this world to mother Devaki and father Vasudev who were put in prison with their hands and legs tied. Krishna’s maternal uncle Kansa was a tyrranical King of Mathura who wanted to kill Devki since it was predicted that Kansa would be killed by the eighth son of Devaki.

But by the Will of the Divine, as Lord Krishna was born, the handcuffs opened and the lock of the prison also broke. Now, the hurdles for Vasudev were over and he carried Krishna to Nandgaon to a safer place of Nand Baba and Yashoda and brought back the newly born baby daughter of Yashoda to jail. The rest of his life is full of Divine Chrishmas. Thus Janamashtami is of immense cultural significance.

This year i.e. 2025, we celebrate the 5252nd birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. India being a country of diverse culture, Indians across various regions enjoy this sacred day. According to Bhagwat Purana, his birth symbolises the victory of good over evil and the dawn of righteousness. It is a reminder of the power of love, truth and peace. The day is celebrated in the form of rituals like ‘Dahi-handi’, fasting, traditional sweet dishes and worship.

In an exclusive on-line interview with the author, Professor Pradyumna Shah Singh Head, Department of Jain Baudha Darshan, Faculty of Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vigyan, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi told “Lord Krishna’s childhood, young age and elderly life all are full of mystery. He took birth in prison. His mother Devaki and father Vasudev both were arrested in the prison having hand-cuffs in their hands and legs. His maternal uncle Kansha was a very cruel king of Mathura and Devaki was his sister. Someone had predicted that Kansh would be killed by the son of Devaki, that is why, fearing from that prediction he had jailed his sister and sister-in-law and was waiting to their eighth child. When Lord Krishna took birth, the handcuffs of Vasudev and Devki automatically broke and the lock of zail was also broken. The way was clear for Vasudev to carry Krishna to Nandgaon in a safe place in the house of Nand Baba and to bring back the newly born baby daughter of mother Yashoda to jail. After coming from jail Lord Krishna was safe in Nandgaon where he played all his Bal- Leelas. What Lord Krishna did in his childhood is not easy to do for any child except the Parmatma. That is why he is regarded by us as Lord Krishna. Even now the Lord Krishna’s birthday is known to be Janmashtami and on Janmashtami the jails are decorated everywhere and Vasudev and Devaki are shown in the jail having baby Krishna, keeping in winnowing fan and carrying away to Nandgaon, crossing the river Yamuna. Every step of Krishna’s childhood was full of the mystery. His teachings for the supreme understanding are compiled in eighteen chapters of Shrimad Bhagavadgita, the most famous book of Hinduism.”

The following quotations are remarkable which have been extracted from ‘Bhagvad Gita’. Their essence carries immense importance in the world.

“It is better to live your own destiny inperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.”

“Through selfless service, you will always be fruitful and find the fulfilment of your desires.”

“The spirit is beyond destruction. No one can bring an end to spirit which is everlasting.”

“If one offers me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it.”

“Set thy heart upon thy work, but never its reward.”

In an exclusive online interview of Journalist Jaswant Singh Puri with Dr. Sadhvi Nivedita (Garima Jain), Ph.D. (Uttradhyayn Sutra Evam Shrimad Bhagvat Geeta Ka Tulnatmak Adhyayan, (Jain Philosophy) spoke very candidly about Janamashtmi. Sadhvi is presently leading a spiritual life as a Jain Sadhvi under the guidance of her ‘Guru’. She practises within the Jain monastic order. Shree Krishna Janamashtami carries a magnificent importance in the cultural and religious rituals of India. This festival is celebrated as the eighth incarnation of Bhagwan Vishnu in the form of birth of Shree Krishna. Lord Krishna was born on the ‘Ashtam Tithi’ of ‘Krishna Paksha’ (dark night) in ‘Bhadrapada’ month in Mathura. This festival is celebrated with full gusto, devotion and mirth in the whole India. Krishna was born in darkness of night but imparted light and radiance throughout his life. Today, we reside in glow of light but darkness is inherent in our hearts. Krishna used both flute and ‘Chakra’ in favour of justice. But we remain dumb even after observing injustice. He used to save people from the turbulence of storms and deluge while we suppress others to attain our selfish motives.

Janamashtami is not merely a festival of butter-sugar and Krishna’s cradle. The question is if we are ready to kill our ‘Kansa’ – the ego of the hearts. These days, we decorate the cradles, ring the bells in temples, celebrate the pot breaking competitions but have we ever pondered who is the ‘Kansa’ of today’s world? It is not a demon of distant land but the greed, hatred and jealousy of our hearts. We see the injustice but don’t raise our voice against it.

We know the truth but remain silent for our ease and comfort. This silence is the inherent ‘Kansa’ of our bodies. Krishna Janamashtmi should not merely be a festival of sweets and chanting of devotional songs but a festival of courage, truth, and renunciation. If we are the true devotees of Krishna, we shall have to do away with ‘Kansa’ of the inside. We celebrate the festival of Krishna every year but have we ever realised if Krishna’s consciousness was ever the abode of our hearts? If not, the whole decorum, and devotional hymns are nothing but a clamour which has nothing to do with the religion. If Krishna will be reborn or not is not the question but more important is if we shall ever become Krishna’s true soldier-disciple or merely remain spectators?