Krishnashtami/Janmashtami is the birthday of Lord Sri Krishna whose favorite childhood pastime during his incarnation in dwapariyuga was playing with cows, feeding them in the pastures/forests as a cow herder, taking care of them, and playing music on His flute to entertain them.So, special pujas are offered every year on Janmashtami day to Lord Sri Krishna and all the cows in the Gosala.Bramhothsavams At the ashramam, we celebrate Bramhothsavams during Makara Sankranthi festival and on Kanuma day we perform special samuhika gopujas (mass worshipping of all the cows in gosala) with great fervor.
Gopashtami is a festival that is dedicated to Lord Krishna and cows. It is the coming-of-age celebration when Krishna’s father, Nanda Maharaja, gave Krishna the responsibility for taking care of the cows of Vrindavan.Nanda Maharaj is the father of Lord Sri Krishna. Those days children were given the charge to take care of the calves.Both Lord Krishna and Balarama having passed their fifth year, cowherd men conferred and agreed to give those boys who had passed their fifth year charge of the cows in the pasturing ground. Nanda Maharaj decided to organise a ceremony for Lord Krishna and Balarama while going for cow grazing for the first time in Vrindavan.
Radha, Lord Krishna’s divine consort, wanted to graze cows but was denied of being a girl. So, she disguised herself in a boy because of her resemblance to Subala-sakha, She put on his dhoti and garments and joined Lord Krishna for cow herding along with her companions for funs. The festival is celebrated on the eighth day in the bright half of Karthik month.
Makara Sankranthi is a cultural festival celebrated for 4 days to commemorate the harvest season in January as well as to mark the Sun god ending his southward journey called Dakshinayana and beginning his northward movement called Uttarayana. The 3rd day of Makara Sankranthi festival is called Kanuma. On Kanuma day, the animal kingdom is remembered for the role they play in the ecosystem thereby supporting human life in various ways and therefore animals, birds, and fish are fed with grains as a symbol of sharing. Of all the animals, especially the Go:ma:tha is remembered and worshipped on
this day because of the central role she plays in our lives by giving the panchagavyas (milk, curd, ghee, panchakam urine, mayam dung) which we consume directly as food or medicine or indirectly as organic manure to crops.