Janmashtami Celebration 2026

Happy Janmashtami 2026!

As the festive spirit of Janmashtami fills the air, one hears the melodious chant of…

​Nand gher anand bhayo, Jai kanhaiya laal ki!

​Trimandir Adalaj, Gandhinagar, was no different! And along with the chant, since so many days, the entire campus had been bustling with people. In the homes and halls, while on one hand, we could see the decoration work going on in full swing; on the other, dance practice for Matkifod and creation of special multimedia show and short film for the occasion were also in full operation. All in all, no matter what external activity one was doing, internally each one was thoroughly engaged and absorbed in the devotion of Lord Krishna.

​Just imagine, someone born thousands of years ago, his birthday is celebrated even today in a much grander manner than what one does when a new-born is born in their own family. This is because, ever since childhood, based on the stories we’ve heard or read about him, we’ve loved Lord Krishna for what he did as Bala Krishna or Maakhan chor or Ranchhodrai or Yogeshwar. These stories excite us and inspire us to follow him and love him so dearly. 

But do you know what Lord Krishna loved the most? What was his inner most desire?

He had an earnest desire that we know Him for what he really was, and He sincerely wished that everyone attains the knowledge, which to give, He was capable of. Because He knew that when that happens, our love and worship towards him would ascend to an altogether different frequency and become absolutely majestic!!

Today, most of the world knows him by His external deeds. However, His inner state was best known only to him or Gnanis! Inspite of doing all the worldly tasks and performing all His external duties as a Vasudev, He himself dwelled in the complete knowledge state as a Soul. Later, He passed on that precious knowledge to Arjun, which came to be known as the Bhagavad Gita, a profoundly deep scripture. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Shri Krishna said to Arjun that, know me not as Krishna (the body form that is perishable), but as the indestructible and eternal Soul (that I really am)! My true nature is beyond the physical form. He essentially conveyed to Arjun that “the ones you speak of killing, their bodies are perishable, but their Souls are imperishable. So, see every living being as the Soul.” This is how He wants us to recognize Him, primarily as an eternal Soul; for Soul is what He loved the most.

When Lord Krishna talked about the Swadharma, people misunderstood it, assuming that the Vaishnav dharma is the Swadharma and all the other religions are the pardharma. Would Lord Krishna be partial towards the Vaishnav religion? If He were partial, how could He be called God?! Actually, what he meant was:

“The belief of ‘I am the body’, or to believe the body (Anaatma) to be your real identity is pardharma (dharma of another). To believe the Soul as the Self is sva-dharma (own dharma). That is Atma-dharma (dharma of the Self).” ~ Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan

We all feel very happy and grateful that Lord Krishna was born and so many people have and are being benefitted in their worldly life, by Him. This feeling is very natural and universal; and it’s bound to flow in our heart for any Gnani, the enlightened being, in whose company, we’ve felt safe and protected. But when we follow the Atma-dharma, we receive his protection not only in this life, but forever.

On the 4th September evening i.e. the Janmashtami Day, Pujya Deepakbhai visited Trimandir, worshipped Lord Krishna and all the other deities, and blessed the devotees present in the temple with his heartfelt prayer that, “May each one of you, very soon, come into the Atma-dharma!”

Lord Krishna’s aarti and the other deities’ aartis were performed in the temple with great faith and devotion. Late evening, there was a Bhakti program, held at Dadanagar Convention Hall, where the singers sang the choicest songs in the worship of Lord Krishna and our most revered Gnani, who has made the knowledge that Lord Krishna gave to Arjun, readily available to every aspirant desirous of attaining Self-Realization in today’s times; and then, holding the aspirant’s hand, is guiding each one towards following the Atmadharma in its exact meaning, perfectly. Our deepest obeisance in the feet of such Gnani!!!

This year, Janmashtami day being a Friday, it became possible to extend the celebrations over the weekend as well. Live puppet shows were performed across various Trimandirs in Gujarat, namely Amreli, Baroda, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and Morbi, and in the Trimandir Adalaj campus, a multimedia show was organised for the benefit of the masses!

Moreover, a short film Zindagi 2.0, having a wonderful storyline, was released on the Janmashtami day. This film beautifully reveals the secret of how, in this world, we can always be happy.