One of the Best Remedies for Your Moon

This is why keeping the Moon strong and supported is considered extremely important. And one of the most powerful traditional remedies for strengthening the Moon is worship of Lord Krishna.

This Friday, September 4th, is Janmashtami - the once-a-year celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna.

So we wanted to share a few simple Krishna rituals you can do on this special day - and also invite you to submit your personal Sankalpa (intention) for our special Janmashtami Sri Krishna Homa.

Janmashtami Rituals to Strengthen the Moon

1. Chant the Krishna Mantra

Chant: Aum Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

You can chant this mantra 108 times on Janmashtami or sing it in the form of a bhajan as an offering to Lord Krishna.

2. Read About the Birth of Lord Krishna

Spend some time reading the Bhagavad Gita or Srimad Bhagavatam. For Janmashtami specifically, you can read Canto 10, Chapter 3 of the Srimad Bhagavatam, which describes the divine birth of Lord Krishna.

✦  The Spiritual Significance of Janmashtami

By Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

"Janmashtami is the day when we celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna (the eighth incarnation (avatar) of the Hindu god Vishnu). Lord Krishna signifies "Ananda" (bliss or pure happiness). We express happiness through celebration. So, Janmashtami is celebrating the birth of Bliss. It is the day when that (divine) joy manifests.

Devaki (Lord Krishna's mother) represents the physical body, while Vasudeva (Lord Krishna's father) represents the Prana (the vital life-force). So when the Prana flows through the body, then Ananda (bliss, represented by Lord Krishna) is born. But at that time, the ego (represented by Kamsa, Lord Krishna's maternal uncle and an evil King) wants to destroy the bliss. Where there is joy, there cannot be ego. Lord Krishna is the symbol of love and joy. Love, happiness and naturalness are the greatest enemies of the ego. And what does Lord Krishna represent? He is the symbol of happiness, joy and being natural. He is the very source of bliss. This is why there is a war between ego and love, because ego melts and disappears when love dawns within.

Kamsa represents the ego, and ego is born along with the birth of the body. Devaki (the body) is Kamsa's sister. When Lord Krishna was born in the prison cell, all the prison guards fell asleep. When there is no happiness and joy (Lord Krishna), the body feels like a prison. So when love (Lord Krishna) was born in this prison (body), all the senses (symbolized by the prison guards) fell asleep.

The five senses - the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin - are the guards of the body, and they always look outwards for joy. They are actually the guards of Kamsa (ego). So they fall asleep when one turns inwards towards the source of joy, the bliss that is born within (Lord Krishna). Now after being born, Lord Krishna had to be taken to another place for the sake of protection and safety (from Kamsa). So Lord Krishna went to Vrindavana after being born, to the house of Nanda and Devi Yashoda. So when you look deeper into these stories, you will be able to understand their greater spiritual meanings and values."