Krishna
Honoured alongside: Yashoda · Devaki
Krishna's birth at midnight — worshipped as the infant. The image bathed and cradled is the baby Krishna, which is why the offerings are milk, butter and sweets rather than a formal havan.
What the puja consists of
- Fast through the day; the fast is broken only after midnight.
- Bathe the infant image with panchamrita — milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar — then dress it in new clothes.
- Place it in a decorated cradle and rock it at the stroke of midnight.
- Offer makhan-mishri, panjiri and fifty-six items (chhappan bhog) where the household keeps that custom.
- Sing the birth kirtan, then take prasad and break the fast.
Core chants
Named, not printed — each links to a recording where the catalogue has one.
- Kirtan
Hare Krishna Mahamantraहरे कृष्ण महामन्त्र
The mantra sung through the vigil until midnight.
- Mantra
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevayaॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
The twelve-syllable mantra used for japa during the fast.
Not in the catalogue yet — ask at your local temple or gurdwara, or learn it from a teacher in your tradition.
- Stotra
Madhurashtakam (Adharam Madhuram)मधुराष्टकम्
Sung to the infant after the abhishekam.
- Kirtan
Achyutam Keshavam
A widely sung bhajan naming Krishna through the night.
- Paath
Bhagavad Gita — chapter of one's practice
Read where the household keeps a Gita paath alongside the vigil.
Not in the catalogue yet — ask at your local temple or gurdwara, or learn it from a teacher in your tradition.
- Aarti
Aarti Kunj Bihari Kiआरती कुंजबिहारी की
The midnight aarti at the moment of the birth.
It differs where you are. Maharashtra adds Dahi Handi the next day; Gujarat keeps it as the Pushtimarg's principal utsav at Shrinathji; Tamil Nadu draws kolam footprints of the infant from the doorway to the shrine; Manipur's Govindajee temple keeps a distinct Vaishnava rite.
This page is editorial context, not religious instruction. Where your family, region or lineage does it differently, that is the version to follow — ask an elder or a teacher in your tradition rather than a website.