Sri Krishna Janmashtami - Worship of Lord Krishna Performing Sixteen Services

This year, Sri Krishna Janmashtami falls on 04 September 2026.

This year, the Ashtami tithi and the Rohini nakshatra overlap throughout the day and evening of 4th September.

His actual birth took place at midnight on Shravana Krishna Paksha Ashtami tithi, which coincided with Rohini Nakshatra (it is the Bhadrapada month for North Indians), exactly at midnight between Saptami and Ashtami as per our epics.

Most of us celebrate this festival when the Ashtami tithi coincides with the Rohini Nakshatra. 

So, in most years, there can be a difference of 2 to 4 weeks in the celebration of this festival if Krishna Paksha Ashtami does not coincide with Rohini Nakshatra.

People celebrate this occasion with bhajans, prayers, and worship throughout the night. 

During this festival, a wide variety of sweet and milk foods (24 dishes) are prepared and offered as naivedyam to Krishna.

How to Celebrate Sri Krishna Janmashtami

• On this Ashtami day, get up early, take a full bath (preferably an oil bath), wear clean clothes, and prepare for the celebration.
• Clean the entire house thoroughly. Decorate the puja place with flower garlands and other decorations. Wash the idol of Lord Krishna and, if possible, dress it. Apply tilak to His forehead and place a garland on Him.
• You can perform the special puja in the morning or at night, according to your preferences and convenience.
• If you plan to stay awake until midnight, you may do regular worship in the morning and perform the special puja in the evening or at night.
• The special puja includes bhajans and the recitation of Vishnu Sahasranamam, Sri Krishna Ashtottara Shata Namam, etc.
• Offer flowers, kumkuma, and akshata while chanting the names of God.
• Many devotees sing kirtan and bhajans throughout the night while staying awake.
• It is customary to offer 21 food items to Sri Krishna as naivedyam after the puja is complete. Kirtan and bhajans can be performed after eating the prasadam.

How to Worship Krishna: Offering 16 Services (Shodashopachara Puja)

A complete Puja involves sixteen services to God. If you are a daily worshiper, you need not perform the 2nd and 3rd steps mentioned below.

1. Dhyaanam: Close your eyes and invoke God in your mind.
2. Aavaahanam: Welcome/Invite God to your house.
3. Aasanam: Offer a seat/throne. This is done by placing a flower or leaf before your Puja God.
4. Arghyam: Offer drops of water to God's hand.
5. Paadyam: Offer drops of water to the feet of God.
6. Snaanam: Sprinkle water over the entire body.
7. Vastram: Offer some clothes to God. You may offer a flower or a flattened piece of cotton.
8. Aachamanam: Offer water 3 times to the mouth of God.
9. Kumkumam/Gandham: Apply a tilak on God's forehead with kumkum and/or sandal paste.
10. Pushpam: Offer flowers. Place flowers over his head and/or around Him.
11. Archanam: Worship God starting with the 24 names of Kesava and other stotras. You may do the Kesava naama archana with kumkum and flowers. Thereafter, do the rest of the worship.
12. Dhoopam: Light incense sticks and show them around God.
13. Deepam: Show the lit diyas towards God's face with your right palm.
14. Naivedyam: Offer the naivedyam to God. If you continue the worship later, with Sahasranamam, etc., a small naivedyam is offered at this stage, such as two bananas or some jaggery. The cooked dishes will be offered as Mahanaivedyam after the completion of the entire puja.
15. Aachamanam: Offer water to God for drinking. This is done 3 times, like the first aachamanam.
16. Mangala Haarati: Light camphor and circle it around God, chanting the Mangala Haarathi slokas.

At this stage, you can take the prasadam of jaggery or banana offered to God and share it with your family members, if the maha naivedyam is to be offered after special puja.

The special puja can be continued now or at a later stage according to your convenience.

My Method of Puja

Whenever I indulge in a special puja, I start with Sri Lakshmi Ashtottara Shata Naama stotram and then chant the 1000 names of Vishnu known as Vishnusahasranaamam. After that, I perform the bhajan with the following bhajan/kirtans.

The bhajan is performed by repeating these lines continuously: 
"harE krishNa harE krishNa krishNa KrishNa harE harE|
 harE raam harE raam raama raama harE harE"||

For Kirtan's performance, I recommend this beautiful rhyming rendition of the "Govind Bolo Hari, Gopal Bolo" lyrics, available at this link.

For me, I do not indulge in nighttime pujas. I observe all celebrations only in the morning, except for the Deepavali puja. But, as far as possible, I try to perform the ceremonies at the concluding portion of any tithi. 

If I have to recite the Vishnu Sahasranamam, I do it during the evening Puja time, which is performed without changing into the silk dhoti attire. 

I simply chant the prayers at this time without touching God. However, I offer banana naivedyam after the chants.

We observe the Sri Krishna Janmashtami celebration when both the Ashtami tithi and Rohini nakshatra coincide.