Sri Krishna Janmashtami - How to Worship Lord Krishna Performing Sixteen Sevas

Sri Krishna Janmashtami falls on 26th August 2024 this year and is observed till 27th morning.

His birth took place at midnight on Shravana Krishna Paksha Ashtami tithi with Rohini Nakshatra (Bhadrapada month for North Indians), exactly the midnight between Ashtami and Navami days.

Most of us celebrate this festival when the Ashtami tithi coincides with the Shravana Nakshatra. So, there can be a difference of 2 weeks to 4 weeks in celebrating this festival, if the Krishna Paksha Ashtami does not happen to be a Rohini Nakshatra.

People celebrate this occasion with bhajans/prayers and worship throughout the night. During this festival, many varieties of sweet and milk dishes are prepared and offered as naivedyam to Krishna.

How to Celebrate Sri Krishna Janmashtami

• On this Ashtami day, get up early, have a full bath (oil bath), wear clean clothes, and make preparations for the celebration.
• Clean the entire house by giving it a wash. Decorate the puja place with flower garlands, etc. Wash/clean the idol of Lord Krishna and wear clothes if possible. Apply tilak to His forehead and wear a garland.
• You can perform the special puja in the morning or at night, according to your interests and convenience.
• If you think of keeping awake till midnight, you may do normal worship in the morning and indulge in the special puja in the evening/night.
• The special puja involves bhajans and recitation of Vishnu Sahasranamam, Sri Krishna Ashtottara Shata Namam, etc. 
• Offer flowers, kumkuma, and akshata while chanting the names of the God.
• Kirtan and Bhajan are performed throughout the night by many devotees who stay awake throughout the period.
• There is a custom of offering 21 food items to Sri Krishna as naivedyam after the puja is complete. Kirtan and Bhajan can be done 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 of God.
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 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 lighted diyas towards God's face with your right palm.
14. Naivedyam: Offer the naivedyam to God. If you continue the worship later, doing Sahasranamam, etc., a small naivedyam is offered at this stage like two bananas or some jaggery. The cooked dishes will be offered as Mahanaivedyam after the completion of the special 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 sharing with your family members. 

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

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 "Govind Bolo Hari, Gopal Bolo" lyrics which are available at this link.

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

If I have to recite the Vishnu Sahasranamam, I do it in 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. Though I offer banana naivedyam after the chants.

We observe the Sri Krishna Janmashtami celebration when both Ashtami tithi and Rohini nakshatra coincide. This year, they are coinciding on 26th August 2024.