• Shri Krishna Janmashtami celebrated with grandeur at Chief Minister’s residence
• Krishna bhajans echo through CM House as devotees participate in Maha Raas
• India standing strong before the world under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership

Bhopal, Aug 2026 : The residence of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav was immersed in a devotional atmosphere on the occasion of Shri Krishna Janmashtami. Krishna bhajans reverberated across the premises, a Maha Raas was organised, and children dressed as Radha and Krishna enthusiastically participated in the celebrations.

Amid the festivities, Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav held a little child dressed as Lord Krishna in his arms and broke the traditional dahi handi. He also personally fed the children makhan-mishri (butter and sugar crystals). The moments, filled with devotion to Lord Krishna, became memorable for everyone present. Public representatives, citizens and members of the saint community attended the programme.

On the occasion, Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav said the celebration was a matter of great fortune for everyone. He said the history of Lord Krishna was glorious and that various aspects of his life remained relevant even today. There was much to learn from the events of Lord Krishna’s life, he added.

The Chief Minister said India was known by the names of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna. Both had taken remarkable human forms to guide people despite facing numerous challenges and hardships. They showed the way forward even in difficult circumstances.

He said Lord Krishna’s life provided inspiration in many ways. The very fact that he was born in a prison was a tremendous challenge. Despite this, Lord Krishna taught people never to be afraid of hardships, but to overcome them and continue smiling.

Lord Krishna Highlighted the Importance of Education

Dr Yadav said several episodes from Lord Krishna’s life, including the subduing of Kaliya, crushing Indra’s arrogance and the killing of Kansa in his own kingdom, offered valuable lessons and inspiration.

Even during difficult phases of his life, Lord Krishna demonstrated the importance of education to the world. He received his education at the Sandipani Ashram and set an example for society. It was at the Sandipani Ashram that Lord Krishna also developed his celebrated friendship with Sudama.

Recalling an account mentioned by Pandit Dinkar Joshi in a book, the Chief Minister said that by the time Lord Krishna went to study, the reputation of Sandipani Ashram had already spread far and wide.

He said Maharishi Sandipani’s original ashram was in Banaras, but due to the prevailing lawlessness under Kansa’s rule, he had to close it and move ahead with his six-month-old child. By then, Maharishi Sandipani’s reputation had become so widespread that people across the world respected him.

According to the account cited by Dr Yadav, Maharishi Sandipani shaped Lord Krishna’s personality through knowledge of 64 arts and 14 branches of learning. At that time, the Jam community was said to have exerted a negative influence over the country and was opposed to national interests. They approached the sage and demanded that he educate their children. Maharishi Sandipani, however, told them that he would provide education only to patriots.

Following this, the group allegedly took the sage’s six-month-old child hostage. Maharishi Sandipani left the child behind and came to Ujjain, where he continued educating children for 11 years.

Bringing Glorious History Alive

Dr Yadav said that by the time Lord Krishna’s education was completed, the terror of Jarasandha had spread across the world. When Jarasandha was preparing to attack Mathura, Krishna had completed his education and decided to return to Mathura.

The Chief Minister said Lord Krishna also decided to bring back Maharishi Sandipani’s son as a form of guru dakshina. When Krishna asked the sage for weapons, Sandipani told him that he did not possess them and advised him to go to Maharishi Parashurama at Janapav, where he would find the necessary weapons.

According to the account, Maharishi Parashurama gave Krishna the Sudarshan Chakra. Lord Krishna subsequently defeated the demons of the Jam community and returned Maharishi Sandipani’s son. It was also during this period that Lord Krishna received his Panchajanya conch shell.

Dr Yadav said all places in Madhya Pradesh associated with Lord Krishna’s divine pastimes would be developed as pilgrimage sites. The government, he said, was making efforts to bring alive the glorious heritage of Sanatan culture.

He said areas associated with Lord Ram’s divine pastimes were also being developed as pilgrimage destinations. At Janapav, the government would recreate the period associated with Lord Krishna receiving the Sudarshan Chakra. Ujjain was where Lord Krishna received his education, while at Amjhera near Dhar, he fought Rukmi, the brother of Rukmini, during the episode of Rukmini’s abduction. At a place called Narayan near Mahidpur, Lord Krishna and Sudama were believed to have spent a night together.

PM Modi Has Strengthened India

The Chief Minister said the government had decided that merely declaring holidays for festivals was not enough. The younger generation should also learn about the various dimensions of the lives of the deities and draw inspiration from them.

He said the government had therefore started the tradition of celebrating festivals officially. When society celebrates its festivals, the government should also participate in those celebrations, he said, adding that more research should be undertaken into the lives of the deities.

Dr Yadav said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India was emerging as an economic power and standing strongly before the world. He said Prime Minister Modi had presented India’s identity to the world through the values of humanity and promoted the spirit of global brotherhood.

He said the Sanatan cultural tradition was one of giving rather than taking and was not based on suppressing others through power. Under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, India should once again define and establish its liberal cultural ethos before the world, he said.

Referring to the global situation, Dr Yadav said the world was currently living under the shadow of war, even as India’s economic growth continued at a rapid pace. He said the United States was growing at around 2 per cent, China at 4 per cent, while India’s growth rate stood at 7.8 per cent.

He said India had made it clear to the United States under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership that any agreement between the two countries would have to take India’s interests into account. “We will not come under pressure from the United States,” he said.

Describing the present period as an extraordinary phase, Dr Yadav said it was a matter of great fortune that Lord Ram was smiling in Ayodhya and expressed confidence that in the future, Lord Krishna would smile in Mathura as well.