Krishna Janmasthami is the celebration of the day that Bhagwan Krishna incarnated in human form upon the Earth. It is celebrated at midnight on the eighth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadrapada (August-September).

The day is celebrated by worshipping Bhagwan Krishna, fasting and chanting devotional kirtan and bhajans until past midnight.

This year it falls on the 1st of September. Here is the Krishna Janmashtami puja vidhi in Sanskrit and Tamil that can be downloaded to perform the puja.

Krishna Janmashtami Puja – Sanskrit
Krishna Janmashtami Puja – Tamil

Please note that the name of the year and day have to be changed appropriately

Sanskrit

Tamil

This is the story behind the celebration of Narasimha Jayanthi and can be read along with the puja. Our thanks to Satsanghi Vidya Rangarajan for providing this content for the web site.
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Narasimha Avatar is a proof of the Lord’s promise that, one who is totally surrendered to him, will be under the protection of Lord at all times.

Once Hiranyakasipu asked his son Prahlada , what did he learn from his teacher. Prahlada replied, I have learnt the essence of all the learning that Narayana is the one who illumines everything in the mind , gives bliss and fulfillment to all. Prahlada’s answer disappointed Hiranyakasipu , and he tried all methods to divert his son from the devotion to God. The child Prahlada was subjected to all kinds of torture , but Prahlada’s devotion to god strengthened further. Enraged at his son’s unshaken devotion to his arch enemy, Hiranyakasipu decided to put an end forever to Prahlada , by all possible means.
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Today is Narasimha Chaturdasi, the appearance anniversary of Lord Narasimhadeva, the half-man, half-lion incarnation of the Supreme Lord. On this day fasting is observed until dusk, and then followed by feasting. This is a most auspicious day to remember the great mercy the Lord has upon His pure devotees to protect them from all varieties of dangerous situations.

Here are some beautiful prayers for worshipping Lord Narasimhadeva:

namas te narasiṁhāya
prahlādāhlāda-dāyine
hiraṇyakaśipor vakṣaḥ-
śilā-ṭaṅka-nakhālaye
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The Sanskrit and Tamil Versions are available in PDF format for download..
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The Madhurastakam (Sanskrit: मधुराष्टकम्, madhurāṣṭakam) is a beautiful Sanskrit composition in devotion of Lord Krishna, composed by the Hindu Bhakti philosopher-poet Sripad Vallabha Acharya who flourished under the patronage of the Vijayanagar King Sri Krishnadevarya in the late fifteenth century.

This hymn was created to lead the devotee to the Path of Grace, which involves a constant love-filled devotion to Krishna by various means including singing (kirtana), remembering (smarana), conceptualizing and beholding (darshana) a lovely image of the deity upon singing of the Madhurastakam, and offering of services (seva). These acts enable the devotee to enter into the divine presence of Sri Krishna and to experience the Lord’s real essence (svarupa) which are in fact, succinctly laid down by the Madhurastakam.

The Madhurastakam deals with the qualities and deeds of Lord Krishna, all of which have been conceptualized as been dipped in madhu, meaning honey or nectar. In the eyes of the devotee, everything that pertains to Lord is sweet and graceful, he being the adhipati -Lord of all sweetness.

The body of the Madhurastakam includes many qualities, attributes and motifs associated with Krishna, including the venu flute, cows, the Yamuna river, gopis, and Krishna’s lila. These have been labeled as ‘sweet’ in the astakam. Hence, Madhurastakam plays an instrumental role in the realization of the Lord.

This mellifluous rendition of the Madhurashtakam is by M.S.Subbalakshmi.

Madhurashtakam ( Source: Wikipedia)