Hindu community celebrates Janmastami > Krishna’s birthday an occasion for solemn offerings

ORONO — Precisely, delicately, Sandra Baker-Griffith offered up the birthday gifts.

There was light from small candles with which to see, a plate of colorful food, incense and flowers to purify the air, and water to cleanse the palate — all given to what to the uninitiated appeared to be a small table burdened with carnations and frames of men in costumes.

But this was the ancient Indian celebration of Janmastami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, one of the holiest and most popular gods in the Hindu religion. For Hindus, these celebrations, such as the one held last Saturday at the University of Maine, are deeply felt occasions.

Lord Krishna’s birthday was actually Friday, but what’s a day or two when the guest of honor first appeared on Earth 5,000 years ago?

The ceremony — sponsored by the Institute for Spiritual and Environmental Awareness and the South Asian Association of Maine — was abundant with tradition and color. From the solemn offerings and portrayals of Krishna and his disciples to the rhythmic singing of “Hare Krishna” and the reading of the Bhagavad-Gita, a sacred Hindu book, and finally to an informal dinner of Indian fare, it was as if a piece of India had been brought to Orono.

And then there was the plate-sized, hand-held fan of peacock feathers.

“The peacock fan is because it’s 85 degrees,” said Baker-Griffith.

The food itself was vegetarian, with no eggs, garlic, onions, or meat, as Hindus believe that animals are sacred. Followers of Krishna consider themselves humble servants, and they never eat until he first is “served” during the ceremony. Several times each day, Baker-Griffith said, Hindus perform a similar, though scaled-down, version of Saturday’s ritual in their temples.

During Saturday’s ceremony, the late-afternoon sun slipped sideways into the large gazebo at the Littlefield Ornamental Gardens, forcing the few dozen participants to occasionally shield their eyes. With each act carefully orchestrated to appeal to Krishna’s senses, it was a stimulating affair.

“All this is engendering us in his service,” Baker-Griffith explained afterward.

Though steeped in tradition, the event was a mix of Indian and western ingredients — some men wore Indian-style linen shirts with blue jeans, and the air was fragrant with flowers from the gardens and the incense.

Even Baker-Griffith, as her name suggests, is western by birth.

A Hindu devotee for 20 years, Baker-Griffith moved to Bangor from Philadelphia a year ago with her husband, Ray Griffith. In 1993, she was initiated into the faith — similar to a confirmation in the Catholic religion — and took the name Sandhini DeviDasi. `Sandhini’ is a translation of her English name, `Devi’ means she is married, and `Dasi’ means servant.