Pt. Shri. Vedavyasacharya
General
Unlike Krishna Jayanti, fasting is not observed on occasions such as Matsya Jayanti, Kurma Jayanti, Narasimha Jayanti, Rama Jayanti, or Ramanavami. Why is fasting not done on those days, and why is it specifically observed on Krishna Jayanti?
Krishnacharya explains this in his work Smriti Muktavali, in the Kala-nirnaya section. The text states:
“Sarvasām jayantīnām śreṣṭhā Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī matā.
Yasmāt sannihitatyantam tatraivopavasen naraḥ.
Tataḥ sarvāsvapi jayantīṣu pūjā kāryā viśeṣataḥ.
Sannidhye eva kartavyo upavāso na dūrake.”
The meaning is that among all Jayantis, Krishna Ashtami (Krishna Jayanti) is considered the most important, because the incarnation of Krishna is the closest (sannihita) to us in time. Therefore, fasting is prescribed on that day.
On other Jayantis, special worship should certainly be performed, but fasting is not required because those incarnations are more distant in time.
For example, it is described that Lord Rama’s incarnation occurred in the Treta Yuga, while Lord Krishna’s incarnation occurred in the Dvapara Yuga, which is closer to the present Kali Yuga.
Therefore, for people living in the present Kali Yuga, Krishna’s incarnation is considered nearer, and hence fasting is especially prescribed on Krishna Jayanti, while such fasting is not traditionally required on Rama Jayanti and other Jayantis.
