Related to the car-festival, an important festival known as 'Nava Kalebara' is held once in every twelve to nineteen years according to the calculation of the year and date. On this occasion the wooden images of the deities are replaced by new ones. The principle adopted to fix the year of renewal is to find a year which has two full-moons in the month of Asadha (June-July). In every three years a lunar month is excluded from the calculation to keep a balance between the lunar and the solar years. This particular month, which is excluded from calculation is known as 'Adhimasa' or 'Mala masa' and is considered most inauspicious for any religious ceremony. But peculiarly enough this is considered most sacred for the renewal festival of the deities. Therefore, it is also called 'Purusottama Masa', as the other name of Lord Jagannath is Purosottama. During the last hundred years such festivals have been held only six times in 1863, 1893, 1931, 1950, 1969 and 1978.
For making the new images a number of rituals connected with it are observed. When the date is fixed for the festival the Gajapati Maharajah of Puri issues a proclamation to the Vidyapati, Daitas and Brahmins well-versed in the Vedas to go in search of the trees that would proved logs for making the images. Generally this proclamation is issued on the 10th day of the full-moon of Chaitra (March-April). After the mid-day rituals of the Lord Jagannath, the Mahapatras receive 'Agnya mala', the garlands as a token of permission from the Lord to go in search. Then the Mahapatras carry this garland along with four Daitapatis to the 'Anabasara pindi' (a platform inside the temple) where they are given new garments to wear. From there they go to the Jagannath Math, the place of starting. Accompanied by the Daitapatis, Deulakarana, Tudhan, Lenka and four carpenters they go to the temple of Mangala at kakatpur which is about forty kilometres in the north. There they sleep in the temple to obtain permission of the Goddess in dream before proceeding in four batches to four directions in search of the trees.
There are strict injunctions for selection of the trees. The trees must be of Neemba. It should have four branches and must be in near vicinity of a buried ground or river. It shouldn't have cut marks. Snekes below the tree is an auspicious sign. Taking all these specifications into account the selection is made and the Daitapatis immediately place the garland on the trees. Then the area is cleaned. A platform is erected for Bana-yaga ceremony. Four Brahmins conduct the ritual. Then the Daitapatis sit in meditation for three days. After this the Vidyapati marks the tree with a golden axe and then the carpenters begin to cut the tree into huge logs. Thereafter the holy logs are carried in four wheeled-carts newly built for the purpose. The carts are not pulled by animals but by the Sevakas and the people. The sacred logs are taken into the temple compound through the northern gate and are placed in the Koili Baikuntha. On the day of Snana Purnima the logs are bathed along with the old deities. Then the logs are carried to Darughara or the stack and eight Brahmins perform the ritual after which the carving of the images begin by a group of carpenters. During this period nobody is allowed to visit the place. After completion of the carving, the images are painted bright in their respective colours by the traditional chitrakars. The new imges are then circumbulated for three times and brought to the Anabasarapindi for transfer of Brahma from the old deities into their new forms. The senior most among the Pai Mahapatras performs this rite at the dead hour of the night. He takes away the Brahmas from the naval zones and places them in the same position in the new forms. But, he does it blind-folded and with hands covered with cloths as he is not to see of feel the mysterious Brahmas. Then the old images are carried and buried in the wells of Koili Baikuntha by the Daitapatis. For this act they observe mourning for eleven days as is commonly done at the death of a man in a Hindu family.
Alexander and his teacher Aristotle once dense forest were going somewhere. Route in a rain sewer Ufnta found. Guru - The student began to argue about who would cross the stream that? Was a deep sewer. Alexander thinking about this a few stubborn that he would cross the stream first, then will cross Gurudev. After the controversy Thodeh Aristotle to Alexander agreed. Alexander then crossed before the sewer by Aristotle. Then came across the controversy raised.
Aristotle asked, 'Why did you insult me? Alexander then gave the tech knee, holding my ears said, 'No sir. Guruvr do not say that, it was my duty to do. " Aristotle talk between the cut and asked, "Why?" Alexander said, "because it would be Aristotle can create thousands of Alexander, but Alexander can not make it an even Aristotle.
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A disciple of the Buddha requested him, 'I Sunaprant Variance in the province want to do. " Buddha asked, "If the people of Sunaprant will use harsh words, then how will you feel? Student said 'I Smjunga because they may not raise a hand on me. If any of them so I put the slap them on me So good Smjunga that they do not use poles. Poles can get the kill. Smjunga that even though I do not take life for arms running. If the weapon to kill the people of Sunaprant Smjunga that life may have trouble because people come to commit suicide to search for arms and arms that I suddenly get it done. "
Student listening to the Buddha and said the big happy, 'is what a true sage in case someone does not say bad. Others do not see the evil that everyone understands that good, that is to Priwrajk.
Promise yourself >>>>>>>>> *to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. *To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. *To make all your friends feel like there is something in them. *To look at the sunny side of everything and make ur optimism come true. *To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and expect only the best. *To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. *To forget the mistakes of the past and press on the greater achievements of the future. *To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living person you meet a smile. *To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. *To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble. Gudday one n all...!!!
Lord Jagannath's life style is not different that of any normal human being. His festivals, rituals, events and activities equates the stature of God and his consort to that of any human being.
Hera means to "see" and Panchami means the "fifth day". The popular belief is that Lord Jagannath had promised his wife Goddess Lakshmi that He will return the next day. But Lord Jagannath does not return the next day. Goddess Lakshmi waits and waits and finally on the fifth day she goes to Gundicha Temple on a palanquin and sees the Ratha of Lord Jagannath outside Gundicha Temple.
During Rath Yatra Lord Jagannath forgets to take his wife Goddess Laxmi along with him. Goddess Laxmi with anger sets out in night and visits the Gundicha Temple. After having a stealthy look at her Lord and worshiping goddess Gundicha from out side the temple, she damages Nandigosha Ratha to teach Lord Jagannath a lesson for leaving her alone in the temple. This ritual is called as Hera Panchami.
All roads in Orissa lead to Srikshetra or Puri, the land of the Lord, one of the famous four dhamas of India. Like Ramnath of Rameswaram or Dwarakanath of Dwaraka or Badrinath of the Himalayan regions, Sri Jagannath is the presiding Deity of Puri. Together, they constitute the four pillars of dharma on which India stands. These places in general, and Puri in particular, symbolise the cultural matrix of the country, the religious syncretism which is the other name of Hinduism. Puri or Sankhakshetra is the melting pot of Buddhism, Jainism, Vaisnavism, Saivism, even Mahimaism which had declared an uncompromising battle against idolatry.
Here Sankara, Madhavacharya, Ramanuja, Tulsidas, Tukaram, Sri Chaitanya, Kabir - saints and savants of India - buried their hatchets and propagated their creeds. Srikshetra is eclectic enough, elastic enough and accommodative enough to hold all their mutually conflicting creeds in its all-embracing fold. Even Tagore, the great poet of India, came here, saw the Rathayatra and failed to distinguish the 'ratha' from the 'patha', the chariot from the road, the dancer from the dance, as W.B. Yeats would have called it.
Such is Srikshetra, the confluence of all creeds and all cultures, a kind of miniature India. About four hundred years ago in a brahmin stronghold or sasan of Puri, namely Biraramchandrapur, was born Gangadhar Misra of the lineage of great scholars and poets of all-India eminence like Sambhukara and Vidyakara comparable to Bruhaspati, the Guru of the gods. Tracing his birth to such a family of famous scholars, Gangadhar Misra writes in the Kesalananda Kavyam:
Historian Kedarnath Mohapatra in Orissa Historical Research Journal, Vol.I, No.3, presents a brief note on these illustrious scholars of Orissa - Sambhukara and Vidyakara - described as akhilasastra tattwa nigama jnaneikh varanidhi and Kavitalatonnatikarah.
Gangadhar's father, Gopinath, was a Pundit of this family, a dazzling diamond (Hirankura) in the midst of precious stones, whose son it was a pleasure to be for Gangadhar (XXI, 65). We do not know when and why Gangadhar Misra came to Sambalpur and settled down as a Pundit of the Sanskrit Tol at Balibandha during the reign of Raja Baliara Deva (1650-89).
It was here that he wrote Kosalanandam or Kosalanandakavyam in 1663 (Kalou Kalachalayuga) which earned him the epithet "second Sri Harsa" in the hands of Pt. Bauribandhu Nanda. Kosalanandam is the third historical Mahakavya of the country, the others being Ramapalacharitam by Sandhyakara Nandi of Bengal and Rajatarangini by Kavana of Kasmir. It deals with the medieval history of South Kosala in general and the history of the Chauhan Rulers of Orissa from Ramai Deva to Baliara Deva in particular. Yet it is shot through and through with the poet's respectful remembrance of Srikshetra and Sri Jagannath.
When Gangadhar wrote Kosalanandam, Mukunda Deva (1657-88) was the Gajapati of Puri. The Gajapati traditionally enjoys the 'divine right of Kingship' in the State. He is called the "Thakura Raja", the deputy of Sri Jagannath. It is fondly believed to this day that Lord Balabhadra and Lord Jagannath led incognito the Paikas of Gajapati Purusottama Deva during his famous Kanchi expedition, which brought him victory and princess Padmavati. Thus in the Orissan mind, Gajapati occupies a high reverential place. It is, perhaps, therefore that Pandit Gangadhar Misra in offering prayer to Lord Mukunda (Krsna) pays tribute to Gajapati Mukunda Deva in as many as eight verses in Canto V of the Kosalanda Kavyam each of which ends with Vande Mukunda vilasat charanaravindam.
In Canto IX Pandit Gangadhar Misra describes Srikshetra, the city of the Gajapati, on the occasion of the marriage of Rama Deva, (the Ramai Deva of "The Jayachandrika" by Prahllad Dubey) with Bhanumati, daughter of Samara Chandra, brother of Gajapati Rajarajeswara, described as the pavilion of Rajalaxmi, beloved of the wise and a sun to the lotus land of the subjects:
One whose reputation was the fruit of the tree of principles watered by the cloud of conscience. (ibid, 29) In Canto IX of the Kosalananda Kavyam the picture of Puri or Purusottama kshetra comes alive. It is the city of nectar: Kshouni sudhakaram puram (VIII, 28), ornament of the earth: Purusottama muttarottaram vasudhamandala mandanam param, whose roads are at once narrow and wide, narrow for the movement of elephants and horses, and wide for those who seek the passage is swargaloka (V, 2).
And the buildings that stood on both sides were like the nectar-smeared steps to swarga (sopanabhareih sudhojjwaleih). In fact, the whole city, to the poet's eye, was walled with the nectar produced by the sea (varunalayothitam) and passed through the mouth of Lord Visnu (Visnumukhasitojjhitam) the nectar that dispelled the fear of death. (V.4)
The Kshetra Varnana by Gangadhar Misra includes Lord Yameswara, who expels the fear of death (Yamabhitiha haro), Lord Visweswara who acknowledges the overlordship of Sri Jagannath (Visweswara Iswaro gatah), Lord Lokanath who assumes the role of Bhairava in order to assuage the sufferings of mankind (Paritokhila soka lokanapahrutau), Lord Markandeswara who protected saint Markandeya against the onslaughts of the god of death, goddess Vimala who grants prosperity to her devotees, goddess Sarala who stands enshrined on the tongue of the wise (sudhiyam sa rasanamadhisthita) and goddess Mangala who grants moksha
Here lies Muktimandap which distributes 'Moksha' to mankind (Asamikshita mukti yuktae) and the hoary 'Kalpavata' at the touch of which the whole life-cycle suddenly vanishes. Here is goddess Lakshmi who, though desirous of living in the sea, her father's habitat, is unable to leave the houses of the wise, kept so spick and span for her:
In such a place sanctified by the gods live men and women who are no less than gods. Gods, men and animals - they all radiate the same light divine: Naranirjaratiryagantare nahi yatrasti phalaptayentaram (V.5). The gods have assumed the forms of men to be able to serve Lord Jagannath (Yatra dharmah surah). And goddesses, the forms of women, paragons of devastating beauty:
And over this city, beloved of the gods, presides the Deity of deities - Lord Jagannath,who rises like the cloud to the chataka - like eyes of the wise, the very embodiment of delight and the engine of destruction of the pains of the three worlds, Lord Jagannath, decorated with dahana leaves and flowers offered by the gods. A cloud that contains the much-wished showers of rain:
The poet, however, is not content with describing Lord Jagannath on the 'Ratnasimhasana'. He must see Him enthroned in the chariot on the occasion of the Ratha Yatra. In Canto XI Ramai Dev comes to see Sri Jagannath seated in full glory in the chariot called Nandighosa on the second day of the bright fortnight of Asadh:
The eyes of the fortunate earthlings are sanctified by the sight of Lord Jagannath installed in the company of the gods in Nandighosa.
The poet expresses, despite his profound scholarship, his inability to describe this Ghosa Yatra which, he feels, it is humanly impossible to see, hear and narrate in its totality. (V.2). Nandighosa here both destroys and creates darkness, it dispels the darkness of ignorance that envelops the three worlds, the darkness that a thousand rays of the sun are unable to remove. Simultaneously, it kicks a cloud of dust which darkens the earth so much so that the chakravakas and the owls mistake the day for the night. And delight :
Chakra dvandvasya kantim srujati harati na sribharam kausikasya (V.3)
Blinded by the dust, the gods stand motionless and still in the sky, while down below, countless devotees, afraid of sin and eager for salvation, rush towards Nandighosa (V.6). The dust rises from the earth far into the sky. The dust which was lying low on the limited road will now play freely, happily in the boundless sky. Or, report to the sun-god the story of Lord Govinda's slow movement:
Kimvopendrakrutam samasta charitam vijnapayanti nijam Sri Govinda satanga mandagamane sa kasyapam kasapi (V. 8)
The dust has removed the distinction between the earth and the sky. In the hazy, dusty world, the boundaries are blurred. All the ten quarters have become one. It appears the all-compassionate Lord has drawn his devotees, eager to witness His Gundicha Yatra, from different, distant directions by means of the all-encompassing dust (raja bhareiriha disoharat). The dust has made the sky and the sea look like the earth (rajobhareiramvaram bhuvasthalamivaparam kimukrutam nava sagaram). It has put Sri Jagannath in doubt. So Nandighosa goes slow, uncertain of the terrain it traverses. Now it stops, and now it starts:
Withdrawing the minds of the saints from the world, Sri Jagannath slowly advances (Jagadisware chalati mandamamvodharo). The Lord has been compared with the cloud on three counts: His appearance, His movement, and third, the blessings of rain or the rain of blessings He contains and carries. The wheel-tracks on the wide road resemble the milky way in the sky:
The people, washed with the dust, stand clean of their sins. The horizons are sweetened with the scented breeze that blows (surabhibhih dikchakramoditam). With the dust kicked off the earth, the wheel tracks resemble the 'simanta' of the lady Earth. There is no dust on the road. No sorrow on earth. Clean road. Clean minds.
The dust which filled the sky and the earth in the beginning and turned day into night, the road into the sky and the wheel-tracks into the galaxy has suddenly disappeared, the dust that once covered and concealed even the galaxy. In a highly alliterative verse that closes Canto X, Ramai Deva offers his prayer to Lord Vamana near the chariot (Drustwa tam devadevam sapadi rathagatam vamanam danavarim). When the whole milky way was submerged in the dust raised by the wheels and the feet of a hundred thousand pilgrims: pankilakasagange (X, 50).
And the chariot of Lord Jagannath moves slowly, very slowly in Canto XI, carrying the Lord with His imperial retinue (Bhudeveir bhuri deveih sakala naravareirbhra taravadhya madhye). The poet wonders how the earth is able to bear this tremendous pressure. Sesanaga or Vasuki, he concludes, most have spread his thousand hoods to support the earth (V.4). Nandighosa rattles on slowly, electrifying the earth, submerging the virtuous in the sea of delight:
Consigning the insect-like pride of the demons into the fire (darpam patangaspadam), manifesting the energy of the gods in the form of the light of the sun (patangaprabham). Nandighosa rattles on like the Mandara mountain churning the sea:
Ratha Yatra is Ghosa Yatra, a festival of sound. Sounds of all kinds, sounds of music and dance, debates and discussions, rattling wheels and neighing horses and trumpeting elephants. What Pandit Gangadhar Misra speaks in another context in another canto may be said of the world of cacophony the Ratha Yatra generated:
Thus the sounds of conch-shells, horns, flutes, damvarus, vinas, mahuris, etc. filled the earth and the sky. They surpassed the thunder in the sky and the trumpets of elephants on earth. In the midst of all this and in the midst of Indra and the Gandharvas, Sri Jagannath has started the Ghosa Yatra from Nilachala to Gundicha mandap with the object of bringing salvation to mankind entangled in the ways of the world :
And into the fray have tumbled the angels of heaven like Rambha, Menaka, Manjughosa, Sukesa for the entertainment of the Lord (anandakandam mukundam). Here is a congregation of the devotees singing the glory of God and there, a conference of scholars discussing the Vedas and Upanisad, Yoga Sastras and Smruti Sastras. Here the 'Bhatas' recite the eulogy of the great and there, poets of eminence sing their self-composed songs in praise of the Creator:
Here, some devotees out-argue the obstinate atheists, asserting God exists and to see Him is to be relieved of the fear of death: Rathetu Vamanam drustwa Punarjanmam na vidyate. While there, a mischievous rider goads the elephant into the crowd and laughs:
Thus the Gundicha Yatra begins and ends. This description of this Yatra is one of the earliest in any Mahakavya written in Sanskrit. There are some exaggerations and omissions in the description. Exaggeration or atisayokti is an art in which pundits and poets of our great Sanskrit literary tradition were past masters. It is an alankara or figure of speech in which poets like Magha and Sri Harsa frequently indulge.
Pandit Gangadhar Misra is the proud inheritor of this great tradition. So he thinks it proper to dislodge the gods and gandharvas from their heavenly abode and make them participate in this grand annual festival of Orissa. He makes them descend in human garb on earth in order to be able to offer their services to the Lord, as if, they stood deprived of this opportunity in heaven. (XI, 17) 'Suranganas' have turned 'varanganas' here at Srikshetra : surangana ruchira yatra varangana janah (IX, 8).
As though Srikshetra is free from irreligious people speaking an indecent tongue which, in course of time, has become a part of 'Puri Boli'. As though some 'varanganas' are not 'varanganas'. Here as elsewhere, while describing the Gajapati's palace in Canto XII, the poet exclaims:
Tata stutam tena nrupasya mandiram Kimeindiram vanditumiswaranarah Ihati mauni kalasesa esa yat Sahasra masyani dadhat krutarthitah. (61)
How can an ordinary mortal describe this nrupasya mandiram, the abode of Laxmi, which Vasuki, the snake of snakes, with his thousand faces cannot? A palace is a palace, big and beautiful, like any other 'nrupasya mandiram' which cannot baffle description by a poet so eloquent like Gangadhar Misra. Looking at Srikshetra in Canto IX, the poet says, since its description defeats the imagination of gifted scholars, it must have been built by Viswakarma (Khachitam charitam suvedhasa), a city that frightens and prevents the entry of death in Canto XIX: pariharanti parabhava sankaya haripuran yadi neti sa samanah.
There are hyperboles, too, in the description of the Ratha Yatra, The visualisation of night in the day, the vision of the galaxy on the Badadanda, the accompaniment of the gods with Sri Jagannath, the dance of angels etc. are a part of this art. Such a divine festival deserves description only by Surapati or Indra. The poet finds his consciousness overwhelmed:
Karomi vada kim nutim jadamatih vibho samprati Pratikshanamatistutim surapati stanoti kshiteh (XI, 13)
Those who have seen this famous car festival with hundreds of thousands of men, women and children watching from the housetops, filling and spilling the roads, raising their hands and their voices in worshipful gestures as the chariot moves, crying and praying and singing and dancing and clapping can know what it is. It is indeed indescribable. Therefore, when the poet observes in Canto XI that only Indra with his thousand eyes, Vasuki with his uncountable faces and Mrutyunjaya Siva with his limitless longevity can respectively see, narrate and hear this Yatra, we willingly suspend our disbelief:
Enam sarvasuparvanayaka iha srinandighosotsavam Drastum hrustamanah sahasra nayaneirnanyosti saktah punah Enam stetumananta eva vadaneirakalpamalpam punah Srotum dhwantamaharnisam sa bhagavanah jivitah sankarah (V.2)
The poet has given little space to Balabhadra and Subhadra. Nandighosa eclipses the importance of Taladhwaja and Devadalana, Chariots of Balabhadra and Subhadra. And in this, he seems to share the concentration of the viewers on Lord Jagannath in Nandighosa whose imposing beauty leaves even Lord Nilakantha Kunthakantha, Visnu, spell-bound and distinguished poets, dumbfounded. Kanthastambhitah vaspavruttikalusaschinta jadam darsanam, Kalidasa might have said.
This reader, however, feels that Balabhadra and Subhadra, elder brother and younger sister to Jagannath, deserve a little more space and a little more attention. Out of 27 verses devoted to the description of the yatra, only two for Balabhadra and Subhadra, appear inadequate. Another significant omission, besides 'Pahandi', is 'Chhera panhara', the Gajapati clearing the passage with a broomstick of gold for the three chariots to launch their yatra. 'Chhera Panhara' is associated with the historic Kanchi expedition of the Gajapati where the military generals were figures no less than Balabhadra and Jagannath.
But with these omissions and commissions, Gangadhar Misra has shown ample originality and scholarship in the description of the yatra. In the eyes of the poet, the Ratha Yatra at once destroys darkness and creates it; it destroys the darkness of ignorance (Ajnana dhwantakutam) and creates the darkness of dust (XI, 3). It makes the gods shut their eyes - the sun and moon - in the cloud of dust but makes humans press forward to see the Lord with their eyes wide open (XI, 6). The Lord, who is too difficult even for Narada to approach, comes within the easy reach of mortals:
Parananda rupah pareirnaradadyeirapapyo naranam tadarchcha paranam (XI, 16). Nilachaladhama, the seat of Lord Jagannath, is empty, while Gundicha Mandap which is usually silent, is full : Sunyatwamatra nanu Sapta dinani yasmat nilachala parigruhe paripurnata cha (XI, 14)
The yatra brings joy to Subhadra but sorrow to Laxmi (XI, 27). The reference to the elephant in verse 24 lends a touch of realism to the Car festival. An elephant is a common phenomenon during the Ratha Yatra, partly because it is said to be the vahana or vehicle of goddess Laxmi and partly because Sri Jagannath is sometimes compared with a tusker (pravala matta varana). And here is an elephant with a rider who goads this huge animal into the heavy crowd only to create a humour of situation. To the watchful eye of the poet, the elephant which is elevating is also diverting. This elephant is quite different from its war-mongering, earshaking, trunk-lifting counterparts described in Canto XII:
The Ratha Yatra not only brings Sri Jagannath from the splendid height of the 'Ratnasimhasana' to the road where Tom, Dick and Harry walk, it makes Him one among them. The barrier between the divine and the human is lifted. Earth and heaven become indistinguishable.
Goddess Mahalaxmi, tormented with 'repining restlessness' caused by Sri Jagannath's departure, visits the Gundicha mandap on the day known as 'Hera Panchami' to see how the Lord fares in her absence and she stands stockstill. Sri Jagannath finds it quite hard to break the deadlock; He coaxes and cajoles Laxmi to abandon her icy silence. He fails to understand why Laxmi does not smile, does not speak, does not exchange glances. He asks her attendants to help initiate a dialogue:
Vrute kinchidanaksharam tava sakhi saswat samabhasita No jane vada kim nidanamadhuna premnosti kidrug gatih (V. 28)
I do not know. Tell me the way out. Tell me where love leads. The Omniscient does not know that the path of love does never run smooth! And who can tell Him? Acknowledging her right to anger, the Lord reminds her of the hoary bond between them since the churning of the seas and tells her the reason why He came down to the Mandap - to be among men and gods who need Him so much: disamihamaheswareih suranarei nareseih pareih (V. 30). And to this, it is the female attendants who respond. The Lord, they allege, should not have left the repining Laxmi and the Ratnamandap whose enchanting beauty makes poets wax eloquent:
Ititi savidhe vadamya hamitindira te sama Game yuganiva kshipat kshanamanalpa kalpamdinam (V.31)
Mahalaxmi leaves Gundicha Mandap, but not before doing a symbolic damage to Nandighosa. She cuts a piece of wood from the chariot and steals into the night. This episode which unveils the human side of the story, however, does not find a place in the Kavya.
The 'Bahuda Yatra' or return journey on the tenth day of the bright fortnight of Asadh, begins and ends. The dialogue at the Lion's Gate of Srimandira is another important episode of the yatra which uncovers the divine face. The Lion's Gate is shut from within. Dwastha dwaram vighataya, open the gate, shouts the Lord, clad in robes of gold ("sunavesa" as they say in popular parlance) seated in the ringing chariot and surrounded by gods and men:
Who are you (Ko asi). To this, the Lord replies, I'm Ramanatha: Nathoramayah (husband of Rama or Maya). But why should Maya's husband come to see Laxmi? Who is Laxmi to Him? The Lord says, "Laxmi is my life, she is in my heart". If Laxmi was in His heart, why should He come searching for her here:
Dwastha dwaram vighataya vahih ko asi nathoramayah Mayanathah punariha bhavan kinnu Laxmim didrukshuh Ka Laxmiste pratinidhirasau jivitasyapihrudya Vakshasthaivam yadinubhavatah katra jata didruksha (V. 36)
Where is the cool touch of the sea, the liquid lucidity of the looks of Payodhitanaya in her words, wonders the Lord. This is a piece of rare repartee which is deliberately designed to put Laxmi above Narayana in intelligence. The lord is clean outwitted. He submits: Ratnakara suta Laxmih trailakeswaravallabha Datavyamiha kim tubhyam madrute varavarenini (V. 38)
Thus ends the Ratha Yatra, the festival of sound, in the silence of submission the festival of sound generated by gods and men and trumpets (naranam suranam chakolahalam kavilam) which could not be drowned even by the breezy discussions of the pundits. (V.26) The mahakavya ends with a prayer by a proud progeny of Ramai Dev and the patron of the poet, Baliara Deva. The language suddenly loses the heavy weight of ornaments and assumes a simplicity befitting the prayer. Raja Baliara Deva, after visiting the Mahodadhi full of ships (potakulakulam) and waves, mighty like his war-horses (taranga turanga kulavilam nija valam cha saman varunalayam), the Markandeya sarovara, Indradyumna sarovara,Kalpavata, the Narasimha temple, etc., stands near the Garuda stambha and pours forth his heart in a language so simple, so sincere, so soulful. The most devoted of your saints, observes the Raja, quotes the Vedas to prove that You have no form, how can I, so lowly, venture to keep you in my heart:
Hare pare yasya drusornagochare muniswara rupamidam santanam Vidhaya vade nigamasya sadara ayena tasya sthitiranta bhatite (XVIII, 68).
The Lord is to him what wealth is to the poor, the moon to the sea and God to the Sadhaka:
And then he bends his knees, folds his hands and prays. The prayer is so moving and so musical that quite a few verses need be quoted for the reader to understand the deft artistry of the poet and the depth of his prayer:
My childhood reared on the breasts of my mother passed off, playing on the sand and my youth in the pleasant company of my neighbours. The little virtue I had earned through sat sang in my previous life has been, O Lord, destroyed by the enemies within (V.2)
Vayasiti pare milite nrupate rataye hata sanmatina krutina Vahudhapi sudha vihitam duritam hitamatmana iswarato na krutam (V.3)
On coming of age, I was given the throne. Yet how ungratefully I abjured the contact of the virtuous and indulged in meaningless, sinful deeds and did nothing for my self-improvement. Though it is useless now to recall, let me confess, Lord, to the evils I have done. I have, for sheer enjoyment, felt the presence of chamara in women's hair (Chikuresu Cha Chamarata) the moon, decking Siva's head on their faces, the god-desiring nectar on their lips (adharemaralabhya sudhadhikata), the beauty of the sun-lit hills on their breasts Kuchayoh Kanakachala manjulata),of coral on their feet and the fruit of my past good deeds on their smiles (V.4-5).
I have sometimes wasted money on my stomach, O God, indulged in tirade against saints, exhibited my ability in deceit in religious conferences in order to please my children, my brothers and my friends. (V.6).
I have wasted my days in painted pleasures and my nights in the adoration of women's lotus-faces, but neither in sleep nor in wakefulness did I get peace of mind. Dictated by my blind mind, the distorted faces of my children, brothers and wives appeared to me, Lord, to be everything and I laid waste my days and my years. (V.8). Busy in my efforts to multiply the stock of elephants and horses and cattle, (gajavajigavamabhilasa, O Lord, my youth passed and now has come this ridiculous age galite palite yuvahasa pada milita (V.9). O Madhusudana! What is the use of blaming the evil deeds now that age has descended? The right time and the high birth have been wasted. I made no efforts to realize them. (V.12)
Now that I have grown old, what can I accomplish? My birth has become fruitless. I am now inert. My voice trembles. My hearing is impaired. My senses are exhausted and effate. (V.13)
Endowed with this best of births in the sea of life, O Lord, I could not recognize within me the jewel, Kamadhenu, which I slaughtered with the help of the Indriyas or senses (V.15). O Kesava! Entangled in worldliness and wondering restlessly in the jungle of births, I forget the existence of this Kamadhenu so close to me. O Madhusudana! Though you had bestowed on me, out of kindness, this human life earned with the punya of my previous lives, I could not understand its worth:
Tava pada yugarchana punya chayeih na kruta suphala madhusudana sa. (V.17) Yadiyam narakantaka dhiramate Krupaya karuna varunalayate Janitanuja nurjanani jatharat Jani tasyas pada palitam bhavatat (V.23)
O Destroyer of Hell! O Sea of Mercy! Birth and old age are but your kind creation. O Cause of creation! What else should I long for, if in this rare human existence I am drawn to your red lotus-feet? (V.24) Like the dust helplessly driven by the wind: pavanena yatha vivasani rajamsi (V.25). Dust again, the dust which the wheels of Nandighosa had raised.
The prayer continues into Canto XXI which closes this Mahakavya, the prayer to the One who stands like a witness in the cavity of consciousness and spreads like the sky (akasavat ghata matan patukuta samsthah), One, the beauty of whose smile excels that of the moon, Kunda and Mandara flowers, who stands still but creates myriad worlds like bubbles on the foam-crested waves.
Phenormi vudvud vadamvu na indu kunda Mandara vrunda ruchinandita susmitesa (XXI, 10)
The Raja implores Lord Jagannath to extinguish in him the fire of anger fanned by unconscience, which consumes the love for scriptural discourses like a bundle of dry grass. Sastrarthalochana samindhana sattrunagni Krodho viveka pavanahita bhuridipatih, (XXI, 4) to uncover the Maya that conceals the calm wisdom of great saints,
To create with the dust of his feet bhakti or devotion that grows like a Kalpalata or creeper that heals all woes on the Tree of Viveka or conscience (XXI, 11), to bless him with the feeling that looks upon the enemy as if he is a part of his flesh (vairisu suteswiva) so that he will no more reappear in the womb of the mother which is but a bed of death. .... Krutanta Vasanta talpa janani jatharaya neiti (XXI, 15) Which reminds the reader of Sankara's oftquoted line: punarapi janamam, punarapi maranam, punarapi janani jathare sayanam.
The power of this heart-rending prayer, which Tennyson would says rises 'like a fountain of fresh water in the sea' in the 'man-in-God' mingles with 'God-in-man', makes the Lord appear in the dream of Raja Baliara Deva, exhorting him to consider chit or consciousness separate from the body so that with this knowledge he will realize the futility of worldly life and with this realization see the beatific vision of the Creator seated like a mountain on the multifoliate lotus of the heart radiating the light of a million suns and moons:
The Raja prostrates before the Lord: Tam deva deva madhura saranan vrajami. Rises and leaves Srikshetra with this death conquering consciousness. If after the Raja's realization we still cling to the 'way of all flesh', woe to mankind, says the poet in Canto XX:
How is it, the poet asks, O you pundits! Knowing fully well the torments of death, you are still immersed in the world of the senses! Born with this fruitful human life into this unsubstantial world, how is it that you do not sing the glory of Sri Krishna?
Sri Krishna merges with Sri Jagannath. As it happens in the works of almost all Vaisnavite poets, the Mahakavya that began with the Mangalacharana to Sri Krishna ends with his identification with Sri Jagannath:
I Sing a glory of Lord Krishna, yellow robed, cloud-like Krishna with his face comely like the moon, his peacock-feathers wavering in the wind and his sweet flute filling the maidens of Gokula with tremendous excitement.
The prayer of Baliara Deva is the prayer of poet Gangadhar Misra. It is the prayer of every man. It rings in every heart. It echoes through the corridors of time. If after this, the poet thinks his poetry to be inadequate and immature, who is going to believe him? In verse 28 of Canto XX, the poet feels that goddess Saraswati, after enjoying the pleasures of Kalidasa's ornate world, was dissatisfied with the taste of this new, novice poetry and therefore withdrew from him the skill of composition:
Matarbharati Kalidasa rasanamasadya lilavati" Nanalankruti riti niti rachana daksheika lilakaram Tat him dina navina madrusa nrunam bhrantyagata lajjita Jihwama pratibhasi nasi vachasam tat kausale karanam
But the poet does not deserve this self pity. He is with Kalidasa and Sri Harsa and all the great poets of Sanskrit literature. Keats, the famous Romantic, wrote in one of his letters: I wish to be with Shakespeare. And Arnold observed in another age, in another time. He is, he is with Shakespeare. And Middleton Murray wrote two volumes on this poet who died in his early twenties and titled them Keats and Shakespeare. Gangadhar, too, was with Kalidasa, and it is a pity that such a highly accomplished poet has gone undiscussed by the critics of our times.
Gangadhar Misra, along with his patron Baliara Deva, withdrew from Srikshetra so dear to his heart into Sambalpur and into Sonepur, where he settled down at Khandapali (the 'Khandakshetra' of the Somavamsi Copper plate ), a revenue-free village donated by the Raja with a pair of Kundalas in recognition of Kosalanandam, which was first published in the Utkal Sahitya Press, Cuttack by Birmitrodaya Singh Deo, Maharaja, Sonepur in 1929. Today when the bell rings in the ancient Jagannath temple of Khandahata (Khandapali of Kosalanandam), we remember poet Gangadhar Misra with awe and reverence.
This is exclusively a festival of Lord Jagannath and is said to be one of the oldest. According to Skanda Purana when Raja Indradyumna installed the wooden deities he arranged this bathing ceremony. This day is considered to be the birth-day of Lord Jagannath. Held in the full-moon day of the month of Jyestha this festival is also simultaneously held in all other important shrines of Orissa. However the festival being most elaborate and important at Puri, it attracts thousands of visitors and piligrims from all over the country.
'Niladri Mohadaya', a religious text written in Orissa records the rituals of the festival. Sriharsa in his 'naisadhiya Charita' also refers to this festival of Purusottama. This bathing ceremony has a speciality. As this festival does not find mention in the early religious texts, it is believed to be a tribal ceremony which later crept into the Hindu rites. Jagannath in its early from was being worshipped as Nilamadhaba by a Savara chief called Viswabasu. Till now it is the Daitas and Savaras (tribals) who have the exclusive right to conduct the festival. The tribals called Saoras (of southern Orissa) still perform a rite to bath their deities ceremonially on the last day of the month of Jyestha. For this they collect water from remote Jungles where it remains untouched even by the shadow of the animals. Most probably when Jagannath was a Savara God, this festival of the Savaras who tended him was accepted by the Hindus.
On the previous day of Snana Yatra the images of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra along with the image if Sudarshana are ceremonially brought out from the sanctum in a procession to the Snana-vedi (Bathing pandal). This special pandal in the temple precinct of Puri is called Snana Mandap. It is at such a height that visitors standing outside the temple also gate a glimpage of the deities. After MangalaAlati, the Suaras and Mahasuaras go in a ceremonial procession to fetch, water from Suna Kua (Golden well) in one hundred and thirty, vessels of copper. All of them cover their mouths with a piece of cloth. Then all the vessels filled with water are preserved in the Bhoga Mandap. The Palla pandas (a class of Brahmin priests) then purify the water with Haridra, Jaba, Benachera, Chandan, Aguru, flowers, perfumes and medicinal herbs.
On the fourteenth day (Chaturdashi) when the idols are taken out in procession, the whole process is called Pahandi or Pahandi vijay. Scholars have given different interpretations of the term ('Pahandi') Some opine that it has been derived from the term 'Praspanda' meaning movement. Some others are inclined to interpret it as a derivation from Pandya vijaya. For the festival the Snana Vedi is well decorated with traditional paintings of trees and gardens. Flags and toranas (arches) are also put up. The images are profusely decorated with flowers. All kinds of perfumes such as Dhupa, Aguru etc. are then offered. As the 'Pahandi' of the deities takes place to the accompaniment of music and beating of various indigenous drums. Thousands of devotees jostle and crave for a look at the deities in procession.
The bathing festival takes place during the morning hours of the Purnima. The filled vessels are carried from Bhoga Mandap to the Snana Vedi by the Suaras in a long single-line procession. This ritual is called 'Jaladhibasa' prior to the bathing ceremony the images are covered with silken cloths and then smeared with red powder. Then water is poured, the rituals performed and 'Pavamana' hymns chanted. After the bath the deities are so dressed that together they appear like the image of Ganesha. This is called Ganeshabesa. It is said that a staunch devotee of Lord Ganesha and himself a profound scholar visited Puri during Snana Yatra. He was amply rewarded by the king of Orissa for his scholarship. The king asked the scholar to accompany him to see Lord Jagannath which he refused under the pretext that he wouldn't worship any God other than Ganesh. Somehow he was persuaded and brought before the Snana vedi. To the utter surprise of all. Lord Jagannath appeared as Ganesha. Since then during Snana Yatra when the sacred bath is performed. The deities are dressed like Ganesha. Various other legends are also told and reason assigned explaining the Ganesha besa.
During the sacred bath the colours painted on the images generally fade. Seeing the wooden deities in discolour devotees may not have the appropriate devotional attitude and in fact may feel sinful repugnance. For this reason, the images are immediately dressed as Ganesha in which they remain mostly covered.
After the Snana Yatra, the images are kept away from public view for fifteen days and during all these days the daily rites of the temple remain suspended. The images are kept on the Ratna vedi inside the temple. This period is called 'Anabasara' meaning improper time for worship. It has been said earlier that the images are discoloured as a result of the sacred bath. During these fifteen days the Daitas (descendants of Viswavasu, the Savara) repaint the images is divided into seven short periods, each of two days duration, and a short period of one day set apart to give finishing touches. Thus the period covers the whole fortnight. On the 16th day the images in their new forms after renovation become ready for the public view. The festival of the first appearance of the lord Jagannath to his devotees is called Netrotsaba of Nava Yaubana (new youth). According to popular belief the devotee washes away all his sins if he gets a vision of the Lord on this day. On this occasion, therefore, great rush of people occurs in the temple.
The Shilpa Sastra and Agamas testify that the images become suitable for worship only after the performance of the rite of 'Chakshyu Unmilana' (Opening of the eyes). During 'Anabasara', the Daitas offer to the deities only fruits and water mixed with cheese. According to them during this time the deities don't keep well and therefore, take rest. Like human beings they are considered to have fallen ill and are treated by the Raj Vaidya or the king's physician with specific medicines.
The temple-festivals which are held in a bigger and elaborate scale in the important shrines of Puri and Bhubaneswar are also held simultaneously in all other small shrines of the respective deities, through in modest scales. Likewise the Snana Yatra is held in many other temples of Orissa.
Ratha Yatra or the Car festival of Lord Jagannath at Puri is best known in the world as the biggest festival of its kind. It is observed on the Asadha Shukla Dwitya i.e. on the second day of the bright fortnight of the month of Asadha (June-July). This annual festival at the first break of monsoon is the most ancient, most elaborate, biggest and the costliest festival of Lord Jagannath, who is believed to be the richest deity of the world. Millions of Hindus flock to the holy city of Puri to see the Gods in procession which is beliurd to expiate them from all sins.
The celebration of Ratha Yatra during the rainy season is significant. Scholars opine that the term 'Varsha' (Year) has been literally derived from the term 'Varsa' (rain) and this prolific rainy season leads and represents all the seasons of the year. Rain appears to be the harbinger of hilarity and vitality to the human race and therefore, rainy season has been selected as the appropriate occasion for celebration of the festival.
In 'Satapatha Brahmana', the rainy season has been highly admired. In the said text an interesting legend has been narrated regarding the origin of Ratha. The Ratha of the car of the god was in heaven since ages past. It was never to be noticed on earth. Once there was a terrific battle between Indra, the king of the God and the demon Brutrasura. Seated on the chariot, when Indra violently flung the weapon of lightening (vajra) right to the chest of the demon, it broke to four pieces and the third piece was metamorphosed into a chariot (Ratha). Indra is also taken to be the God of rains and thunder. As the car is supposed to have been created out of his weapon, the car-festival at the beginning of the rainy season is mythically significant. Keeping aside the mythical account, historians and scholars propound various theories about how and when it came about, though the origin of this festival is still shrounded in mystry.
Ratha Yatra is also locally known as 'Gundicha Yatra'. Gundicha was the mythical queen of Indradyumna who founded the great shrine and installed the deities. It is said that the images of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra were first built by Biswakarma, the master-crafts man of the heaven who appeared as an old carpenter. The images were carved out of logs in a smaller shrine now known as Gundicha temple. They were then ceremonially brought in a procession and ceremonially installed in the main shrine. Since those days, the images make an annual sojourn to the Gundicha temple where they were originally given form and the car-festival is said to be that ancient.
Some scholars are of opinion that the Ratha Yatra originated as a festival of Buddhists which was later adopted by the Hindus. They claim that the present temple of Lord Jagannath stands on the site of Buddhist temple and contains the celebrated tooth of Buddha, which was kept there till the 4th century A.D.. The Buddhists By their mass religious culture almost swayed back the cult of Brahmans into oblivion. They used to hold a car-festival, once in every five years to propagate their religion. A huge image of Buddha, built out of log and in whose naval zone the tooth relic was placed, used to be taken out in procession on a Rather or car. When Brahmans was re-established through the ardent efforts of Sankaracharya, the Hindus accepted Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu and the car-festival of the Buddhists was converted to an annual festival of Jagannath, Buddhism exercised deeper influence on Hinduism. The casteless society propagated by the religion was also adopted in the temple of Jagannath. Thus, Lord Jagannath is regarded as an incarnation of Buddha.
The Jainas identify Lord Jagannath as a form of 'Jeena' and they claim that the Rather Eater is reminiscent of their ancient festival. History proves that Ashoka, the emperor of Magadha, after his eventful Kalinga war, carried away with him the 'Kalinga Jeena' or 'Adi Jagannath' as a war-trophy. This was later restored by Kharavela, the mighty emperor of Kalinga. The 'Kalinga Jeena' was brought in a car followed by a pompous parade of pageantry. This Ratha Yatra of the "Jeena' was later adopted by the Hindus in the temple of Lord Jagannath.
In the festival each year three new cars are built for the three deities Balabhadra, Subhadra and Jagannath. For building of the new cars, the logs were hereditarily supplied by the Rajah of Daspalla (Now the Govt. of Orissa). The construction of the Rathas starts from 'Akshaya Trutiya' with a 'Vanajaga' ceremony. Each car has its own specifications.
The car of the Lord jagannath is known as 'Nandighosa' . Supported on sixteen giant wheels, each seven feet in diameter, it stands forty five feet in height and is beautifully painted in yellow. 'Taladhwaja, is the name of Balabhadra's car which stands forty four feet in height and stands on fourteen wheels. It is painted in blue. Subhadra's car is known as 'Darpadalana', Devidalana' or simply 'Deviratha' which stands fourty three feet in height and is painted in dark red. The colours for the cars are significantly identical with the colour of robes worn by the deites. Lord Jagannath is 'Pitambara' or robed in yellow, Balabhadra is 'Neelambara' or robed in blue and Subhadra, a mother-goddess wears garments of blood-red (Raktambari).
When the Rathas are ready they are brought to the sinhadwara or the Lion's gate of the temple. On the beginning day of the festival, after the morning rituals are over in the temple, the deities are brought one by one from the temple to the chariots. All the deities are profusely decorated with crowns of flower (Tahia) and are brought by the Pandas on the twenty two steps in a peculiar kind of swaying movement. The first deity to come out is Balabhadra, then Subhadra and lastly the Lord Jagannath. They are all installed on the respective chariots. The whole process of bringing out the deities from the temple and placing them on the chariots is known as 'Pahundi'.
The cars do not move immediately after the installation of the deities. The Rajah of Puri, who is popularly revered as the 'Chalanti Vishnu' (Moving Vishnu) comes in a palanquin, pays his homage to the deities and then sweeps the platform of each of the cars in a golden broom. This process of the festival is known as 'Chhera Pahanra'. After this part of the ritual, a large number of percussionists (drummers and gong players) play in unison and the sound rends into the air. Then comes the most auspicious moment for the thousands of anxious pilgrims to pull the cars which they consider to be most sacred. With great enthusiasm they grab the huge ropes and begin to pull the cars. The cars grind forward slowly along the road till the journey ends at Gundicha temple. Balabhadra being the eldest in the family of the deities. His car is drawn first. Then follows the car majestically moves the car of Lord Jagannath.
All the deities are then taken to the Gundicha temple where they stay for over a week. Then again they make their return trip to the main shrine. The return-festival is known as Bahuda Yatra, or the return-journey which falls on the tenth day of the month. All the cars are drawn again to the front of the main shrine and the deities remain seated for the next day; the Ekadasi on which all of them are adorned with pure gold ornaments. This part of the ritual is known as 'Sunabesa'.
An interesting ritual is observed on the return of the deities to the main shrine. Goddess Lakshmi, the spouse of Lord Jagannath has a separate shrine in the precincts of the Jagannath temple. Mythologically she is the mother of the Goddess of wealth. But, as depicted in the ritual she behaves like a common Oriya house-wife. As house-wives do not appears before their elder brother-in-laws, so also Lakshmi never appears Lord Balabhadra. For this reason, her image is never carried close to the image of Balabhadra. She acts as a devoted and ideal wife but at the same time gets touchy. Her sensitiveness is reflected on two occasions of the festival, the first occurs on the Hera Panchami (5th day of the festival) when she goes out to Gundicha temple where the other deities are resting and the later occasion is when the deities return to the temple.
Lakshmi gets annoyed when she feels neglected by her husband (Lord Jagannath) as he goes cut in the cars with his elder brother and sister, leaving. Her alone in the temple. Being aggrieved she goes surreptitiously to Gundicha temple in a fighting and angry mood in her impotent anger, she breaks up one of the several wheels of Lord Jagannath's car and comes away to the temple as secretly. She had gone. In this festival her image is carried in a palanquin and the Devdasis do the job for her.
The next occasion comes when the deities return to the temple. To their surprise they find the main door of the temple bolted from inside. Lakshmi does it out of anger. The Rajah of Puri however tries to patch up the differences between them. This part of the ritual is known as 'Lakshminarayana Bheta' (Meeting of Lakshmi and Narayan). At first an elephant is sent to fetch her from the temple which she bluntly declines. On insistent appeal she comes in a palanquin up to the door still nursing in mind the insult she suffered. When Lord Jagannath appeals to her to open the door she replies, "You are the Lord of the three worlds ! Why do you come to me ? Go back to your sister, for being left alone. She may feel the pangs of separation" The Lord then says, "You know, my elder brother was also with me. How could you go as you were not to appear before him?" Then he promises valuable gifts to her which she refuses saying that being a woman from poor family. She is unworthy of it. In the end the insistent appeals of the Lord make Lakshmi open the door and all are allowed to come to the temple.
The song duel that takes place during the occasion is virtuality sung by the Devadasis, on behalf of Lakshmi and the Daitas, the non-Brahmin priests, represent Lord Jagannath. In the musical exchange of words, slokas in Sanskrit are also recited and the song-dialogue continues in presence of the countless devotees.
On these two occasions the Gods and Goddesses are brought down to the human level and they are made to behave like common human beings with same sentiments and sensitiveness.
Prior to the advent of foreign power, Orissa was ruled by the king of Puri who was revered as the Godly king by the Rajahs of feauditory states, who were under his command. Their number was fairly large and on the model of the famous shrine at Puri, all of them built Jagannath temples in their capitals where all the festivals related to the deity were observed. Though the car-festival at Puri attracts more people, similar festivals are held throughout the State, though in modest scales. In the western part of the State viz. Sambalpur and Bolangir the festival is also held in big villages. On this occasion the villages wear new garments and auspiciously pull the car with great devotion. The festival is also held beyond the boundaries of Orissa where there are temples of Jagannath. A festival is now held in California, U.S.A by the converted Hindus.
Seth lives in a town called Dharmdutt was. Despite being the owner of the property bounds He always used to be sad. He worried about the future generations has been harassed. Once the city came to Lord Mahavir. His discourse on the banks of the Ganges was. Dharmdutt reached there. He sat first in line to hear preaching, but his mind was elsewhere. After the recitation of the Lord Mahavir sadness because of his asked Seth said, 'Lord, I do not lack anything. I have so much wealth that I have seven generations from the rest - to drink. But I worry that my generation through the eighth - Bsr How would that be? "
Lord Mahavir said, "I care about you give away. Wealth will give you so that you will be pleasantly eighth generation. You will have to work for this one. A cottage in the back of an ashram worker's family lives. You tell him that he need to flour your
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Keeping the rest to give you. " Seth said that he was there. Worker's wife inside the house and brought him to a Hndia, the bid, 'Take brother.
I have so much dough. Seth said, 'No, no, you need to keep the dough, which he left Let' Worker's wife said, 'If I need your dough, then you'll keep. Who have given me today, tomorrow he will. " Seth came back empty-handed, and he told me about the whole Lord Mahavir. Lord Mahavir say, 'Seth, one female worker, which also are not worried about tomorrow and that you are an eighth generation of his concern are in the throat. What's your handicap the upcoming generation, which will be worthless and lazy you are worried. " Since that day, Seth left the worry.
-- "How full and satisfied life, we feel, but your special friend with a place to drink two cups of tea should always be." 'Pure sweet voice to speak from the heart'
The following questions were put before Sri Sugunendra Theertha Swamji of Udupi Puthige Matha (of the Madhva Sampradaya) by devotees during his visit to Detroit.
Question One:
Plants are also having life, so killing plants should also be a sin. Thus in what way is vegetarian food better than non-vegetarian food in terms of killing or committing "sin"?
Answer by Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji:
This is a very good question. It is true that plants also have "life" and killing plants is also sin. So the best way to observe total non-violence is to follow "Shiloncha Vraththi". That is to take only those fruits which have naturally fallen from the trees or plants. In this way we are doing harm to no one. But everyone can not follow that vow. We have to take food in order to survive and sustain this body. It is a necessity of survival. But we need to take that path which is less sinful and does less harm to other jivas
Now there are two reasons to say that vegetarian food is having insignificant sin. Many of the plants like rice, wheat, etc., are having life only for one crop time. Once their yield is over, they die naturally, even if we don't cut them. So by cutting those plants (which have already died) we are doing less sin or no sin at all. In many other plants, like mango, coconut, etc., by plucking the fruit, we are not killing the plants, and so we are doing very minimal sin or no sin at all. So vegetarian food is less sinful. More over, it is inevitable for our survival, but non-vegetarian food is a luxury to us and we can survive even if we avoid that. It is more sinful since we need to kill animals all of the time.
Next we need to know why certain acts are sinful. Each and every life (whether plant, animal, or human) has come to this world to do "sadhana
liberation from the cycle of birth and death'); return false">moksha" (liberation). Whenever such "sadhana" opportunities are cut short, it becomes a sin. For plants there is not much "sadhana" available to them. They can not do any kind of physical or mental activities in terms of "sadhana". So by cutting them, we are not doing much harm to their "sadhana" or reducing their opportunity for "sadhana" (spiritual practice). So it is not so sinful. But animals can do a good amount of "sadhana" by means of physical and mental activities. By killing them, we are cutting short their opportunities to do "sadhana" towards their liberation (moksha). Thus it is much more sinful.
To support this aspect further I will give an example. "Suicide" is considered as the greatest sin, even though no one else is troubled other than the one individual, because God has given us this wonderful body and mind to do "sadhana" by which we work towards moksha. By rejecting this offer or by cutting short this "sadhana", we are insulting God and betraying him. Thus suicide is considered highly sinful. There is another example in the scriptures I would like to cite. Suppose there is a very, very old man, incapable of doing any physical and mental activities. Then according to the scriptures he can enter into fire to end his life. That is not considered a sin because he cannot do any more "sadhana" by himself or through others. So in general, any act which is cutting short our, or others', "sadhana" is considered as a sin. Thus from this angle, vegetarians are committing less sins than those who eat meat. Question Two:
We were thinking that only human beings have thinking ability, and thus only they can do "sadhana" (spiritual practices), but that other animals could not. Is this concept false? How can animals do "sadhana"?
Answer by Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji:
This is not true. All animals can also do "sadhana" (spiritual practices). Otherwise there is a fundamental problem in the universal system. If animals cannot do "sadhana", they can not get better lives, which lead to the human life. If they can not get a human life, then they can not get moksha (liberation) at all at any time. This is not true, thus it is proven that animals also do "sadhana" and get better lives.
They do "sadhana" by their mental activities. We can see a lot of differences in the behaviors of various animals. In the same category of, say cat, dog or cow, we can see a lot of difference between two animals. For example some are soft, some are sensitive, some are more active, etc. This is due to their mental "sadhana". Also in children, who are not having developed thinking power, we can see many differences. We have seen a child, in Bombay, around 2 years old. He loves Krishna like anything. While sleeping, he tightly hugs a Krishna idol. He does not drink milk without offering to Krishna. He always wants to listen to Krishna's stories. He always wants to see the puja
a ritual worship ceremony'); return false">puja of Krishna. It is really amazing to witness. This is all due to previous "samskara" (purification). Like this, animals also will have their own previous samskara and "sadhana".
Question Three:
Is it true that in olden days, the sages used to eat meat? There is an incident of Agasthya Muni eating meat in the "Vathapi - Ilvala" story.
Answer by Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji:
Yes, we can see some mention about such things in very old stories. We need to understand clearly why and under what circumstances they used to consume meat. Firstly, they used to take meat, but not as their regular food. The animal would be offered to 'yajna
But today meat is not approved for religious people such as brahmanas
One of the four natural divisions of society, which refers to the spiritualists. In later times it came to refer to a caste determined by birth.'); return false">brahmanas. First we need to understand why we consume food. It is to have good health. Health means not only the physical health, but the mental health also plays a very important role. That's why in Sanskrit it is known as "swasthya", which means mental peace, purity and health. Meat or non-vegetarian food improves the body, but not the mind. So for those people who need to have physical strength, like soldiers, meat is not prohibited. Soldiers do not need to have as much thinking power. They have to fight like machines. But for spiritual people such as brahmanas, mental power is the more important. We need to have peace and purity of mind, stability and concentration of mind. For such people meat is prohibited. Since ages our ancestors were eating vegetarian food, and so brahmanas are generally considered as soft, kind hearted, stable and intelligent people. If we start consuming meat, slowly we will loose all these good qualities. We will not see these negative changes overnight. It takes time but we will see the changes clearly in the later generations.
Question Four:
There are many noble laureates who are meat eaters. How can we explain that?
Answer by Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji:
Getting a noble prize is not at all a yardstick to measure the peace and purity, stability and concentration of someone's mind. It is known that the suicide rate is high in scientists as well. Actually scientists are more disturbed in their mind. Due to this, they get activated and get involved deeply in something and come out with some new concepts or ideas. For their success, the basic reason is not the peaceful mind, but their disturbed mind. Generally brahmanas who are suppose to have the mental capacity to understand "brahman" (God), need to have a very good concentration power for performing "japa
austerities or penance'); return false">tapa" (austerities). They are supposed to be people who are not mentally disturbed. In olden days even if they consumed meat, they used to keep up their mental stability and peace of mind due to their yogic power or "tapas" (severe austerity). But now in the present age of kali-yuga
the quality of goodness or purity'); return false">sattvic atmosphere and sattvic qualities are reducing because we are not doing enough japa, tapa, etc. So if we start consuming meat we will loose all our good mental qualities very quickly. In kaliyuga, meat is strictly prohibited for brahmanas. It is also sinful for all people, as mentioned in the previous answers.
Question Five:
Is it not a sin to kill silkworms for silk cloth, or to kill deers for making deer skin meditation mats?
Answer by Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji:
The short answer is that it is a sin if we do it for trading purposes. For a detailed answer, first we need to understand what is sin. It is not a substance associated with a particular activity. The same activity can result in either sin or no sin depending upon the purpose, intention and circumstance. For example, killing in general is a sin, but killing a demon or murderer is not a sin. Similarly, in olden days kings used to go for hunting. It was not considered a sin because they used to kill only those wild animals which were troublesome to the sages and the nearby villagers. Similarly if we kill animals to avoid being killed, it is not a sin. As said earlier, every creature in this world is here for doing "sadhana". In this world the priority is for those who are doing greater "sadhana". To accomplish that, if others have to sacrifice their "sadhana", there is no harm in that. For example, assume that there are two students in a house. One is preparing for second grade and the other is preparing for a college medical exam. Though both are preparing for their exams, we consider that the medical exam is more important and give preference to him. If needed, we may ask the other student to sacrifice his preparation, because he will not lose much. Similarly, in this world, the living entity who is doing a higher level of sadhana, gets preference. So for the benefit of the higher sadhana, others performing lesser sadhana may be sacrificed without any sin. If we are preparing silk for God's pooja, then it is not a sin. But if we are preparing silk for decorating ourselves, then it is a sin. So we need to understand what is the purpose of the action, and what is going to be achieved finally.
The Appearance Day of LOrd JAgannath Balaram and Subhadra Devi in This Material World to Shower Mercy on us !!!!!!
Snan Yatra
A special bath of Jagannath takes place on the Purnima of Jyestha month (Devasnan Purnima), to commemorate the appearance day of Lord Jagannath.
According to Skanda Purana when Raja Indradyumna installed the wooden deities he arranged this bathing ceremony. This day considered to be the birth-day of Lord jagannath. Held in the full-moon day of the month of Jyestha this festival is also simultaneously held in all other important Puri, it attracts thousands of visitors and pilgrims from all over the country.
'Niladri Mohadaya', a religious text written in Orissan (Oriya) records the rituals of the festival. Sriharsa in his 'naisadhiya Charita' (XV.89) also refers to this festival of Purushottama. This bathing ceremony has a speciality. As this festival does not find mention in the early religious texts, it is believed to be a tribal ceremony. Lord.Jagannath in His early form was being worshipped as Nilamadhava by a Savara chief called Viswabasu. The story is nicely told in the drama Jagannath Priyan natakam. Till now it is the Daitas and Savars (tribals) who have the exclusive right to conduct the festival. The tribals called Saoras (of southern Orissa) still perform a rite to bath their Deities ceremonially on the last day of the month of Jyestha. For this they collect water from remote Jungles where it remains untouched even by the shadow of the animals.
On the previous day of Snana Yatra the images of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra along with the image of Sudarshana are ceremonially brought out from the sanctum in a procession to the Snana-vedi (Bathing pandal). This special pandal in the temple precinct of Puri is called Snana Mandap. It is at such a height that visitors standing outside the temple also gate a glimpse of the Deities.
On the fourteenth day (Chaturdashi - the day before the bathing - Purnima) when the Deities are taken out in procession, the whole process is called Pahandi or Pahandi vijay. Scholars have given different interpretations of the term ('Pahandi'). Some opine that it has been derived from the term 'Praspanda' meaning movement. Some others are inclined to interpret it as derivation from Pandya vijaya. For the festival the the Snana Vedi (bathing platform) is well decorated with traditional paintings of trees and gardens. Flags and toranas (arches strung with mango leaves) are also put up. The Deities are profusely decorated with flowers. All kinds of perfumes such as Dhupa (incense), Aguru (oils) etc. are then offered. As the 'Pahandi' of the Deities takes place to the accompaniment of music and beating of various indigenous drums. Thousands of devotees jostle and crave for a look at the Deities in procession.
In Puri the bathing procedure is as follows: After Mangala Arati, the Suaras and Mahasuaras go in a ceremonial procession to fetch water from Suna Kua (Golden well) in one hundred and thirty, vessels of copper and gold. All of them cover their mouths with a piece of cloth so as not to contaminate it even with their breath. Then all the vessels filled with water are preserved in the Bhoga Mandap. The Palla pandas (a class of Brahmin priests) then purify the water with Haridra (turmeric), Java (whole rice), Benachera, Chandan, Aguru, flowers, perfumes and medicinal herbs.
The bathing festival takes place during the morning hours of the purnima tithi. The filled vessels are carried from Bhoga Mandap to the Snana Vedi by the Suaras in a long single-line procession. This ritual is called 'Jaladhibasa' (Jala - water, abhishek - bath).
Prior to the bathing ceremony Jagannath, Baladeva and is Subhadra, covered in silken cloth and then smeared with red powder, are taken in procession to a platform which is specially decorated and purified with water and incense. One hundred and eight gold vessels are filled with water taken from a special well containing waters from all the holy tirthas. Abhiseka is performed with this water, accompanied by the chanting of vedic (Pavamana Sukta) mantras, kirtana and blowing of conch shells.
Due to the amount of bathing liquids that are offered to cool the Lord's transcendental body at this time, bear in mind that this is the hottest time in India just prior to the refreshing monsoon rains, His painted form takes a bit of a wash-out. The colouration of the Deity's faces are painted on with natural earthly mineral paints not modern oil based paints, so when water is applied to cool Their forms it also has the effect of washing away the features of he former painting. As usual the Lord has a plan to make everything go smoothly. To bridge the episode of His bathing and the period that He comes out to bless everyone for Rathyatra He organized some special pastimes by which he devotees can serve Him and remember His wonderful forms.
So to keep a wonderful mood of seeing the Lord in an uplifting manner the Lord arranged for the Hati Vesha festival where Lord Jagannatha and Lord Balaram then puts on the elephant dress, Hati Vesha, and Lady Subhadra wears a lotus flower vesha.
The original story is told in several different ways, some call Hati snan (elephant bath) some call Ganesh abhishek as they identify the following story as being the original cause of the Lord to wear this elephant vesh for His devotee: It is said that a staunch devotee of Lord Ganesh and himself a profound scholar visited Puri during Snana Yatra. He was amply rewarded by the king of Orissa for his scholarship. The king asked the scholar to accompany him to see Lord Jagannath which he refused under the pretext that he wouldn't worship any "God" other than his Ishthadevata Ganesh. Somehow he was persuaded and brought before the Snana vedi. To the utter surprise of all, Lord Jagannath appeared with an elephantine form that resembled as Ganesh. Since then during Snana Yatra when the sacred bath is performed, the Deities are dressed like like elephants - resembling Ganesh. Various other legends are also told and reasons assigned explaining the Ganesh besa (vesha).
During the sacred bath the colours painted on the images generally fade. seeing the wooden deities in discolour devotees may not have the appropriate devotional attitude and in fact may feel sinful repugnance. For this reason, the images are immediately dressed in the Hati vesha (besa) in which they remain mostly covered.
After the Snana Yatra, the Deities are kept away from public view for fifteen days and during all these days the daily rites of the temple remain suspended. As Jagannatha himself instructed, after this ceremony, he is not seen for a fortnight. The Deities are kept on a special "sick room" called the Ratan vedi inside the temple. This period is called 'Anabasara kala' meaning improper time for worship. It has been said earlier that the Deities are discoloured as a result of the sacred bath - some say look a bit off colour........ During these fifteen days the Daitas (descendants of Viswavasu, the Savara) repaint and restore the Deities and Jagannath's fine decorations. The period of colouring and decorating the Deities is divided into seven short periods, each of two days duration, and a short period of one day set apart to give finishing touches. Thus the period covers the whole fortnight. On the 16th day the Deities in their new forms after renovation become ready for the public view - darshan. The festival of the first appearance of the Lord Jagannath to his devotees is called Netrotsava (festival for the eyes) or Nava Yauvanotsava (festival of the ever new youth). According to priests of the Jagannath temple the devotee washes away all his sins if he gets a vision of the Lord on this day. On this occasion, therefore, great rush of people occurs in the temple.
The Shilpa Shastras and Agamas testify that the Deities become suitable for worship only after the performance of the rite of 'Chakshyu Unmilana' (Opening of the eyes). During 'Anabasara', the Daitas offer to the Deities only fruits and water mixed with cheese, and and Dasa mula medicines to cure his fever.. In a devotional mood the devotees accept that due to all the bathing the Lord becomes transcendentally poorly, and therefore needs to take rest. Like human beings they are considered to have fallen ill and are treated by the Raj Vaidya or the King's physician with specific medicines (Dasamulas).
The temple-festivals which are held in a bigger and elaborate scale in the important shrines of Puri and Bhubaneswar are also held simultaneously in all other small shrines of the respective Deities, though in modest scales. Likewise the Snana Yatra is held in many other temples of Orissa, and now all over the world.
A short video of the annual Snana Yatra festival (bathing of Lord Jagannatha) in Puri recorded in June, 2007. Once a year the deities of Lord Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken out of the temple for a bathing ceremony. This occurs approximately two weeks before the Ratha Yatra festival. In this video you can see Lord Jagannatha dressed in hativesh, the "elephant dress".
Other deities may also receive abhiseka on this day. One should perform puja and bathe the Deities with water or panca gavya and pancamrta while chanting the vedic mantras like purusa sukta.
The Snan yatra bathing ceremony of Lord Jagannath has become one of the most popular festivals on the Iskcon calendar over the years since His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad introduced it to the world outside of India. Traditionally this festival has been going on since the time of the carving of the 'Dharu-brahman' Deities of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balaram, and Lady Subhadra in Sri Purushottam Kshetra (Jagannath Puri) thousands of years ago, commemorating Their sacred appearance for Their devotees - primarily the saintly King Maharaj Indradyumna. Many of you would know that after the bathing ceremony the Lord catches a transcendental chill, are fed sweet foods and drinks to break Their fever, and then retires for Their 'Anavasara kala' - recuperation period. In Jagannath Puri where the Deities are painted with natural mineral paints, after the bathing ceremony the paints have a tendency to run and the Deities would be not viewable to the general public. So to allow the devotees to partake further in the Lord's pastimes, They made a special arrangement with one 'brahmin' who came to visit to take 'darshan' at this time.
Lord Sri Krishna, Jagannath is the Lord of the Universe and so in essence is the original creator of everything, nothing exists without Him. In one sense then everything is Him, at least coming from Him. Just as in the creation of a by-product from an original source the by-product has it’s existence by association with the original object. Shastra gives the example of milk being transformed into yogurt for a functionary analogy of Krishna being like the original source (milk in this case) and lord Shiva being like yogurt, having come in contact with a culture for his functionary activities in the material world. The milk therefore in one sense created yogurt, but that yogurt can never again become milk. Therefore it, although one in origin, it is different, becoming secondary or mutated potency and therefore lessor in potency and function. Sripad Shankaracarya taught a very dangerous philosophy called pancopasika (païcopäsanä – Chaitanya Chairitamrta Adi-lila 7:151. Purport; Madhya-lila 9:360. purport), which wrongly inferred that the Lord and His primary creation, and the predominating Deities of it were equal in potency to Him. He said that Lord Vishnu, Ganesh, Shiva, Surya, Laxmi (Durga, Kali, Saraswati) were/are equal which to us, and to Lord Vishnu is to be considered as a grave offense (çivasya çré-viñëor ya iha guëa-nämädi-sakalaà / dhiyä bhinnaà paçyet sa khalu hari-nämähita-karaù. – Padma Purana.) In various places it is phrased slightly different ways; (2) to consider the Lord and the demigods to be on the same level or to think that there are many gods (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Sri Chaitanya Charitamrta Adi-lila 7:73., purport.) (b) to consider the name of Lord Çiva or any other demigod to be equally as powerful as the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (no one is equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, nor is anyone superior to Him)(A.C. Bhaktivedanta swami Prabhupada. SB 7:5:23-24. Purport.) ”The second offense is to see the holy names of the Lord in terms of worldly distinction. The Lord is the proprietor of all the universes, and therefore He may be known in different places by different names, but that does not in any way qualify the fullness of the Lord. Any nomenclature which is meant for the Supreme Lord is as holy as the others because they are all meant for the Lord. Such holy names are as powerful as the Lord, and there is no bar for anyone in any part of the creation to chant and glorify the Lord by the particular name of the Lord as it is locally understood. They are all auspicious, and one should not distinguish such names of the Lord as material commodities.”(A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Srimad bhagavatam 2:1:11. Purport.)
sthävara-jaìgama dekhe, nä dekhe tära mürti sarvatra haya nija iñöa-deva-sphürti
“A Vaiñëava never sees the material form of anything, moving or nonmoving. Rather, everywhere he looks he sees the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and immediately he remembers the transcendental form of the Lord.”
This wonderfully merciful and enlivening story of the Lord knowing the heart of His devotee, and personally bestowing His mercy upon him has nothing what so ever with that deviant philosophy. The story goes that this 'brahmin' was a devotee of Lord Jagannath, but for some reason expected to see the elephant-headed deva, Ganesh, in the temple. The 'brahmin' was somewhat disappointed seeing the deva / demigod not there, and that Lord Jagannath had been bathed already and that They were looking a bit 'off colour' with Their mineral paint colours running. In many ways the hearts’ desire of that devotee were unfulfilled. Then that night, knowing his heart, the Lord appeared to the devotee in a dream and told him to go back to the temple and he would not be disappointed. Rather all his desires would be fulfilled by worshipping Lord Jagannath and not by separatedly worshipping any deva (Bhagavad Gita 9:23.). The all merciful Lord then appeared to his devotee; Lord Jagannath and Lord Balaram assumed the appearance of beautifully decorated elephants, while Lady Subhadra decorated Herself as a Lotus flower. From that time on they began the Hati Vesha (Elephant Mask) festival. Consequently some call it the Hati-vesh festival, some the Ganesh-vesh festival. Both are correct – the Lord assumed a special form to satisfy His devotee, just as in other cultures we hear stories of the Lord appearing to Moses in the form of a Burning Bush, or to Mohammed in the form of sound, or as with Jagannath in the form of the Dharu-brahman logs that washed up upon the ocean shore to be carried by the sabara Virabhadra, and fashioned by the architect of the devas Vishvakarma into the wonderful forms of Sriyuts Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra maharani we see before us.
Formerly when we were in Mayapur we had the rare opportunity to discuss through some local devotees (Jananirvas and Pakajanagrhi prabhus) with 'pujaris' from Jagannath Puri who were helping to authenticate Iskcon's 'seva' to the Lord at the Jagannath temple in Mayapur. They described to me the festival, and how to execute it. Since then we began that festival in Melbourne, Australia where the festival is still an escalating favourite with all of the congregation of devotees. In essence the festival begins with Their Lordships coming to the Snan-Vedi. At this time everyone there gets the great blessing of being able to render the service of bathing the Lord in nectarean natural bathing substances. After that the Deities return to the altar to be cleaned off, where They are tended by Their 'sevaks'. The Deities are then dressed in their 'Hati Veshes' (Elephant Masks) and offered a wonderful myriad of sweets and sticky buns, cakes, and local delicacies - as all elephants, and especially These Transcendental Ones, love. The curtains are again opened leaving the food offerings of love for all to see before the Lord. The 'Arati' ceremony is then performed, and according to the Jagannath pujaris, traditionally it is accepted that the Lord bestows all benedictions and blessings upon those fortunate enough to be there to see Them there in Their Elephant masks. After the 'Arati' the Deities retire to Their 'Anavasara' rest rooms to 'restore the colour to Their cheeks', where the Lord will be served in private intimacy for the next couple of weeks up to the 'netrotsava' or 'nava yauvanotsava' - first restoration 'darshan'. The abundance of offerings are then distributed for a small donation to all the eager devotees who wait to savour the culinary blessings of the Lord too. Their Lordships now have their very own Hati Veshes so that everyone may participate in this transcendental festival.
In India Snan Yatra arrives at a very appropriate time.
The scenario is like this;
First comes Chandan Yatra - the weather is so hot by now that one constantly sweats and sweats. The only thing to really provide one with a cooling solution is to cover oneself with sandal wood pulp. As the sandal wood dries it protects one from the heat, and any sweat that does come out moistens the sandalwood which when touched by a breeze gives amazing relief from the heat.
Then comes Snan Yatra. By now the heat is stifling, all that anyone wants to do is submerge themselves in the waters of the Yamuna, or the Bay of Bengal in Jagannath Puri. The only solace is water - and so the Supreme enjoyer also enacts this wonderful of bathing with His devotees. If anyone has the great good fortune to go to Vrindavan during Snan Yatra it is the most transcendental time - for me at least it's the nicest time of year. At every temple, in all of Vrindavan, every Deity comes into festive bathing mood. It's the most amazing thing, to go from temple to temple enjoying seeing and participating in the Lord's transcendental festival of Snan Yatra. At the Sri Radha Raman temple there is the most spectacular festival ( ask who has been there - during snan yatra?) The Deity of Radha Ramanji is brought to the front of the pitha/altar - first there's a spectacular arati for Him - followed by all manner of offerings - then the Lord is sprayed with water from two shower-like sprays one either side of Him. Under the sprays are coloured lights which tastefully go on and off and different colours while the Lord stands there playing on His flute. The Radha Raman temple is so designed that the devotees have built in a sprinkler system all round the top of the wall, and even on the fans. After the Lord takes His bath, all the devotees take their bath - as the sprinkler system is turned on. And actually proving the practical nature of these transcendental festivals it is so nice and refreshing.
The Lord's festivals go on as the weather increases in it's heat and humidity. The Lord then goes out on His Rath chariot under a canopy protected from the rain, and blistering sun that alternate during the journey on Rathyatra day.
Then as the humidity increases, raining most days, muggy like anything, sometimes 98% humidity is recorded for days in Vrindavan, and the temperature is 35+ the last thing that you want is water. The air is thick with water, and there's not a breeze to be found - so the Lord then comes to His Jhulan swing, and enjoys His transcendental rasa of being swung by His loving devotees.
The essence is that we at these times give pleasure to the Lord, by providing Him with the service that He requires to keep cool. By that service the Lord blesses us with love, and remembrance for Him.
Just like today we're observing this Snan yatra. Everyone will get the chance to come forward, after purifying your hands, and assist in bathing the transcendental form of Lord Jagannath, Baladeva, and Lady Subhadra. Afterwards the Deities will go back into the Deity room momentarily to get cleaned up, and dried. Then following in the tradition of Jagannath Puri we'll offer the Lord a feast of sweetmeats, for the Lord to enjoy in His form of the Hati Vesha.
The festival begins with Their Lordships coming to the Snan-Vedi. At this time everyone here gets the great blessing of being able to render the service of bathing the Lord in nectarean natural bathing substances.
But don't go afterwards, take a little prasadam, and then come back because according to the tradition in Puri Lord Jagannath and His Transcendental Brother and Sister pour profuse blessing upon everyone, EVERYONE, who come to see Them dressed in Their Hati Veshes.
So please have a great time, and help us give a cooling pleasure to Lord Jagannath, Baladev and Lady Subhadra.
Kirtan begins: Jaya Jagannath Deities come to the Snan Vedi:
Sri Sriyuts Jagannath, Baladeva, Srimati Subhadra Maharani Snan-yatra & Hati Vesha Utsav ki jaya.
Please Chant: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare And be a part of spreading the Holy name of Lord !!!
