SB 2.2.12 – Darshan of Lord Jagannatha

Giriraj Swami: 

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya 

Today is the auspicious day of Sri Jagannatha Ratha-yatra. The Ratha-yatra festival is many thousands of years old. The history of the story of Lord Jagannatha is told in various ancient scriptures. There was once a very beautiful Deity of Lord Krishna named Nila Madhava, and He was worshiped in a forest by a devotee who belonged to the class of pig-keepers or Shabars.

It is a long story, but King Indradyumna was also a great devotee of Lord Krishna, and he wanted to find his worshipable Lord Nila Madhava. Eventually, the Deity disappeared and reappeared in the form of Lord Jagannatha. And how He reappeared as Lord Jagannatha is also a very interesting story, but to come quickly to the point, King Indradyumna engaged one sculptor to carve the Deity of Lord Krishna. He was to sculpt Deities of Lord Krishna, Balarama, and Subhadra, and he agreed to do so on one condition, that he would be allowed to work in seclusion, and no one would be allowed to interrupt him or see the work in progress. If anyone did enter to see the work in progress, he would immediately stop the work. So, King Indradyumna agreed to the conditions and the sculptor began to work.

But day by day, King Indradyumna’s desire to see his worshipable Lord became stronger and stronger, and he would sit outside the door of the sculptor’s studio and listen to the tapping of the sculptor’s tools. One day, he did not hear the sculptor’s tools at work, and in his extreme eagerness to see his worshipful Lord, he entered the sculptor’s studio. And there he saw the three incomplete forms of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra, as They appear today. He immediately recognized Them as his worshipable Deities and offered his respects to Them. Srila Prabhupada said that the beauty of the Jagannatha Deities comes in the crudeness. Lord Chaitanya resided for many years in Jagannatha Puri. Actually, Lord Chaitanya manifests His pastimes for forty-eight years.

Sri Sri Lakshmi-Nṛsiṁhadeva ki jaya!

He passed His first twenty-four years in Sri Navadvipa dhāma. He passed His next six years traveling throughout India and preaching. And He passed His last eighteen years in Jagannatha Puri. And every day, He would go to the temple of Lord Jagannatha for darshan. Caitanya-caritāmṛta explains that when Lord Chaitanya saw the Deity of Lord Jagannatha, He saw directly Lord Krishna Himself. So, Jagannatha Ratha-yatra is a very special festival.

Generally, people go to the temple to see the Lord, but in Ratha-yatra, the Lord is so merciful that He comes out of the temple to meet the people and thus bestow mercy upon them. One year, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was interviewed on radio about Ratha-yatra. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura told another story about the forms of the Deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra. When Lord Krishna left Vrindavan to come to Mathura and ultimately Dvaraka, all of the residents of Vrindavan were plunged in the ocean of grief of separation. Practically, they spent their days and nights simply remembering Krishna and weeping. They performed their bodily functions and other duties like machines, but their minds and hearts were filled with feelings of separation from Krishna.

Meanwhile, Lord Krishna was living as a royal prince in Dvaraka, but He was also feeling separation from His beloved devotees in Vrindavan. And sometimes, in the middle of the night, He would wake up calling the names of His friends; Balarama, Subal, Sridham. He had so much love even for the cows that He would call the names of the cows and calves. And sometimes He would speak in His sleep the names of His beloved gopīs. So, the residents of Dvaraka could not understand what it is about the residents of Vrindavan that makes Lord Krishna so attached to them. Even in the midst of the opulence of Dvaraka, in the company of beautiful queens and other relatives, Krishna was remembering Vrindavan.

So, the residents of Dvaraka were very eager to know about the pastimes of Krishna in Vrindavan. So, one of the residents of Dvaraka had actually been present in Vrindavan for Lord Krishna’s childhood pastimes, Mother Rohini. Although she was one of the wives of Vasudeva, she was kept under the shelter of Nanda Maharaja in Vrindavan to escape the atrocities of King Kaṁsa. So, all of the ladies requested Mother Rohini to speak about the pastimes of Krishna in Vrindavan, and they all assembled in one hall in Dvaraka. They did not want to be disturbed or interrupted. So, Lady Subhadra agreed that she would stand outside the hall and guard the door so that no one would enter and disturb them. But she also wanted to hear the kathā. So, she kept her ears to the door, and hearing the pastimes of Krishna with the devotees in Vrindavan, she melted in ecstasy, and her face assumed the features of the Deity of Subhadra.

After some time, Lord Balarama came, and He saw His sister with her ear to the door. So, He also put His ears to the door, and He also melted in ecstasy and assumed the same wide eyes, and broad mouth, as we see in the Deity of Baladeva. Then, Lord Krishna came by, and He saw Lord Balarama and Lady Subhadra with their ears to the door. He thought, I should also hear. And hearing about His own pastimes with His beloved devotees in Vrindavan, He also melted in ecstasy and assumed the same features as the Jagannatha Deity, which we can see even today. So, the forms of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra are filled with ecstasy, filled with mercy. And we can approach Them very easily in Their mood of ecstasy. And very easily, They will reciprocate and give us Their mercy.

There are many statements in the scriptures about the benefits of observing Jagannatha Ratha-yatra, that if one simply pulls the ropes of the chariot during Ratha-yatra, he is liberated. If one sees the beautiful features of Lord Jagannatha in Ratha-yatra, he is liberated. So, one disciple asked Srila Prabhupada, “How is it possible that just by joining in Ratha-yatra once, one can be liberated?” Srila Prabhupada replied, “At the time of death, all of the memories of our life pass through our minds very quickly, one after the other. It’s like a film or a movie which is running at a very high speed.”

Srila Prabhupada explained, “When the frame of the picture of Lord Jagannatha that one has seen in Ratha-yatra appears within one’s mind, it will freeze. The movie will stop, and the image of Lord Jagannatha will remain in the mind. And thus, one may leave his body with Lord Jagannatha in his mind. And thus, he would be liberated.” So, Jagannatha Ratha-yatra is very important for all devotees.

When Lord Chaitanya was residing in Jagannatha Puri, He would observe the Ratha-yatra festival every year. But He would observe the festival in a very special mood, in the mood of Srimati Radharani when She met Lord Krishna at Kurukshetra. After Lord Krishna left Vrindavan and had spent many years in Dvaraka, He announced that He would go to attend the solar eclipse at the holy place known as Kurukshetra.

And when the news spread that Lord Krishna would go to Kurukshetra for the eclipse, great kings, sages, and saintly persons throughout India decided they would also go. Not exactly because they wanted to observe the eclipse in Kurukshetra, but because they wanted to have darshan of Lord Krishna. So, they all came to Kurukshetra. Even the residents of Vrindavan thought, Let us also take the opportunity and see Lord Krishna. So, loading their bullock carts, they traveled from Vrindavan to Kurukshetra. After a separation of many years, they were able to see their beloved Lord Krishna.

So, during the Ratha-yatra celebration, Lord Chaitanya recited what appeared to be a mundane song, and the words to the song were spoken by a girl to her lover. And no one could really understand the significance of the words. Only Svarupa Damodara Gosvami could understand, but he kept the meaning secret. One year, by chance, Srila Rupa Gosvami happened to be present for Ratha-yatra, and he understood the significance of the words of the song, and he composed one verse, which broadcasts the meaning to everyone. The purport of the verse is explained very nicely by Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Srimati Radharani has come to Kurukshetra to meet Sri Krishna, and She says to Lord Krishna, “I am the same Radharani, and You are the same Krishna, but I cannot relish loving exchanges with You here like in Vrindavan.” She said, “Here You are dressed as a royal prince with a helmet and opulent clothes. Whereas in Vrindavan, You were dressed as a cowherd boy with a peacock feather in Your hair and the flute in Your hand. In Vrindavan, We enjoyed the beauty of the forest, Govardhana Hill, and the River Yamuna. There was always the sound of the chirping of birds. But here, We are surrounded by chariots with horses and the sound of hooves beating on the ground. So, although You are the same Krishna, and I am the same Radha, but I cannot enjoy transcendental mellows with You here as in Vrindavan. So, please come back to Vrindavan.”

In Her ecstatic love for Krishna, Srimati Radharani would have grabbed the reins of the chariot to physically pull Lord Krishna back to Vrindavan. Lord Chaitanya celebrated the Ratha-yatra in the same mood as Srimati Radharani, who is trying to bring Krishna back to Vrindavan. In caitanya-līlā, Nilacala or Jagannatha Puri represents Dvaraka or Kurukshetra, and Sundaracala, with the Gundica temple, represents Vrindavan. And Lord Chaitanya pulling the ropes of the chariot of Jagannatha is in the same mood as Srimati Radharani who wanted to drag Lord Krishna back to Vrindavan.

So, there is much significance to the celebration of Jagannatha Ratha-yatra. And therefore, Srila Prabhupada introduced the Ratha-yatra festival very early in the history of ISKCON. The celebration of Jagannatha Ratha-yatra is being introduced in cities throughout the world. So, we should take advantage of the Ratha-yatra today, not just for the sake of our own happiness or our own liberation, but for the sake of helping others receive the mercy of Lord Jagannatha as well. We should act in such a way as to inspire others to come forward and get the mercy of Lord Jagannatha in the form of the audience, His darshan, in the form of the holy name, in the form of transcendental literatures on the subject of Krishna consciousness, and of course, in the form of kṛṣṇa-prasāda. And if possible, we can invite people to associate with us, to visit our centers, and to maintain contact with Krishna consciousness. And that will please Srila Prabhupada and Lord Jagannatha very much.

Hare Krishna. So, are there any questions or comments?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:33:10].

Giriraj Swami: Well, it depends on what form you see when you look at the Deities. When Lord Chaitanya saw the Deity of Lord Jagannatha, He saw Nanda-nandana, Lord Krishna Himself. It depends on what you see. Yesterday, we were discussing that one should begin meditation on the form of the Lord from the lotus feet. One disciple asked Srila Prabhupada the same question, “We are supposed to begin meditating on the form of the Lord from the lotus feet. But Lord Jagannatha has no feet. So, on what should I meditate first?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Whatever you can see.”

So, Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra are the same, and if we see blocks of wood painted with images and covered with cloth and ornaments, then no, Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra did not have those forms. But we can see the original forms if we have the eyes. Otherwise, the features represented, as I mentioned, are the features of Them in ecstasy when They were hearing the pastimes of Krishna in Vrindavan. And the forms are eternal forms as Deities.

Any other questions or comments?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:36:05].

Giriraj Swami: Well, She is speaking in a general sense, but She is expressing the sentiment mainly that there is something different. I mean, when Krishna was in Vrindavan, the Vasudeva Krishna was also included within the original Krishna. So, in one sense, Vasudeva Krishna is the same Krishna, although not fully manifest like the original Krishna. But Srimati Radharani was not really making a comment in a technical way about which form of the Lord was present at Kurukshetra, but She was saying in a personal way, “I can’t actually reciprocate with You here like in Vrindavan. So, You should come back to Vrindavan.”

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:39:45].

Giriraj Swami: Krishna is also always in bliss, still, He has different moods. ānandamayo ’bhyāsāt, the Absolute Truth is full of bliss. So, within the category of bliss, there are many varieties. Same with the pure devotee. So, if we are able, we can take advantage of the particular mood of the Lord or the devotee. We can understand the particular mood of the Lord or the spiritual master and reciprocate in the appropriate way. Because Krishna is a person, the spiritual master is a person, and persons have various moods. In the spiritual world, all the different moods are in the same category of transcendental bliss. And in the material world, all the different moods are in the category of nescience.

Srila Prabhupada gave the example of a mad man. Sometimes he is laughing hysterically, and sometimes he is weeping hysterically. But it doesn’t really make any difference because in either case, he is suffering. So, the same applies to ordinary materialistic persons. Sometimes they may laugh, sometimes they may cry, but they are always suffering.

So, in the case of liberated souls, sometimes they also may laugh, and sometimes they also may cry, but both are manifestations of transcendental ecstasy. But still, one should try to understand the particular mood of the particular person, and reciprocate in the appropriate way. Even in ordinary dealings, we should be sensitive to the moods of others. Every year, the devotees from Bengal would travel in a party to Jagannatha Puri for the observance of cāturmāsya and Ratha-yatra. The organizer of the party was Sivananda Sen. He would arrange for the transportation, the accommodations along the way, and the food for the devotees.

So, one year, somehow at a particular place, there was no proper arrangement for Lord Nityananda. Lord Nityananda was very hungry, and there was no prasāda for Him. So, He became very angry, and when Sivananda Sen finally came, Nityananda Prabhu kicked him and cursed him. So, Sivananda Sen had, I believe, a nephew, who became very upset, and he took offense at Nityananda Prabhu’s actions. Sivananda Sen did not take offense. He felt, “We have offended Nityananda Prabhu, and if He kicks us, it is His mercy. If He curses us, it is His mercy. We deserve worse.” But the boy took offense, and he thought, Sivananda Sen is such an intimate associate of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Nityananda Prabhu to kick him, abuse him, and curse him? So, he left the party and went alone to Jagannatha Puri to meet Lord Chaitanya and complain.

So, when the boy reached Puri, he was first met by Lord Chaitanya’s servant, Govinda. And it is a system that when one comes before the Deity to worship the Deity, one doesn’t wear a kurta or shirt, but one just wears a piece of plain cloth. So, the boy was very upset, and he just wanted to fall on the feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, but Govinda stopped him, and he said, “First, you should take off your shirt.” Lord Chaitanya intervened, and he told Govinda, “Do not disturb him because he is upset.”

So, even though according to the rules, he should have removed his shirt, but Lord Chaitanya could understand that the boy was very upset, so He told Govinda not to bother the boy with rules and regulations. “Just let him come and unburden his heart.” Otherwise, we should be sensitive to the moods of the devotees.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:51:25].

Giriraj Swami: Krishna is always everywhere, but He is not always visible to our eyes. So, when Krishna came five thousand years ago, He allowed Himself to be seen by everyone in His original form as Krishna. So, when Krishna left Vrindavan, of course, the original Krishna was there, and Krishna is always everywhere, but in terms of His pastimes, He left Vrindavan. And the devotees in the pastimes saw, “Krishna had left Vrindavan. Krishna is not here anymore. He has gone to Mathura.” So, in the mood of the pastimes, they felt separation from Krishna. When the gopīs met Krishna at Kurukshetra, Krishna began to speak philosophy to them, “Why are you feeling separation from Me? I am everywhere.” And the gopīs said, “We don’t want any philosophy from You. We want You.” [laughter]

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Gaura premānande Hari Haribol!