It is that time of the year when the Lord of the Universe, Bhagwan Jagannatha is out on his celestial chariot. Rath Yatra is the celebration of Bhagawan Jagannatha’s annual visit to Gundicha Temple via his aunt’s residence, Mausi Maa Mandir near Saradha Bali, Puri. During this Chariot Festival, Jagannatha is accompanied by his siblings, Balabhadra and Subhadra along with the celestial wheel - Sudarshan Chakra. Jagannatha’s chariot is referred to as Nandighosha with 16 wheels, Balabhadra’s chariot is called Taladhwaja with 14 wheels and Subhadra’s Chariot is referred to as Darpadalana with just 12 wheels. The streets are strewn with huge gatherings of Bhaktas who throng to get a glimpse of Bhagwan on the main thoroughfare of Puri known as Bada Danda (Grand Road).
Eternal beings, living transient experiences
While the festival is widely known to commemorate the pomp, festivities and tribal culture of Odisha, it also has deep spiritual connotations. The movement of the deities on their celestial chariots is a personification of the imagery described in the Kathopanishad - the Divine Chariot representing the body, the horses symbolising the indriyas (senses) and the charioteer - the Divine Intelligence or the mind capable of channelising the senses.
The festival, however, is not just an esoteric representation of Bhagwan, but in fact, also has several references to stories that portray him to have human experiences! It is said that on the day of Devasnana Purnima, Bhagwan falls severely ill for about two weeks during which time, He is fed ‘chakta bhogo’ (prasadam made of wheat, sprouts, jackfruit and mango) and modak. It is said that once He fully recovers, He decides to visit his aunt at Gundicha temple for a change of mind! Another legend refers to how Lakshmi Devi is very agitated that Bhagawan had left her alone and was happily enjoying with his siblings at their aunt’s place. She visits their aunt’s place on the fifth day known as Hera Panchami to check if He was doing alright. However, she is unable to meet him properly. Terribly upset, Devi destroys a part of the Nandighosha in anger and returns back to the Srikshetra, Puri. It is said that Jagannatha has to cajole Devi with various sweet preparations once he returns!
The ancient Nabakalebar Ritual is undertaken according to astrological positions, once every 12 or 19 years (in Adhik Maas falling in Ashada month) signifies the death and re-birth of Jagannatha himself. It involves a detailed procedure wherein the wooden images of Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra are replaced with a new set of images involving the sacred search of the trees to be used for making the images. It is said that the tree used to make Jagnnatha’s image ought to have four principal branches, symbolizing the four arms of Narayana. The tree must be located near a three-way intersection or surrounded by three mountains. A hermitage and a temple to Shiva must be nearby, and natural impressions of a conch shell and chakra (wheel) must be on the trunk.
Continuing with the imagery of the impermanent body and the permanent atman, during the Nabakalebar ritual, only the body of the gods is changed, but the Brahman or the “Brahmapadartha (soul-substance)” within the wooden body (called “Daru Brahma” or the “Prime-Soul enshrined in wood”) is transferred from the old images to the new through a secret religious ceremony.
The Ratha Yatra immersion will be incomplete without the mention of Bhakta Salabega. We will look at this story more closely in the next blog of the Rath Yatra Series.
