Jagannatha consciousness

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Unique aspects of Jagannatha consciousness

 

By Subas Pani

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Jagannatha, literally the Lord of the World, the presiding deity of

the Srimandira of Puri embodies in himself the collective aspiration

not only of the Oriya race but of the entire Indian nation.

In the succession of incarnations, he is the last but the most

powerful and most compassionate. Identified as Krishna-Vishnu, he

has all the attributes of all the gods and goddesses, yet he is

beyond them and transcends them in many unique aspects.

 

He is the fountainhead of a consciousness, which cannot be confined

within the limits of a traditional religious-theological order, a

cult or even a philosophical system.

 

What, then, is Jagannatha Consciousness? What is so unique and

special about this consciousness?

 

In my humble opinion it will be sheer audacity for any human to

claim that he has fully understood what Jagannatha Consciousness is

and even more foolhardy to claim that he can describe it

comprehensively.

 

Jagannatha Consciousness is truly ineffable. One can only attempt,

with obvious limitations, to touch on some aspects to get the feel

of it.

 

Jagannatha is unique and Jagannatha Consciousness is also unique.

Jagannatha is the dark lord, the dark colour of his countenance can

be considered either as absence of any colour or as the commingling

of all colours in one.

 

But his is a darkness of a special kind. His is the darkness of

Krishna- a most pleasing and captivating darkness that makes the

gopis, the bhaktas and even the gods and goddesses pine for a

glimpse of his pretty countenance.

 

He is the 'Dark Darling', in whose praise saints and poets have

waxed eloquent over centuries. Those who are fortunate to have a

darshan of Dark Darling are emancipated from the travails of birth

and rebirth.

 

On a more mystic and symbolic plane, his choice of a dark visage

connotes his closeness to the masses, the dark skinned aborigines,

the savaras. Jara who killed Krishna and Viswavasu who worshipped

him as Nilamadhava and essentially heralds the victory of simple

devotion, the same devotion with which the savara woman fed Rama the

jungle berries after tasting each one to confirm its sweetness.

 

This latter brings us to another unique feature of Jagannatha

Consciousness, a consciousness which transcends the barrier of

caste, creed and colour.

 

Mahaprasada the offerings of food to Lord Jagannatha is shared by

the high caste Brahmins and the lowly Chandala. In fact, according

to traditions, the bond of friendship is sealed by exchange of

Mahaprasada.

 

As if the mere establishment of this unique catholicity was not

enough, the Lord enacted a colourful play to confirm this

universality, I refer to the legendary account of Sriya chandaluni.

Mother Laxmi accepts the offerings of her great devotee Sriya- a

chandaluni.

 

The Lords, specially elder brother Balarama is outraged and expels

Laxmi from the Srimandira. The exit of Laxmi brings in its trail a

series of misfortunes and humiliations and at last the lords accept

their mistake and proclaim the triumph of the sincere devotion of

Sriya.

 

The legendary, literary and poetic accounts are full of such

episodes like the lord accepting the gift of coconut from Dasia

Bauri, the lord coming to feed Bandhu Mohanty etc.

 

While Jagannatha is beyond the understanding of human intellect and

mere words are inadequate to describe the Jagannatha consciousness,

He is not beyond our reach.

 

All that is needed to get him is sincere and unalloyed devotion and

surrender. Again and again, Jagannatha has displayed his great

compassion in the resplendent victory of his bhaktas.

 

When the saint poet Salabega, struck by an illness, called out from

seven hundred and fifty krosas, and prayed that the lord remain in

his chariot till he reached there to have a glimpse of His pretty

countenance, the lord stopped his Nandighosa chariot at Balagandi

and moved only after His dear bhakta had His darshan to his heart's

content.

 

In His closeness to the devotees, to the millions pining for His

Grace, Jagannatha has no peers or equals. Where does one find a god

who surrenders himself totally to his dear devotees, who affords

such intimacy not only on the spiritual and mental planes but even

on a physical level.

 

During the annual sojourn to his garden house-Gundichabari, he is

pushed and pulled, coaxed and cajoled, threatened and abused, hugged

and embraced and carried in loving affection with such thrilled,

ecstatic intimacy, of which only He is capable. All distinctions and

barriers are dissolved in this grand festival and the god and his

devotees become one and the same.

 

In most, if not all other temples, it is the mobile representative

or the chalanti pratima which goes out in ritual procession. It is

only in Srimandira, the presiding deity Himself comes out every year

and commingles with His million devotees.

 

This feeling of Oneness of the god with his devotees is in fact

central to and is the core of Jagannatha Consciousness.

 

Another unique aspect of Jagannatha consciousness is the absolute

and total humanisation of the deity. Jagannatha is the supreme lord,

the God of all gods and yet he lives like a temporal lord with all

the trappings of royalty.

 

The Srimandira is organised like a palace and the arrangements

within the temple are all on a grand scale befitting a great

emperor. The kings of Orissa proclaimed Jagannatha as the true ruler

and the kings themselves were mere regents, viceroys, deriving their

authority from Jagannatha.

 

The subordination of the temporal authority to the spiritual is

perhaps nowhere so symbolically accepted as in the case of

Jagannatha.

 

The kings even ceremonially sweep the floors of the chariots of the

three deities every year during Ratha Jatra. Jagannatha is so

intimately human that he suffers from fever and cold and has an

annual convalescence. He even accepts death every twelve years or so

and takes a new body in the ceremony of navakalevara.

 

The concept of Brahma being transferred from the old bodies to the

new is again unique. 'Brahma that which is the primordial force, the

Truth of all Truths-that without the sanction of which Vayu (Air)

cannot flutter a blade of grass nor Agni (Fire) burn it nor Varuna

(Sea) flood an inch of land, Brahma who is omniscient, omnipresent,

and omnipotent- Brahma who is beyond comprehension and beyond

confinement Brahma has accepted a mortal frame in the image of

Jagannatha to redeem mankind and to cool the heats of the three

worlds.

 

Jagannatha also called the Daru-brahma is the symbolic embodiment of

this mystery of creation. No wonder therefore that all the gods and

goddesses queue up every morning to get a glimpse of Jagannatha

before the humans crowd the temple.

 

Jagannatha consciousness is essentially a consciousness made up of

loving surrender to the lord where the sole rasa is Hari. The body,

mind and soul are totally submerged in this rasa as was Radha in

Jayadeva's Gitagovinda When such a state of absolute surrender is

attained god Krishna-Jagannatha Himself becomes one with the devotee

and goes to the extent of even asking Radha to place her feet on His

heart with the words dehi pada pallavamudaram.

 

Let all our consciousness be overwhelmed by the love of Jagannatha

and let him ever envelop our beings-our bodies, minds and souls with

His enchanting sweet compassion.

 

JAI JAGANNATHA. (The author belongs to the Indian Administrative

Service from Orissa)

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