more pastimes of Lord Jagannath

[Guest guest]

Offense to the maha-prasadam

 

Lord Jagannath is very popular here. He is known as a very powerful Deity

amongst all the different villages in this area, even the Muslims sometimes

worship Him. On snan-yatra they bring their offerings. We have a big feast

on that day, so they bring milk and eatables to offer to Lord Jagannath. One

time on snan-yatra, this was about 15 years ago, two rikshaw drivers came.

One rikshaw driver took some kitchari prasadam and he also took some for his

friend, who was a Muslim and didn't want to come in. The rikshaw driver said

to his Muslim friend, "I brought you some prasadam anyway", but his friend

threw it on the ground and said, "We don't eat these things." The Muslim at

that night in a dream saw: Lord Balaram was sitting on him, squashing him

and beating him like anything, and the man was coming very fearful. Subhadra

was there too. She was laughing and She was saying, "kill him, kill him!"

Also Lord Jagannath was there and he said, "No, no, no don't kill him." And

Lord Jagannath was laughing. The next day this Muslim came very humbly

before the Deity and offered some worship for Lord Jagannath and also asked

for some maha-prasadam kitchari. But there was nothing left. There must be a

little he pleaded. So the pujari went and searched the pots and found a

little, and he happily took that.

 

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The young Muslim girl

 

There was another incident with a young Muslim girl, who was showing the

soles of her feet to the Deity of Lord Jagannath, and the other children

said, " don't do that, this is the Thakur, you shouldn't do that." Then she

replied , "what do I care for this?" But very soon after she got a disease

on her feet and then it spread up to her legs; You can still see that woman

in her village now. She can't walk properly anymore, she has to move around

on her knees. So everyone here is a little bit respectful, fearful of Lord

Jagannath.