Snana Yatra - Tuesday, June 5

[Guest guest]

Tuesday, June 5 is Snana Yatra. On this full-moon day, sixteen days before

Ratha-yatra, Lord Jagannatha is bathed. He becomes sick and is confined to

rest for fourteen days. He is then offered special care until He comes out

for Ratha-yatra.

 

The following references to Snana-yatra appear in the Madhya-lila of Sri

Caitanya-caritamrta:

 

Madhya 1.121

TRANSLATION

After collecting these books, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu returned to Jagannatha

Puri. At that time, the bathing ceremony of Jagannatha was taking place, and

He saw it.

 

Madhya 1.122

TRANSLATION

When Jagannatha was absent from the temple, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who could

not see Him, felt separation and left Jagannatha Puri to go to a place known

as Alalanatha.

 

PURPORT

Alalanatha is also known as Brahmagiri. This place is about fourteen miles

from Jagannatha Puri and is also on the beach. There is a temple of

Jagannatha there. At the present moment a police station and post office are

situated there because so many people come to see the temple.

The word anavasara is used when Sri Jagannathaji cannot be seen in the

temple. After the bathing ceremony (snana-yatra), Lord Jagannatha apparently

becomes sick. He is therefore removed to His private apartment, where no one

can see Him. Actually, during this period renovations are made on the body

of the Jagannatha Deity. This is called nava-yauvana. During the Ratha-yatra

ceremony, Lord Jagannatha once again comes before the public. Thus for

fifteen days after the bathing ceremony, Lord Jagannatha is not visible to

any visitors.

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Madhya 1.121-122

 

 

Madhya 10.41

TRANSLATION

Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya first introduced Janardana, saying, "Here is

Janardana, servant of Lord Jagannatha. He renders service to the Lord when

it is time to renovate His transcendental body."

 

PURPORT

During Anavasara, after the Snana-yatra ceremony, Lord Jagannatha is absent

from the temple for fifteen days so He can be renovated. This occurs

annually. Janardana, who is here being introduced to Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu, was rendering this service at the time. The renovation of Lord

Jagannatha is also known as Nava-yauvana, which indicates that the

Jagannatha Deity is being fully restored to youth.

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Madhya 10.41

 

 

Madhya 11.60

TRANSLATION

When the King asked the Bhattacarya when the bathing ceremony [snana-yatra]

of Lord Jagannatha would take place, the Bhattacarya replied that there were

only three days left before the ceremony.

 

Madhya 11.61

TRANSLATION

After thus encouraging the King, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya returned home. On

the day of Lord Jagannatha's bathing ceremony, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was

very happy at heart.

 

Madhya 11.62

TRANSLATION

Upon seeing the bathing ceremony of Lord Jagannatha, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

became very happy. But when Lord Jagannatha retired after the ceremony, Lord

Caitanya became very unhappy because He could not see Him.

 

PURPORT

After the bathing ceremony of Sri Jagannatha, which takes place just a

fortnight before the Ratha-yatra ceremony, the body of the Lord Jagannatha

Deity is repainted, and this takes just about a fortnight to complete. This

period is called Anavasara. There are many who visit the temple to see Lord

Jagannatha regularly every day, and for them His retirement after the

bathing ceremony is unbearable. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu felt Lord

Jagannatha's absence from the temple very much.

 

Madhya 11.63

TRANSLATION

Due to separation from Lord Jagannatha, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu felt the

same great anxiety the gopis feel in separation from Krsna. In this

condition He gave up all association and went to Alalanatha.

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Madhya 11.60-63

 

 

Madhya 13.8

TRANSLATION

The very strongly built dayitas [carriers of the Jagannatha Deity] were as

powerful as drunken elephants. They manually carried Lord Jagannatha from

the throne to the car.

 

PURPORT

The word dayita refers to one who has received the mercy of the Lord. Lord

Jagannatha has a number of stalwart servants known as dayitas. These

servants do not come from very high-caste families (brahmanas, ksatriyas or

vaisyas), but because they are engaged in the service of the Lord, they have

been elevated to a respected position. Thus they are known as dayitas. These

servants of Lord Jagannatha take care of the Lord from the day of the

Snana-yatra up to the time the Lord is carried from the throne to the Ratha

car. In the Ksetra-mahatmya these dayitas are said to come from the sabaras,

a caste that keeps and sells pigs. However, among the dayitas there are also

many who come from the brahmana caste. Those dayitas coming from the

brahmana families are called dayita-patis, or leaders of the dayitas. The

dayita-patis offer food such as sweetmeats to Lord Jagannatha during the

anavasara, the resting period after Snana-yatra. They also make the

early-morning offering of sweetmeats daily. It is said that during the

anavasara Lord Jagannatha suffers from fever and that the dayita-patis offer

Him an infusion of drugs represented by fruit juice. It is said that in the

beginning Lord Jagannatha was worshiped by the sabaras and was known as the

Deity Nila Madhava. Later, when the Deity was established in the temple, the

Lord became known as Jagannatha. Because the Deities were taken from the

sabaras, all the sabara devotees were elevated to the position of dayitas.

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Madhya 13.8