The Origin
of
Ratha-yatra
i
Our most worshipable Çré Çrémad
Bhaktivedänta Näräyaëa
Mahäräja began to preach in the West in
1996. In July 1997, he
began to observe the Ratha-yäträ Festival
in the West along with
his followers, at the same time that it
was taking place in
Jagannätha Puré. The festival was observed
in Holland in
1997; in
England in 1998; in France,
England, and Holland in 1999; in
Wales in 2000; and again in England in 2001
and 2002.
On one occasion, when Çréla Mahäräja was
addressing his
international audience, he gave the
following explanation for his
traveling and holding these festivals:
“Today is pratipat, one day
before Ratha-yäträ. I remember when Çréla
Prabhupäda
Bhaktivedänta Swämé Mahäräja called for me
in his last days. He
was going to join his Rädhä and Kåñëa in
Goloka Våndävana, and
He requested me to help the many devotees
whom he had
brought from both Western and Eastern
countries. In those last
days he also requested me to place him
into samädhi, which I
did. There is no difference between çikñä-guru
and dékñä-guru if
they are both qualified; and Çréla Swämé
Mahäräja is my çikñäguru,
so I must obey his order. That is why I am
traveling around
PREFACE
i i
the world in my old age, by the combined
mercy of my dékñäand
çikñä-gurus, without any desire for worldly profit.”
During each Ratha-yäträ Festival, Çréla
Mahäräja thanked and
blessed the devotees for participating. In
1997, seeing the success
of the festivities, he told his audience,
“Previously, I observed
Jagannätha Ratha-yäträ Festival in Mathurä
every year. I am not
there this year, but I am glad that you
have helped me to make a
festival here. You were all joining in the
kértanas, and all of you
were happy, so I think you’ll have the
grace of Jagannätha.”
In each such week-long festival, Çréla
Mahäräja discussed the
quintessence of Çrémad-Bhägavatam and
Çré Caitanyacaritämåta.
He explained that entering into the deep
meaning of
Ratha-yäträ enables the devotee to realize
the mission of Çré
Caitanya Mahäprabhu, the secret truths of
the tattva (philosophical
truths) and lélä (pastimes) of
Rädhä-Kåñëa, and the ultimate
goal of serving Them. Toward the end of
one of his Ratha-yäträ
lectures, Çréla Mahäräja told his
audience, “You are lucky to hear
all these topics; it is rare that one
possesses the good fortune to
hear all these truths. Try to take
something from what you are
hearing. If you take only a
hundred-thousandth part of this teaching
of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, you will be
fully successful in
life. I have come here only to give you
inspiration, and all of you
who have assembled here are certainly very
fortunate.”
It was in France, in 1999, that Çréla
Mahäräja first brought
up the idea of publishing this book. After
relating the first history
of Lord Jagannätha’s appearance, he told
his audience, “I wanted
to publish the history of Ratha-yäträ in Bhägavata
Patrikä and
Gauòéya Patrikä, our Hindi and Bengali monthly magazines.
Now I am thinking that I should make an
entire book on this
subject, explaining the three reasons
behind Jagannätha’s
appearance. It will be very interesting
and helpful for all
devotees.”
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
i i i
Among the Ratha-yäträ Festivals mentioned
above, the largest
thus far was held in Birmingham on June 24, 2001. Here are some
excerpts from a report on the festival,
published on
www.vnn.org.:
The cart procession proceeded to Victoria Square,
where a large
pavilion had been set up. The organizers
of the event, the
devotees of the Birmingham Gour-Govinda
Gauòéya Maöha, also
set up a mini-fair just in front of the
pavilion, with stalls manned
by the local devotees and their friends
from many diverse groups.
The fair was thus billed, “A Universal
Interfaith Gathering,” in
honor of the Lord of the Universe, Lord
Jagannätha.
Birmingham dignitaries who attended the festival
included the
Council General of the Indian Consulate,
the Deputy Mayor of
Birmingham, and the president of the National
Council of Hindu
Temples and Vice Co-chairman of Interfaith
Network U.K.
Before
Çréla Näräyaëa Mahäräja gave his own talk,
they gave speeches in
the presence of Çréla Mahäräja, his
devotees, and the thousands of
guests. They expressed appreciation for
Çréla Mahäräja’s message
and the importance of the devotees’
efforts in bringing Lord
Jagannätha to the people of Birmingham. Ms. Wood of
Life
Foundation Worldwide had brought the world
peace flame, which
had traveled around the world to five
continents and had been
presented to the Pope, Nelson Mandela, and
others who were
considered instrumental in bringing about
world peace, and she
presented it to Çréla Mahäräja with honor.
The material that comprises this book was
taken solely from
public lectures that Çréla Näräyaëa
Mahäräja spoke in English on
his world preaching tours during the years
1997–2002. Some of
the chapters consist of entire lectures.
Others are compilations of
different lectures and parts of lectures,
and they are divided by
subtitles. In presenting this material,
for the most part we have
tried to follow the sequence of the events
as they are presented
PREFACE
i v
in Çré Caitanya-caritämåta, Madhya-lélä,
Chapters 12–15, which
elaborately describe the Ratha-yäträ
pastimes of Caitanya
Mahäprabhu and His devotees.
Please forgive us fallen conditioned souls
for any mistakes we
may have made in presenting Çréla
Mahäräja’s teachings in this
book.
An aspirant for eternal service to the
Vaiñëavas,
ÇYÄMARÄËÉ DÄSÉ
Päpa-mocané Ekädaçé
March 28, 2003
Gopénätha-bhavana, Çré Våndävana
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
v
Editorial advisors: Çrépada Bhaktivedänta Mädhava Mahäräja,
Brajanätha däsa
Editors: Çyämaräëé däsé, Jïäna däsa Vanacäré,
Prema-viläsa däsa
Sanskrit Editors: Çrépada Bhaktivedänta Bhägavata Mahäräja,
Atula-kåñëa däsa
Proofreaders: Çänti däsé, Lavaìga-latä däsé,
Giridhäré däsa Brahmacäré
Manuscript Coordinator: Sulatä däsé
Layout and design: Kåñëa-prema däsa
Typesetting: Prema-viläsa däsa
Typists: Mana-mohana däsa, Sulatä däsé, Sävitré
däsé, Rädhikä däsé,
Premavaté däsé, Anaìga däsé, Lalitä-kiçoré
däsé
Glossary: Çänti däsé, Sulatä däsé
Most of the Sanskrit and Bengali verses
and their translations quoted
from Çré Caitanya-caritämåta, Çrémad-Bhägavatam,
and other scriptures
were taken from the Bhaktivedänta Vedabase
folio. Special
thanks to the Bhaktivedänta Book Trust for
its kind permission to use
these invaluable reference quotes.
The many other devotees who have helped
with the production of
The Origin of the Ratha-yäträ are to numerous to name here, but
Kåñëa and His associates know who they
are.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
v i i
INTRODUCTION
In Birmingham,
England, on
July 22, 2001, the first day of his visit
there and the first day of his series of
classes on Ratha-yäträ, Çréla
Bhaktivedänta Näräyaëa Mahäräja gave a
commencement address
that heralded the arrival of the festival.
He began his class by glorifying
the many well-decorated deities that he
saw on the altar.
Today I have become very happy. When I
first sent the deity of
Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu from Navadvépa to England, I was
very
worried that He would be quite alone
there. But now that I have
come here, I see a great utsava (festival)
surrounding Him. He is
not at all alone here. He is in the
Gambhérä and He is absorbed in
the Chariot Festival. Jagannätha,
Baladeva, and Subhadrä are
here, Nityänanda Prabhu and all his
associates are here, and even
Giriräja-Govardhana and all the associates
of Våndävana are here.
Vasanta-åtu (springtime) is here, as the
scene is full with yellow
flowers, and Caitanya Mahäprabhu is very
happy here, weeping,
“O My Präëanätha, where are You? O Kåñëa,
where are You?
Today I am meeting You after a long time;
after a long separation.”
sei ta paräëa-nätha päinu
yähä lägi’ madana-dahane jhuri’ genu
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 13.113)
v i i i
Now I have gained the Lord of My life, in
whose absence I was
being burned by Cupid and was withering
away.
Today is the observance of guëòicä-mandira-märjana;
it is
the day to cleanse our hearts. Caitanya
Mahäprabhu wanted to
make a seat for Jagannätha, Baladeva, and
Subhadrä – especially
for Vrajendra-nandana Muralédhara
Navakiçora Naöavara. When
He was in Jagannätha’s temple He
never saw Jagannätha,
Baladeva, and Subhadrä. Rather, He always
saw Vrajendranandana
Çyämasundara playing a flute and wearing
peacock
feathers in His turban.
Early this morning, Caitanya Mahäprabhu
departed for the
Guëòicä Mandira with His entire group of
associates, headed by
Nityänanda Prabhu, Advaita Äcärya,
Gadädhara Paëòita, Svarüpa
Dämodara, Räya Rämänanda, Käçé Miçra, and
so many others. He
took all the Gauòéya bhaktas from Bengal, Oriyä bhaktas from
Orissa, and all the others, and He
requested Käçé Miçra, “Tell the
King that, together with My associates, I
want to wash the whole
temple and surrounding area. He should not
send any of his own
servants. We will do all the cleaning
ourselves, and then we will
observe a grand Ratha-yäträ Festival. The
King can help from
outside.”
Mahäprabhu Himself took many brooms and
clay pots.
Starting from Gambhérä, and performing kértana,
He walked
through Jagannätha Puré and finally
reached the Guëòicä
Mandira. We also went there many times
with our gurudeva, Çré
Çrémad Bhakti Prajïäna Keçava Gosvämé,
along with over 500
other devotees, and during Mahäprabhu’s
participation there
were thousands of parties in that very big
area, with hundreds of
people in each party.
On this day you should try to clean your
hearts, for there are
so many dirty and unwanted things there.
We must try to be
careful to avoid the ten näma-aparädhas,
and also vaiñëava-
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
i x
aparädha, dhäma-aparädha, seva-aparädha, and so on.
After
that, our many unwanted habits, especially
lust and anger,
should be driven from our hearts. Bhakti
can never manifest if
lust and anger are present, because bhakti
is very soft, mild, and
especially sweet.
What is the meaning of kuöénäöé ?
You should at once try to give
up ku (bad habits and activities),
those things that are not favorable
for kåñëa-bhakti. You must give up
even those activities,
objects and persons that are very near and
dear to you, if they are
not favorable. Näöé means those things
that are forbidden for
bhakti, and they are discussed in the first and second verses of
Upadeçämåta:
väco vegaà manasaù krodha-vegaà
jihvä-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etän vegän yo viñaheta dhéraù
sarväm apémäà påthivéà sa çiñyät
A wise and self-composed person can
instruct the entire world if
he can subdue the impetus to speak, the
agitation of the mind, the
onset of anger, the vehemence of the
tongue, the urge of the belly
and the agitation of the genitals. In
other words, everyone may
become a disciple of such a self-composed
person.
atyähäraù prayäsaç ca
prajalpo niyamägrahaù
jana-saìgaç ca laulyaà ca
ñaòbhir bhaktir vinaçyati
Bhakti is destroyed by the following six faults: (1) eating too
much, or collecting more than necessary;
(2) endeavors that are
opposed to bhakti; (3) useless
mundane talks; (4) failure to adopt
essential regulations, or fanatical
adherence to regulations;
(5) association with persons who are
opposed to bhakti; and (6)
greed, or the restlessness of the mind to
adopt worthless opinions.
INTRODUCTION
x
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
You will also have to give up all worship
of demigods. As
Caitanya Mahäprabhu instructed Rüpa
Gosvämé, this should be
uprooted, along with all varieties of
worldly desires.
You can even give up näräyaëa-sevä,
service to Näräyaëa in
Vaikuëöha, as well as dvärakädhéça-sevä,
service to Kåñëa in
Dvärakä. Offer praëäma to
Dvärakädhéça and say, “You are the
same Kåñëa, but do You have a flute or
peacock feather? Can You
accept Nanda as Your father and Yaçodä as
Your mother?” If He
cannot show all these qualifications, then
our attitude toward Him
will be, “I offer daëòavat-praëäma unto
You, but from far away.”
Offer more praëäma to
Mathureça-Kåñëa, and still more to
Yaçodä-nandana Kåñëa. Offer praëäma to
Dämodara-Kåñëa. We
want to serve Dämodara, but which
Dämodara? We want to serve
Rädhä-Dämodara. We like Çrédämä, Subala,
Madhumaìgala, and
all of Kåñëa’s friends. We like the fact
that they are Kåñëa’s
friends, but we don’t want them to be our
friends, because we do
not want to be cowherd boys in our
perfectional stage. Beyond
that, we offer praëäma to Kåñëa as
the beloved of the añöasakhés,
but we actually want only one thing. We
want to serve the
mood of Çré Rüpa Maïjaré. If you can have
a taste for this service,
and if you can make this your objective,
then your life will be
successful.
Çréla Swämé Mahäräja came to Western
countries and introduced
the Ratha-yäträ Festival, but after his
departure many of
his disciples began doing something wrong;
they have chosen a
wrong path, and they do not honor senior
devotees. They have
so much opulence, and their gatherings are
quite large in
number, but they have no mood of rati,
transcendental love and
affection. The actual mood of Ratha-yäträ
was shown by Çréla
Bhaktivedänta Swämé Mahäräja in his
translation of Çré Caitanyacaritämåta.
In the mood of Çrématé Rädhikä meeting
Kåñëa at
Kurukñetra, Caitanya Mahäprabhu said:
x i
INTRODUCTION
sei ta paräëa-nätha päinu
yähä lägi’ madana-dahane jhuri’ genu
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 13.113)
Now I have gained the Lord of My life, in
whose absence I was
being burned by Cupid and was withering
away.
Mahäprabhu also sang this song:
yaù kaumära-haraù sa eva hi varas tä eva
caitra-kñapäs
te conmélita-mälaté-surabhayaù prauòhäù
kadambäniläù
sä caiväsmi tathäpi tatra
surata-vyäpära-lélä-vidhau
revä-rodhasi vetasé-taru-tale cetaù
samutkaëöhate
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Antya-lélä 1.78)
That very personality who stole my heart
during my youth is now
again my master. These are the same moonlit
nights of the month
of Caitra. The same fragrance of mälaté
flowers is there, and the
same sweet breezes are blowing from the kadamba
forest. In our
intimate relationship, I am also the same
lover, yet still my mind is
not happy here. I am eager to go back to
that place on the bank
of the Revä under the Vetasé tree. That is
my desire.
Mahäprabhu had taken this song from a
Sanskrit book named
Sähitya-darpaëa. Although it was a mundane love song,
which
appealed to lusty people, Mahäprabhu was
singing it with
His heart melting and tears in His eyes.
Çré Svarüpa Dämodara
understood His deep mood, and there was a
boy named Rüpa,
the Rüpa of Mahäprabhu, who also
understood it. After watching
Mahäprabhu, he at once wrote a poem in the
same mood in
which Mahäprabhu was singing, and that
poem was very highclass:
x i i
priyaù so ’yaà kåñëaù saha-cari
kuru-kñetra-militas
tathähaà sä rädhä tad idam ubhayoù
saìgama-sukham
tathäpy
antaù-khelan-madhura-muralé-païcama-juñe
mano me kälindé-pulina-vipinäya spåhayati
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Antya-lélä 1.79)
My dear friend, now I have met My old and
dear friend Kåñëa on
this field of Kurukñetra. I am the same
Rädhäräëé, and now we are
meeting together. It is very pleasant, but
I would still like to go to
the bank of the Yamunä beneath the trees
of the forest there. I
wish to hear the vibration of His sweet
flute playing the fifth note
within that forest of Våndävana.”
Rädhäräëé told Kåñëa, “Oh, My beloved is
here, I am here
Myself, and we are meeting here; but there
is so much opulence
here. I want to be by the bank of the
Yamunä again, where the
kadamba trees emanate a sweet fragrance and where the beautiful
spring season is present. No one is there;
it is a secluded
place. My beloved and I are both there,
and we are speaking
about so many things. I want to be there
again.”
This parallel verse of Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé,
so much greater
than the verse in Sähitya-darpaëa,
is the mood of the Rathayäträ
Festival. If this Chariot Festival is
performed under the
guidance of a high-class devotee, then it
is really Ratha-yäträ.
Prior to Caitanya Mahäprabhu, the
Ratha-yäträ Festival had
been taking place for many thousands of
years, since ancient
times. There was not so much rasa in
it, however, for the King
was observing it alone, with the help of
so much money, and
with only his own people. But now, by the
presence of
Mahäprabhu, the entire public was able to
participate. Moreover,
Mahäprabhu brought all the moods of
Våndävana, especially
separation and meeting after separation,
and He instructed us in
so many ways.
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
x i i i
Gradually, in seven days, I will try to
explain all these truths so
that you can develop greed to obtain this
highest goal of life:
service to Çrématé Rädhikä. Çréla Swämé
Mahäräja wanted to give
all this, but at that time the forest was
full of so many unwanted
thorn trees everywhere. In order to make
the land fertile so that
he could give this, he first had to cut
the jungles of mäyäväda,
sahajiyä, sakhi-bheké, Buddhism, and all the other bogus
philosophies.
He requested me to help him, and that is
why I have come
here. I promised to help, so I’m going
everywhere to preach his
mission, the mission of my gurudeva,
of Çréla Prabhupäda
Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura, and
especially of Çréla
Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura. Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura
was the first
person to preach to the entire world, and
he inspired Çréla
Prabhupäda Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté
Öhäkura, who sent so
many disciples here and there, especially
to England.
At last, Çréla
Prabhupäda inspired Çréla Bhaktivedänta
Swämé Mahäräja to
serve as his own hands, and Çréla Swämé
Mahäräja quickly spread
Kåñëa consciousness everywhere in the
world.
I pray that by Çréla Swämé Mahäräja’s
mercy you can also
preach everywhere in the world, and be of
pure, high character.
Distribute books – and read them
yourselves as well – and try to
have that greed which is essential for rägänuga-bhakti.
This is
our mission.
A glorification of Çréla Prabhupäda
Bhaktivedänta Swämé Mahäräja
Çréla Näräyaëa Mahäräja profusely glorified
Çréla Prabhupäda
Bhaktivedänta Swämé Mahäräja at every
Ratha-yäträ Festival, and
this is how he began his Herä-païcamé
lecture when he held Rathayäträ
in Wales in July 2000:
INTRODUCTION
x i v
My humble obeisances unto the lotus feet
of my spiritual master,
oà viñëupäda Çré Çrémad Bhakti Prajïäna Keçava Gosvämé
Mahäräja, and the same unto the lotus feet
of my çikñä-guru, oà
viñëupäda Çré Çrémad Bhaktivedänta Swämé Mahäräja.
It is only
by the mercy of my dékñä-guru and çikñä-guru
that I am
traveling throughout the world, even in
this old age, and that so
many devotees are coming. I want to give
the water that Çréla
Swämé Mahäräja has given me, to invigorate
the devotees who
have now become weak and who – like
creepers, trees, and
sprouts – need “watering” so that they may
become stronger.
When Çréla Swämé Mahäräja was physically
present, his disciples
tried their level best to serve him. At
that time, even very
beautiful teenage girls were working hard
here and there in airports,
in seaports, and so on, with no care at
all for their tender
age. There were also many very energetic
young teenage boys at
that time, working so hard that Çréla
Swämé Mahäräja’s mission
was spread everywhere in only a few years.
If anyone is coming to me, that is only
the fruit of Çréla Swämé
Mahäräja’s preaching – his books, and so
on – and therefore we
beg for his mercy. Now he will be very
happy that his followers
are again becoming enthusiastic and
inspired. Wherever I go, big
crowds like this and even greater come to
hear. They want to
revive their Kåñëa consciousness, and I
want to help them as
much as I can.
Çréla Swämé Mahäräja said that the right
and the left hand of his
preaching was book publishing and
distribution, and nagarasaìkértana,
and we are doing this. Nagara-saìkértana
is going
on again, and we have published thousands
of books. The devotees
want still more, and we are printing them,
along with many
magazines. From time to time try to do nagara-saìkértana
in any
place or town nearby you, and never think
that you are weak.
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
x v
oà ajïäna timirändhasya
jïänäïjana çaläkayä
cakñur unmélitaà yena
tasmai çré guruve namaù
O Gurudeva, you are so merciful. I offer
my humble obeisances
unto you and I pray from the core of my
heart that, with the
torchlight of divine knowledge, you open
my eyes that have
been blinded by the darkness of ignorance.
väïchä kalpatarubyaç ca
kåpä sindhubhya eva ca
patitänäà pävanebhyo
vaiñëavebhyo namo namaù
I offer obeisances unto the Vaiñëavas, who
are just like desire
trees, who are an ocean of mercy, and who
deliver the fallen,
conditioned souls.
MAÌGALÄCARAËA
x v i
namo mahä vadänyäya
kåñëa prema pradäya te
kåñëäya kåñëa caitanya
nämne gaura tviñe namaù
I offer my obeisances unto Çré Kåñëa
Caitanya, who is Çré Kåñëa
Himself. Having assumed the golden hue of
Çrématé Rädhikä, He
is munificently bestowing that rare gift
of kåñëa-prema.
guruve gauracandräya
rädhikäyai tadälaye
kåñëäya kåñëa bhaktäya
tad bhaktäya namo namaù
I offer my obeisances unto Çré Gurudeva,
Çré Gauracandra, Çrématé
Rädhikä and Her associates, Çré Kåñëa and
His devotees, and to
all Vaiñëavas.
jaya jaya çré-caitanya jaya nityänanda
jayädvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vånda
Glory to Çré Caitanya and Nityänanda!
Glory to Advaitacandra!
And glory to all the devotees of Çré
Gaura!
bhaktyä vihénä aparädha läkñaiù
kñiptäç ca kämädi taraëga madhye
kåpämayi! tväà çaraëaà prapannä
vånde! namaste caraëäravindam
O merciful Våndä-devé! Devoid of devotion
and guilty of unlimited
offences, I am being tossed about in the
ocean of material
existence by the turbulent waves of lust,
anger, greed, and other
inauspicious qualities. Therefore, I take
shelter of you and offer
obeisances unto your lotus feet.
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
x v i i
tavaiväsmi tavaiväsmi
na jévämi tvayä vinä
iti vijïäya devé tvaà
naya mäà caraëäntikam
I am Yours! I am Yours! I cannot live
without You! O Devé
(Rädhä), please understand this and bring
me to Your lotus feet.
MAÌGALÄCARAËA
ÇRÉ ÇRÉMAD BHAKTIVEDÄNTA NÄRÄYAËA MAHÄRÄJA
ÇRÉ ÇRÉMAD A.C. BHAKTIVEDÄNTA SWAMI
PRABHUPÄDA
ÇRÉ ÇRÉMAD BHAKTI PRAJÏÄNA KEÇAVA GOSVÄMÉ
NIGHT VIEW OF THE JAGANNÄTHA TEMPLE IN PURÉ
ÇRÉ JAGANNÄTHA-DEVA DURING THE FESTIVAL
ÇRÉ CAITANYA MAHÄPRABHU AND RÜPA GOSVÄMÉ –
SEE P. 76
1
The appearance of Lord Jagannätha
Today is the day of the Jagannätha Chariot
Festival. What is the
meaning behind this festival? Our heart is
like a chariot, and we
pray to Kåñëa, “Please come and sit in my
heart.” This is how the
gopés prayed to Him at Kurukñetra: “You should come and sit in
our hearts. Our hearts are Våndävana.”
The first history of the appearance of
Lord Jagannätha is given
in the Skanda Puräëa, as well as in
the Padma Puräëa, the
Puruñottama-mähätmya, and The Diary of Jagannätha. The
particular version presented here is from
the Skanda Puräëa and
the Puruñottama-mähätmya. There are
minor differences in the
versions from the other scriptures, but
the history is basically the
same.
In Satya-yuga there lived a King named
Indradyumna
Mahäräja, and his wife was Guëòicä. That
King reigned in the
beginning of the first half of Lord
Brahmä’s day, when Brahmä
first created the material world by the
mercy of Kåñëa and with
the help of Mahämäyä. He lived in
middle-India, in the ancient
city of Avanti Nagari
in Ujjain,
where Kåñëa was taught by
THE FIRST HISTORY
CHAPTER ONE
2
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Sändépani Muni. He and his queen were very
religious and
advanced devotees, and although they were
royalty they were
always engaged in the service of Bhagavän.
That King wanted to
see the Supreme Personality of Godhead
with his own eyes, and
he continually waited for an opportunity.
He always prayed,
“When will a day come that I will see my
Lord?”
The King used to receive and host
travelers from the various
holy places of the world, especially those
in India,
in the compound
of his palace. One day, some pilgrims came
and spent the
night there. They had just come from a
very high class of holy
place (tértha) and had taken darçana
of the beautiful fourhanded
Néla-mädhava; now they discussed among
themselves
the glories of that deity. A brähmaëa devotee
overheard their
conversation and informed the King’s
minister about it, and he in
turn informed the King and made him aware
of the deity’s
beauty. He told the King, “Anyone who
receives Néla-mädhava’s
darçana will not have to return to this world and will be liberated
forever. He will attain a four-handed form
and become an
associate of Näräyaëa in Vaikuëöha. Even
if someone simply
vows, ‘I will go to His temple to see Him
tomorrow,’ but dies that
day without reaching the temple, he will
still go to Vaikuëöha and
attain a four-handed form.”
The King wondered, “How can I obtain the darçana
of Nélamädhava?
Where is He located?” He wanted to ask the
pilgrims,
“Where can I find Him?” but they had
departed during the night;
so he became upset and decided to somehow
search for the
deity. He called Vidyäpati, the very
intelligent son of his priest, as
well as his officials and commanders, and
ordered them all to
search in different directions: “Some of
you go to the east, others
to the west, others south, and so on. You
should all return within
three months. I will give vast wealth and
an important position to
the one who informs me of the deity’s
whereabouts.” In this way,
3
THE FIRST HISTORY
all the officials enthusiastically set out
in all directions from
Madhya Pradesh. Vidyäpati, who was very
young and handsome
and who possessed all good qualities, went
toward the east.
After three months they had all returned
except Vidyäpati, and
the King was worried because no one knew
where he was.
Vidyäpati had gone to the east coast of India, near the
Indian
Ocean, and there he traveled continually,
searching and searching
for Néla-mädhava. One day, on the shore of
the ocean, he
saw a very beautiful village, where there
was a mountain covered
with flowers and trees and where the
residents were very
cultured. Evening was approaching and he
decided to stay in that
village, so he told some of the residents,
“I would like to rest here
tonight.” They replied, “Viçvavasu is the
prominent leader of this
village. He is a çabara (a lower
caste), but he is very qualified
and religious-minded, and he is also
intelligent, humble, and liberal.
Whenever any traveler or guest comes, he
visits Viçvavasu’s
house; so you must go there.”
When Vidyäpati arrived, Viçvavasu was not
at home. Only his
very beautiful sixteen-year-old daughter,
Lalitä, was there. She
opened the door and said, “You can wait
for my father, because
he is not here. He has gone out, but when
he returns home he
will arrange everything. Kindly wait
outside.” After some time
Viçvavasu arrived. A very sweet fragrance
emanated from his
body, and he was wearing very beautiful
and aromatic tilaka.
When he saw his guest, he became ashamed
and told him, “Oh,
excuse me for returning so late. Now you
may come in.” He and
his daughter took their guest inside. Very
happy to see that
beautiful personality, Viçvavasu told him,
“You can reside here
for some days.” Then he told his daughter,
“Take care of this
brähmaëa. Give him food and everything else he requires, and
look after him in all respects. There
should be no lack of
anything.”
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Vidyäpati took his meal and rested there.
He smelled a very
beautiful fragrance in the house,
especially when the master of
the house was home, and he wondered,
“Where does that beautiful
fragrance come from? I have never smelled
anything like it
in my entire life. And that girl is so
beautiful. I should wait here
for a few days, and it may be that I can
find Néla-mädhava.” He
then began searching here and there for
some days.
Lalitä was now regularly serving him, and
gradually she
became attached to him. Vidyäpati began to
develop a close
friendship with her, and after some time
he fell in love with her.
He was already married to someone else,
but still he had great
affection for Lalitä; so he requested her
to ask her father to allow
him to marry her. She asked her father, he
agreed, and Vidyäpati
became Viçvavasu’s son-in-law.
Viçvavasu went out regularly every day,
and returned in the
evening very fresh and fragrant. One day
Vidyäpati privately said
to his wife, “My dear, now you are my
wife, and I have great faith
in you. Can you tell me where your father
goes every day for
worship, and where that fragrance comes
from? Please tell me.”
Lalitä replied, “I cannot say. My father
ordered me, ‘Do not tell
anyone where I go. Keep it secret – very,
very secret.’”
Vidyäpati said, “You cannot tell me? You
are one with me, nondifferent
from me. You must tell me, because I am
your husband.”
She replied, “Then you must promise that
you will never tell
anyone.”
Vidyäpati then said, “A wife should not
speak like this. I know
you are a very chaste wife, so you must
tell me.” He then became
silent.
Lalitä said, “I will tell you. He goes to
worship a deity.”
“Which deity?” Vidyäpati asked.
She replied, “I promised not to tell, but
I will tell you because
you are my husband. He goes to worship
Néla-mädhava.”
4
5
THE FIRST HISTORY
Vidyäpati became very happy and thought,
“After such a long
time I have finally heard the name
Néla-mädhava. Néla-mädhava
must be somewhere nearby.” He began to
show so much love
and affection to his wife that she
revealed everything to him, and
he then requested her, “Please ask your
father to take his son-inlaw
with him.”
She said, “Yes, I will help you.”
After her father returned from worship in
the evening and had
taken prasäda, Lalitä approached
him and sat on his lap. With
much love and affection she told him, “My
dear father, I want one
benediction from you.”
He replied, “Oh, very good. I desire to
give you a benediction.
What do you want?”
She told him, “I want something very
special. I know that you
will be hesitant to give this to me, but I
want it.”
He father asked, “What do you want?”
She replied, “O father, I desire that you
take my husband with
you to see Néla-mädhava. He wants to take darçana.”
Viçvavasu pondered whether or not to take
him. Worried that if
he brought anyone the deity might be taken
or simply vanish,
Viçvavasu was hesitant. When Lalitä saw
that he was not very willing,
she said, “If you do not show Néla-mädhava
to my husband,
I will take poison and die right in front
of you. Your objection
means that you do not consider me your
loving daughter.” And
she prepared herself to take poison.
These are the most powerful weapons of
ladies: “I will die,” “I
will take poison,” “I will commit
suicide.” What will a husband or
father say then? Of course, he will say,
“Oh, you can have whatever
you want.”
Viçvavasu was now in a dilemma and
thought, “What shall I do?
I must save my only daughter. I must give
her this benediction.”
He said, “I don’t want you to die. I will
take your husband with
6
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
me and show him Néla-mädhava, but there is
one condition. I
will tightly bind his eyes with a black cloth,
and when we reach
there I will remove it so he can take darçana.
After that, I will put
on the blindfold again. So he will have darçana,
but he will not
know where he is.”
Lalitä then went to her husband and told
him, “Father has
agreed to take you. He will blindfold you
during the journey
there, but never mind.” Vidyäpati was
overjoyed and agreed to
wear the blindfold. After that she told
her father, “Yes, you can
bind his eyes with a black cloth.” Later,
when they were seated
on the bullock cart, Viçvavasu placed the
black cloth over
Vidyäpati’s eyes. Lalitä, being very
clever and intelligent, gave
her husband some mustard seeds and said,
“Keep these in your
pocket. Now it is the rainy season. You
can drop them one after
another along the way. After some time,
those mustard seeds will
grow into plants producing bright yellow
flowers. Then you will
be able to follow the flowers and go there
by yourself; you will
not have to ask my father the way.”
Viçvavasu then took Vidyäpati with him
along a zigzag route
on the bullock cart. Vidyäpati dropped the
mustard seeds one by
one on the ground without his
father-in-law knowing. When
they arrived at the foot of the mountain,
they left the bullock cart
there, and Viçvavasu took Vidyäpati by the
hand and led him to
the temple of Néla-mädhava
on the top of the mountain. When
they entered the temple, Viçvavasu removed
the blindfold so that
Vidyäpati could see Néla-mädhava. The
deity was four-handed,
and He carried the çaìkha (conch), cakra
(disc), gadä (club),
and padma (lotus flower). He was
very beautiful, but unlike
Nanda-nandana Kåñëa, He had no flute and
no peacock feather
– He was more like Näräyaëa. Näräyaëa is
very beautiful, but
Kåñëa is the most beautiful of all.
Vidyäpati became very happy and began to
weep, thinking, “I
7
THE FIRST HISTORY
have been searching for Him for such a
long time – so many
months – and now I am satisfied. My life
is now successful.”
Viçvavasu then told him, “Wait here a
while. I am going to the
forest to bring some flowers and other
paraphernalia to worship
Him. Then I will offer candana and
other articles, perform
arcana, and then we will return home.”
While Vidyäpati waited, he noticed a
beautiful lake with lotus
flowers, humming bees, and some
sweetly-singing birds. The
branches of a mango tree hung over the
lake, and a black crow
that was sleeping on one of the branches
fell in. Immediately, his
soul appeared with four hands. Then Garuòa
quickly came, took
that very beautiful and glorious
four-handed personality on his
back, and flew to Vaikuëöha. Vidyäpati
began to think, “Oh! With
no practice in bhakti at all, he
very quickly went to Vaikuëöha. He
never did anything auspicious. He was
impure – a crow – eating
flesh and other abominable things. Yet,
simply by falling into the
pond he became four-handed and went to
Vaikuëöha. Why
should I remain here?” He wanted to climb
the tree and jump into
the lake as well, so that he could also
attain a four-handed form
and go to Vaikuëöha. “I should not wait
another moment,” he
thought, and at once began to climb the
tree. When he was about
halfway up the tree, however, an aerial
voice called to him,
“Don’t commit suicide just so that you can
be liberated and go to
Vaikuëöha. You will have to perform many
important services for
the benefit of the entire world, so don’t
die yet. Be patient.
Everything will be accomplished. Return to
Mahäräja
Indradyumna at once and tell him that
Néla-mädhava is here.”
In the meantime, Viçvavasu returned with
many flowers and
other paraphernalia and said to Vidyäpati,
“Oh, come join me.” He
had no idea what had happened. Viçvavasu
prepared candana
and other ingredients, and throughout the
whole day he performed
worship, offered prayers, and engaged in
many other
8
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
devotional activities. All the residents
of that village were known
as dayitäs, which means those who
are very near and dear to
Kåñëa. Viçvavasu was known as dayitä-pati,
the master of all
those who are near and dear. He served in
this way, although he
was a çabara. He was fully
surrendered and always called out,
“Néla-mädhava!” Now Vidyäpati was also
very much charmed
with the glories of the deity and, seeing
the worship of Nélamädhava
performed by his father-in-law, he became
overjoyed.
When Viçvavasu had completed his services,
he again covered
Vidyäpati’s eyes with the blindfold, and
they departed. After
some hours, traveling again in that zigzag
way, they reached their
home. Then Viçvavasu heard Néla-mädhava
telling him, “You
have served Me for a long time. Now I want
to take the royal
service of a very high class of devotee
named Indradyumna
Mahäräja. Don’t be afraid and don’t
worry.” Viçvavasu, however,
immediately became upset and thought, “Oh,
Öhäkurajé will go
to Mahäräja Indradyumna? I cannot bear the
thought of separation.
This boy will return and tell the King,
and the King will come
and take Néla-mädhava.” He then
practically arrested Vidyäpati
and imprisoned him within one of the rooms
of his house.
Vidyäpati could not go anywhere, so he
told his wife, “Please
help me. I want to return to Madhya
Pradesh very soon. I have
promised my King, who wants to come with
his whole family to
serve Néla-mädhava. Please help me. You
are my wife – my other
half.”
Lalitä agreed and said, “You can go. I
will help you.” She then
told her father, “If you do not release
him from this jail, I will
commit suicide at once.” She was ready to
commit suicide, so her
father’s heart melted in compassion and he
released Vidyäpati.
Now free, Vidyäpati assured his wife, “I
will return very soon.
Don’t worry.” He then quickly left and
proceeded towards
Indradyumna’s kingdom.
9
THE FIRST HISTORY
He walked continually until he finally
arrived back in Avanti
Nagari. He had been gone for over six
months, and King
Indradyumna became very happy when he heard
from
Vidyäpati, “I have discovered
Néla-mädhava. Please come with
me.” The King decided, “I shall go with my
entire kingdom, my
wealth, my wife, and my soldiers and
commanders.” He wanted
to bring Néla-mädhava to his kingdom, to
worship Him for the
rest of his life. Proceeding from Ujjain, he reached the
place
about a hundred miles south of Puré. But
when he reached there,
there were no mustard seed flowers. There
was also no hill and
no village, for by the desire of
Néla-mädhava, the entire
village was covered with over a hundred
feet of sand. Everything
was covered, including the hill, and
Néla-mädhava was not there.
The King began to weep. He sat down on a
straw mat facing
the ocean and decided, “I will not take
anything to eat until I
have darçana of Néla-mädhava; if I
do not see Him, I will die. I
came with my whole kingdom, all my wealth,
my wife, and
family, but I did not get the darçana of
the Lord. Oh, I must give
up my life.” Then, as he began to chant,
“Néla-mädhava! Nélamädhava!
Néla-mädhava!” remembering the Lord, an
aerial voice
called to him, “I will not come, but do
not worry. I will not come
here to give you darçana, but you
will be able to see Me. I am
sending Brahmä. You should come with
Brahmä to Vaikuëöha,
and there you can take My darçana.
In this world I will not give
you darçana in the shape of
Néla-mädhava, but I will manifest in
four forms: Jagannätha, Baladeva,
Subhadrä, and Sudarçana
cakra. Wait near the sea where Baìki-muhana is located.” This
place is presently known as Cakra-tértha,
and it is by the part of
the ocean known as the Bay
of Bengal, where the water moves
towards West Bengal.
“Go there and wait, and däru-brahma
(Bhagavän in the form of wood) will come.
He will manifest in
the form of a very large, fragrant,
reddish log, and the signs of
1 0
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
çaìkha, cakra, gadä, and padma will be seen
everywhere on
that form. Go there. Take Me out and make
four deities from that
log. Then you will be able to worship Me.”
Brahmä quickly came and took the King with
him to
Vaikuëöha, where he could freely gaze at
Néla-mädhava as He
conversed with His associates. The King
became even more
attached and began to weep, and then
Brahmä told him, “Let us
go. He will not come to Earth in this
form, but He will come as
four forms. Let us now go to the place
that He has designated,
and wait for Him there.”
In the meantime, while the King was gone,
many years had
passed and the entire world had now
changed. Before going he
had constructed a very large and
beautiful, high temple, but now
it was also covered by sand. The sand had
been removed many
times, but the temple had become old and
dilapidated. A new
King had come and repaired it, and he had
declared, “I am the
builder of this temple.” Now that King
Indradyumna returned, he
told the new King, “This is not yours; I
have built it, so I am the
owner of this temple. You have only made
repairs.” There was a
crow named Käkabhuçuëòi, who had been
witness to the pastimes
of Rämacandra and also King Indradyumna’s
building the
temple; and now he testified on the King’s
behalf. Brahmä also
came forward and agreed, “This King has
built the temple. You
have only repaired it.” In this way, King
Indradyumna again
became the master.
Somehow, by Kåñëa’s mercy, the King’s wife
was there. He
had no child at all, so there was only he
and his wife. The King
and his new associates and army waited for
the deity, and at last
he saw the red tree-trunk, marked
everywhere with çaìkha,
cakra, gadä, and padma. He approached that trunk
with his soldiers
and elephants and they tried very hard to
take it out of the
water, but they could not do so. Many
elephants and strong men,
1 1
THE FIRST HISTORY
and even his entire army, could not take
the tree-trunk out of the
water.
The aerial voice came again and told the
King, “Bring My old
servant Dayitä-pati Viçvavasu, and his
daughter as well. Viçvavasu
will carry Me from one side, and the brähmaëa
Vidyäpati will
take Me from the other side. And bring a
golden chariot for Me.
I will come out easily, and then you can
arrange everything.” By
the power and will of Néla-mädhava,
Viçvavasu, Lalitä, and
Vidyäpati were still alive and now they
were brought on a chariot
with honor. The King requested the three
of them to enter the
waters of the ocean and lift the log.
Vidyäpati and his wife and
father-in-law then began to lift and
simultaneously pray to the log,
“Jaya Jagannätha! Jaya Jagannätha!
Néla-mädhava! Néla-mädhava!
O please, please be merciful and come upon
our chariot.”
The log came out very easily, and it was
brought on the golden
chariot to the place near to where the Jagannätha Temple is now
situated. The King kept the log there in a
big hall, and he invited
all the carpenters of Orissa, telling
them, “I will give you vast
wealth if you can make the vigraha.”
Very famous carpenters
came there wanting to make the deity, but
their instruments and
tools broke as soon as they touched the
iron-hard log. An old but
beautiful brähmaëa then came
forward. He had brought some
tools, and he told them, “My name is
Mahäraëa. I am very expert,
and I can make you the vigraha.”
That brähmaëa was actually
Néla-mädhava or Jagannätha Himself, in the
form of an old
brähmaëa. He continued, “I will complete the vigraha in
twenty-one days, but you must promise that
the door of this hall
will remain closed. I will be alone there
with my tools, and after
twenty-one days I will open the door so
that you can see the
deity. At that time you can take Him into
the temple and serve
and worship Him.” The King replied, “Yes,
I will obey your
instructions. I will not open the door.”
1 2
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
The brähmaëa went inside with his
tools, and locked the door
from inside. For fourteen days there was
no sound, and
Indradyumna Mahäräja became very worried.
He thought, “What
can be the matter? The brähmaëa has
not taken a drop of water
or anything to eat this entire time.
Perhaps he is dead.” His Prime
Minister then told him, “Don’t open the
door. There is some
mystery behind this. Only open it after
twenty-one days; not
before.” However, his wife pleaded with
him, “If you don’t open
the door now, the brähmaëa may die
and we will be guilty of
brahma-hatyä (the sin of killing a brähmaëa). We
must open
the door. Please hurry.” The King replied,
“The brähmaëa told
me not to open it before twenty-one days
have elapsed. How can
I open it?” She beseeched him again and
again, and finally the
King called for his carpenters to cut away
the locks; he opened
the doors forcibly and entered.
Inside the hall, the King was struck with
wonder, for he could
not see the brähmaëa. “Where is the
brähmaëa Mahäraëa?” he
asked. The four deities – Jagannätha,
Baladeva, Subhadrä, and
Sudarçana cakra – were there, but
they had not been fully
completed. Their eyes and noses were only
round shapes, their
arms were not full-length, and their hands
and feet were not
completed – nothing was completed. The
King began to weep.
Opening up his heart to his Prime
Minister, he said, “I have
committed an offense by breaking my
promise. Now what shall
I do?” Weeping, he again wanted to commit
suicide.
In another account, perhaps in another
creation, when the
King opened the door, the brähmaëa was
present and at once
told him, “Why have you come in the middle
of my work? Now
only fourteen days have passed. I wanted
another seven days to
make the vigrahas very beautiful.
Why did you open the door?
Now there are only round eyes. Well, I
think it must be the wish
of God Himself – Jagannätha. Otherwise I
would have been able
1 3
THE FIRST HISTORY
to complete the task, and you would not
have interrupted me.”
Saying this, the carpenter disappeared,
and at that time the King
and his associates knew that he was not
simply a brähmaëa
carpenter – he was Kåñëa Himself. They
began to lament in
separation.
The deity then ordered the King through
His aerial voice,
“Don’t worry. There is a mystery behind
this. I desired to manifest
like this, and there is a very deep reason
for it. Keep Me in
the temple and begin to worship Me in the
form of these deities.”
Jagannätha continued, “Please carry out My
orders. Viçvavasu
and his son-in-law Vidyäpati will worship
Me, along with
Vidyäpati’s two wives. The sons of
Vidyäpati’s brähmaëa wife
will take turns to worship Öhäkurajé, and
the sons of his çabara
wife will cook many varieties of
preparations. Many dayitäs in
the dynasty of Viçvavasu will serve Me for
ten days during a
Ratha-yäträ Festival. Only they will
worship Me at that time; no
one else will perform the worship. They
alone will take
Baladeva, Subhadrä, and Me on chariots,
and they will bring us
to Guëòicä Mandira. Make a festival for
ten days beginning from
today, and take these chariots to the
Guëòicä Mandira.”
It was due to the request of Queen Guëòicä
that the events of
this pastime unfolded as they did, which
is why the mandira was
named after her. Öhäkurajé continued, “We
will remain there for
those days, and then you may take us back.
You should perform
many festivals, like Snäna-yäträ,
Candana-yäträ, Herä-païcamé,
and so on.”
During Candana-yäträ, Jagannätha’s entire
body is covered
with candana for many days. At that
time, the vijaya-vigraha
deity known as Govinda1 is placed on a
very beautiful boat in
1
When there is a need to take Jagannätha
somewhere, this smaller vijayavigraha
deity from the Jagannätha temple is taken
because the body of
Jagannätha is very heavy.
1 4
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Narendra-sarovara, and His boat pastimes
take place. Then,
during Snäna-yäträ, the deity receives abhiñeka
from thousands
of pitchers of water brought from all the
holy places in India,
and
His bath is so long that he becomes sick.
His stomach becomes
upset and He falls ill. At that time,
Lakñmé takes Him to her palace
and closes the door for fifteen days. Çré
Caitanya Mahäprabhu
could not survive without the deity, and
therefore He went to
Älälanätha and cried, “Where is Kåñëa?
Where is Kåñëa?” He
became mad, so much so that when He
touched the stones at
Älälanätha they melted. Wherever He
offered his praëäma –
wherever His hands, head, and other limbs
were placed – their
impressions became visible in that piece
of stone.
Only the dayitäs, the family of
Viçvavasu Çabara, can serve
Jagannätha at the time of Ratha-yäträ.
Actually, there are two
kinds of servants. One is coming from the
dynasty of Vidyäpati’s
original brähmaëa wife, and these
devotees do arcana and
sevä. Those who descend from Lalitä are called supakara (excellent
cooks), because Jagannätha has accepted
them as His cooks
even though they are of a low-class birth.
They very quickly and
easily cook not less than one hundred
mounds of rice and dahl,
and a variety of other preparations. They
are expert in using
many stoves, and they place at least
twenty earthen pots on one
stove.2
The King prayed, “O Öhäkurajé, I want a
boon so that I may
serve You.”
Öhäkurajé replied, “What boon do you
want?”
2
The stove is an Indian cullé. It
has five burners (one in the middle and one on
each corner) and each burner has four pots
on it, one on top of another, with
only a small hole at the bottom of the
three higher pots. Everything is evenly and
perfectly cooked. It is understood that
Lakñmé herself is cooking and the servants
(the descendants of the çabara wife
of Vidyäpati) are only assisting her, and that
is why the cooking can be done so
magically.
1 5
THE FIRST HISTORY
The King said, “I desire that there should
be neither sons nor
daughters in my dynasty. I do not want any
children. I know You
will grant my desire.”
Öhäkurajé smiled and asked, “Why don’t you
want children?”
The King replied, “After I die, they will
quarrel over money,
and they will have no interest in serving
You. So much money
will come for Your service, and they will
think, ‘This property is
mine’ or ‘Jagannätha is my property.’ I
don’t want any of my
family members to think, ‘This temple is
mine, Jagannätha,
Baladeva, and Subhadrä are my property,
and all the money
coming as praëämé (donations) is
therefore mine to enjoy.’ If
they think in that way, they will use
everything for their own
sense gratification and go to hell.”
Nowadays we see this mentality all over India and
everywhere
else. These days, neophyte devotees
approach people and say,
“Give me some money to serve my gurudeva.
I want to serve
Öhäkurajé – Jagannätha, Baladeva, and
Subhadrä. I want to serve
Rädhä and Kåñëa, so donate something.”
Then, when they get
that donation, they do not give a single
cent to gurudeva or to
Öhäkurajé. They think, “Now I am the
enjoyer!” They keep the
money in their pocket, and then they
enquire, “Where is the best
bank for me to make a deposit?” Someone
may reply, “You can
go to Switzerland; it is the very best.”
Then they will say, “No, I
want to keep my money in India so that I
can live there. Can you
tell me which is the safest bank in India to keep
my money?”
They forget that they collected that money
for gurudeva. Would
anyone have given the money if they
thought it was for that
disciple? And what will be the punishment?
Kåñëa is in anxiety
that He has yet to create a hell that is
appropriate for them.
In India, too, many gosvämés think
they are the owners of their
temples. They take the praëämé and
engage in many bogus
activities. You should be always careful
about this; otherwise
1 6
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
bhakti will not come to you. She will think, “This person is very
selfish. He wants to be the master of his gurudeva,
and also of
Kåñëa.”
The King therefore requested, “There
should be no one to take
even a single paisä. You are the
owner. You Yourself should
depute those who will serve You. The
managers should regularly
be changed, and they should be servants,
like trustees.” A trustee
is one who can be trusted to serve without
any desire for selfgain.
The King of Orissa is always the trustee,
and someone else
is selected after him. They are not
actually kings, in the sense that
they cannot take a farthing or a paisä for
themselves. If they were
to, they would be ruined.
Upon hearing the King’s words, Jagannätha
began to smile, and
thus the Ratha-yäträ Festival began. There
are so many relevant
teachings found in this history.
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My
humble salutations to the lotus feet of Swami jis great Devotees , Philosophic
Scholars, Purebhakti dot com for
the collection)
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