Lord Jagannath’s divine play, or ‘leela’, is a spiritual fusion of earthly human love – characterised by traits such as possessiveness and the yearning for fulfillment of aspirations – and godly love which is unselfish and transcendental in spirit
Pragatiprava
“If the God does not come down as a human being, how will human beings love him,” said Swami Shivananda, one of the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. The Lord of the Universe, Lord Jagannath, descended upon earth in the most human form with all human follies and yearning for love.
While human life revolves around the basic philosophy of love, it is also the centre of most of the rituals of the Lord of the Universe. There is conditional love, which is humane and also unconditional love, which is divine, and all these are reflected in the several rituals of the god and in the sculptural wonders on the bodies of the temples in the state.
Bhaskar Mishra, an eminent Jagannath cult scholar, says: “The first chapter of ‘Skanda Purana’ describes Sri Jagannath coming down to earth in a human form and displaying hundreds of ‘leelas’ or divine traits. The Lord shows that there is no distinction between the social and the spiritual life and that social life is nothing other than a manifestation of divinity.”
The idol of the god itself represents the romantic union of Lord Jagannath (Krishna) with Radha, the Supreme Goddess. Adi Shankaracharya in a stanza of his ‘Jagannathastakam’ writes: Rasanando Radha Sarasha Bapuralingana Sukham, meaning Radha feels She is in an ocean of joy when embracing Krishna. The idol manifests Lord Jagannath carrying Radha in Him.
In the common posture of embracing, one sees the halves of two bodies. While the face is that of Lord Krishna and thus black, the lower part of the idol is that of Radha and is white.
In Vaishnavism, Krishna is referred to as ‘Swayam Bhagavan’ and Radha is the embodiment of the five elemental bodies of the feeling of love towards the almighty, which connects a living being to his creator. While the Lord enchants the world, Radha enchants Him with her love and embrace.
Several rituals of the temple depict Sri Jagannath’s romantic and erotic love.
Kidnap & marriage
In personal or human love, the sense of possessiveness inevitably creeps in which the god depicts in many activities, says Mishra. Four days before Devasnana Purnima (the bathing ritual), the ceremony of Rukmini Haran (kidnap of Rukmini or Laxmi) is observed in the month of Jyestha. Lord Jagannath sends his representative, Madanmohan, to kidnap Rukmini. Later, the marriage of the Lord with Goddess Laxmi is solemnised in the Bibaha Mandap.
Post-marriage, Goddess Laxmi writes a love letter expressing Her desire for holy union with the Lord, which also depicts human love characterised by the yearning for the fulfillment of expectations.
“The bathing ceremony on the Snana Vedi on a full moon day happens four days after the marriage. As part of Hindu marriage rituals, Goddess Laxmi should get united with the god. However, she gets angry as the Lords remain busy in giving ‘darshan’ to devotees throughout the day,” Mishra says.
After the completion of the bathing ritual, the Lord along with His siblings – Balabhadra and Subhadra – catches fever and moves to Anasara Ghara where the sick receive treatment. He stays there for 15 days and after getting cured goes straight to the Rath to give ‘darshan’ to devotees from where He moves directly to His aunt’s house. Devi Laxmi visits Gundicha Ghar in a palanquin but cannot enter the house. She symbolically sends a message to Lord Jagannath to return to His abode after a day. However, the Lord stays with His aunt for nine days.
Laxmi’s wrath
Jagannath culture researcher Naresh Dash says: “The pent up anger in Goddess Laxmi finds expression in the ritual known as Hera Panchami. Goddess Laxmi arrives at Sri Gundicha temple to meet Sri Jagannath, but there fails to catch a glimpse of the Lord who is surrounded by devotees. Her palanquin causes slight damage to the Lord’s chariot signifying the goddess’ anger at the Lord for leaving Her alone in the temple. The goddess returns to the temple via Hera Gouri Sahi.”
Love battles
Two days after Bahuda Yatra when the deities are carried into the temple in ‘pahandi’, Goddess Laxmi closes the last door of the inner sanctum of the main temple to express her resentment.
The god and the goddess indulge in a sweet altercation – the threshold of knowing each other – after marriage, says Dash. “It is a universally accepted fact that you don’t know him or her until there is a quarrel. A quarrel tests character. Quarrel is an important test in compatibility. Knowledge grows from disagreement and love is deep knowledge of your partner. It is not just the romantic feeling; it is the feeling of tolerance, the feeling of acceptance and understanding. A quarrel creates a platform for the woman to submit and the man to show love,” adds Dash.
The door opens by the order of Laxmi after She gets the satisfactory nine answers from Sri Jagannath, who promises to take Her with Him next time. In the last answer, the social status and freedom of women are recognised by the Lord – the sublime love and respect of the Lord to womanhood.
In the ritual, the goddess depicts Her possessiveness which the Lord enjoys.
Divine union
“Ekanta Niti, one of the rituals of Srimandir, symbolises the erotic aspect of love,” says Dash. The ritual is observed every Thursday in the temple. Madanmohan, the dynamic form of Sri Jagannath, along with Sridevi (Laxmi) and Bhudevi (Saraswati, another wife of Jagannath), is taken to the Majana Mandap (bathing altar). After the ritual, Madanmohan and Goddess Laxmi walk to the Jagamohan of the Laxmi temple. They enter an exotically decorated cushioned palanquin to enjoy each other’s company. Saraswati goes to accompany Lord Jagannath, the static form of the god in the sanctum sanctorum.
Love floats on water
The pleasure trip of the Lord along with Goddess Laxmi and Saraswati in a gorgeously decorated swan-shaped boat inside the Narendra Pushkarini (a giant tank) marks Chandan Yatra with the swans symbolising pure romantic love and union. The deities on board move about the tank and enjoy the notes and movements of Odissi presented by danseuses on the decks till late in the evening and return to the temple in the same manner and style as they went. The temple musicians also recite notes from the ‘Gita Gobinda’, the poems of eternal love, along with Odissi bhajans with undercurrents of love during the boat-ride ritual.
After boating the deities are carried to a small temple inside the tank. There is a small sweet scented tank with the fragrance of sandalwood, jasmine and camphor inside the temple. Sri Madanmohan, Laxmi and Saraswati have secret play and enjoyment for several hours together. None is permitted to witness this bathing ceremony. The doors remain closed and the ritual continues for 21 days.
Devadasi Nritya is presented in Srimandir to satisfy the romantic mood of Lord Jagannath. He enjoys ‘tambula’ (betel leaf) which symbolises the mood of a carefree lover.
“The Lord of the Universe descends from an infinite being into a limited human form and depicts myriad aspects of human nature through His divine play. In human form, He portrays human love that gradually transcends into divine love with the elevation of the man into divinity,” says Ananda Mohanty of Jajpur, an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath.
