There is much mysticism surrounding Lord Jagannath. While he is worshipped by Shaivites as Bhairav, as Kalika by Shaktas, Rama and Krishna by Vaishnavas, followers of different sects regard him as their supreme Lord. Spiritual gurus like Adi Shankaracharya, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and Guru Nanak were among his ardent devotees. With just two days left for Rath Yatra, Orissa POST spoke to some women who shared some stories of incidents from their lives they firmly believe happened because of Lord Jagannath’s blessings.
Nibedita Lenka who now teaches financially backward students in Bhubaneswar says, “When I was in Class IX, I had gone to witness the grand fair with my aunt’s family. It was raining heavily, and we got stuck midway. As there was no sign of the rains stopping, my aunt decided to return. I was very keen to witness the Lord atop the chariot. So, I was not ready to return home. After I made several requests, my aunt and others finally gave in. To our surprise, we not only had a hassle-free darshan of the Trinity, I could climb the chariots for a closer look. I felt this wouldn’t have possible without the blessing of Lord Jagannath.”
She continues: “We solemnised our son’s marriage recently. According to Odia tradition, the Jayee Anukolo ceremony marks the beginning of the wedding ceremony and the first invitation card is placed before Lord Jagannath as Odias treat him as the foremost member of the family. When I reached the temple with the cards, it was chock-a-block with devotees. As I feel giddy in crowded places, I waited for a long time for the crowds to lessen. But that didn’t happen. Eventually, I made a move towards the sanctum sanctorum chanting the name of the Lord and leaving everything to his grace. Surprisingly, I had no problems whatsoever to reach the Ratna Singhasan. I had a good darshan of the deities. Tears roll down my cheeks even now when I recall that incident.”
Niroja Lakhmi, superintendent of Madhur Mayee Adarsha Siksha Niketan, a hostel for convicts’ children, says, “When I opened a deaf and dumb college in Odisha, the sanctioned strength was only 64. But there were so many students who wanted to join the institution. As it was too difficult to accommodate them, I wrote to the state government seeking an increase in the number of seats. I had to run from pillar to post to get government permission due to the non-cooperation of many officials of the education department. I kept praying to Lord Jagannath because he has bailed me out on many occasions. This time too, I received a sanction letter from the education department with the necessary approval. I consider it Lord Jagannath’s miracle.”
Tapati Panigrahi, who provides free education to differently-abled kids, says, “My husband was asleep when one of his hands became non-functional. Though I consulted many doctors outside Odisha, we did not find a solution. Those were very difficult times for me. One day in my dream, I saw Lord Jagannath telling me, ‘Don’t worry. Your husband will get well soon.’ To my surprise, I found his hand started functioning on its own. This happened because of Lord Jagannath’s blessing. In another incident, my son Subhrajyoti was among the top 10 students in the Class X board exam to everyone’s surprise. He was not a top student in his class. He used to secure fifth position always. When the Class X examination results came, his teachers rushed to my house and informed me that Subhrajyoti had secured fifth position in the state and topped in Puri district. My happiness knew no bounds. I believe all this was because of my pure devotion to Lord Jagannath and his blessings.”
RASHMI REKHA DAS, OP
