हेरा पंचमी ( लक्ष्मी ठकुरानी और उनका अभिमान )

आसाढ़ मास शुक्ल पक्ष्य  द्वितीया के दिन भगवान् जगन्नाथ भाई बलभद्र और बेहेन  सुभद्रा के साथ श्रीमंदिर से निकल कर भक्तो को दर्शन देने के लिए अपने नौ दिन के रथयात्रा में अपनी मौसी के घर मौसि के  मंदिर चले गए हैं. आज ५ दिन हो गए हैं  माँ अन्नपूर्णा महालक्ष्मी को प्रभु से बिछड़े हुए और वे प्रभु के वियोग के बिरह सह  नहीं कर पा रही है और जब बिरह असह्य हुआ तो वे बेहेन बिमला ( जो की मंदिर प्रांगन में ही बिराजमान है ) से अपनी इस दसा का समाधान पूछती हैं तो माँ बिमला ने उन्हें मौसिमा मंदिर जा के भगवन जगन्नाथ जी से मिल के आने की सलाह दी. यह खबर होते ही जगन्नाथ महाप्रभु भी अपनी मुख श्रृंगार सम्पन्न कर माता महालक्ष्मी जी से मिलने की प्रतीक्षा करने लगते हैं  . बिमला माँ के इस सलाह से माँ महालक्ष्मी सोलह श्रृंगार करते हुए रात के अँधेरे में गुन्दिचा मंदिर जा के भगवन से मिलने की योजना बनाती हैं और अपने कुछ बिस्वस्त सेविकाओ के साथ रथयात्रा के पाचवे दिन गुन्दिचा मंदिर पहंचते हैं और सबसे नज़र बचा के वो मंदिर मे जगन्नाथ जी से अकेले मिलके अपनी बिरह प्रकट करते हैं और बदले में प्रभु उनको आस्वसना देते हैं की वो  रथयात्रा ख़तम करके श्रीमंदिर में लौट आएंगे. महालक्ष्मी जी गुस्से में श्रीमंदिर लौटते लौटते अपने अभिमान को तोड़ते हुए नंदीघोष रथ से एक लकड़ी तोड़ देते हैं जिसने प्रभु को उनसे दूर ले आया हैं. 

इसी प्रथा को आगे बढाते हुए कल माँ महालक्ष्मी जी की हेरा पंचमी कराइ गई. महालक्ष्मीजी का सोलह श्रृंगार भी कराया गया और वेद् बर्णित बिधिनुसार सारे कार्यक्रम हुआ और एक सुसज्जित पलिंकी में वो नंदीघोष रथ के निचे पहुंची और वहां कुछ बिधियों के बाद एकांत में प्रभु जगन्नाथ से मिली और जाते जाते   रथ में से एक लकड़ी भी तोड़ दी और श्रीमंदिर लौट गई..

देबलोक में जिनकी एक दर्शन हेतु देवताओं को कड़ी तपस्या करनी पड़ती है वहां भक्त के भक्ति से बिबस महाप्रभु के ये इंसानी रूप में लीलाएं रचना किसी स्वप्नलोक की कहानी से कम नहीं है..

धन्य प्रभु धन्य आपकी लीला...

जय जगन्नाथ !       

The epic story behind Lord Jagannath...

       

The epic story behind the the origin of Lord Jagannath goes back to ancient days when present day Lord Jagannath was being worshiped as Nila Madhava by a tribal head called Biswabasu. The name Nilamadhaba comes from the mountain that is always covered by the dense forest making it tougher for anyone to reach.The story goes, in the state of Malwa there was a king called Indradyumna who was an ardent devotee of lord Vishnu.His utter devotion landed him to see Lod Vishnu in his manly eyes and he in his prayers pleaded the lord to give him Darhan. After long in a divine dream he was told that Lord Vishnu can be seen in his best form in the state of then Utkala. The king then send Vidyapati to find & submit a report on Lord Vishnu. Bidyapati, after a very secret research got to know about Biswabasu & the lord Nilamadhaba , but upon request he denied to show him the way to Nilamadhaba. Failing to get the way to Nilamadhaba by hook or crook Bidyapari Decided to stay there and by playing tricks he married Lalita, daughter of Biswabasu. And after humble request by her daughter, Biswabasu was ready to take blindfolded Vidyapati to the secret cave where nilamadhaba was being worshiped and there Bidyapati played another trick to get the way to Nilamadhaba. While travelling to Nilamadhaba with Biswabasu, Bidyapati had taken unrippen mustard along with him and went on putting the same on the way to Nilamadhaba. On reaching Nilamadhaba, Bidyapati was lost in the beauty of the lord vishnu and thanked Biswabasu and returned to the king Indradyumna.On reaching back he narrated the existence of the lord and with no wait the king with his near & dears went to Utkala to get a glimpse of the lord. By the time Bidyapati was back in Utkala the unriped mustard were full grown mustard and took the king with Bidyapati to the secret cave but as Bidyapati had cheated his beloved devotee  Biswabasu , the lord disappeared from the cave. this led Indradyumna to be disheartened and knowing the fact from Bidyapati he then pleaded the lord to give him darshan. Without any result the king summoned the Lord that if he does not give him darshan before sunset he will end his life. In the evening when the king was about to fire the death bed the lord in a heavenly voice told him to find logs of wood in the seashore in Puri & prepare statues 7 observe puja.
Getting relif by this the king along with the entire army went to the seashore where he found 4 logs on "Neem Daru" floating with shankh,chakra gada & padma symbols marked on them. On trying to get the logs out of water even after using the army & the huge elephants to move out of water they didn't even move from their actual place. then again the king was ready with his death bed but the lord in a heavenly voice ordered that his ardent devotee Biswabasu's touch will move the logs out of water hence Biswabasu was called to help and he served the logs to be carried to the king's palace. Then the real thing had to be done to get the logs in the best form of Nilamadhaba. So the king asked the royal carpenters to get the logs turned into the lords but as nobody had seen lord Vishnu nobody could dare to touch the logs and whosoever tried the tools on the logs ,the tools got damaged with out a stain on the logs. A hopeless king now announced that anyone who will be able to make the real vishnu idols from the logs would get half of his state and anything he asks for but being disappointed he again got up to the death bed but & in the same evening an too old man with his tools appeared in front of the king and told him to allow him. but the king with carelessness asked to show up his skills leading to which the old man tore the skin out of the log with his nails. being assured of his skills the king allowed him but the old man put up conditions like he won't be disturbed till 21 days and he will be allowed to  do his job in the most secret chamber and he even does not need anything for himself that can disturb him. And if anybody happens to see him working & the door be opened, he will leave from then & won't b responsible for anything that happens to them thereafter. As the king agreed to the terms, the old man was allowed to be inside the locked chambers. Like the king the  queen too had utmost devotion for the lord and she used to listen to the construction noise from outside the chamber. till the 15th day everything was fine but on 18th day when she didn't hear any noise from the chamber  her anxiety led her to many assumptions and fearing the old man's death inside the chamber she prompted the king to open the door. The king when unwillingly opened the door, they dint get any trace of the old man in the chamber and what was left was the 4 half  made huge statues of the Lords. With utter disappointment on breaching trust with his the old man, the king repented on his act and requested the lord to explain the act and while attempting to end his life once more the  heavenly voice explained the statues as Lord Balabhadra,Subhadra & Lord Jagannath. The king was ordered to allow Biswabasu to be the head priest to offer puja after the statues get placed in a heavenly temple in the seashore which the king executed. Promptly he built a huge temple and looked for some Brahmins to do the "Pratisha utsava" but he dint find any body suitable for the same. Then Narada appeared and told him about the creator of the universe lord Brahma to be the best one to do the job and on his guidance indradyumna went to Brahmalok to invite Brahma and on reaching earth with Brahma he was amazed not to find the temple in place as a moment in Brahmalok is equal to 1000 years on earth.The then king of Utkala while going on his horse the horse got hit by the "Nilachakra" which in turn revealed  the lost temple and he claimed the temple to be one of his ancestors and fought with Indradyumna for the possession. Then Indradyumna without any witness alive urged the lord to do justice and the lord appeared in front of the kings and awarded the temple to Indradyumna and after lord brahma did the "Pratistha utsava" the lords being pleased with the devotion of the Indradumna offered a wish to him. To this wish to be fulfilled indradyumns requested the lord to do such a situation that there should be no one to say that the temple was built by his ancestors which the lords approved and disappeared. Since then the lords are there as Lord jagannatha (Lord Krishna), Lord balabhadra(lord balarama) & Lord Subhadra (lord Krishna's sister) along with sudarshan(Lord Krishna's aayudha). People say the ever roaring sea is the witness to Indradyumna and his devotion to lord vishnu who still lives herein to give mokshya to everybody who bows his head to him...

Jai Jaganath swamy Nayana Pathagami bhava tu me...

Jagannath Ratha yatra or Ghosa yatra

Tomorrow its the holy rathyatra in Jagannatha puri... and with this the year long wait to see the "Chaturdha Murti" on the "ratha" is going to end. All the 3 "Raths" are ready and have reached Singhadwara and are awaitng for the moment when the lord will ride on them. 

I must tell you there are many restriction in the temple and non Hindus are not allowed to visit the  temple premises and even many foreigners( Convert Hindus) are not allowed to visit the temple. And this is because to maintain the austerity of the deities and the holiness. According to vedic norms no one except the pandits or pujaris' should touch the deities in any form in Hinduism. Even seeing the lord in odd hours too is not advisable. And Puri Jagannath being the soul of the jagannath culture, highest degree of strictness is observed. you might have heard of things like " destroying of the all 56 recipies because someone not allowed has touched the Prasadas in the temple" and things like Srimandir has been washed by holy water from the Ganges and other holy rivers. And all this is maintained because; yes the living lord stays there. but jagannath being devotees lord comes out of all the barriers to meet them during this Rathyatra. On Rathyatra the heavenly lords come out of the Sreemandir and rides the Rathas & visit Gundicha Mandira. I have seen the lord for twice only but that is enough for the lifetime. The hugely built lords are like the living beings. With their too big round eyes they just steal your nights sleep and the huge arms takes out all worries from you and the heavenly atmospehere will make you feel like your life's worth is justified.

Se Prabhu Mahaprabhu

Se Aakhi Chaka aakhi

Se Danda Bada danda

Se Prasada Mahaprasada

Se Dion Bada dion

Se Kshetra Sreekshetra...

Se aao kie nuhen se pratyeka odiara pranavayu ...se pratyeka odiara antara aatma aur se jagatara natha Jaganntha...

Tomorrow Prabhu Jagannath will ride the Nandighosa Rata, Balabhadra his Taladhwaja ratha & maa Subhadra her Darpadalana Ratha & will go to Gundicha Mandira. The deities will be there for 9 days before they come back to Srimandira.

Jai jagannatha swamy Nayana pathagami bhava tu me