The Story and The History Behind the Existence Lord Jagannath

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After the 18 days of Kurukshetra war (Mahabharata) between Kauravas and Pandavas ends, Gandhari cursed Lord Krishna in the grief of the loss of her sons and Kauravas soldiers, with the destruction of Yadavas in a similar manner to the death of her sons. And Lord Krishna accepted with a smile and said: ” So be it”!!

A Scene from Mahabharat War

After 36years, the youth of Yadavas had become frivolous and hedonistic. Krishna’s son Sambha dressed up like a pregnant woman and asked the great rishis like Durvasa, Vishwamitra and others who had visited Dwarka to meet Lord Krishna, to predict the gender of the baby. Seeing that the young man was playing a prank with the Maharshi’s, they cursed him for giving birth to whatever is hiding inside his Saree that will destroy his entire race. And Sambha was hiding an iron bolt. Later he was advised by King Ugrasena to powder the iron bolt and throw it into the Prabhas sea.

After this, the Yadavas faced many bad omens, death of Vasudev, drowning of Lord Balarama into the sea, submersion of Dwarka in the sea and civil wars fought among the Yadavas clan that killed many of them. Seeing all these, Lord Krishna concluded that the hour of his departure had come. He went for meditation to the jungle.

A fish swallowed some of the pieces left out of the iron bolt casted in the sea. When a hunter named Jara Sabara, (Bali who was blessed by Lord Rama to kill the deity in his next incarnation) caught the same fish and found the metal piece, he sharpened the metal piece and made an arrow from it. He went to the jungle for hunting with the same arrow. He saw blood-red feet of Lord Krishna but assumed it like an ear of a deer and aimed the arrow at it. After the demise of the Lord, the spirit took the shape of a stone.

Several years later, the stone was traced by Tribal King, Vishwabasu. He realised the divine nature of the stone and established in a cave to worship it as “Nila Madhaba“. Nila means blue and Madhaba is another name of Lord Vishnu.

King Indradyumna, a Lunar Dynasty King, was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu and was eager to meet him face to face. He wanted to build a temple for the Lord. Once a priest came to his court and mentioned about an incarnation of Lord Vishnu named as Nila Madhaba, was being worshipped in the Nilachal mountain. The King, without any delay, sent his priests in search of Nila Madhaba. All the priests returned with disappointment, except one Brahman named Vidyapati.

He went to an area inhabited by tribals called Sabaras and was welcomed by the Head Chief Vishwabasu’s daughter Lalita and stayed there. He fell in love with Lalita and married her. After his marriage, he noticed a peculiar behaviour of Vishwabasu. He observed that afternoon, Vishwabasu leaves the house and returns with a scented fragrance of sandalwood, camphor and musk. Curious Vidyapati asked his wife about this, and she informed that he goes to worship Nila Madhaba. Hearing about this, Vidyapati repeatedly requested to see Nila Madhaba. When Vishwabasu didn’t agree to his wish, he started fasting. Seeing his determination, Vishwabasu decided to take him to the cave but with the condition that he stays blindfolded throughout the journey. Vidyapati agreed with the condition, but his clever wife put mustard seeds in his pocket. So that, later on, he could easily find the way to Nila Madhaba. Vishwabasu with his son-in-law worshipped Nila Madhaba.

Sabara King Viswabasu worshipping “Nilamadhaba” in Nilagiri forest.(Image Courtesy Odiaorg)

King Indradyumna and his priests on reaching the cave with Brahman Vidyapati were surprised to see that Nila Madhaba had disappeared. As the King was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu and his dream of building a temple for Him shattered. Being disappointed, the King sat under a tree and slept for a while. Suddenly, Lord Vishnu appeared in his dreams and said the King that he will now be worshipped as a wooden idol which will be made out of a log to be found near Bankamuhana in Puri. After this dream, Indradyumna rushed to the spot and found the wood. However, to his surprise, he couldn’t get his artists to make the idols out of it – no matter what.

The tools of the artisans broke whenever they tried to cut the log. This was the point when Ananta Maharana (The Supreme Lord Himself as a carpenter) appeared and offered to help in the form of an older man.

However, Ananta Maharana had one condition. He said that he shouldn’t be disturbed while carving out the idol until it is finished for 21days. So, he employed himself in the divine task in locked podium without anyone’s interruption. But after two weeks, suddenly the sound of work stopped coming from inside the podium to which wife of Indradyumna – Gundicha got worried and said that they must go in and check if he is okay.

Although the King didn’t want it, he had no option but entered inside reluctantly. However, to their surprise, when they got in, they found no carpenter and only unfinished idols, no hands, no ears and no feet. He immediately repented his act. But a divine voice – probably of Lord Vishnu himself, consoled the King that he shouldn’t regret and install the unfinished idols as it is and Lord shall make himself visible to the devotees in this form.

Ever since the idols of Lord Jagannath and his brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra along with his promising weapon “Sudarshan chakra” are worshipped in unfinished form.

We call the form as unfinished but little did we know that everything emanates from the Supreme Lord. Not even a single leaf falls off a tree without His wish in this world. All material activities in the world are being conducted under His supervision.

JaiJagannath 🙏

SabuToriLeela 🙏

Mahaprabhu #MahaBahu 🙏

Written with Love -By Maheswari Singh

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