It’s pretty much common when you spend a ton of time with someone; you’ll end up bickering at some point. Bickering among couples from time to time is normal.
It’s healthy for partners to disagree and to be disagreeable to a degree. This rule not only applies to humans but also to Gods and Goddesses. So today Lord Jagannath returns to Shree Mandir with his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra from the Rath in Goti Pahandi(procession from the chariots to the Ratna Singhasana one by one without taking any break ). This ceremony is called as Niladri Bije.
This last ritual seems to be most special and interesting among all the rituals of Rath Yatra. Goddess Mahalaxmi continues to stay angry on Lord Jagannath as he had not taken her to Devi Gundicha Mandir with his siblings.
Also when the Goddess went to check on her husband’s whereabouts on Hera Panchami, worrying about why he hadn’t returned since four days, Lord Jagannath ordered his servitors to close the gates of Gundicha Mandir. On being offended by her own husband, Goddess Mahalaxmi ordered her servitors to break a part of Nandighosa Ratha. So Niladri Bije is an interesting ritual because it’s all about the continuation of the fight. Goddess Mahalaxmi allowed Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra to enter the abode but shuts the door on the face of Lord Jagannath immediately as his turn comes to enter.
Now the Lord has some real trouble because everyone knows an angry wife is worse than any disaster. So he put all the efforts to placate his angry wife. And being a loving and caring husband, he exactly knows how to appease his annoyed wife. He knows that his wife has a sweet tooth and that his wife loves food more than anything. He offered a pot full of Rasagola and requested for forgiving him for being disrespectful. After a long conversation among the couple and their servitors, Mahalaxmi finally got convinced and opened the temple gate and allows her dear husband inside.
After all, who can stay irritated when mouth-watering Rasagola is in front of you, be it the Goddess herself. So to commemorate this custom of offering Rasagola to Mahalaxmi is celebrated as Rasagola Dibasa in Odisha.
After the Lord Jagannath enters his abode, he is made to sit beside his beautiful consort, Mahalaxmi for a reunion. And finally, when the Goddess is happy and back to her sweet smiling face, the Lord ascends to the Ratna Singhasana and re-joins his brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra.
Thank you, Lord, for teaching us that a perfect relationship is not that you never get angry, upset or irritated with each other. It’s how fast you resolve and bounce back to normal. The Niladri Bije ritual marks the end of the historic Rath Yatra.
Written with Love -By Maheswari Singh
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