Lord Jagannatha, Balarama & Srimati Subhadra Devi
His Holiness Sri Swarup Das Baba Maharaj explains the appearance of Lord Jagannatha.
In Dvaraka there were 16,000 queens of Sri Krishna. One night, when He was with them, Sri Krishna cried out, “Ha Radhe! Ha Radhe!” and wept. Seeing Him crying like this, the Queens, headed by Rukmini and Satyabhama, were all astonished and, wanting to understand, inquired from Mother Rohini about the cause of this behaviour. They knew that Mother Rohini had previously been in Sri Vrndavana, so no one else but she could answer their questions. Mother Rohini said: “Although I know about the Vrndavana pastimes, being a mother, I am not aware of my son’s (nephew’s) intimate pastimes. If I would describe Krishna and Balarama’s Rasa-Lila and other pastimes and They would accidentally overhear me there would be no limit to my embarrassment!” The Queens were so eager to hear from her that Rohini decided to close the doors of the room and post Subhadra-devi outside so that she could discretely reveal Sri Balarama and Krishna’s pastimes inside.
While Mother Rohini began to relate Krishna and Balarama’s pastimes the two Brothers in the royal assembly became restless and headed towards the inner quarters of the palace. Wherever and whenever the pastimes and qualities of Sri Krishna are being discussed Krishna will always come, leaving behind all other activities. When Balarama and Krishna appeared in the inner chambers They were stopped by Subhadra devi, and thus They both stood outside of the door and listened to the descriptions of Their pastimes by Rohini devi.
First: When the descriptions of Krishna’s Rasa-Lila began the three (Krishna, Balarama, and Subhadra) showed all the signs of ecstatic love on Their bodies.
Second: When the descriptions started of Srimati Radharani’s Prema Vaicittya (feelings of separation even in union) the hands and feet of Sri Balarama gradually began to contract.
Third: When the descriptions started of Srimati Radharani’s Vilasa (loving pastimes) Sri Krishna’s hands and feet gradually began to contract. In the same way, the hands and feet of Srimati Subhadra devi also began to contract and she became completely motionless. The Sudarsana-disc remained completely frozen at Sri Krishna’s side when he heard the descriptions of these Lilas. At that time Devarsi Narada came there and became astonished as he watched all this going on from a distance.
Fourth: When mother Rohini began to describe Srimati Radharani’s condition of love-in-separation everyone regained Their original bodily condition. Then Sri Krishna saw Devarsi Narada. Narada Rsi told Sri Krishna with folded hands: “Please show me again that amazing form of ecstasy that You just assumed!” Then Sri Krishna told Narada Rsi: “Mother Rohini is in the inner chambers, discussing the Vraja-Lila with the Queens! I have attained such a condition simply by hearing about the Rasa and other pastimes.” Narada Rsi said: “O Lord, please bless me that the four of You will be revealed to the whole world in the form that I just saw!” Following the words of Narada Rsi Sri Jagannatha, Sri Balarama, Srimati Subhadra-devi and Sudarsana Cakra became manifest to the world. On the left side of Srimati Subhadra-devi Sri Jagannatha Devaji and on Her right side Sri Balaramaji were hearing the Lila-Katha, that’s why the deity of Sri Jagannathadevaji is on the left side of Srimati Subhadra-devi and Sri Balaramaji in on the right side, while Sudarsana Cakra is below the deities in a molten form.
In the first Parardha of Lord Brahma Sri Caturvyutha Bhagavan Sri Nila Madhava mercifully advented Himself in a deity-form in Sankha-ksetra Nilacala to redeem the low and the fallen souls. In the second Parardha, when one Yuga of the Manu-conjunction had passed, Satya Yuga began. At that time there was a king named Indradyumna, who hailed from the solar dynasty, who was a great devotee of Lord Visnu and who had established his kingdom in the Malava-district of Avanti Nagari. He had become very eager to see the Supreme Lord in Person. Then one Vaisnava was sent into the court of Sri Indradyumna by the Lord and told him about Sri Nila Madhava. Hearing this news the king sent different Brahmanas in different directions to search for Sri Nila Madhava, but all of them returned to the capital unsuccessfully. The only successful courier was the court priest Sri Vidyapati. After many wanderings, he came to an unvedic territory named Sabara. In that Sabara-community he took shelter of the house of a Sabara named Visvavasu, where he found a lone virgin girl named Lalita, who was Visvavasu’s daughter. When the man came home and found this brahmana in his house he ordered his daughter to serve the guest. Later, on the special request of the Sabara, Vidyapati accepted the hand of the girl in marriage.
Vidyapati used to see the Sabara going out every night and returning home the next day at noontime, his body smelling of perfumes like sandal paste, camphor, and musk. Vidyapati asked his wife Lalita-Sundari what was going on and Lalita told him that her father was going out every day to render puja to Sri Nila Madhava.
Vidyapati’s bliss knew no bounds, now that, after searching for so long, he had finally found Sri Nila Madhava. Lalita had disobeyed the order of the Sabara by telling her husband about Sri Nila Madhava. Vidyapati now became very eager to see Sri Nila Madhava. Finally, after many earnest requests by his daughter, Visvavasu agreed to show Sri Nila Madhava to Vidyapati, on the condition that he would allow his eyes to be blindfolded. Visvavasu’s daughter had bound some mustard seeds in the fold of her husband’s dhoti, which Vidyapati dropped one by one on the road. When Vidyapati had arrived before Sri Nila Madhava the Sabara released the blindfold from his eyes. When Vidyapati saw the amazing form of Sri Nila Madhava he began to dance in ecstasy and offer praises to the Lord. The Sabara left Vidyapti with Sri Nila Madhava and went off to look for roots and forest-flowers as paraphernalia for the puja. Meanwhile, the Brahmana saw that a crow had fallen asleep and had dropped in a nearby pond, thus drowning and instantly attaining a four-armed form with which it ascended to Vaikuntha (attaining Sarupya Mukti). Seeing this, the brahmana climbed into a nearby tree and wanted to jump from it into the pond to give up his life in a similar way, but then a voice in the sky said: “O Brahmana! You should first go to king Indradyumna and tell him that you have seen Sri Nila Madhava!”
The Sabara had meanwhile collected his roots and forest flowers and began to offer puja to Sri Nila Madhava, but then Sri Nila Madhava told him: “I have accepted your roots and forest flowers for so long, now I desire to accept the royal service rendered to Me by My devotee Kind Indradyumna!”
Thinking: “I will now be deprived of the service of Sri Nila Madhava!” the Sabara kept his son-in-law locked in his house, but after being repeatedly petitioned he released the Brahmana, who went to King Indradyumna and told him that he had found the deity of Sri Nila Madhava. The king blissfully set off with many people to bring Sri Nila Madhava. The king followed the mustard-seeds that were dropped by Vidyapati and that had meanwhile sprouted, but when he came to the end of the trail he did not find Sri Nila Madhava, so with his generals, he besieged the village of the Sabaras and had the Sabara taken prisoner. Then a voice in the sky told the king: “Let go of the Sabara! Build a temple on the blue mountain of Niladri; there you will see Me as Daru Brahma, transcendence in wood. You will not see My form of Sri Nila Madhava!”
Sri Indradyumna brought stones to build the temple from a place called Baulmala and had a road built for that purpose from there all the way to Nilakandara. After arranging for the stones to be brought over this road, he had the temple built in the Sankha-Nabhi-Mandala and had a small village, named Rama-Kṛṣṇapura, established there. The foundation of the temple is 60 cubits deep and, is 120 cubits above the ground. On the summit of the temple, he had a jug placed and on top of that a disc. The whole temple was adorned with gold. Sri Indradyumna Maharaja wanted Lord Brahma to inaugurate the temple, but a lot of time passed in waiting for him to arrive. In this time the temple that was built by Sri Indradyumna became covered over by the sand from the ocean. Meanwhile men like Suradeva, and after that Gala Madhava, established their kingdoms there. Gala Madhava had the temple dug out of the sand. Meanwhile, Sri Indradyumna returned from the abode of Lord Brahma and claimed before Gala Madhava that he was the builder of the temple, but Gala Madhava said that he had built the temple. The crow named Bhūșạņḍi, who stayed in a nearby Kalpa-Banyan-tree, had witnessed the whole affair, for he had been there already for ages, chanting the holy names of Lord Rama, and he testified that the temple had been built by Sri Indradyumna Maharaja, but that it had become covered over by sand in his absence and excavated by Kind Gala Madhava. Gala Madhava denied the truth and remained on the western side of the temple, on the outside, following the indication of Lord Brahma. Sri Indradyumna prayed to Lord Brahma for permission to build a temple and establish a most redeeming holy place here, but Sri Brahma replied: “I am not able to establish a temple or a holy place myself; these places are the manifestations of the innate potency of the Lord and the Lord cannot be installed, since He is self-manifest. By the Lord’s grace Sri Jagannatha and His holy abode are dwelling within the material world; but I will bind a flag to the summit of the temple – anyone who sees this summit from a distance and offers prostrated obeisances to it will easily attain liberation!”
Sri Daru Brahma: Having been unable to see Sri Nila Madhava, Sri Indradyumna Maharaja sat down on a Kusa-seat, vowing to fast until death. Then Sri Jagannatha told him in a dream: “Don’t worry! I will appear as Daru Brahma, floating in a place called Samudra Bāṅkimāhāna!” The King went there with his soldiers and officers and beheld Sri Daru Brahma there, marked with a conch shell, disc, club, and, lotus flower. Although the King engaged powerful men and elephants to move Daru Brahma, he was unable to do so. The Sri Jagannatha deva told the king in a dream: “Bring My previous servant Visvavasu, who served Me in My form of Sri Nila Madhava, here and place a golden chariot in front of Daru Brahma.”
The king commenced the work following the orders he received in his dream. Vasu the Sabara was placed on one side of Sri Daru Brahma and the brahmana Vidyapati on the other side. Everyone then began to perform Harinama sankirtana everywhere. The king held the lotus feet of Sri Daru Brahma and prayed to Him to mount the chariot, and when Sri Daru Brahma had mounted the chariot the king took Him to the designated place, where Lord Brahma commenced the sacrifice. Sri Nrsimhadeva was also present on the sacrificial altar. It is said that wherever this temple is, such a sacrifice is being performed. On the western side of the Mukti, Mandapa Nrsimhadeva resides and He is named ‘Adi Nrsimhadeva’ there.
Sri Indradyumna Maharaja called for many expert sculptors to help reveal the divine image of Sri Daru Brahma, but none of them was able to touch it. Their chisels were all broken. Finally, the Lord came there Himself in the disguise of an old sculptor, introducing Himself as Ananta Mahārāṇā, and promised to reveal the divine image behind closed doors within 21 days. Meanwhile, all the other artists that had been called by the king were engaged in making three chariots on the order of the old sculptor, who himself took Daru Brahma inside the temple and stayed alone with Him behind closed doors, insisting that the king not open the gates before 21 days had passed. The king, though, became very anxious because after two weeks of waiting he still did not hear the sounds of any chisels or other instruments. Although his ministers repeatedly forbade him to do so, the king forcibly pushed open the doors of the temple, being urged by the queen. Inside he did not find the old sculptor, he only saw that Daru Brahma had manifest Himself in three images. And when he came before the images he saw that the lotus-fingers and lotus-feet of the Lord had not become manifest yet. An intelligent minister than told the king: “This old sculptor was no one else but Sri Jagannatha Himself! Because your majesty has opened the gates of the temple a week too early Sri Jagannatha has manifested Himself in this way!” The king, considering himself a great offender, vowed to commit suicide. He lay down on a bed of Kusa-grass, and when half the night has passed Sri Jagannatha granted him His audience in a dream, saying: “I am eternally established in Sri Nilacala under the name of Sri Purusottama in the form of Daru Brahma. Within this material world, I have descended along with My abodes in 24 different forms. Although I have no material hands and feet I accept the articles that My devotees serve Me with transcendental hands and feet, and with these limbs, I traverse all the worlds for their welfare! This is the eternal promise of the Vedas, but you have caused Me to break this promise and hence, for the sake of performing a sweet pastime, I have descended in this form! Premanjana cchurita bhakti vilocanena. The devotees that crave for My sweetness see Me as Syamasundara, who keeps His flute to His mouth! Because you desire to serve Me in My majestic aspect You can adorn Me with golden and silver hands and feet, but you should know that My body is itself the ornament of all its ornaments!” Hearing these words of Sri Jagannatha in his dream the king felt blessed and prayed as follows: “May the descendants of the old sculptor who made this image of Yours remain alive for centuries and always remain engaged in making these three chariots!” Sri Jagannatha smiled slightly and said: “So be it.” Then Sri Jagannatha-deva also told the king: “That descendant of that Visvavasu, who served Me in My form of Nila Madhava, and who are known as Dayitās, will remain engaged in My service forevermore. The descendants of the brahmana Vidyapati’s wife will remain My priests and the Sabari-sons of Vidyapati will be cooking My meals and will be known as Sūyāra (soup-cookers).”
Sri Indradyumna Maharaja told Sri Jagannatha-deva – “Please grant me the boon that the gates of Your temple will remain closed for just three hours a day and that they will be open for the rest of the day so that all the people of the world will be able to see You! Food will be offered to You throughout the day so that Your leaf-like hands will never remain dry!” Sri Jagannatha-deva agreed by saying: tathāstu (so be it!). Now ask for a boon for your own sake!” The king said: “I want to remain without descendants so that none of my heirs will later claim Your temple as his personal property. Please bless me with this boon!” Sri Jagannatha deva than said: tathāstu and granted the king this boon.