Neelamadhava, Mahanadi & Mussoorie

Neelamadhava

Recently, we visited Kantilo, a small town in Odisha on the western bank of Mahanadi and had the privilege of a darshan of Neelamadhava, the presiding deity of the temple on top of a steep mountain. Neelamadhava is not just another form of Vishnu; He is the Blue God: Redeemer of sinners in Kali Yuga of whom King Indradyumna of Avanti had heard, and to locate Him had sent missionaries in all directions. Vidyapati, brother of the King’s Head Priest travelled east, and in a dense, intractable forest met Vishwavasu, the Sabara Chieftain; married Lalita, his beautiful daughter and persuaded her, behind her father’s back, to lead him to the Byaghra Gumpha (Tiger Cave) inside which resided Neelamadhava, and was worshipped in total secrecy by Vishwavasu.

When King Indradyumna arrived with a large retinue to worship Neelamadhava, he found the cave empty. The Blue God had vanished. The crest-fallen king heard the aakashvani, “I will reincarnate as Jagannatha at Puri to provide solace and salvation to my distressed devotees in Kali Yuga. Go and build a temple there.”

(Neelamadhava Temple, Kantilo; Photo Credit: Wiki Commons)

After the darshan, we circumambulated the main temple, paid our obeisance to the other deities, and then beheld from the lofty vantage point the spectacular expanse of the majestic Mahanadi. When the river is in flood the water-spread is about eight kilometres from bank to bank, said a priest. Emerging out of the stifling confines of the 24-km long Satkosia gorge, Mahanadi sights the Lord’s temple on the Kantilo mountain, and spreads its wide arms in reverence, as it were.

(Mahanadi at Kantilo, Phot Credit: Wiki Commons)

The river reminded me of a song and of a time long in the past.

Odia Song at Mussoorie

The last week of our training was almost entirely devoted to rehearsals for the ‘Cultural Evening,’ a grand finale before bidding adieu to Happy Valley and other happy abodes of Charleville, Mussoorie. Many talented Gentlemen and Lady Officers had been roped in by their allotted States, and most of the items to be presented had been finalised.

Sundar Burra, Deputy Director, and Co-ordinator for the Cultural Evening accosted our motley gang of Odias, “Why aren’t you presenting something? Orissa is culturally rich, and there are so many of you. Tell me tomorrow, I still have a ten-minute slot available.’

He was right. Odisha has a rich cultural heritage in dance, music, sculpture, and literature; but the nine of us were culturally challenged. Were we asked to write an essay on the topic, each of us could have written reams; but none of us could sing or dance or perform in a skit to save our lives! We could hardly be blamed since no father in Odisha would tolerate his progenies being corrupted by song, music, or dance; such performances were for dull students who had no hope of ever securing a government job! Games and sports, huge time-wasters, were also a strict no-no. Study, more study, and still more study; that was the mandate which could not be flouted.

What are our options, I asked our group?

Make sure we don’t run into Mr. Burra for the next 2-3 days. Unlikely that he would come looking for us, said a friend.

But can’t we manage a five-minute performance?

Since we got no talent, why not regret?

Why don’t we sing an Odia song? The audience would have no clue about the original song or the singer, and won’t understand the lyric. The performance would register the cultural presence of Orissa, and the modest capability of this group of serious-minded KTPs (Keen Type Probationers).

Which song?

Jaa re bhasi bhasi ja…

That was a superhit song, we knew the lyrics by heart, and it suddenly appeared doable.

But that’s a duet, and a chorus; where to find the female singers?

Not to worry, we’ll borrow resources from other states.

We requested a few colleagues - gentlemen and ladies who had never spoken a word of Odia, and they readily agreed. How very generous of them, such was the camaraderie, and ‘can do’ attitude!

You Tube was decades away in the future, and the only resource was a tape-recorder-player and a cassette with those translucent loops. The lyrics were transcribed into English and Devnagari, a rough-and-ready translation was enclosed so that our non-Odia friends got the hang of the theme and the mood of the song.

On the eventful evening, we appeared on stage at our slot, two most unmusical and besoora Odia males, an Assamese male who was a reasonably good folk-singer, and three ladies – a Punjabi, and two Tamilians; all shaky, throats parched, but with soaring spirits and unbounded optimism. The lead folk-singer and our lady singers saved the day for us, effortlessly drowning out the unmusical desperadoes. No idea if the audience enjoyed the song, but they were happy to see the pretty ladies in their elegant handloom sarees (Sambalpuri, I hope!) gently swinging to what appeared to be an enjoyable song. The performance was applauded, and Mr Burra was indulgent. Well-done, he said. He was as surprised as we were.

Whenever I hear this memorable song by Akshyaya Mohanty, Odisha’s star singer of yester years, I am transported back to the auditorium at Mussoorie, and feel grateful to our friends who shared the stage with us that evening.

Ja Jaa Re Bhasi Bhasi Ja..

Neither devotional nor romantic, how did this song become so phenomenally popular? Of course, the singer’s golden voice was a factor. Akshyaya Mohanty produced many super-hit songs, and sang for more than 150 Odia films. But the theme and the lyrics also touched the hearts of millions of listeners.[i]

The song is a gentle social satire on traditional marriages of the past which involved ‘selection’ of a suitable bride based on several parameters including dowry.

A boatman gliding down the majestic Mahanadi from Sambalpur to Cuttack notices a few gorgeous, nubile girls on the bathing ghats - sad, tense, and embarrassed since most of their friends are already married. Those girls, like many other girls, suffered the unbearable trauma of being a burden to their parents, and no match materialising owing to concerns of the groom’s family regarding skin tone (every groom and their family want the bride to be a gori regardless of the skin-tone of the groom!), smartness (gadjatia vrs mogala-bandi), dowry, and more.

The boatman addresses five girls at the bathing ghats of Sambalpur, Kantilo, Banki, and Cuttack (two ghats – Gadagadia and Talamala). In a way, the song presents a brief lyrical lesson in geography. Mahanadi enters Odisha at Sambalpur and travels south-east past Kantilo, Banki, and Cuttack to meet the Bay of Bengal at False Point near Paradip.

The boatman was not on leisure travel, being one on the several boatmen rowing the manual cargo boat to ferry goods from the west to the east. In an age when transport of bulk cargo was not feasible for lack of roads and bridges between major towns and trading stations, Mahanadi served as a vital water-way and boats ferried from Cuttack to Arang near Raipur, a distance of 500 kms!

The boatman is a keen observer, notices these sad girls and empathises with their unenviable situation. All parents are anxious to find a suitable match for their daughter, solemnise the marriage at the earliest, and send her off to her groom’s place failing which they suffer social stigma and are the target of snide remarks and unkind comments.

The Boisterous Band

This blog and the translation of the Odia song are dedicated to the Boisterous Band: Anjuly, Geeta, Girija, Harish, and Suresh who encouraged Yours Truly to join in as a minor player.

Maybe, when we meet for our next Reunion, The Band will sing this song again. Why not, Shakti reassembled after 46 years and went on to win a Grammy!

I have put that in my bucket list.

Ja jaa re bhasi bhasi ja…

Translation by Prasanna Dash

Boatman:

Glide gently, O my boat,

Dancing merrily on Mahanadi’s blue waves.

Chorus:

Glide gently, O my boat,

Dancing merrily on Mahanadi’s blue waves.

Boatman:

O Damsel at Sambalpur bathing ghat,

Your red-bordered saree flutters in the wind,

How unkind of your parents,

That you are still unmarried!

Damsel:

Listen, O Boatman,

They are looking for a suitable match,

But father prefers a groom from a distant village, and

Mother wants a ghar-jawain.

Chorus:

Ja ja re bhasi bhasi ja.....

Aaa... Aaaa... Aha...

Boatman:

O Damsel at Kantilo,

At the ghat below the rampart of Neelamadhava temple,

Your unbundled tresses floating on the river

like a black cloud on the sky,

How heartless of your parents

For you to be still single!

Damsel:

Listen, O Boatman,

Horoscopes are yet to be matched,

But the groom thinks no end of himself

 Just because he is from the Mogal-bandi area, and

I am from a Gadajat!*

Chorus:

Ja jare bhasi.....

Aaaa... Aaaa....

Boatman:

O pretty Damsel

At the women’s ghat on Mahanadi at Banki,

Just blossomed into youth,

Why are you sad and disconsolate?

How inconsiderate of your parents

That you are still single!

Damsel:

Listen, O Boatman,

How will my marriage happen?

Many have rejected me,

Too dark-complexioned, they sneer.

Chorus:

Ja jare bhasi bhasi ja......

Boatman:

O fair Damsel at Cuttack,

Lighting up the Gadagadia bathing ghat,

How pitiless of your parents

That you are still unmarried!

Damsel:

Mind your own business, O insolent Boatman,

How very silly of a petty ginger-trader

To dream of buying a ship;

How does it bother your father,

Whether I am married or single?

Chorus:

Ja ja re bhasi......

Aaaa... Aaaaa..

Boatman:

O Damsel from Talamala,

Alone in the bathing ghat

Rinsing your saree in the flowing river,

How insensitive of your parents

That you are still single!

Damsel:

Listen, O Boatman,

How will the marriage materialise,

When the groom, a clerk at Bhubaneswar,

Demands a motorcycle for dowry?

Chorus:

Ja ja re bhasi bhasi ja.....

***

*(Before independence, Kantilo was part of Nayagarh, a Gadajata (Princely State). Gadajata states were poorer and backward vis-à-vis the more prosperous coastal areas which were part of the Mogal-bandi, i.e., the area under Settlement during the Mughal regime, and later were under British rule.)

***

Ja Re Bhasi Bhasi Ja… Transliteration

Boatman:

Ja jare bhasi bhasi ja,

Nauka mora bhasija

Mahanadira neela dheure

Nachi nachi tu bhasi ja..

Chorus:

Ja jare bhasi bhasi ja,

Nauka mora bhasija

Mahanadira neela dheure

Nachi nachi tu bhasi ja..

Boatman:

Samalpur naire aha sinana kare nani

Gadhua tuthe disuchhi tara nali panata-kani...

Kahare

Nani kahareeee..

Kede niridaya

To Bapa maa tate

ejayen deleni baha..

Damsel:

Nauria tu sunija

Chalichhi mora bara khoja,

Bapa khojanti doora bandhu aau

Maa khoje ghara joiyan.

Chorus:

Ja ja re bhasi bhasi ja.....

Aaa... Aaaa... Aha.....

Boatman:

Kantilo neela madhaba bedha pachiri tale gori..

Aha... Pachiri tale gori,

Nai suaare deichhi meli

kala bauda kesha kholi.

Kahare...

Gori kahareee....

Kede niridaya

To Bapa Maa tate

Ejayen deleni baha...

Damsel:

Nauria tu shunija,

Padila jadi jatak ta,

Mogala-bandi bara ta kahe

Mun kale Gadajatiya.

Chorus:

Ja jare bhasi.....

Aaaa... Aaaa....

Boatman:

Bankira Mahanadira teere nabina sukumari..

Aha... Nabina sukumari,

Ekela hoi maaipi tuthe basichhi mana mari

Aha basichhi mana mari..

Kahare.. Kuaanri kahare......

Kede niridaya to bapa maa tote

Ejayen deleni baha.

Damsel:

Nauria tu shunija,

Kiye ba mote heba baha...

Jiye dekhanti naka tekanti..

Mun kale kaali kaniya..

Chorus:

Ja jare bhasi bhasi ja......

Boatman:

Gadagadia ghatare aha Katakiani jhia..

Aha Katakiani jhia,

Gadhua tutha ujala kari maajuchhi suna deha..

Aha majuchi suna deha..

Kahare..

Gori kahare..

Kede niridaya

To Bapa Maa tote

Ejayen deleni baha..

Damsel:

Ada bepari nauria,

Tuta bada behiya,

To Bapa ra jauchhi kisa

Mun heli na heli baha..?

Chorus:

Ja ja re bhasi......

Aaaa... Aaaaa..

Boatman:

Tala malara Roopakumari nirola dekhi ghata..

Aha nirola dekhi ghata..

Apana sukhe gadhua sari

pakhale pindha pata..

Kahare..

Gori kahare...

Kede niridaya

To Bapa Maa tote

Ejayen deleni baha...

Damsel:

Nauria tu sunija..

Kimiti bhala heba baha..

Bhubaneswar kirani bara

Maguchhi phata phatia..

Chorus:

Ja ja re bhasi bhasi ja.....

***

---

[i] Link for the song: https://youtu.be/OjSDaH0vVFQ?si=mOzGadU02SvA74NG

 

Jagannatha, NOT Juggernaut!

The word Jagannatha, a conjunction of jagat (the world) and nath (master), means Lord of the World, and is one of the many names of Vishnu, the Supreme Godhead for the Hindus. However, it specifically refers to the presiding deity of Srimandira, Puri.

The English word juggernaut is derived from Jagannatha, but has acquired an unfortunate negative connotation contrary to Jagannatha’s religious significance for Odias and Hindus.

Merriam-Webster provides the history of the word: “In the early 14^th century, Franciscan missionary Friar Odoric brought to Europe the story of an enormous carriage that carried an image of Hindu god Vishnu (whose title was Jagannath, literally, “lord of the world”) through the streets of India in religious processions. Odoric reported that some worshippers deliberately allowed themselves to be crushed beneath the vehicle’s wheels as a sacrifice to Vishnu. That story was probably an exaggeration or misinterpretation of actual events, but it spread throughout Europe anyway. The tale caught the imagination of the English listeners, and by the 19^th century, they were using juggernaut to refer to any massive vehicle (such as a steam locomotive) or to any other enormous entity with powerful crushing capabilities.”

The first European description of the festival is by Friar Odoric (c. 1321). (https://www.etymonline.com/word/juggernaut)

First known use of juggernaut was in 1841 in the sense of a large heavy vehicle.

Thus, Jagannatha, a most compassionate deity for His devotees, was misinterpreted by the English and the Europeans as a malevolent, cruel, blood-thirsty god.

Tagore's Poem

The same event, Ratha Yatra, reminded Tagore of the Upanishadic concept of nirakara Brahma, with the idol as a proximate visualisation of the Supreme Godhead for the masses;

(Original Bengali verse)

রথযাত্রা লোকারণ্য মহা ধুমধাম

ভক্তেরা লুটায়ে পথে করিছে প্রণাম।

রথ ভাবে আমি দেব পথ ভাবে আমি,

মূর্তি ভাবে আমি দেব–হাসে অন্তর্যামী।

(English transliteration)

Rathayatra lokaranya maha dhumdham

Bhaktera lutaye pathe kariche pranam

Rath bhave ami dev Path bhave ami,

Murti bhave ami dev hase Antaryami.

 

(Translation by this blogger):

Rathayatra, the grand spectacle, proceeds

Amidst a vast congregation,

Devotees offer prostrate salutations on the road;

The chariot thinks, “I am God,”

So does the path,

The idol, too, thinks, “I am God,”

One who knows everything from within, the Supreme Spirit, smiles!

 Manoj Das

Manoj Das mentions in ‘Legends of Jagannath’ (Myths, Legends, Concepts and Literary Antiquities of India by Manoj Das, a Sahitya Akademi publication) that when he was aged four or so his mother used to recite this little verse from Tagore. “The verse woke me up to the truth, with a pleasant jolt, that the Divine, the Antaryami, was something much more sublime than even the image we adore. This left such a deep impression on my subconscious that even today, the moment I look at the deity, I feel that he was smiling and asking how far I had succeeded in knowing the Antaryami behind the mask!”

Sarkari Stumble!

Surprisingly, a few years ago, the Government of Odisha had marketed Odisha as an attractive investment destination by using the word juggernaut in full-page ads in national dailies and in prime-time television. Clearly, the ad agency, and the state government officials had not bothered to check the history of the word juggernaut, and were unaware of its negative connotation!

Ocean of Mercy

Jagannatha is spelt with an ‘a’ at the end of the name, because that is how the name is pronounced in Odia, with a rounded ‘tha’ (Ja-ga-nnA-tha). The British could not pronounce the deity’s name, and hence called him Juggernaut, and assigned a meaning far removed from what Jagannatha means for the Odias and Hindu; not a capricious but a compassionate god, not a killer god but Krupasindhu, Ocean of Mercy, sakha (friend), sahodara (brother), and atmiya (kin).  

***

 26/07/2023

Today's Economic Times (Indore/Bhopal) carries a full-page ad by Government of Odisha. The logos used in the ad caught my attention.

The logo in the middle is imaginative in its use of Lord Jagannatha's chaka akhi (round eyes) as symbolic of the glorious and sacred heritage of Odisha; but the logo to the right is problematic.

The word JUGGERNAUT has unmistakable negative connotations, as I have discussed in my blog above. It is unfortunate that Odisha government, InvestOdisha, and IPICOL continue to use the logo with the caption: COME JOIN THE JUGGERNAUT to promote Odisha as a destination for industrial investment.

 

Jagannatha: An Enigmatic Deity

A devout Hindu’s pilgrimage is not complete without paying obeisance to Jagannatha at Sri Kshetra or Purushottam Kshetra, one of the four Dhams, the most sacred places for the Hindus.

Much has been written on  Jagannatha, the Triad of Jagannatha-Balabhadra-Subhadra, Srimandira at Puri and its elaborate rituals, the spectacular Ratha Yatra and the Nabakalebara. Myriad myths exist for every aspect of Jagannatha. Yet, much is enigmatic about the deity.

Who is Jagannatha: Maha Vishnu, Nrusingha, Vamana, Nila Madhava, Krishna, Shiva Bhairava, Mahavira Jain, Buddha, a Tantric deity, or a tribal deity- the Kitung of Savaras? Why the Triad? Is Balabhadra an incarnation of Shiva? Who is Subhadra: Durga, Shakti, Bhubaneswari or Stambheswari? Then, who is Bimala to whom the prasad from the temple kitchen must first be offered before it can be mahaprasad and offered to Lord Jagannatha? Buddha summarily rejected animal sacrifice sanctioned by the Vedic scriptures, and yet was incorporated as an avatar of Vishnu. Why, then, is animal sacrifice (of a fish, though) still practised in a Vaishnava temple, before Bimala on Bijaya Dashami day and cooked fish is offered to Her as prasad? Why is Lakshmi not on the Ratna Simhasana with Jagannatha? Because she cannot be in close proximity to Balabhadra, her husband’s elder brother?

Theologians and scholars have varied theories and opinions about the origin of Jagannatha and what this unusual idea of the Supreme Godhead means to various sects and persuasions. However, there is near consensus about the syncretic nature of the deity. Jagannatha welcomes all devotees with open arms. He has limitless compassion. He is the most humanised of all conceptions of godhood. He is not the remote Anantashayee Vishnu in Vaikuntha; He is present here on earth to all his devotees as sakha, sahodara, and atmiya.

Jagannatha: Meaning

Jagannatha is a conjunction of two Sanskrit words: Jagat (the Universe) and Natha (Lord). Symbolically, He is the unmoving constant, the Daru Brahma, the Lord of the world of flux and constant change (Jagat is that which is moveable and moves ceaselessly). Some scholars claim that Jagannatha is, in fact, an Austric word of the Savara tribe, derived from Jagant, the sacred tree in which resides their God- Kitung Mahaprabhu. However, the use of Jagadeesha in Jayadeva’s Dasabatara Stotra or Jagannatha Swami in Adi Shankara’s Jagannathastakam is in sync with the Sanskrit meaning of Jagannatha.

Jagannatha includes, assimilates, and absorbs a variety of methods and modalities of reaching the Divine. He is a tribal deity, a Vedic-Aryan-Sanskritic-Brahminic god: Maha Vishnu or Param Brahma, Jaina, Buddha, Tantric god; an All-in-One visualisation of the Supreme. He is nirakara and nirguna, yet Daru Brahma and Chakadola, avatari and avatar, Ram, Krishna, Shiva, and Brahma.

Jagannatha: Confluence of Two Ancient Cultures

Jagannatha epitomises the confluence of the Vedic and the non-Vedic cultures which progressed from conflict and clash to conciliation and a negotiated settlement for partnership and peaceful co-existence.

Vedic Culture: Territorial Expansion

What was the essential difference between the two cultures? The Vedic culture had adopted agriculture and animal husbandry and lived in permanent settlements whereas the aborigines were hunters-gatherers living in small clans and shifting settlements in their vast territory of forests and hills.

After establishing itself in the northern plains of India, the Vedic culture ventured into the area south of Vindhyas, the territory of the aborigines.

As per a myth, Agastya Rishi was persuaded to go to the south since the congregation of all rishis in the north was tilting the earth dangerously towards the north and making it unstable. The proud and towering Vindhya Mountain, gaining further height and threatening to block the path of Surya, the Sun god, bent down to pay obeisance to the great rishi who commanded it to retain that reverential posture till his return. Agastya easily scaled the Vindhyas and crossed over to the south but never returned, and Vindhya had to stop growing in honour of the solemn promise made to the great rishi. This myth tells of the significant geological changes in a remote era, and also the story of migration of people in search of new territory, the first foray from the familiar north to the wilderness of the south.

Ram of Ayodhya, the epic hero and an avatar of Vishnu in Tretaya Yuga, too, went into the wilderness for his vanavas of fourteen years journeying south till the end of land and then beyond to Lanka. Maybe, the vanavas was not merely owing to the machinations of the scheming Kaikeyi, and Ram and Lakshman being epic heroes willingly chose to be the proud and determined flag-bearers of the Vedic culture in unexplored and dangerous territory. They killed many asuras who were most likely non-Vedic with different cultural mores. They sought and succeeded in forging new alliances with Sugriva and his monkey brigade, another non-Vedic tribe; and Vibhishana of Lanka, persuading him to ditch his powerful brother Ravana and defect to Ram’s side.

In Dwapar Yuga, Lord Krishna’s prime field of play was Mathura-Gopapura-Hastinapur, and subsequently, he translocated the Yadava kingdom to Dwarka in the far west, possibly the first large-scale migration from the north to the west.

These puranic stories are mythical, but bear testimony to the territorial expansion of the Vedic civilisation.

From Conflict to Conciliation

What happened when the two cultures met? It began with mutual incomprehension, doubt and distrust. Aryans considered the aborigines as anaryas, asuras, dasyus, and defilers of homa, the sacred fire. The aborigines looked upon the Aryans as aggressors, and rightfully so. The Aryans wanted to expand their territory for settlements, agriculture and animal husbandry. The aborigines refused to abdicate and vacate their homeland of forests and hills which sustained their life. The inevitable result was a clash between the two cultures. The negotiations, often violent and bloody, might have continued for long after which both sides sought and accepted mutual accommodation.

Of the many examples of such accommodation, the most notable is Jagannatha, a tribal deity incorporated into the Hindu pantheon. Such conciliation is particularly evidenced in

i.                   the origin myth,

ii.                 the iconography,

iii.              the temple management system, and

iv.              the rituals and special events.

Jagannatha: Myth of Origin

There are numerous myths on various aspects of Jagannatha. He went along with Balabhadra to fight and win for the Gajapati king in the war against Kanchi. He went as a witness for a devotee and became Sakshi Gopala. He accepted the humble offering of a coconut from Dasia Bauri, an untouchable who was denied entry to Srimandira. He guided a perplexed and disappointed Tulasidas to visualise Lord Ram in His idol. These myths illustrate the many adorable aspects of the Lord and explain why He is so popular a deity.

But the most well-known of all is the myth of Jagannatha’s origin. What is the principal objective of this myth? Maybe, to build a bridge between the Vedic and the non-Vedic cultures. Several aspects of the myth are suggestive of the negotiated settlement between the two cultures: the acknowledgement that the mysterious god originally belonged to the Savaras; that Savaras and Brahmins became kins through a marital bond, and the progeny of Lalita and Vidyapati would be the living proof of the physical and spiritual harmony between them; the iconography of the idols would retain its original character and be made of log; that the rituals of worship would incorporate the tribal mores and methods; and further that non-Brahmins would play a significant role in the management of the temple.

The Savaras were powerless to resist King Indradyumna who marched from Avanti with his ‘army of 1,300,000 footmen’ (Hunter, P-74), but the king could not retrieve the daru from the sea even after harnessing 5000 male elephants. The daru came ashore, light as a flower, only when Visvavasu was invited to join in as an equal partner.

The Vedic religion, by incorporating the Savaras into the temple management system, also agreed to absolve Jara and his progeny of the sin of killing Lord Sri Krishna. A further series of myths was created to achieve this end. Jara was recognised as Bali of Tretaya reborn in Dwapara.

Why and how Lord Krishna died provides an interesting illustration of the interlinking of a series of myths to explain the exceptional story of God’s demise.

Krishna had once applied payasam on Durvasa Rishi’s body to felicitate him but had omitted to apply it on his feet owing to which the rishi cursed Krishna that he will die of a wound in his foot.

Gandhari had cursed Krishna that after 36 years of the Mahabharata war his entire clan will perish after which he will die alone. A mere mortal could curse God, and God must suffer a lonely, painful death.

Jara Savara was Bali in Tretaya and was killed when Ram shot him from behind in a treacherous and stealth attack. Even God is not free from the consequences of His karma, and had to repay for the deceitful killing of Bali.

Thus, three separate but interwoven myths explain the death of Krishna, the very incarnation of Vishnu. How else could the Lord of the Universe be killed by Jara, a mere man who was His creation?

The ‘origin’ myth justifies the translocation with a carefully crafted story which portrays King Indradyumna and Vidyapati, his emissary and a Brahmin scholar in a more favourable light, and Visvavasu and his Savara tribe as poor losers in the clash of two cultures of which one was vastly ‘superior’ to the other.

But it was not a simple conquest, since there was no victor or vanquished. In fact, the Vedic culture tweaked its traditional theological beliefs and practices significantly to accommodate the tribal customs and traditions. The Savaras ceded exclusive ownership of their dear deity, but insisted on physical proximity to their god for all times to come. The Srimandira sevaks comprise of a curious mix of non-brahmins and brahmin priests, who are vastly outnumbered by the former. Jagannatha may be very fond of and partial to chapan bhog but he is offered and must accept the humble and not easily edible amba takua, the dried kernel of a mango, something that the Savaras had to live on during the lean season.

Shudramuni Saraladas, Odisha’s Adi Kabi narrates in his Mahabharata the myth of King Galamadhava’s attack on the Savaras of Shabari Narayana to snatch their god. The Savaras fought with tenacity and heroism till the entire tribe was killed by the King’s army except Jara, the lone survivor. God ordered the king to make truce with Jara and invite him to be an equal partner in installing the deity at Puri. The myth is indicative of the negotiated settlement after a bitter and violent war, and conciliation after clash and conflict between the two cultures.

The myth conveys several messages, some of which are obvious and explicit, and some others subtle and subliminal.

Consider, for example, the role of King Indradyumna of Avanti, a devout king, eager to be the medium for the mysterious god’s revelation to the world. Through his emissary, he located the deity in a remote forest and installed it in a grand temple at Puri. But it is ironical that the king, a worshipper of Vishnu, should entertain the possibility of a more powerful god! Further, the king being learned in scriptures knew that God is an idea and not an idol, residing in the heart and mind of the devotee and not in a temple.

Also, the choice of venue for the new temple is perplexing. Why at Puri instead of Ujjaini, the capital of Avanti, and also among the holiest places for Hindus? Was the religious fervour of the king also guided by the ambition of territorial expansion from the west to the east?

In the narration of the myth by Manoj Das, Visvavasu ‘was enamoured of his scholarly guest’ and his daughter ‘was even more enamoured of Vidyapati’ and the ‘prudent’ Visvavasu proposed their marital union. (Das, 2009: 1st Edition, 2016: Revised Edition) W.W. Hunter tells it differently: ‘Basu, a fowler of the wilderness … seeing the man to be a Brahman, had forced him by threats to marry his daughter, and thus to bring honour to his tribe.’ (Hunter, First Published in 1872)

In both these versions of the myth, the point of view of the narrator is not in doubt. The story-teller implies that the Aryan-Sanskritic culture was ‘superior’ and the transaction was for the benefit of the aborigine community! By Lalita’s marriage to a Brahmin, the Savara tribe was elevated in rank and status!

Consider a different version. What if Vidyapati had seduced Lalita to use her as a tool to succeed in his mission of locating the mysterious deity and stealing it for the greater glory of his King?

In the narrative by W.W. Hunter, God Himself speaks to Basu Savara providing the rationale and justification for His translocation from the remote forest to Puri:

‘Oh, faithful servant. I am wearied of thy jungle flowers and fruits and crave for cooked rice and sweetmeats. No longer shalt thou see me in the form of thy Blue God. Hereafter I shall be known as Jagannath, the Lord of the World.’ (Hunter, First Published in 1872)

Once God has Himself spoken and conveyed His will, how can Visvavasu and his tribe contemplate opposition or resistance? Was this version part of a carefully crafted propaganda to pre-empt any resistance by the aborigines? How about the callous god who spurned the humble offerings of his ardent devotee to move over to a palatial temple built by a king, and savour chapan bhog, fifty-six varieties of delicacies daily, a cuisine fit for an Emperor?

Was Vidyapati’s deceipt and treachery ethical? Is it possible to reach God through such devious means? Is that why God had to order Indradyumna to enlist the help of Visvavasu to retrieve the daru from the seas?

The origin myth justifies the appropriation of a tribal deity to the Hindu pantheon and also seeks to build a bridge between two ancient but significantly different cultures.

Savara Version of the Myth?

The ‘creation’ myth of Savaras tells of Kitung, the prime deity, who created the first two men- Ramma and Bimma. There is no mention of Nila Madhava, Krishna or Vishnu. Kitung is still the Mahaprabhu, the Great God, for Savaras.

“Out of a gourd floating on water came out Kuraitusum Kittung, who created some animals and jungles and then Ramma and Bimma who happened to be the first men.” (Das & Mahapatra, First Edition: 1979, First Reprint: 1999)

There is no Savara version of Jagannatha’s ‘origin’ myth. The Savaras did not have a script till the recent years, and probably, there is no oral myth either on the ‘theft’ of their dear deity. The stealing, snatching, or forcible appropriation of the deity into the Hindu pantheon must have been traumatic. Hence, it is rather strange that there is no story by the Savaras and for the Savaras on this crucial theme.

That Visvavasu’s mysterious deity was Nila Madhava, the Blue God and the mysterious substance was the unburnt remains of Krishna’s body are clearly superimpositions by the Vedic-Brahmin religion to link the tribal god to Krishna and claim the deity for themselves.

Iconography

For the Vedic religion, stone and metal were preferred material for idols of deities, yet they had to agree to retain the original iconography of the deity, a crude carved log. Once again, a myth about the seemingly incomplete idols was created. Vishwakarma, the Divine carpenter, was disturbed at work and left the idols unfinished. A still better narrative was: Jagannatha desired to be worshipped in this form in Kali Yuga!

“Whatever the Brahminic logicians might argue to claim the Vedic identity of Jagannatha, His tribal origin cannot be denied ichnographically. Jagannatha is decidedly anterior to the four-armed Vishnu of the Puranas.” (Mohanty, 1982)

Maybe, the incomplete icons symbolise man’s futile attempt to grasp the Infinite and comprehend the Incomprehensible.

Temple Management System

According to the Madala Panji, the Temple almanac, King Ananga Bhima Dev had established Chatisa Nijoga, thirty-six categories of sevakas or servitors. As per the Record of Rights of the Jagannatha Temple, there are 119 categories of sevakas. (www.jagannatha.in). Except for the Pandas (the Priests) who are ranked among the lowest Brahmins, the other sevakas are non-brahmins. In the myth narrated by Sisu Krsna Das in his Deula Tola, God speaks to King Indradyumna, ‘The sons of Vasu Savara will be called as Daita, and they will serve me. The sons of Lalita will be known as Suaras and they will cook for me. The sons of Vidyapati will be my Panda and they will worship me.’ (Dash, 2014)

The elaborate system of sevakas or servitors laid down under chatisa nijoga continue till today with the non-Brahmin sevakas vastly outnumbering the Brahmin priests, and having the principal role in several daily and special events.

Why were the Daitas and Suaras accommodated into the temple rituals? Possibly, no other Hindu temple in India grants such privilege and pre-eminence to non-Aryans in the management of daily rituals as well as special events. Did Aryan-Vedic-Brahmins realise that ‘snatching’ the prime religious icon of an ancient race would permanently alienate them? Was it also an acknowledgement of the fact that Odisha was populated mostly by the non-Aryans with the Aryans constituting a small minority in the coastal region?

Rituals and Special Events

Both non-Vedic and Vedic practices are built into many rituals of the Srimandira. Surendra Mohanty opines:

“… Jagannatha is essentially non-Vedic in character; therefore, the Homa or fire sacrifice is nearly absent in his rituals, though Brahminic influence has constantly tried to introduce this Vedic element.” (Mohanty, 1982)

Jagannatha is offered chapan bhoga, fifty-six delicacies daily, a cuisine fit for a king; but the royal cuisine must include an amba takua, a dried mango kernel which provided sustenance to the tribal people in the lean season.

The Daitas, the progeny of Visvavasu, play a lead role in the performance of the rituals of Snana, Anasara Ghara, Ratha Yatra and Nabakalebara.  

Snana

On Deva Snana Purnima or Jyestha Purnima is held Snana Yatra, a ceremonial bathing of the deities on Snana Bedi, the bathing platform, with 108 pots of water. Some believe this to be a symbolic ceremony to cleanse the deities of their Sanskritisation and return to their pre-Vedic form and ambience. The Daitas perform this ritual as a preparatory for the deities to visit Gundicha Ghara, the place of their birth; a return to their aboriginal origin.

Anasara Ghara

Only the Daitas, the progeny of the savaras, and not the Brahmin priests look after the deities during their period of treatment and convalescence in Anasara Ghara.  They administer medicines, and serve a diet of fruits and berries only. No cooked meal is served during this period. The deities are too ill to meet the supplicants. From the time the deities enter the Anasara pindi till the conclusion of Ratha Yatra with their return from Gundicha Mandap; the Daitas are in full control of the affairs of the deities, with the brahmins priests not allowed entry to the Anasara pindi, and having a secondary role in the other events.

Nabakalebara

During Nabakalebara, the Brahma is transferred from the old idols to the new. Some believe that the Brahma is Buddha’s tooth relic, the golden tooth kept in ancient times in a stupa (Nila Giri) and taken out in an annual procession from which the Car Festival originated. Others claim that it is saligram, a sacred object, symbolising for Hindus the Supreme Deity.

The ritual is shrouded in mystery, with the enigmatic Brahma transferred at midnight by the Daitas, blindfolded, and with their hands wrapped in cloth so that the Brahma is neither seen nor touched by bare human hand.

More than the customary practice, its symbolism is important. God is unknown and unknowable, and cannot be fathomed through the physical senses: na tatra chakshurgachhati na baag gachhati na mano, na vidmo na vijanimo… (Kenopanishada, Verse 3)

Jagannatha-Balabhadra-Subhadra are possibly the only Hindu deities who discard their old body and acquire a new one, every 9, 12 or 19 years. After the consecration of the new idols and burial of the old idols, the Daitas perform the shuddhi kriya, the period of mourning, just as a family would observe these rituals upon the death of a member of the family. Jagannatha is a close kin for them. Brahmins do not perform this ritual mourning.

Ratha Yatra

During the Ratha Yatra, the deities step out of their grand temple to mingle with the masses. The devotees, regardless of caste and religion, are free to receive their grace.

Conclusion

The secret of the lasting appeal of Lord Jagannatha may be owing to the readiness to incorporate and assimilate diverse cultures and sub-cultures including tribal mores and tantric rituals. No one is excluded. During Ratha Yatra, He mingles freely with all His devotees regardless of caste or religion. His prasad is mahaprasad, incapable of being defiled by the touch of anyone, and partaking it in open premises with devotees regardless of caste or religion is customary.

When Dasia Bauri was denied entry into Srimandira, the gracious Lord extended his hand to accept the humble offering of a coconut from his devotee. The myth’s message is explicit. Regrettably, however, non-Hindus are still denied entry into the temple. Since Jagannatha is the Lord of the Universe, and all humans of whatever faith are His children, why would God deny access to His children?

Man’s search for God is endless. Even those religions which claim to have found the one true god or prophet have not been able to put an end to the scepticism, disquiet, and quest of many of their faith. Why is that so? Because Man is wired to think more, further and farther. The search for new gods, new faiths, and new solutions for the soul continues.  

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References

Das, K. B., & Mahapatra, L. K. (First Edition: 1979, First Reprint: 1999). Folklore of Orissa. New Delhi: National Book Trust, India.

Das, M. (2009: 1st Edition, 2016: Revised Edition). Myths, Legends, Concepts and Literary Antiquities of India. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi.

Dash, A. (2014, Feb-Mar). Tribal Origin of the Cut of the Jagannath. Odisha Review.

Hunter, W. W. (First Published in 1872). ORISSA: Vol I. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

Mohanty, S. (1982). Lord Jagannatha: The Microcosm of Indian Spiritual Culture. Bhubaneswar: Orissa Sahitya Akademi.

 

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Note: 

• Author's profile may be seen at http://amazon.com/author/pkdash
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