Dear Friends,
Hare Krisna temple of Budapest will have a Ratha Yatra
cariot festival 8thJuly 2006. Maybe you already know
it use to organize this every year and pull a cariot
how did in Jagannatha Puri. This year it will arrive
to Vörösmarty square and will an indian cultural
program on the stage.Im organizing the Ratha Yatra and
Im Lord Jagannatha's pujari. More detail in attached
file.
enjoy
Thanks
The Origin of Ratha-yatraIn Satya-yuga there lived a King named Indradyumna
Mahäräja, and his wife was Guëòicä. That King reigned in the
beginning of the first half of Lord Brahmä’s day, when Brahmä
first created the material world by the mercy of Kåñëa and with
the help of Mahämäyä. He lived in middle-India, in the ancient
city of Avanti Nagari in Ujjain, where Kåñëa was taught by
Sändépani Muni. He and his queen were very religious and
advanced devotees, and although they were royalty they were
always engaged in the service of Bhagavän. That King wanted to
see the Supreme Personality of Godhead with his own eyes, and
he continually waited for an opportunity. He always prayed,
“When will a day come that I will see my Lord?”
The King used to receive and host travelers from the various
holy places of the world, especially those in India, in the compound
of his palace. One day, some pilgrims came and spent the
night there. They had just come from a very high class of holy
place (tértha) and had taken darçana of the beautiful fourhanded
Néla-mädhava; now they discussed among themselves
the glories of that deity. A brähmaëa devotee overheard their
conversation and informed the King’s minister about it, and he in
turn informed the King and made him aware of the deity’s
beauty. He told the King, “Anyone who receives Néla-mädhava’s
darçana will not have to return to this world and will be liberated
forever. He will attain a four-handed form and become an
associate of Näräyaëa in Vaikuëöha. Even if someone simply
vows, ‘I will go to His temple to see Him tomorrow,’ but dies that
day without reaching the temple, he will still go to Vaikuëöha and
attain a four-handed form.”
The King wondered, “How can I obtain the darçana of Nélamädhava?
Where is He located?” He wanted to ask the pilgrims,
“Where can I find Him?” but they had departed during the night;
so he became upset and decided to somehow search for the
deity. He called Vidyäpati, the very intelligent son of his priest, as
well as his officials and commanders, and ordered them all to
search in different directions: “Some of you go to the east, others
to the west, others south, and so on. You should all return within
three months. I will give vast wealth and an important position to
the one who informs me of the deity’s whereabouts.” In this way,
all the officials enthusiastically set out in all directions from
Madhya Pradesh. Vidyäpati, who was very young and handsome
and who possessed all good qualities, went toward the east.
After three months they had all returned except Vidyäpati, and
the King was worried because no one knew where he was.
Vidyäpati had gone to the east coast of India, near the Indian
Ocean, and there he traveled continually, searching and searching
for Néla-mädhava. One day, on the shore of the ocean, he
saw a very beautiful village, where there was a mountain covered
with flowers and trees and where the residents were very
cultured. Evening was approaching and he decided to stay in that
village, so he told some of the residents, “I would like to rest here
tonight.” They replied, “Viçvavasu is the prominent leader of this
village. He is a çabara (a lower caste), but he is very qualified
and religious-minded, and he is also intelligent, humble, and liberal.
Whenever any traveler or guest comes, he visits Viçvavasu’s
house; so you must go there.”
When Vidyäpati arrived, Viçvavasu was not at home. Only his
very beautiful sixteen-year-old daughter, Lalitä, was there. She
opened the door and said, “You can wait for my father, because
he is not here. He has gone out, but when he returns home he
will arrange everything. Kindly wait outside.” After some time
Viçvavasu arrived. A very sweet fragrance emanated from his
body, and he was wearing very beautiful and aromatic tilaka.
When he saw his guest, he became ashamed and told him, “Oh,
excuse me for returning so late. Now you may come in.” He and
his daughter took their guest inside. Very happy to see that
beautiful personality, Viçvavasu told him, “You can reside here
for some days.” Then he told his daughter, “Take care of this
brähmaëa. Give him food and everything else he requires, and
look after him in all respects. There should be no lack of
anything.”
Vidyäpati took his meal and rested there. He smelled a very
beautiful fragrance in the house, especially when the master of
the house was home, and he wondered, “Where does that beautiful
fragrance come from? I have never smelled anything like it
in my entire life. And that girl is so beautiful. I should wait here
for a few days, and it may be that I can find Néla-mädhava.” He
then began searching here and there for some days.
Lalitä was now regularly serving him, and gradually she
became attached to him. Vidyäpati began to develop a close
friendship with her, and after some time he fell in love with her.
He was already married to someone else, but still he had great
affection for Lalitä; so he requested her to ask her father to allow
him to marry her. She asked her father, he agreed, and Vidyäpati
became Viçvavasu’s son-in-law.
Viçvavasu went out regularly every day, and returned in the
evening very fresh and fragrant. One day Vidyäpati privately said
to his wife, “My dear, now you are my wife, and I have great faith
in you. Can you tell me where your father goes every day for
worship, and where that fragrance comes from? Please tell me.”
Lalitä replied, “I cannot say. My father ordered me, ‘Do not tell
anyone where I go. Keep it secret – very, very secret.’”
Vidyäpati said, “You cannot tell me? You are one with me, nondifferent
from me. You must tell me, because I am your husband.”
She replied, “Then you must promise that you will never tell
anyone.”
Vidyäpati then said, “A wife should not speak like this. I know
you are a very chaste wife, so you must tell me.” He then became
silent.
Lalitä said, “I will tell you. He goes to worship a deity.”
“Which deity?” Vidyäpati asked.
She replied, “I promised not to tell, but I will tell you because
you are my husband. He goes to worship Néla-mädhava.”
Vidyäpati became very happy and thought, “After such a long
time I have finally heard the name Néla-mädhava. Néla-mädhava
must be somewhere nearby.” He began to show so much love
and affection to his wife that she revealed everything to him, and
he then requested her, “Please ask your father to take his son-inlaw
with him.”
She said, “Yes, I will help you.”
After her father returned from worship in the evening and had
taken prasäda, Lalitä approached him and sat on his lap. With
much love and affection she told him, “My dear father, I want one
benediction from you.”
He replied, “Oh, very good. I desire to give you a benediction.
What do you want?”
She told him, “I want something very special. I know that you
will be hesitant to give this to me, but I want it.”
He father asked, “What do you want?”
She replied, “O father, I desire that you take my husband with
you to see Néla-mädhava. He wants to take darçana.”
Viçvavasu pondered whether or not to take him. Worried that if
he brought anyone the deity might be taken or simply vanish,
Viçvavasu was hesitant. When Lalitä saw that he was not very willing,
she said, “If you do not show Néla-mädhava to my husband,
I will take poison and die right in front of you. Your objection
means that you do not consider me your loving daughter.” And
she prepared herself to take poison.
These are the most powerful weapons of ladies: “I will die,” “I
will take poison,” “I will commit suicide.” What will a husband or
father say then? Of course, he will say, “Oh, you can have whatever
you want.”
Viçvavasu was now in a dilemma and thought, “What shall I do?
I must save my only daughter. I must give her this benediction.”
He said, “I don’t want you to die. I will take your husband with
me and show him Néla-mädhava, but there is one condition. I
will tightly bind his eyes with a black cloth, and when we reach
there I will remove it so he can take darçana. After that, I will put
on the blindfold again. So he will have darçana, but he will not
know where he is.”
Lalitä then went to her husband and told him, “Father has
agreed to take you. He will blindfold you during the journey
there, but never mind.” Vidyäpati was overjoyed and agreed to
wear the blindfold. After that she told her father, “Yes, you can
bind his eyes with a black cloth.” Later, when they were seated
on the bullock cart, Viçvavasu placed the black cloth over
Vidyäpati’s eyes. Lalitä, being very clever and intelligent, gave
her husband some mustard seeds and said, “Keep these in your
pocket. Now it is the rainy season. You can drop them one after
another along the way. After some time, those mustard seeds will
grow into plants producing bright yellow flowers. Then you will
be able to follow the flowers and go there by yourself; you will
not have to ask my father the way.”
Viçvavasu then took Vidyäpati with him along a zigzag route
on the bullock cart. Vidyäpati dropped the mustard seeds one by
one on the ground without his father-in-law knowing. When
they arrived at the foot of the mountain, they left the bullock cart
there, and Viçvavasu took Vidyäpati by the hand and led him to
the temple of Néla-mädhava on the top of the mountain. When
they entered the temple, Viçvavasu removed the blindfold so that
Vidyäpati could see Néla-mädhava. The deity was four-handed,
and He carried the çaìkha (conch), cakra (disc), gadä (club),
and padma (lotus flower). He was very beautiful, but unlike
Nanda-nandana Kåñëa, He had no flute and no peacock feather
– He was more like Näräyaëa. Näräyaëa is very beautiful, but
Kåñëa is the most beautiful of all.
Vidyäpati became very happy and began to weep, thinking, “I
have been searching for Him for such a long time – so many
months – and now I am satisfied. My life is now successful.”
Viçvavasu then told him, “Wait here a while. I am going to the
forest to bring some flowers and other paraphernalia to worship
Him. Then I will offer candana and other articles, perform
arcana, and then we will return home.”
While Vidyäpati waited, he noticed a beautiful lake with lotus
flowers, humming bees, and some sweetly-singing birds. The
branches of a mango tree hung over the lake, and a black crow
that was sleeping on one of the branches fell in. Immediately, his
soul appeared with four hands. Then Garuòa quickly came, took
that very beautiful and glorious four-handed personality on his
back, and flew to Vaikuëöha. Vidyäpati began to think, “Oh! With
no practice in bhakti at all, he very quickly went to Vaikuëöha. He
never did anything auspicious. He was impure – a crow – eating
flesh and other abominable things. Yet, simply by falling into the
pond he became four-handed and went to Vaikuëöha. Why
should I remain here?” He wanted to climb the tree and jump into
the lake as well, so that he could also attain a four-handed form
and go to Vaikuëöha. “I should not wait another moment,” he
thought, and at once began to climb the tree. When he was about
halfway up the tree, however, an aerial voice called to him,
“Don’t commit suicide just so that you can be liberated and go to
Vaikuëöha. You will have to perform many important services for
the benefit of the entire world, so don’t die yet. Be patient.
Everything will be accomplished. Return to Mahäräja
Indradyumna at once and tell him that Néla-mädhava is here.”
In the meantime, Viçvavasu returned with many flowers and
other paraphernalia and said to Vidyäpati, “Oh, come join me.” He
had no idea what had happened. Viçvavasu prepared candana
and other ingredients, and throughout the whole day he performed
worship, offered prayers, and engaged in many other
devotional activities. All the residents of that village were known
as dayitäs, which means those who are very near and dear to
Kåñëa. Viçvavasu was known as dayitä-pati, the master of all
those who are near and dear. He served in this way, although he
was a çabara. He was fully surrendered and always called out,
“Néla-mädhava!” Now Vidyäpati was also very much charmed
with the glories of the deity and, seeing the worship of Nélamädhava
performed by his father-in-law, he became overjoyed.
When Viçvavasu had completed his services, he again covered
Vidyäpati’s eyes with the blindfold, and they departed. After
some hours, traveling again in that zigzag way, they reached their
home. Then Viçvavasu heard Néla-mädhava telling him, “You
have served Me for a long time. Now I want to take the royal
service of a very high class of devotee named Indradyumna
Mahäräja. Don’t be afraid and don’t worry.” Viçvavasu, however,
immediately became upset and thought, “Oh, Öhäkurajé will go
to Mahäräja Indradyumna? I cannot bear the thought of separation.
This boy will return and tell the King, and the King will come
and take Néla-mädhava.” He then practically arrested Vidyäpati
and imprisoned him within one of the rooms of his house.
Vidyäpati could not go anywhere, so he told his wife, “Please
help me. I want to return to Madhya Pradesh very soon. I have
promised my King, who wants to come with his whole family to
serve Néla-mädhava. Please help me. You are my wife – my other
half.”
Lalitä agreed and said, “You can go. I will help you.” She then
told her father, “If you do not release him from this jail, I will
commit suicide at once.” She was ready to commit suicide, so her
father’s heart melted in compassion and he released Vidyäpati.
Now free, Vidyäpati assured his wife, “I will return very soon.
Don’t worry.” He then quickly left and proceeded towards
Indradyumna’s kingdom.
He walked continually until he finally arrived back in Avanti
Nagari. He had been gone for over six months, and King
Indradyumna became very happy when he heard from
Vidyäpati, “I have discovered Néla-mädhava. Please come with
me.” The King decided, “I shall go with my entire kingdom, my
wealth, my wife, and my soldiers and commanders.” He wanted
to bring Néla-mädhava to his kingdom, to worship Him for the
rest of his life. Proceeding from Ujjain, he reached the place
about a hundred miles south of Puré. But when he reached there,
there were no mustard seed flowers. There was also no hill and
no village, for by the desire of Néla-mädhava, the entire
village was covered with over a hundred feet of sand. Everything
was covered, including the hill, and Néla-mädhava was not there.
The King began to weep. He sat down on a straw mat facing
the ocean and decided, “I will not take anything to eat until I
have darçana of Néla-mädhava; if I do not see Him, I will die. I
came with my whole kingdom, all my wealth, my wife, and
family, but I did not get the darçana of the Lord. Oh, I must give
up my life.” Then, as he began to chant, “Néla-mädhava! Nélamädhava!
Néla-mädhava!” remembering the Lord, an aerial voice
called to him, “I will not come, but do not worry. I will not come
here to give you darçana, but you will be able to see Me. I am
sending Brahmä. You should come with Brahmä to Vaikuëöha,
and there you can take My darçana. In this world I will not give
you darçana in the shape of Néla-mädhava, but I will manifest in
four forms: Jagannätha, Baladeva, Subhadrä, and Sudarçana
cakra. Wait near the sea where Baìki-muhana is located.” This
place is presently known as Cakra-tértha, and it is by the part of
the ocean known as the Bay of Bengal, where the water moves
towards West Bengal. “Go there and wait, and däru-brahma
(Bhagavän in the form of wood) will come. He will manifest in
the form of a very large, fragrant, reddish log, and the signs of
çaìkha, cakra, gadä, and padma will be seen everywhere on
that form. Go there. Take Me out and make four deities from that
log. Then you will be able to worship Me.”
Brahmä quickly came and took the King with him to
Vaikuëöha, where he could freely gaze at Néla-mädhava as He
conversed with His associates. The King became even more
attached and began to weep, and then Brahmä told him, “Let us
go. He will not come to Earth in this form, but He will come as
four forms. Let us now go to the place that He has designated,
and wait for Him there.”
In the meantime, while the King was gone, many years had
passed and the entire world had now changed. Before going he
had constructed a very large and beautiful, high temple, but now
it was also covered by sand. The sand had been removed many
times, but the temple had become old and dilapidated. A new
King had come and repaired it, and he had declared, “I am the
builder of this temple.” Now that King Indradyumna returned, he
told the new King, “This is not yours; I have built it, so I am the
owner of this temple. You have only made repairs.” There was a
crow named Käkabhuçuëòi, who had been witness to the pastimes
of Rämacandra and also King Indradyumna’s building the
temple; and now he testified on the King’s behalf. Brahmä also
came forward and agreed, “This King has built the temple. You
have only repaired it.” In this way, King Indradyumna again
became the master.
Somehow, by Kåñëa’s mercy, the King’s wife was there. He
had no child at all, so there was only he and his wife. The King
and his new associates and army waited for the deity, and at last
he saw the red tree-trunk, marked everywhere with çaìkha,
cakra, gadä, and padma. He approached that trunk with his soldiers
and elephants and they tried very hard to take it out of the
water, but they could not do so. Many elephants and strong men,
and even his entire army, could not take the tree-trunk out of the
water.
The aerial voice came again and told the King, “Bring My old
servant Dayitä-pati Viçvavasu, and his daughter as well. Viçvavasu
will carry Me from one side, and the brähmaëa Vidyäpati will
take Me from the other side. And bring a golden chariot for Me.
I will come out easily, and then you can arrange everything.” By
the power and will of Néla-mädhava, Viçvavasu, Lalitä, and
Vidyäpati were still alive and now they were brought on a chariot
with honor. The King requested the three of them to enter the
waters of the ocean and lift the log. Vidyäpati and his wife and
father-in-law then began to lift and simultaneously pray to the log,
“Jaya Jagannätha! Jaya Jagannätha! Néla-mädhava! Néla-mädhava!
O please, please be merciful and come upon our chariot.”
The log came out very easily, and it was brought on the golden
chariot to the place near to where the Jagannätha Temple is now
situated. The King kept the log there in a big hall, and he invited
all the carpenters of Orissa, telling them, “I will give you vast
wealth if you can make the vigraha.” Very famous carpenters
came there wanting to make the deity, but their instruments and
tools broke as soon as they touched the iron-hard log. An old but
beautiful brähmaëa then came forward. He had brought some
tools, and he told them, “My name is Mahäraëa. I am very expert,
and I can make you the vigraha.” That brähmaëa was actually
Néla-mädhava or Jagannätha Himself, in the form of an old
brähmaëa. He continued, “I will complete the vigraha in
twenty-one days, but you must promise that the door of this hall
will remain closed. I will be alone there with my tools, and after
twenty-one days I will open the door so that you can see the
deity. At that time you can take Him into the temple and serve
and worship Him.” The King replied, “Yes, I will obey your
instructions. I will not open the door.”
The brähmaëa went inside with his tools, and locked the door
from inside. For fourteen days there was no sound, and
Indradyumna Mahäräja became very worried. He thought, “What
can be the matter? The brähmaëa has not taken a drop of water
or anything to eat this entire time. Perhaps he is dead.” His Prime
Minister then told him, “Don’t open the door. There is some
mystery behind this. Only open it after twenty-one days; not
before.” However, his wife pleaded with him, “If you don’t open
the door now, the brähmaëa may die and we will be guilty of
brahma-hatyä (the sin of killing a brähmaëa). We must open
the door. Please hurry.” The King replied, “The brähmaëa told
me not to open it before twenty-one days have elapsed. How can
I open it?” She beseeched him again and again, and finally the
King called for his carpenters to cut away the locks; he opened
the doors forcibly and entered.
Inside the hall, the King was struck with wonder, for he could
not see the brähmaëa. “Where is the brähmaëa Mahäraëa?” he
asked. The four deities – Jagannätha, Baladeva, Subhadrä, and
Sudarçana cakra – were there, but they had not been fully
completed. Their eyes and noses were only round shapes, their
arms were not full-length, and their hands and feet were not
completed – nothing was completed. The King began to weep.
Opening up his heart to his Prime Minister, he said, “I have
committed an offense by breaking my promise. Now what shall
I do?” Weeping, he again wanted to commit suicide.
In another account, perhaps in another creation, when the
King opened the door, the brähmaëa was present and at once
told him, “Why have you come in the middle of my work? Now
only fourteen days have passed. I wanted another seven days to
make the vigrahas very beautiful. Why did you open the door?
Now there are only round eyes. Well, I think it must be the wish
of God Himself – Jagannätha. Otherwise I would have been able
to complete the task, and you would not have interrupted me.”
Saying this, the carpenter disappeared, and at that time the King
and his associates knew that he was not simply a brähmaëa
carpenter – he was Kåñëa Himself. They began to lament in
separation.
The deity then ordered the King through His aerial voice,
“Don’t worry. There is a mystery behind this. I desired to manifest
like this, and there is a very deep reason for it. Keep Me in
the temple and begin to worship Me in the form of these deities.”
Jagannätha continued, “Please carry out My orders. Viçvavasu
and his son-in-law Vidyäpati will worship Me, along with
Vidyäpati’s two wives. The sons of Vidyäpati’s brähmaëa wife
will take turns to worship Öhäkurajé, and the sons of his çabara
wife will cook many varieties of preparations. Many dayitäs in
the dynasty of Viçvavasu will serve Me for ten days during a
Ratha-yäträ Festival. Only they will worship Me at that time; no
one else will perform the worship. They alone will take
Baladeva, Subhadrä, and Me on chariots, and they will bring us
to Guëòicä Mandira. Make a festival for ten days beginning from
today, and take these chariots to the Guëòicä Mandira.”
It was due to the request of Queen Guëòicä that the events of
this pastime unfolded as they did, which is why the mandira was
named after her. Öhäkurajé continued, “We will remain there for
those days, and then you may take us back. You should perform
many festivals, like Snäna-yäträ, Candana-yäträ, Herä-païcamé,
and so on.”
During Candana-yäträ, Jagannätha’s entire body is covered
with candana for many days. At that time, the vijaya-vigraha
deity known as Govinda1 is placed on a very beautiful boat in
When there is a need to take Jagannätha somewhere, this smaller vijayavigraha
deity from the Jagannätha temple is taken because the body of
Jagannätha is very heavy.
Narendra-sarovara, and His boat pastimes take place. Then,
during Snäna-yäträ, the deity receives abhiñeka from thousands
of pitchers of water brought from all the holy places in India, and
His bath is so long that he becomes sick. His stomach becomes
upset and He falls ill. At that time, Lakñmé takes Him to her palace
and closes the door for fifteen days. Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu
could not survive without the deity, and therefore He went to
Älälanätha and cried, “Where is Kåñëa? Where is Kåñëa?” He
became mad, so much so that when He touched the stones at
Älälanätha they melted. Wherever He offered his praëäma –
wherever His hands, head, and other limbs were placed – their
impressions became visible in that piece of stone.
Only the dayitäs, the family of Viçvavasu Çabara, can serve
Jagannätha at the time of Ratha-yäträ. Actually, there are two
kinds of servants. One is coming from the dynasty of Vidyäpati’s
original brähmaëa wife, and these devotees do arcana and
sevä. Those who descend from Lalitä are called supakara (excellent
cooks), because Jagannätha has accepted them as His cooks
even though they are of a low-class birth. They very quickly and
easily cook not less than one hundred mounds of rice and dahl,
and a variety of other preparations. They are expert in using
many stoves, and they place at least twenty earthen pots on one
stove.
The King prayed, “O Öhäkurajé, I want a boon so that I may
serve You.”
Öhäkurajé replied, “What boon do you want?”
The stove is an Indian cullé. It has five burners (one in the middle and one on
each corner) and each burner has four pots on it, one on top of another, with
only a small hole at the bottom of the three higher pots. Everything is evenly and
perfectly cooked. It is understood that Lakñmé herself is cooking and the servants
(the descendants of the çabara wife of Vidyäpati) are only assisting her, and that
is why the cooking can be done so magically.
The King said, “I desire that there should be neither sons nor
daughters in my dynasty. I do not want any children. I know You
will grant my desire.”
Öhäkurajé smiled and asked, “Why don’t you want children?”
The King replied, “After I die, they will quarrel over money,
and they will have no interest in serving You. So much money
will come for Your service, and they will think, ‘This property is
mine’ or ‘Jagannätha is my property.’ I don’t want any of my
family members to think, ‘This temple is mine, Jagannätha,
Baladeva, and Subhadrä are my property, and all the money
coming as praëämé (donations) is therefore mine to enjoy.’ If
they think in that way, they will use everything for their own
sense gratification and go to hell.”
The King requested, “There should be no one to take
even a single paisä. You are the owner. You Yourself should
depute those who will serve You. The managers should regularly
be changed, and they should be servants, like trustees.” A trustee
is one who can be trusted to serve without any desire for selfgain.
The King of Orissa is always the trustee, and someone else
is selected after him. They are not actually kings, in the sense that
they cannot take a farthing or a paisä for themselves. If they were
to, they would be ruined.
Upon hearing the King’s words, Jagannätha began to smile, and
thus the Ratha-yäträ Festival began. There are so many relevant
teachings found in this history.
