Sri Gangamata Goswamini

Within the present state of Bengal, lies what was once the kingdom of Sri Naresh Narayana. King Naresh Narayana had a daughter named Saci. From early childhood, Saci was a topmost devotee of the Lord. Within a short time, Saci began her education. At first she absorbed herself in grammar and poetry, but having become expert in these, she gradually became completely immersed in endlessly studying the scriptures. Even as a young girl, she was always fascinated with Krishna consciousness. As Saci came of age, all the young boys were charmed by her beauty. But within Saci's mind there was not the least attraction for any of the young men, no matter how handsome or rich they were. Her mind was always filled with thoughts of Madana Gopala.
Sri Naresh Narayana began to think of arranging for his daughter's marriage. Upon understanding her father's intentions, Saci told him, "I will not marry a mortal man, born of this world of death." The king and queen wanted to make arrangements to give her hand in marriage. But Saci did not want to be wed. Always regretting their failure to arrange for their daughter's wedding, in due course of time, the king and queen grew old and passed away.
After the passing of the king and queen, the royal succession fell to Saci. Saci accepted the responsibilities of governing the kingdom. One day, on the plea of seeing more of the kingdom Saci left to visit the holy places of pilgrimage, after appointing some relatives to govern in her place. Although she wandered here and there, nowhere could her heart find satisfaction. She decided to seek out a bonafide spiritual master. After much travel, she arrived in Jagannatha Puri. One day, after taking darshan of the Jagannatha deities, she received an inner message and was inspired to go to Vrindavana.
With this Saci felt that the moon of her good fortune had arisen. In Vrindavana, she chanced to meet Haridas Pandit, whose single-minded devotion to Gauranga and Nityananda was unsurpassed. Upon seeing the spiritual power and austerity of his divine form, Saci became filled with ecstasy. After meditating deeply for several days, Haridas Pandit gave Saci shelter. Sri Saci fell at the lotus feet of Haridas Pandit with her eyes pouring tears and prayed for his mercy.
The Caitanya Caritamrita gives Haridas Pandit's preceptorial ancestry as follows, "Ananta Acarya was a disciple of Gadadhara Pandit. His body was always overwhelmed by the ecstasy of Krishna-prema. He was magnanimous and advanced in all respects. Ananta Acarya was a reservoir of all good qualities. No one can estimate how great he was. Pandit Haridas was his beloved disciple."
In order to examine Saci's qualifications as a disciple, Haridas Pandit said: "It is not possible for the daughter of a king to go to Vrindavana and live as a poor devotee, constantly absorbed in bhajan with little to eat and no comforts. It will be better for you to stay at home and worship than to go to Vrindavana."
Sri Sacidevi could understand what all this talk was for. She paid no attention to all these words of discouragement. With fierce determination, renunciation, and austerity, she went on with her bhajan, and her service to her guru. As she absorbed herself in her austere service, step by step she renounced her opulent dresses and fine ornaments.
One day, Haridas Pandit Goswami said to Sacidevi, "If you like, giving up all pride and fear, you may wander throughout Vraja and practice begging from place to place as a renounced devotee. You have my blessings." Upon hearing the words of her gurudeva, Saci's joy knew no bounds. Thereafter, freed from all false ego, her body covered only with rags, she went house to house in Vrindavana, begging alms in the fashion of a bumblebee who takes only a little pollen from each flower. In this way she showed the intense renunciation and austerity of a highly advanced devotee. All the devotees in Vrindavana were astonished by her severe renunciation.
Gradually, Saci"s body became frail and weak. She grew thin, and was covered with soot. Still, she took no notice of her condition, and continued following her austere regimen. Physically exhausted from her diligent service she would sleep on the banks of the Yamuna, and then rise again the next day to cleanse the Lord's temple. She would regularly circumambulate some holy places, see the aroti of the Deity, and listen to the lectures on Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Seeing the intense renunciation of Sacidevi, Haridas Pandit Goswami's heart was filled with pity. His mercy towards her increased. Smiling, he called Sacidevi and said to her, "You are a princess, and yet you have made such an intense effort to worship Krishna that seeing your renunciation and austerity in the cause of devotion I have become supremely happy. Soon I shall give you initiation into the mantra."
Haridas Pandit had one disciple named Sri Laksmipriya, toward whom he was very affectionate. Just at that time she arrived in Vrindavana. Sri Laksmipriya used to chant three hundred thousand names of Krishna daily. When she arrived, Haridas Pandit sent her to live near where Sacidevi performed her daily bhajan on the banks of the Radhakunda. Taking the order of her guru on her head, Laksmipriya went to the Radha-kunda to be with Sacidevi and help her with her bhajan. Every day Sacidevi and Lakshmipriya would circumambulate Govardhan hill. In this way, in the company of Lakshmipriyadevi, Saci continued her worship of Krishna with great determination, living on the banks of the Radhakunda, until one day Haridas Pandit called for her to return. He instructed her to quickly return to Jagannatha Puri, to continue with her bhajan and to preach what she had learned of Sri Caitanya's teachings. At that time almost all of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's personal associates had gone back to Godhead, and had entered into their eternal, unmanifest pastimes.
Sri Sacidevi left Vrindavana and returned to Jagannatha Puri. On the order of her gurudeva, she went to the house where Sarvabhauma Pandit had once stayed. There she engaged in bhajan and began giving classes on the Srimad-Bhagavatam. The old house of Sarvabhauma was dilapidated and crumbling. For a long time no one had lived there. No one remained there to worship the Damodara Salagram that had once been worshiped by Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya himself. Sacidevi established first-class worship of the Shalagrama according to the traditional rules and regulations of the Shastra. In order to hear her wonderful siddhantic interpretations of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, faithful devotees would come to Sarvabhauma's house day after day. In a short time her Bhagavatam classes became very famous, and people would come from miles around just to hear her.
One day, the king of Jagannatha Puri, Mukunda Deva, came to hear the Bhagavatam from Sacidevi. Hearing her original explanations of siddhanta, the king was completely astounded. He thought to himself that he would like to make a nice offering to Sacidevi, out of appreciation for her devotion to Krishna. 
That night he had a wonderful dream. Lord Jagannatha came to him in his dream and ordered him, "Offer Sacidevi a place on the banks of the Ganges." 
The following day king Mukunda Deva went to Sacidevi. With great humility, Sacidevi offered the king a sitting place and asked him the reason for his visit. King Mukunda Deva explained about the vision he received from Jagannatha and how the Lord had instructed him to construct a place by the Ganges for Sacidevi. Sri Sacidevi was not disposed to accept any sort of wealth or comfortable situation and wanted to refuse. But the king kept pressing his wishes again and again. At that time, not wanting to violate Lord Jagannatha's order, King Mukunda Deva issued a decree naming a holy ghat by the side of of the White Ganges after Sri Sacidevi.
The decree let it be known that Sri Sacidevi was a princess who had left everything to come to Jagannatha Puri and preach the holy gospel of Sri Caitanya.
One day the day of Mahavaruni-snana approached and Sri Sacidevi wanted to go to the Ganges to bathe. But Sacidevi's gurudeva had forbidden her ever to leave Jagannatha Puri. Remembering the order of her gurudeva, Sacidevi gave up her desire to bathe in the Ganges. That night, Jagannatha came to her in a dream and said, "Saci, don't think like that - the day when Varuni will take bath that day you you must go and bathe in the White Ganges. Gangadevi has been praying for your association. So you must go to the White Ganges."
Having had such a divine vision from Jagannatha, Sacidevi was very joyful. The day of Varuni-snana came. In the middle of the night, Sacidevi went to the White Ganges to bathe. As she bathed at Sveta Ganga, the current of Gangadevi picked her up and began moving along. The waters of the Ganges overflooded the pond, and the current ran before her in a flood until she arrived at the Jagannatha Mandira. Seeing this, thousands and thousands of the dhambhasis in Jagannatha Puri became ecstatic and took their bath in the ganges. The four directions were filled with prayers that were shouted in great ecstasy, and there was a huge commotion. In the midst of great jubilation everyone bathed in the Ganges.
In the midst of the comotion the guards at the gate of the Jagannatha temple awoke. They were speechless at seeing the commotion going on in all directions. Hearing a great noise they went inside the temple. They began talking loudly amongst themselves. Hearing all the noise, the king had also awakened. Anxious to see that everything was all right, the king ordered the gates to the temple opened. At this, the gates were opened. By some miracle, Sacidevi was standing there, alone, inside the temple of Jagannatha. The servants and pujaris of Jagannatha concluded that she must be a thief who has come to steal the valuable ornaments of Jagannatha. 
Many people said, "This cannot be! There must be some mystery here." Immediately Sacidevi was imprisoned in the dungeons to stand trial for theft. Sacidevi's mind, however, did not become weak or confused. While imprisoned, she absorbed herself in constantly chanting the holy name of Krishna.
Late that night, King Mukunda Deva saw Lord Jagannatha in a dream. Jagannatha angrily told him: "Immediately release Sacidevi from your dungeons. It was because I wanted to personally arrange for washing her holy feet that I had the Ganges bring her to my temple. If you want your life to be auspicious, then you had better make the pandas and pujaris bow at her feet and pray for forgiveness. You yourself must take initiation from her."
Seeing this in his dream, the king was repentant, and right after taking his bath, he had the pandas and pujaris go to the place where Sacidevi was being held and immediately release her, falling at her feet and begging for forgiveness. They went there and payed full obeisances, falling down like rods before her feet. The king himself went before Sacidevi, and with great entreaties begged her to forgive him for his offenses at the holy feet of a devotee. At that time, he told Sacidevi of how Lord Jagannatha had ordered him to accept her as his guru and take mantra initiation from her.
Understanding all these things to be the pastimes of Lord Jagannatha, Sacidevi became extremely joyful. Her heart filled with divine love for Krishna. Placing her hand on the king's head, she gave him her blessings. 
Soon after this, on the order of Jagannatha, on an auspicious day, Sri Sacidevi initiated King Mukunda Deva into the eighteen syllable Radha-Krishna mantra. Along with the king, many pujaris also took shelter of her on that day. From that day forward, Sri Sacidevi was known as Gangamata Goswamini.
One day a smarta-brahmana named Mahidhara Sharma had come to the banks of the Sveta-Ganga to worship his ancestors. Having heard of the glories of Gangamata Goswamini, he was eager to have darshan of her holy feet. After showing great respect to the pandit, Sri Gangamata Goswamini offered him a place to sit. She asked him what his purpose in coming was. The brahmana pandit explained the righteous reason for his coming. Seeing his genuine earnestness and piety, Sri Gangamata Goswamini explained the siddhanta of Srimad-Bhagavatam to the brahmana. The brahmana pandit was astonished by her explanations of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and dived and surfaced in the nectar of her ambrosial words. 
After this, the pandit brahmana asked to take shelter at the lotus feet of Gangamata Goswamini. On an auspicious day she initiated him into the Radha-Krishna mantra of ten syllables. Mahidhara Sharma's birthplace is in Dhananjaya-pura. On the order of Gangamata Goswamini, he preached the message of nam-prema, and the teachings of Gaura-Nityananda throughout Bengal.

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http://www.vrindavan.org/English/VSaints/GangamataGoswamini.html

RAGHUA (Raghu Behera) the Fisherman & Lord SRIJANNATH

                                                          Raghua , the fisherman

The Legend of  Raghua, the Fisherman and Sri Jagannath

Lord Jagannath is Known as a Legendary God. The very genesis of the deity is based on various legends. Since then a lot of legends are found in different scriptures in Odia language. Again a lot of legends yet to find their places in scriptures but alive in the form of story telling from generation to generation. The present presentation of the legend is a finest example of transformation of an ordinary fisherman to a high degree of s p i r i t u a l personality. This was possible with s h e e r concentration in meditation, s e l f - confidence and self –reliance. I offen compare this personality with the saint, Dasyu Ratnakar, but fall back in view of the excellency in literary achievement by the latter. But then it is also a unique case where Lord Jagnnath left the great and majestic  temple shrine and luxury of Chapana Bhog (variety of food items) in order to enjoy whatever food cooked and offered by a dedicate devotee with  utmost  love and devotion at his poor thatched house. I personally feel it as a rare achievement so far as spirituality is concerned.

The Bhagabat; after being written in Odia Language by Atibadi Jagannath Dash,  the eminent poet and a great devotee of Lord Jagannath of yester years, geared up a c u l t u r a l r e v o l u t i o n w h i c h influenced  life of  the Odia society in every nooks and corners of the state. Almost all the villages then had  a B h a g a b a t Tungi, suitably situated for the convenience of the village folk. Every evening a literate man used to read this sacred book aloud in the dim light of a Dipa (An earthen ware then used in every household for the purpose of light in the night by means of a cotton wick immersed in oil, namely Polang oil) and the villagers, mostly agro based class, were sitting  around him to listen for their enlightenment (not for entertainment). The language of the Bhagabat though explicitly written and lucid, for better understanding of the illiterate village folks, the reader used to explain, stanza by stanza, whenever and what ever possible on his part. Pipili, a village situated on the side of N.H. 203 in between Bhubaneswar and Puri, is now very famous for its appliqué works. The old name of Pipili was Pipirali. In those days Pipirali had also a Bhagabat Tungi. Every evening a villager named Dhukudi Nana used to read Bhagabat and the village folk used to listen him around. Raghu alias Raghua a fisherman of that village was a regular listener amongst others. The day probably arrived on the life of Raghua for a show down of his achievement of enlightenment. He was as usual, very attentive that day when Dhukudi Nana recited a stanza from Bhagbat, “Manushya  dehe Dibya gyana, Dekhi santosh Bhagabana”, and explained in simple but rustic vocabulary that God was pleased to see the wisdom  of human being, a race of his own creation. Somehow,   this explanation appealed to the inner most self of Raghua and he recited the stranza to himself again and again, while returning   to his home. Then suddenly he was struck with a question to himself, what wisdom I have! why should God be satisfied to see me ? As such, being borne in a fisherman family, traditionally my profession is to kill fish every day in order to maintain my family and myself.  This question made him restless and Raghua did not get sleep the entire night.  The cawing of the crow alarmed him of ushering in the rise of Sun in the eastern horizon. He got up from the bed and sat on his outer veranda in a remorseful mood. His mother was astonished to see him at this hour of the day as this was time for her son to be away to the riverside for netting. She anticipated something wrong with her son to see him remorse.  As usual the inquisitive mother wanted to know if her son was sound physically and if so, why he had not gone for fishing along with other fishermen.  Raghua replied that he would not go for fishing any more which is a sinful work. The mother was taken aback on hearing the reply of his only son, the bread earner. Yet she tried to persuade her son by telling that it has been their family profession traditionally transferred to him by his fore fathers and he has been doing it to maintain his family. As such it was not a sinful act on his part. Further, he has been feeding so many persons on his earning. But Raghua did not buzz an inch, with the argument that God would be displeased if he would kill the fish. The mother, thus apprehending a worst future of her life, argued sternly that she gave birth and took pain to rear him only to die   wretchedly out of starvation at this  fag end of her life. This discussion between the mother and son was overheard by the wife of Raghua. She lost trust on her husband so far as her maintenance was concerned. So she prepared herself to go away to her parents house. This embarrassed Raghua. Out of disgust, he got up and had his net to set out for fishing, telling to himself, that he would go on accumulating sins   on him by killing of fish in order to feed the family.

                  Raghua, while going to the riverside for fishing, was praying Lord Jagannath  that let no fish be entangled  in his net. On arrival at the riverside he found his co -fishermen were as busy as a bee. Then he put his net disinterestedly in the river came back to sit on the river bank. He sat there the entire day. The red sun was sinking down in the western sky slowly but steadily. At this moment Raghua found a big fish being entangled in his net was trying to escape. This made him puzzled as to should he catch the fish or allow it to escape. If the fish is not caught his family would starve and if the fish is caught he would displease

the God and accumulate more sin. Finally he decided to allow the fish to escape into the deep water of the river. Confirming to his decision he rushed to save the fish from his net. But, as ill luck would have it, the fish succumbed being suffocated while Raghua was trying to release it from the net. It seemed to Raghua that the fish was calling desperately “save Narayan” “save Narayan”. Raghua left the fish in the river. But the fish, instead of swimming away into the deep water of the river, floated. Raghua was shocked and cried  like a child and prayed  Lord Jagannath for the life of the fish. But nothing happened. Out of despair he took a drastic decision that he would not return to his house until the fish is alive. He immediately took the fish to a nearby forest where there was a fountain. Raghua dug a small pool and filled it with clear and cool water of the fountain and left the fish in the pool to see whether clear water would help the fish to revive, but in vain. Losing all hopes of revival of the fish, Raghua sat for meditation praying Lord Jagannath and continued for two days uninterrupted, without food and water. The family members of Raghua were worried as Raghua did not return to house. So they wanted the help of other fishermen to find him out. Some of the fishermen came to the riverside in search of Raghua but found only his net. They called his name loudly but could not get any response. Raghua was then in deep meditation in the calm and serene spot of the jungle. Raghua continued his meditation for the third day too, as still as a stone. At this stage of his meditation a Brahmin appeared before him and informed that his family members were searching for him anxiously hither and thither. As such he should immediately go home to relieve the old mother and young wife from their distress. But Raghua was unperturbed in his state of meditation. This Brahmin was none other than the Lord Jagannath. Now the Lord attempted to convince Raghua that it would go against the law of nature to get back the life to a dead one and was beyond anybody’s capability to do so. Further, this was not the way to get blessings of God. Now Raghua opened his eyes and respectfully requested the Brahmin “Sir, please live me alone and mind your business”  and closed his eyes again for meditation. The Lord tested the determination and now was convinced that nothing could abstain Raghua from his state of meditation.  Then there was no other go for the Lord than to bless Raghua with his wish. So the disguised Lord shouted “look, the fish is not dead. It is as sound as any thing”. Raghua was thrilled hearing this voice. He opened his eyes and found that the fish was actually playing in the cool, clear but scanty   water of the pool. But he was taken aback not to find the Brahmin who was then vanished. Now Raghua realised that the Lord came in the guise of a Brahmin and then cried loudly childlike, for not able to pay due respect. Lord Jagannath now appeared before Raghua. Raghua this time did not lose time and prostrated at the feet  of the Lord at once  while tears  of joy rolled down  over his cheeks  being overwhelmed with happiness. He wanted to be excused for killing of fish for last several years and sought the blessings so that he could maintain the family without his family profession. Last, but not the least, his prayer was to grant him darshan as and when he would long for it. The Lord vanished in the thin air telling “TATHASTU” meaning Ok. Raghua had the rare achievement of getting life to the dead one. He carried the fish carefully and let it go into the deep water of the river. Then he returned to his home joyfully singing songs in praise of his Lord all the way. His mother and wife were very happy to see him after three days of absconding. Some villagers were also happy to see him. Raghua did not go for fishing from that day. He moved in the villages singing devotional songs in praise of his Lord. Villagers loved to listen his devotional songs and offered alms with pleasure. He used to come back to his house with whatever little or more, thus received, for the just maintenance of his family. He derived eternal pleasure leading his spiritual life. He also derived pleasure in sharing his meal to entertain stray and needy guests. Since then Raghua was known as Bhakta Raghu. But a few villagers, especially the younger generation, did not appreciate the life style of Raghua who did not do his professional work and getting alms by singing. One day he faced an open challenge on this score. But Bhakta Raghu did not mind to argue. So an arrogant youth struck him hard with a barbed stick on his head. As a result there was bleeding, oozing from the wound, and it was very painful too. But undaunted he continued on his daily job of singing the devotional songs and returned to his home as usual. The boy who struck him, fell down then and there and became unconscious.    On getting this shocking news of their son, the parents rushed to the spot.  They were appraised all about the incident by other boys of the village. The boy was lifted by the parents, to Bhakta Raghu’s house and requested him to do the needful. But a few villagers blamed Bhakta Raghu for the misery of the boy and started abusing him. Bhakta Raghu on looking to the condition of the boy immediately closed his eyes and started praying Lord Jagrannath for the welfare of the boy. Time passed on. There was no change in the condition of the boy. The villagers lost trust on Bhakta Raghu and took it to be a gone case. At such a critical juncture the father of the boy shouted” Raghu, see my son is moving his hand and legs. He has recovered”. All the people present there were surprised to see that the boy, to whom they considered as a gone case only a little while ago, had come to sense. Bhakta Raghu on hearing the halloo of the people opened the eyes and saw the boy had actually come to sense.He patted him and requested with folded hands to the parents to proceed immediately to Purusottam (Puri) for  darshan of Sri Jagannath and to express their gratitude as the life of the boy had been granted by the Lord only. He had no role on this regard. Bhakta Raghu also prostrated before the people present at the spot and requested that he does not harm any body. Even he had given up killing of fish although it was his family profession. As such he may not be ill-treated.  The people present over their shouted in a chorus “Jai Bhakta Raghu, you are indeed  great devotee of Sri Jagannath and enlightened with high spiritual achievement. As such you deserve absolute respect of one and all”.

The news of the boy and Bhakta Raghu spread like wild fire to villages far and wide. A gentleman from a far away village heard this news and came to him. He offered Raghua deities of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra to worship. Bhakta Raghu was very happy to accept the offer and enshrined the trinity in a room of his small house. Everyday he offered his diet, whatever was   available but cooking carefully and devotionally.

He used to distribute the Prasad to others  before he took his own meal. Thus he became famous as Raghu Baba. Lord Jagannath is known for His love for the devotees. The Lord was too much pleased with the devotion of Raghu Baba. Everyday during offerings of his food to the trinity, Sri Jagannath along with the brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra used to leave the temple to enjoy the food offered by Raghu Baba at his house. As such the Pandas (Sevaks) who used to offer Anna and other varieties of items for the dieties by chanting specific Mantras could not feel the presence of the Trinity. This state of affairs continued next day and on. The matter was informed to Gajapati, the king and the prime Sevaka of Lord Jagannath. The Gajapati immediately appeared before the deities and fell at the feet of the Trinity begging apology if any thing wrong done knowingly or unknowingly by him of by any other Sevakas. The Sevaks also prostrated before the Trinity. Time passed  on. Sun set in. The personal securities of the king engaged at four gates of the temple were anxious to know the reason of the unusual delay of the Gajapati inside the temple. Suddenly Gajapati heard a voice from Gambhira “king why are you torturing yourself without food or drink ? Probably you have mistaken our absence in the temple to be our anger. But that is not the fact.

We are too much pleased with the devotional offerings of our devotee, Raghu Baba of Pipirali village. If you are actually interested for our return to the temple then bring my dear devotee from the village and place him near the banyan tree.” The king, Gajapati immediately got up from his state of prostration  and informed the Sevaks about where about of the Lord Jagannath along with the brother and sister. Next day, early in the morning, Gajapati along with his retinue accompanied by some Sevaks set out on the entourage to Pipirali village. The villagers were surprised to see Gajapati in their village and followed the party. They were perplexed when Gajapati got down from his horse at the door of Raghu Baba. Gajapati entered into the house of Raghu Baba leaving others outside. While entering, Gajapati got the usual aroma and flavor of the temple during the process of offering of Anna etc.  Raghu Baba was deeply involved in the proceedings of offerings of the food which  was prepared carefully and devotionally. Gajapati did not disturb a bit and stood still behind him. At the end of this proceeding Raghu Baba knelt down before the deities and then stood up to see Gajapati behind him. But he had never seen Gajapati before. As such became inquisitive to know the identity. A sudden thrill engulfed him and he started stammering  when Gajapati gave his identity. Immediately Raghu Baba was going to fall flat at the feet of Gajapati. But Gajapati did not allow him to do so and embraced him with soothing words that there was nothing to fear. Gajapati brought him  outside, hand in hand. By then the crowd swelled up outside getting the news of arrival of the Gajapati at the house of Raghu Baba. The crowd could not believe to see Gajapati hand in hand with Raghu Baba. Gajapati pronounced before the crowd, “Raghu Baba is not an ordinary person but a great devotee of Lord Jagannath and highly spiritual. By order of Sri Jagannath I have come to welcome him to Srikhetra (Puri) along with his family members so that he would be privileged to have Darshan of the Lord everyday. The maintenance of the entire family would be my responsibility”. On hearing the pronouncement of Gajapati the crowd shouted in chorus “Jai Jagannath” “Jai Gajapati”, Jai Raghu Baba”.  Raghu Baba was dressed with gorgeous Pata and an ornamental headgear and was taken to Puri where he was given a warm reception.

Pramod Chandra Pattanayak, Plot No.678, Laxmisagar, Bhubaneswar.

Source : http://orissa.gov.in/e-magazine/Orissareview/2011/july/engpdf/45-49.pdf

- Gadei Giri, a Village of Devotees

naham tisthami vaikunthe
yoginam hrdayesu va
tatra tisthami narada
yatra gayanti mad-bhaktah

“My dear Narada, actually I do not reside in My abode, Vaikuntha, nor do I reside within the hearts of the yogis, but I reside in that place where My pure devotees chant My holy name and discuss My form, pastimes and qualities.”

This book places you in Orissa, one of the twenty-two states of India, some three hundred years ago, in a village called Gadai-Giri. As you may know, in India there are many holy where the Lord has appeared personally and where His great devotees appeared. Gadai Giri is the one of those transcendental places where great devotees of the Lord take birth; it is no ordinary place, and the residents there are not ordinary personalities. Gadai Giri is a very famous village in the district of Cuttack, which is to be found on the eastern side of Orissa. It is approximately sixty-two kilometers from the town of Cuttack and ninety kilometers from Bhubaneswar, the state capital. The state of Orissa has a population of more or less thirty-two million people. It is materially impoverished when compared to some of the larger states of India, but is most wealthy spiritually, as it is the celebrated home of Lord Jagannatha—the Lord of the universe, who resides in a glorious temple at the heart of the holy city of Puri—Jagannatha Puri.

Jagannatha Puri, which is situated on the east coast of the sub-continent of India, is the place of pilgrimage for millions of pious Hindus; the huge temple of Jagannatha, which is said to be over two thousand years old, is there in all its splendor. The worship of Lord Krsna in His form of Lord Jagannatha has been going on there for many thousands of years predating the construction of the present temple. The residents of Orissa are most fortunate in this regard because they live in the land of Jagannatha, and the residents of Puri are even more fortunate as they are in the direct proximity of the Jagannatha temple, and this is the place where Mahaprabhu lived for eighteen years.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu spent the last eighteen years of His manifest pastimes on earth in the land of Orissa, primarily at Puri. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the incarnation of Lord Krsna who appeared in West Bengal, India, in 1486 some 512 years ago to enact wonderful, dramatic pastimes of inculcating unto one and all the pure ecstatic chanting of the holy name of the Lord: Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

He was large in stature and had a golden bodily hue and He began the sankirtana movement which was predicted in the Vedas over 5,000 years ago. It was also predicted that this sankirtana movement would spread widely, especially to the western countries. Orissa and Bengal are said to be the two main states of India where the followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appear and are known as oriyas and gaudiyas.

The Village of the Holy Name

The village of Gadai Giri, situated amidst the tranquil solitude of rural Orissa, surrounded by lotus-filled ponds and green paddy fields, has a most interesting history. A great devotee of Mahaprabhu named Gadai Giri, who hailed from Midnapore in Bengal, some three hundred years ago, came to Orissa to do business, dealing in brass cooking utensils. The local Zamindar (Squire-the principle local landowner) became very favorably disposed towards Gadai Giri by virtue of his good nature and good behavior, and he allowed him to stay in the locality. So Gadai Giri remained with his family in one village, and that village soon became known as the village of Gadai Giri.

Gopal Giri was the son of Gadai Giri. He was religiously minded and had learned kirtana from the devotees of Mahaprabhu’s home district of Nadia, Bengal. He was a great devotee of Lord Jagannatha. It was he who named the village after his father, the “Gadai Giri Village.”

The Giri dynasty has been very famous throughout the whole of Orissa from the time of Syamananda Pandita (Mid-sixteenth century) for their kirtana: (the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare) and for their great devotion to the Lord. His Divine Grace Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja has said, “Syamananda Pandita used to preach in this area—Orissa. Jiva Gosvami had sent three people to preach—Syamananda Prabhu, Narottama Dasa Thakura and Srinivasa Acarya. Srinivasa Acarya remained in Bengal. Narottama Dasa Thakura went to Assam—Manipur, that side of India, and Syamananda Pandita came to Orissa. Jiva Gosvami had said, “Go out and preach.” This they did!”

This village of Gadai Giri has been flooded with the sound of kirtana since the time of Syamananda Pandita. Great devotees have taken birth in the Giri dynasty only to satisfy the desire of the Supreme Lord so that He may hear the sweet kirtana from the Gadai Giri kirtaniyas. This Gadai Giri kirtana cannot be learned like a dramatic or musical performance; it is born into the Giri family. It is in their blood, and this can be seen by their great devotion to the Lord and heard in their wondrous kirtana.

The Giri Family

The Giri family produced (and to this day still produces) on one side of the family, talented singers, who could sing very sweet kirtana (and when harmoniums were introduced into India by the British they accompanied their sweet singing with the harmonium) and on the other side, mrdanga players (drummers). Since the time of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all the villages of Orissa have had a kirtana party, but none are as famous as the kirtana party from Gadai Giri. Some three hundred years ago, which would place us around the year 1690, Gopal Giri and his family were worshipping a deity* of Lord Jagannatha. There was no deity of Lord Baladeva and no deity of Subhadra Devi, only a deity of Lord Jagannatha. Gopal Giri had constructed a small temple where the worship took place.

Gopal Giri in Puri

Gopal Giri was working in the town of Puri, in the Jagannatha Temple as the poddara (treasure/cashier) and was directly responsible to the king. Gopal Giri was very qualified to hold this position as he was a very well educated person, and completely trustworthy.

He was very well known and respected by everyone in Puri. His position was secure and his day-to-day life was calm and pleasant enough, apart from lingering thought in the back of his mind that he wanted to worship the deity of Lord Gopala. In Gopal Giri’s heart was a strong desire to worship the Lord in His eternal form of Lord Gopala. Even whilst dutifully carrying out his obligations as a treasurer, he was always praying for that time when he could give his occupation and fully dedicate his life to the service and pleasure of his ista-deva—Lord Gopala—Krsna the cowherd boy. He cried for the Lord to appear before him in that form and accept whatever service he could offer.

In the town of Puri, many sadhus (holy men) would come to see the Supreme Lord in the Jagannatha temple. When Gopal Giri sometimes met with these sadhus, he would ask; “Please give me your blessings so that I may obtain a deity of Lord Gopala; it is my heart’s desire to worship Him.” But most of them would reply, “If you want to worship Lord Gopala, then you will have to go to vrndavana.** There you will find the Lord of your heart.” Now the dilemma for Gopala Giri was that he was serving in Puri and was unable to travel in Vrndavana, as the only means to get there in those days was by bullock cart or on foot and that would have taken many months, and he would not be allowed to take time off from his work.

Gopala and the Vaisnava Babaji

In Vrndavana there lived a vaisnava-babaji,*** who everyday would go door to door begging alms, doing madhukari. During the daytime he would go out and collect a little rice, a little dal, which in the evening he would cook and then offer it to his deity Sri Gopala Jiu, who normally resided in the babaji’s shoulder bag. He would first offer the cooked rice and dal to the Lord and then he would take the remnants as prasada. He would eat and afterwards place the deity back in the bag. In this way he was leading his life, wandering throughout the forests of Vrndavana.

The Babaji’s Dream

One night the deity of Gopala Jiu appeared to the babaji in a dream, and told him, “You take me to Gopal Giri, the son of Gadai Giri; he wants to worship Me. Take Me to Jagannatha Puri where Gopal Giri is working! I want to hear the kirtana performed by the residents of Gadai Giri.” But the babaji did not pay very much attention to it -“After all”, he considered, “It was only a dream!” He did not take it very seriously and carried on his daily routine as usual, as if nothing had happened. However, some days later the deity appeared to the babaji again in dream, this time with cane in hand; He beat the babaji severely. When the babaji awoke he could see that he had wounds all over his body where Gopala had beaten him very severely. He at once realized his mistake and begged the Lord’s forgiveness for committing such a great offence. He had not followed the command of the Lord, even though Gopala Jiu had been kind enough to personally appear before him and gave him instruction whilst he was dreaming. The babaji then said; “O, my Lord, You have beaten me very severely; with so many wounds on my body, how can I possibly go to Puri now? Unless my wounds are healed, how can I go there?” The deity of Gopala Jiu then said to the babaji; “No! You take me to Puri and hand me over to Gopal Giri. Once this is done, ask Gopal Giri to place his hand on your hand on your body. When he does this all of your wounds will disappear immediately; otherwise your wounds will never heal. So please do not delay, let us leave at once! I will give you the directions as to how to go to Puri and where Gopal Giri lives.”

* Deity: The symbol representation of the transcendental form of the Lord in stone, wood, metal, paint, or within one’s mind; The deity form of the Lord is transcendental because in the spiritual world, a symbol is identical with the thing it represents. (The self-realized soul confirms these symbolic forms of the Lord, because he has seen the Lord, face to face.) In the revealed scriptures, it is described that the Lord can be understood in three ways. The first is the impersonal form, Brahman. (This is also understood by some effulgence of God or the bright light.) The second is the Lord in the heart, the supersoul or the Paramatma. The third understanding, and the highest, is the direct vision of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna. This is all evidenced by the self-realized souls.

The Journey from Vrndavana to Puri

Immediately the babaji set out for Puri from Vrndavana. In those days travel was mainly by foot, so the journey from Vrndavana to Jagannatha Puri took two and a half months; the distance traveled was two thousand two hundred kilometers. There was also no facility for the babaji to send a message in advance to inform the residents of Puri that Lord Gopala Jiu was coming to satisfy the desire of Gopal Giri. He did not even know who Gopal Giri was or what he looked like. He just set out for Puri town with faith in the order of the Supreme Lord. The babaji was the servant of the deity and the deity said that He wanted to go to Puri, and that was that!

Upon his arrival in Puri the babaji enquired as to the whereabouts of Gopal Giri and soon discovered that he was at that time staying in a rented house in the area known as Kundheibenta Sahi. The local town people directed him to Gopal Giri’s house, which was to be found three to four kilometers from the temple of Jagannatha in the direction of the Gundica Mandir on the north side of Puri. As it was quite late in the evening, the babaji decided to stay that night near the Jagannatha temple and to visit Gopal Giri early the next morning.

The Babaji Meets Gopal Giri

As it so happened, Gopal Giri had just finished bathing and was putting on his tilaka when he heard a knock at the door. He went to see who it was and saw a babaji standing at the entrance to his house. Babaji Maharaja inquired if he was indeed Gopal Giri, “I have brought with me the deity of Sri Gopala Jiu who has come all the way from Vrndavana so that you may worship Him.” He took the Lord from his bag. Gopal Giri was astonished to say the least as he gazed in wonder at this most beautiful form of his merciful Lord. He then asked the babaji who he was and where he had come from. The babaji related the whole story to Gopal Giri and asked him to touch his body so that his wounds would heal. The babaji gave the deity of Gopala Jiu to Gopal Giri who then touched the babaji’s body and as the Lord had promised him, all his wounds were immediately!

Gopal Giri was amazed that his desire had come true; The Lord had come all the way from Vrndavana just so that he could worship Him. In a great bliss he went to the market to purchase the finest quality rice, dal and vegetables and upon returning home gave them to the babaji so he could cook for Lord Gopala. His next course of action was to approach the King and offer his resignation. The King however, was not present in his palace at that time, so he submitted his resignation in written to the King’s officers. He then went home and saw that the offering was made by the babaji to the Lord. After the Lord was satisfied, Gopal Giri and the babaji took the prasada, the remnants of Lord Gopala Jiu’s meal.

Sometime after, Gopal Giri opened his cash box and asked the vaisnava-babaji to take as much money as he wanted. But the babaji said, “No! I will not take any money! I am the servant of Gopala. Wherever Lord Gopala will go I will go also and serve Him! I am not a person to sell the deity, I am His servant! I will not take any money; wherever Gopala will go, I will go there and serve Him!”

Gopal Giri Resigns from Government Service

Sometime later, Gopal Giri was summoned to see the King. The King asked him, “Why have you resigned? Please explain your actions?” Gopal Giri explained to the King his desire to worship Gopala Jiu, and how the deity had come from Vrndavana, being brought by a vaisnava-babaji. He also explained to the King that in his village he had built a temple and now he wanted to install Lord Gopala and begin His worship very nicely. They would have kirtana everyday for the Lord. On hearing this the King was very pleased and said, “All right, as today your desire to worship Lord Gopala has been fulfilled, I have no objection. But I do have one single request of you—that sometimes you must come to Puri with the kirtana party from Gadai Giri and perform kirtana in the temple for the pleasure of Lord Jagannatha.” Gopal Giri of course accepted the conditions of the king who then released him from all his other duties at the Jagannatha temple.

Gopal Giri Returns to Gadai Giri with Lord Gopala Jiu

Gopal Giri returned to his village with Lord Gopala, and the vaisnava-babaji accompanied them so that he could help with the worship of Gopala Jiu. Sri Gopala Jiu was installed in the temple especially constructed for Him, along with a beautiful deity of His eternal consort, Srimati Radharani whose golden form was fashioned from brass by a local sthapati (deity sculptor). And so, the Divine Couple Sri Sri Radha-Gopala Jiu stood on the altar in the temple at Gadai Giri. The Giri family were not poor by any means. In fact they were very wealthy; they had many acres of land surrounding the temple. They were also the most famous kirtaniyas in the land of Orissa, with a special invitation from the King of Puri to chant in the Puri temple for Lord Jagannatha whenever they could. (That invitation still holds to this day and is written in the history book of the temple of Lord Jagannatha—the madala-panji). The Supreme Lord in His deity form had come all the way from Vrndavana to hear the kirtana at Gadai Giri. So daily kirtana was performed at the temple, very sweet kirtana for the pleasure of Sri Sri Radha-Gopal Jiu. The main business of the Giri family was deity worship and hari-kirtana. Lord Gopala Himself was very happy to hear the kirtana. As it is described in the sastra:

naham tisthami vaikunthe
yoginam hrdayesu va
tatra tisthami narada
yatra gayanti mad-bhaktah

“My dear Narada, actually I do not reside in My abode, Vaikuntha, nor do I reside within the hearts of the yogis, but I reside in that place where My pure devotees chant My holy name and discuss My form, pastimes and qualities.” When relating this story of Sri Sri Radha-Gopala Jiu, His Divine Grace Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja said, “The Supreme Lord is very happy to hear His own glorification,” and quoted the above verse.Gopal Giri arranged all the land and other properties for the service of Gopala Jiu. Sometime later the babaji left his body in Gadai Giri, fully engaged in the service of Gopala Jiu. Gopal Giri also engaged many other Vaisnava in the daily worship. Gopal Giri remained on this for eighty-five years completely absorbed in the service of the Divine Couple, his most beloved Sri Sri Radha-Gopal Jiu.

The Son Who Could Not Sing

Just one kilometer from Gadai Giri village there is a temple of the Goddess Thakurani, The Goddess Durga. This temple is in the village of Nagapur. As has already been described, the Giri family were, and still are, famous throughout Orissa for their kirtana; they are kirtana-gurus. Once, in this dynasty of Giri, there was an innocent but ignorant member of the family called Abhiram Giri. He could neither play mrdanga nor sing sweet kirtana, much to the disgust of his father, who was himself most famous for his kirtana. Once after performing kirtana, the local villagers were enquiring from the father, Dinabandhu Giri, “Why doesn’t your son ever lead kirtana for the Lord’s pleasure?” The father, being rather embarrassed, replied, “This son of mine is ignorant in this regard, he cannot sing nor play the mrdanga.” The villagers were amazed and said, “What is this—amazing! Such a famous person! All in your line are all famous kirtaniyas. Why is your son ignorant in this regard?” Abhiram Giri was present there, and on hearing this discussion he was greatly ashamed, and left that place with a troubled mind. He headed straight for the temple of the Goddess Thakurani where he prostrated himself on the floor of the temple and didn’t move for three days. He took neither water nor food, he just lay there. Within his heart he was crying for the benediction to become a very good kirtana leader, or otherwise it would be better for him if he just gave up his body. After three days of lying prostrated on the temple room floor, and taking no food or water, he received merciful benedictions of the Goddess Thakurani. From that very day he became famous as the leader of the most wondrous kirtanas. Such are the glories of the ‘family of kirtana’. The Gadai Giri kirtaniyas.

The Deity of Sri Gopala Jiu is Stolen

Once, some 150 years ago, there was a devotee who was helping with the worship of Gopala Jiu. He was apparently a babaji, a renounced monk, but actually he was a thief in the guise of a babaji. He would often help the brahmana in doing the worship, making garlands, dressing the deities and performing aratis (arati: is a traditional Vedic ceremony during which offerings of incense, ghee lamps, flowers, water etc. are made to the deity of the Lord). One night this ‘babaji’ decided that he would have the deity for himself and so he stole Lord Gopala Jiu, while the brahmana who was in charge of the worship was fast asleep. The babaji-thief headed in the direction of a nearby village called Bishi Muhana, which is approximately three kilometers from Gadai Giri temple. In a dream that very night the deity spoke to Bhagat Charan Giri, who was at that time the village leader. “I have been stolen by this ‘babaji’ and I am lying here near the village of Bishi Muhana. The ‘babaji’ is now dead snake bite so please come and get Me.” Bhagat Charan Giri immediately woke up and came to the temple to find that deity was indeed missing. By this time the brahmana had also awoken and was yelling at the top of his voice, “The deity has gone, the deity has been stolen!” Bhagat Charan Giri told him of his dream in which the deity had appeared to him. Also in that dream Bhagat Charan Giri had seen torch burning in the direction of the village Bishi Muhana. He quickly organized a very large kirtana party, formed with many of the villagers from Gadai Giri. It was an enormous procession with mrdanga, karatalas and many villagers holding flaming torches. They headed in the direction of the mystical burning torch that they could see off in the distance; the same one that Bhagat Giri had seen in his dream. When Bhagat Giri and his kirtana party finally reached the spot where the flaming torch should have been (it disappeared as they approached) they found the body of the babaji-thief who had been bitten by a snake, and the deity of Sri Gopala Jiu. A mighty kirtana was performed, and taking Lord Sri Gopala Jiu with them they returned to their village. Upon arrival back at Gadai Giri the brahmana performed a fire sacrifice and replaced the deity of the Lord on His temple altar.

**Vrndavana: It is the transcendental place where Krsna enjoys His eternal pastimes as a young cowherd boy, and it is considered the topmost sphere in all existence. When this Vrndavana is exhibited in the material world it is known as Gokula, and in the spiritual world it is called Goloka, or Goloka Vrndavana.

***Babaji: A renounced monk, a babaji chants Hare Krsna all day long, and spends the minimum amount of time on the bodily needs, such as eating and sleeping.

   Source : http://biographysrilagourgovindaswami.org/?page_id=15

MANAI SAHU AND LORD JAGANNATH

                                                               M A N I A   S A H U 


MANAI SAHU AND LORD JAGANNATH

 In the movement of Bhakti cult in Utkal khand, many divine souls had glorified the Viashnab religion and spread its tenets to different places by their deep devotion and supreme attachment to the Divine Trinity. By displaying their unselfish divine love, they had never craved in their altruistic mission anything in life except His exalted grace. Among these divine souls, there was one godly person by the name of Manai Sahu who was a pious devotee of Lord Jagannath. He advocated the cause of Para Bhakti as intense attachment to God and eulogized its glories through Nama Sankirtan as the only means in Kaliyuga for realization of the Supreme Divine.

 Manai Sahu is remembered today as Kandagoda Manai Sahu. Kandagoda is the name of his village near Puri. Some 500 years ago, he was born in this village in an humble divine family. He was the contemporary of Atibadi Jagannath Das, the author of Srimad Bhagabat in Oriya. The impeccable life of his parents had a great influence on Manai Sahu in his younger days.

Manai Sahu was not an erudite scholar. His education had ended with the village school of Kandagoda. But, as people say, he was a prodigious person by dint of the merits of his Prarabdha Karma. As morning shows the day, Manai Sahu appeared to be extraordinarily astonishing in his usual dispensation from the very beginning of his adult career. He could not control his tears when he saw tears in the eyes of others. In his amiable disposition, he was a charitable person. He was beneficent to the poor and the distressed of the society. People regarded him as a truthful divine soul.

Manai Sahu was married in the early part of his life. But the bond of marriage did not bind him with the material world for long. He lived in his own world like drops of water on a lotus leaf. He led the Gita-way of life. He had totally surrendered himself at the lotus feet of the Lord. It is said that every morning he used to go to Puri to have a glimpse of the Divine Trinity in the sacred shrine. In this way he walked to and fro around fifteen miles everyday. This was the main routine of his daily life. Despite all difficulties and uncommon impediments, he had never defaulted in his religious determination. That was the rigor of his spiritual austerity and that brought him the light of the Great Divine.

Manai Sahu was a close friend of Atibadi Jagannath Das. His village, Kapileswarpur Sasan was close to the village of Manai Sahu. So Manai Sahu, while going to Puri, had regular interactions with Atibadi Jagannath Das. Both discussed scriptures in deep devotion. While musing on the effulgence of the Lord, both were sometimes lost in the surges of divine ecstasy. The names of Atibadi and Manai Sahu were associated with myriad miracles in the celestial game of the Divine Trinity. It is said in this connection that on one occasion, Lord Jagannath appeared in dream before Atibadi Jagannath Das and urged him to show his sacred manuscript to Manai Sahu before it was finally released. Jagannath Das followed the divine instruction and handed over the manuscript to Manai Sahu for his esteemed perusal. With closed eyes, Manai Sahu clasped the sacred scripture in profound spiritual devotion. He felt the presence of the Lord in every word of the Holy Scripture. The book appeared to be the replica of an unusual cosmic grace. While returning the manuscript, Manai Sahu suggested to Jagannath Das, "Gosain, your scripture is extraordinarily superb. You should name the scrpiture as "Srimad Bhagabat". Since that day, it is said, the holy scripture of Atibadi Jagannath Das was known as Srimad Bhagabat and it was accordingly released in palm leaves in Oriya.

There is another miracle associated with Manai Sahu's name. The distinct glory of this miracle still survives in every Oriya home with an unflinching belief in its spiritual force. If Manai Sahu is remembered today, he is remembered for this remarkable religious accomplishment. This virtually earned him a place as an angelic messenger of the lord. The miracle is associated with the belief that one- day Manai Sahu was going to Puri as a part of his daily routine to have the darshan of theDivine Trinity in the grand Shrine. While passing by the side of the main village tank of a nearby village, he saw a strange sight. Some village belles had assembled in the main bathing ghat surrounding a pond where there lie a heron, which appeared to be hurt and transfixed on the ground near a bushy growth in the extreme corner of a pond ridge. Manai Sahu found to his surprise that the village  belles, instead of going into the water of the tank, had gathered around a pond heron. That presented an unusual sight. As it appeared, the bird was least distracted by the proximity of the onlookers and the nearby grazing cows. Undisturbed, the bird was looking deep into the blue water of the village pond. At first, Manai Sahu could not know why so many onlookers had gathered around the bird as the heron over there had nothing special about its appearance.

 He learnt from the onlookers that the bird had fallen victim to a great misfortune. Having fasted for long, when it got a good catch of fish, it gulped the same, unaware of its size and the consequential agony. The fish was bigger than the usual size for a heron. So instead of going down into the stomach, the fish was struck in the middle of its throat. The bird was groaning in acute pain. All were looking helpless, and they knew not what was to be done at that particular moment. Seeing the unusual sight, Manai Sahu went near the bird. The onlookers turned aside as he approached the heron. He learnt from the village belles that the bird had been sitting there since the day before. He also learnt from them the cause of the bird's agony. He noticed that the throat of the bird had considerably swelled.

Manai Sahu took the bird on his lap and caressed its throat repeating the name of Lord Jagannath. The Lord was his 'Ista', his worshipped god. The 'Mantra', he recited was his 'Ista Mantra'.

The recital of Ista Mantra has an immaculate spiritual effect. It is encapsulated with an inexplicable spiritual force. With the bestowal of Mantra Shakti, one can turn a mountain upside down. Devoutly recited, mantra power can alleviate all pains and all illness. It can confer on a person all the embellishments of the world. On that day, Manai Sahu had a similar spiritual accomplishment. He fondled in deep devotion the throat of the bird with the soft touch of his right palm. The Lord heard his humble submission Lo and behold! In no time the fish went down the bird's throat. At last the bird was relieved of its pain. Manai Sahu thereafter set the bird free. The heron flew up across the sky in utmost ecstasy and soon disappeared in the horizon. The onlookers were startled at the unusual sight.

The miraculous performance of Manai Sahu soon spread far and wide in the area. The onlookers had earlier heard about his austere penance and the wondrous spiritual power. But they had never witnessed his extraordinary miracles. That day, they experienced at a poignant moment his grand spiritual power, which expressed his unblemished Bhav of total surrender at the lotus feet of the Lord.

 People regarded Manai Sahu as a devout devotee of Lord Jagannath. The name of Manai Sahu added holiness to the place where he lived. The devotees adored the bathing ghat of the tank as a sacred place of purification. A popular belief soon began to spread among the people that by remembering Manai Sahu, one could surmount an obstruction in one's throat. Even today, in the rural areas of Orissa when a sharp fish bone is struck in the throat of a child, the parents remember Manai Sahu in devotion and pray for clearance of the painful obstruction.

As time passed by, Manai Sahu became old and bed-ridden due to geriatric ailments. He could no longer stick to the age-old routine of going to Puri to have the darshan of the Divine Trinity in the grand shrine.

One day, he prayed to the Lord saying that his last days had neared and he was bereft of his physical strength. He also added that he had violated his resolute routine, which on his part was the unbearable departure of a religious discipline. He pleaded before the Lord to make some alternate arrangement for him for darshan of the Divine Trinity in his village.

 All actions of a devotee are a happy augury for his spiritual brethren. The devotion of a devotee redeems a number of generations coming after him. This happened in the case of Manai Sahu. The Lord gave darshan to his devotee. He listened to his prayer. Glory to saints and devotees! The Supreme Lord said to Manai Sahu in dream: "Manai, you will have your great wish fulfilled in no time. You are filled with the spirit of great saints. The village where you live is divinely sanctified. It will be a holy place of pilgrims over the period of time. A replica of the Divine Trinity will be installed at Kandagoda."

The next day, while taking bath, Manai Sahu got the scent of a neem log in a nearby village. The log was so heavy that it defeated the attempts of all those who tried to lift it from its place. Manai Sahu prayed to Lord Jagannath in humble devotion. Believe it or not, this time when the devotees again attempted, they succeeded in carrying the log to Kandagoda shorn of any physical strain. A replica of the Divine Trinity was made out of the neem log. The three idols of Balabhadra, Jagannath and Subhdra were consecrated at Kandagoda. Manai Sahu spent the rest part of his life, worshipping the three idols in his village.

On one Dolopurnima day, Manai Sahu attained 'Mahaprayan' while in deep meditation. His Mahaprayan anniversary is still observed on this day in pump and ceremony in village Kandagoda. The devotional Leelas of Manai Sahu constitute an unfading chapter in the annals of Bhakti movement of Orissa. His spiritual tenets of god realization through Sankirtan Yoga is the reaffirmation of what Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had preached among his devotees as the only path of Mokshya in life.

Durgamadhab Dash lives at C-80, Pallasapally,

Bhubaneswar, Orissa.

Source : http://orissa.gov.in/e-magazine/Orissareview/jun2004/englishpdf/manani.pdf

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The Three Great Devotees of Lord Jagannath

                                           PADMA BESHA of LORD JAGANNATH , PURI

Bhakta Manohar Das and the Padma Besha (Lotus dress) of Lord Jagannath of Shriksetra, Puri.

Lord Jagannath is connected with numerous Besha (dressing for appearance) on stipulated days linked with specific incidences those happened in the past to remember those happenings and to inspire the devotees perennially. The dressing has become the ritualistic regular tradition in Srimandir, Puri. Padma Besha (to dress Lord Jagannath with Lotus flowers) is one of such important Besha, Traditionally from the Sukla Sasti ofMargasira month till the Basanta Panchami, the Sri Vigrahas, seated in Ratnasinghasan of SriMandir, Puri are covered with winter wrappers, at night called 'Ghoda Lagi' to protect the Lord from excessive cold. On the Wednesday or Saturday, coming in between Amabasya of Magha and Basanta Panchami, the Lord is dressed in Padma Besha. On the Wednesday, the wrapper covering the Vigraha is blue in colour and on Saturday the colour of wrapper is black during the 'Ghoda Lagi' period. In case of the Besha falling on Wednesday, the Lotus dressing is on blue wrapper covered around Vigraha. The Chandan Lagi (Sandal paste offering) is made, than in Badasinhar such Lotus Besha is made and the Vigraha is dressed accordingly at night.

Lord Jagannath is reputed as devotee friendly : Bhakta Batsal and B h a b a g r a h i , receiver of pure devotional thought and Bhakta R a k h y a k a r i , protector of the dignity of devotees for ages together. He can not sit peacefully in the Ratnasinhasan, when his Bhakta is tortured and unable to meet Him. There are many incidents recorded in history, Puranas and Daddyata Bhakti. One and such incidents is that of Bhakta Monohar Das, who was living in village Sahapur, on the bank of the sacred river Rishikulya in Orissa. The period, according to the history, is during the rule of King Udyot Keshari, towards the last part of the 10th century A.D. in Orissa.

This devotee, Sadhu Manohar Das, started his journey from distant village Sahapur to Srikhetra Puri on foot covering a long distance and reached Srikhetra Puri on the Amabasya day of Magha month. For days together, he walked on the road to reach Puri. In course of his long journey, Manohar Das, on his way found a tank in the road side and found beautiful hundred-petalled red lotuses flowering and floating on the water of the tank. It came to the mind of devotee Manohar Das, out of devotional sentiment that some flowers can be collected for offering to the Supreme Lord at Puri. Accordingly, forgetting the distance and time factor to reach Puri, he colleced some fresh lotus flowers and packed those in his Gamuchha (Red towel) by binding through knot. He reached Puri Dham and halted at Badachhata Matha, just adjacent to the Sri Mandir boundary wall of the eastern side in the right side of 'Purba Dwar'. Through out the painful and long journey, his mind and thought was ever filled with joy that he is going to offer lotus flowers to Lord Jagannath. No other thought disturbed him. He proceeded and reached inside the temple. The Sevakas asked what he has knotted in his Gamuchha. He opened the knot and showed the lotus flowers. But alas ! Those lotus flowers were no more fresh. Those have already dried, some have rotted and colour changed to pale and black. The Sevakas beat him in cane sticks for taking rotten flowers and due to severe injury and mental shock Manohar Das fell on the ground unconscious. The people of Badachhata Matha, brought him back and put him in rest in unconscious stage in the Matha. In the dream, Gajapati, Maharaja of Puri could see the Lord telling him to go to Manohar Das, to take the lotus flowers from him and offer to Him and allow devotee Manohar Das to enter the temple to share His sevas and darshan. The Gajapati, called the Rajaguru, namely, Bhavadeva and told the contents of his dream. The Rajaguru took Manohar Das, and the Lotus packed Gamuchha to the SriMandir. In front of the Vigrahas he opened the knot, asked the Sevakas to offer the Lotus by taking from the Gamuchha of Manohar Das. And Lo ! the lotuses, though were previously dry and black in colour, could get fresh lease of life, became fresh, red and purple coloured and emanated divine and sweet fragrance. Being put on the Vigraha, the Lord showed smiling face with appearance, as if blessing all.

To remember, such exchange of love between the Supreme Lord and the devotee, and to inspire other devotees, each year Padmabesha is made on the day fixed.

Badachhata Matha offers Khiri seva to the Lords on this day in Srimandir. That Khiri Prasad is distributed next day to the devotees.

2. Swami Rasikananda , Till Swami Rasikananda's arrival Cars of the Holy Triad  could not move to reach Sri Gundicha Temple at Puri Dham.

Lord Jagannath of Puri Dham always understands the devotion of His devotees. He waited for the arrival of Muslim devotee Salabeg and Bhakta Balia Balaram Das to move in his car from Lion Gate of Sri Mandir to go to Sri Gundicha temple. Another such incident of His waiting for His devotee Swami Rasikananda in his Car during the annual Car  Featival at Puri is worth mentioning.

Rasikananda was born in the year 1590 A.D. at Rohininagar situated on the bank of river Subarnarekha which is now in Balasore District of Orissa. The boy's name was Rasika Murari. His passion for the Lord was found in his childhood when he was uttering the name of Lord Krishna constantly. Like his father, he was uttering the name of Lord Krishna while sitting on a sacred place called Ghantasila being in meditation of the calmly form of Lord Krishna. At that time, the great devotee Sri Shyamananda Thakur was studying the devotional scriptures at Vrindaban, after getting inititation from the Vaisnava Guru Sri Jiva Goswami. One day, while Sri Shyamananda was sitting absorbed in meditation in a lonely garden, Bhagaban Sri Madan Gopal Himself appeared before him and said "Syamananda, immediately proceed to Utkal where Bhakta Rasika Murari, who is very dear to me is meditating and chanting my name constantly. Initiate him in the Mantra of Sri Krishna and preach my love and devotion widely". But Sri Syamananda though came to senses at once by this incident, could not at the outset believe the command of the Lord. So in next few moments Sri Gopal appeared before Sri Jiva Goswami and ordained him to tell Syamananda to immediately proceed to Utkal and initiate devotee Rasika Murari in Sri Krishna Mantra and preach the art of love and devotion. Sri Shyamananda Goswami reached Utkal in the year 1608 A.D., initiated Rasikananda ( the name of Rasika Murari after initiation) and stayed at Utkal now in Orissa and devoted his remaining period of the life in preaching love and devotion of Sri Krishna. The Matha where he stayed is now at Kanpur, nearly 4 km from Rasgovindpur and at about 46 km. from Baripada, the District headquarters of Mayurbhanj district in Orissa State. There the wooden sandals he used to put on, his winter wrapper like Kantha and  his Samadhi are there. In the Year 1630 AD Syamananada Swami breathed his last.

Rasikananda Swami was living in a Matha at Gopiballavpur on the bank of the river, Subarnarekha, which was on the northern border of the Ex-State of Mayurbhanj, (at present in Nayabasan Tehsil of West Midnapur District of West Bengal) and at a distance of 47 km on road from Baripada via Jamsola. The Matha is in a very dilapidated condition due to lack of  maintenance and preservation.

Once, while Sri Rasikananda Swami was living as a guest of king Baidyanath Bhanj of Banapur, the Muslim Subedar Ahmed Baig who was kept in charge of Orissa, became much irritated of the devotion of Sri Krishna, preached by Rasikananda which was widely acceptable to the common mass. Subedar Baig became furious and asked Swami Rasikananda to pacify a ferocious and rogue wild elephant by his power of devotion to Lord Krishna. This is the test of his devotion. If he fails, he will be punished severely. Rasikananda fearlessly approached the rogue elephnat and whispered the name and mantra of Lord Sri Krishna in both the ears of the elephant. Instantly, the nature of the elephant was changed and he became, peaceful, obedient and in token of respect for Saint Sri Rasikananda, the elephant prostrated in his feet. On seeing this miraculous power of Sri Krishna mantra which Rasikand preached, Ahmed Baig became stunned, and he himself started glorifying the merit and greatness of Sri Rasikananda Swami.

Thereafter, Rasikananda returned to Gopiballavpur. Once an intense desire to see the Lord Jagannath of Puri came to his mind. He started to proceed on foot to Puri and on the way he was to visit sacred places at Jajpur and other places of pilgrimages located on the bank of the river Baitarani. There was delay, as a result of which he could not reach Puri Dham in time. On the day of Gundicha, the day of Car Festival the car started moving from Lion's Gate towards Sri Gundicha temple in Badadanda. Knowing this, Sri Rasikananda Swami prayed from the core of his heart saying " Oh Lord, kindly favour me by staying in the car till my arrival, to enable me to have your darshan in the car during Car Festival. Kindly wait for my arrival. " Mahaprabhu Lord Jagannath is Bhabagrahi and Bhaktabatsal and Bhaktabandhu. He waited for his sincere devotee in the Nandighosa Ratha and none of three Rathas, inculding that of His moved an inch forward. The Thakur Maharaja was perplexed at this. Even horses and elephants in large number, being yoked to pull the three Rathas, failed to drag an inch forward. All efforts failed. The Gajpati king prayed and took shelter of Lord Sri Jagannath to favour him to solve the situation. In his dream, Lord Jagannath told the king - "My devotee Rasikananda is hurriedly rushing to see me on the car during the Car Festival. He is approaching Puri and is now at Tulasichoura, located very near, please wait for his arrival. After his arrival and seeing me in the car, the car will move of their own accord in the usual pulling."In fact, the dream came true when  the king received Rasikananda Swami and on his touching the cars by hands, the cars ran on the road, being dragged by devotees and reached Sri Gundicha Temple smoothly. The record testifies the event to have taken place in the year 1640 A.D.

On request of the king, Rasikananda stayed with Sri Vigraha Batakrushna in "Kunja Matha", located on the side of Sri Mandir. Infact that Matha was first founded by Swami Rasikananda.

Rasikananda left Puri for Remuna, as Khirchora Gopinath at Remuna ordered the Gajapati king in his dream to send him back to render His worship. There at Remuna, Rasikananda stayed and rendered Seva Puja of Lord Khirachora Gopinath till his last days. Till date, the Samadhi Shrine of Rasikananda is within the premises of the temple, and at a distance, the residence of Rasikananda is found at Remuna. It was Narasingh Deb, the Gajapati King, who brought Madan Gopal's idol from Chitrakut, and that Madan Gopal remained at Remuna, who later on in the year 1436 A.D. after stealing Khira Bhoga for saint Madhabendra Puri, came to be known as Khirachora. The legend says that Lord Sri Rama has carved this stone edol of Madan Gopal at Chitrakut by arrows during his stay and has shown to Sita. In 1258 A.D. the temple for Mandan Gopal was built at Remuna and for arrangement of Seva Puja landed property was donated by the king. In Chitrakut, Lord Brahma was worshipping Madan Gopal. Madhabendra Puri one of the devotees, whose Matha is still there very near to Khirachora Gopinath temple, Remuna, near Balasore in Orissa. This incident testifies the fact that the Lord is even fulfiller of the sincere thought of devotees.

3. Santha Tulasi Das, 
the SriRamabhakta could see his Lord Sri Rama in the Raghunath Besha and Padma Besha of Lord Jagannath.

Lord Jagannath of Sri Jagannath Dham, Puri is the Param Brahma and ever friendly to the devotees. The Lord has shown His apperance to devotees in the forms, they conceived in their minds and wanted to see him. Lord Jagannath satisfied. Santh Tulsi Das, the author of the great Ramacharit Manas by showing him His Raghunath Besha, which is enlisted as one of several Beshas.

Realising the fact that Lord Sri Jagannath is himselfParam Brahma in appearance, Santh Tulsi Das in his advanced age proceeded on foot from Kashi Pith to Sriksetra Puri, the Jagannath Dham alone to see his Lord Sri Rama Chandra, armed with bow and arrows in Lord Sri Jagannath. This pious desire inspired him to travel, covering a long distance with hardship. On the way in between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, in a place named Tulsi Talwa locally known as Tulasi Sarovar (Tulsi tank), he took rest in the night.

Next day, he resumed his journey on foot early in the morning and reached Puri. On his arrival at Puri, he hastened to enter the temple, by assending the Baisi Pahacha (22 number of steps) and stood in front of the idol of Lord Jagannath Bije in Ratna Sinhasan (in golden throne). From a little distance, he could see the Param Brahma Lord Jagannath with round black eyes, the Sri Vigrahra (sacred idol) without hands and feet and ears, seated and being worshipped. He could not see Param Brahma, according to his conception in the form of Sri Rama Chandra armed with bow and arrows. Being disappointed he  left Puri, without taking any food or drink. Bhabagrahi (knower of the thought of devotee) Sri Jagannath could not tolerate such anxiety of Tulsi Das, who was walking on foot. He crossed Atharnala (a road bridge over eighteen nalas) and rapidly proceeding from Puri  to Kashi via Batamangala. On command of Lord Jagannath, Bhakta Hanuman, sat on the road bridge over Atharanala and obstructed Tulsi Das from proceeding to Kashi. Tulsi Das, paid no heed to the indication of Hunuman and proceeded ahead on the road to Kashi. On the way, in a village called Malatipatapur, Tulsi Das halted in a Tulasi Chouwara (elevated platform having sacred basil tree in a pot) at night even in the midst of hunger and thirst. Tulsi Das, out of fatigue and frustration, not seeing Sri Ramachandra, in Param Brahma Sri Jagannath, fell asleep. While closing his eyes he saw in his dream, goddess Mahalaxmi, telling Lord Jagannath that no devotee returns from Puri without taking Mahaprasad in the form of sacred cooked rice (Avada) and curry, but devotee Tulsi Das has left Puri without taking any food and drink. She requested Lord Jagannath to proceed himself in disguise of a small boy taking the sacred rice and cury, which is called Mahaprasad and offer him to pertake. Santh Tulasi Das when asked by the boy to take the Mahaprasad, told him that he would not take the sacred rice and curry without seeing Sri Ramachandra in Lord Sri Jagannath who is hailed as Param Brahma. The boy asked him to open his Ramacharit Manas manuscript, which was available with Tulsi Das, written on palm leaves and bound in red cloth and asked him to refer to Doha 117 - from the 5thChowpahi to 8thChowpahi, which Tulsi Das, himself had written and to read the Balakanda.

"Binu Pada Chalai Sunai Binukana,

Kara Binu Karama Karai Bidhi Nana

Anana Rahita Sakala Rasabhogi

Binubani Bakata Jogi

Tana Binu Parasa Nayana Binu Dekha

Grahai Ghrana Binu Basa Ashesa

Asi Samabhati Alaukika Karana

Mahima Jasu Jai Nahin Barana."

He is that Param Brahma, who walks without feet, hears without ears, does various works without hands, tastes all sorts of items and juices without mouth, touches all without skin, sees all without eyes, and smells all without nose. That Param Brahma is so extraordinarily mysterious, that it is unknown to gods even. Lord Jagannath is the very said Param Brahma, which you have narrated in your above Dohas and poems. He is residing in SriMandir being bound and tied with devotional thought of his devotees. The boy narrating this, told Tulsi Das to return and look again. He can see Him in the form he desired and described in Rama Charit Manas. Tulasi Das being emotionally charged and overwhelmed by the words of the boy, resumed his return journey to Puri, came running and reached Puri, ascended the Baishi Pahachas and prostrated before the Lord sitting in Ratna Sinhasan and in the process, Tulsi Das lost consciousness. Regaining his senses, he looked at Lord Jagannath with folded hands in standing position. He became surprised to see Sri Ramachandra with bow and arrows in hands in the Ratna Sinhasan, in place of Lord Jagannath. He begged excuse and prayed the Lord to forgive him as he could not recognize Him and could not realise his own version written in Ramacharit Manas.

Spontaneously, Santh Tulsi Das wept profusely and tears rolled down from his eyes and he confirmed his version by the inspiration of the Lord in the immortal poem, which came out from his mouth.

"Johi Rama Sohi Jagaddisha,

Dina Hine Ananta Parbata Shesha”

Lord Jagannath is Rama, and Rama is Lord  Jagannath. He is the protector of the poor, down-trodden and neglected, like the mountain is being protected by Sheshanaga, (Ananta) upholding the same by placing the earth over it.

Tulsi Das became satisfied and his journey to see Lord Ramachandra in Puri in Param Brahma Jagannath was fulfilled completely. He returned to Kasipith from Puri Dham on foot, meditating over the event.

The Besha of Lord Jagannath in the shape of Raghunath is called Raghunath Besha. Sri Raghunath Besha, is too expensive, but it lasts for a period of seven days and lakhs of devotees throng to Puri and get Darshan of Sri Raghunath Besh in Ratna Sinhasan of Lord Jagannath.

                                               *****************************************

Somanath Jena, a retired Addl. Secretary to Govt. of

Orissa,  lives at Walliganj, Baripada, Mayurbhanj,

Orissa - 757002.

Source : http://orissa.gov.in/e-magazine/Orissareview/june2006/engpdf/83-87.pdf