Orissa Review July - 2010

Shree and Shree Mandira in the Indian Scriptures/ Puranic Texts

Dr. Satyabrata Das Dr. Uday Sahu

Jagannath culture is undisputably the oldest in those ancient scriptures the Oriya the world. There is no sacred culture in the world of Sarala Dasa covers the theme of Sri that is as continuous, as lasting as this one. Jagannath as one of its major motifs. There is Although Jagannath culture is a pan-Indian no visible record of any other poet writing about phenomenon it is largely treated as a synonym of Sri Jagannath before Sarala Dasa. However, Orissan culture. When one talks of Orissan there is a slim difference in the approach of Sarala culture one inevitably talks of Dasa (to Sri Jagannath) Jagannath culture. When from the one we find in the one talks of religion in Orissa scriptures. The one can mention Jagannath surfacing of Sri Jagannath only. And when after the passing away of one discusses the history of Sri Krsna is entirely and Orissa it is once again traced exclusively the imagination in the history of Sri Mandir of Sarala Dasa. and the antiquity of its lord, Sri Krsna and Sri Sri Jagannath. To put it Jagannath are one and otherwise, the Orissan inseparable. He is the history and culture is unmoved- mover, the inextricably linked with the cause and the end of this genesis and antiquity of Sri phenomenal creation Mandir and Sri Jagannath. around. He is the lord of Jagannath is the very life- the universe. Sarala Dasa blood and life-spirit ofOrissan life, society and looks upon Sri Jagannath and Sri Krsna as one culture. That explains why Jagannath- and the same. And the great epic the consciousness remains the very spirit and Mahabharata in Oriya has been written on this essence of Orissan life, society, religion, culture background. Sarala Dasa truly endorses a and ,above all, nationalism. significant rock edict put up by king Kapilendra Sri Jagannath has been the text and that asserts the oneness of Sri Jagannath context of many a Sanskrit scripture. Among and Sri Krsna. All along the epic Sarala Dasa

10 Orissa Review July - 2010 has exhibited his originality and in -sight about Neelagiri there is one pond called Rohini Kunda, Sri Jagannath that is worth-noting. In the process famous as sin destroyer/ neutralizer. Sarala has wonderfully created a Dream World Sarala Dasa, in his Mahabharata in around him with Sri Jagannath as Sri Krsna at Oriya, gives an exhaustive account how Sri its very core. had connected so many hills in the process of Neela Sundara Hill : Neela Sundara or bridging up Sri Lanka with India. Among those Neelachala or the Blue Hill figures in the ancient numerous hills there were two called Neela Sanskrit scriptures. For example, there are Sundara and Neelagiri. As he elaborates further, references to it in the Skanda Purana. As it is Sri Rama was fighting from the shoulders of Veer mentioned in the text ³Neelagiri Purushottama in the high sky and the latter first landed is the abode of Lord Jagannath´. It is described on the Neela Sundara Hill. Next, when at length how this Neelagiri was covered with Hanuman jumped on the Neelagiri Hill that lush green forest. At the very centre there was a couldn¶t take Hanuman¶s load and pressure. As Bata, a mammoth banyan tree that was a result , it gave way to the Patala, the nether- spread over an acre of land. To its west was the world, and that Neelagiri , as the scholars Rohini Kunda. This pond had elegant stairs of interpret now, is the present Dwaraka where Sri rare gem - stones. To the east of this Rohini Kunda Krsna reigned. As the myth goes, this there stood the image of lord Krsna made of blue topaz. On the western side of the Neelasundara Hill steadily and rapidly grew taller hill there was a hamlet called Shavara Dwipaka. and taller. It so happened, the wheels of the Sun From this hamlet there stretched a narrow path God¶s Chariot were hit by the Hill and the chariot up the hill which was thick and green and the toppled. That provoked the Sun God who cursed home for numerous birds. the Neela Sundara Hill that the latter would be abused by Bhima. Further, the Sun God cursed Similarly, there is a description of this that in Yuga the giant Neela Sundara Neelagiri in Padma Purana, another Hindu would be dwarfish, very small and insignificant scripture. In the Patala Canto of the above text owing to its fear for the Sun God. there is a clear and unmistakable reference to it. As we see, it is mentioned that Purushottama We may connect how in Dwapara is being worshipped in Neelagiri which is Yuga, Bhima had rubbed and erased the iron located at the confluence of Sagara. As mouse on this Hill and had thrown away the last it says, Shatrughna ( Ref: the ) first small remnant into the deep -ocean which a fish discovered this Neelagiri on his way to recover had swallowed. It so happened , Jara Savara the Yagna Horse while Sri Rama Chandra was got that piece from the belly of a fish and used performing the Aswamedha Yagna. that in his arrow which eventually became the fatal In yet another holy text Neeladri instrument to kill Sri Krsna. The story says further Mahodaya there is a reference to this Neelagiri. how Arjun had consigned the half- burnt body of As we find, this scripture mentions that Neelagiri Sri Krsna to the sea which later turned out to be is located at the centre of a conch - shaped land. the Daru and was worshipped on the That is infested with many a holy place. In that hill of Neela Sundara.

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Rohini Kunda : could get the indication that Sri Krsna would reincarnate Himself as Sri Buddha in Yuga. The Rohini Kunda (something like a Further, Jara Savara got yet another revealation bath-tub) is located at the navel ± point / centre that the lord would change His form in the Rohini of an area ³shaped like the Ganges´. The mythical Kunda and manifest Himself as Sri Buddha. King crow, as the scriptures say, dipped into the Rohini got this news from Jara Savara Kunda, saw lord and got liberated from and both came to Rohini Kunda and were life-cycle. It is further believed that the apocalypse amazed to see the giant±like eighteen-foot tall or deluge starts from here as swirling water Daru Brahma emerging from the nether world / surges out of this Rohini Kunda and engulfs the patala. whole world. Again, at the time of recreation this Rohini Kunda sucks out all the water and makes This account, however, is nowhere found the world dry and habitable. In Skanda Purana in any Sanskrit text or scripture. In all probability, there is a clear mention of this holy pond. With this is a figment of Sarala¶s powerful imagination reference to the place of dwelling of Lord Neela and story- telling. Madhava, Viswavasu talks about this Rohini Again, Sarala draws a road map from Kunda and asserts that a dip in this holy pond the birth± place of Jara Savara to Rohini Kunda (where lord Vishnu dwells) shall send one to Sri through the great Ocean (Mahodadhi, the Bay Baikuntha, the pinnacle of any spiritual journey. of Bengal). He glorifies the Rohini Kunda as one of the five great holy places. Further, in his In the unpublished manuscript attempt to highlight the greatness of Rohini Neelamani (Canto V) of Srichandra Swain Kunda Sarala has taken the help of an episode. there is an elaborate treatment of the glory and As the story goes, a king called Sweta in the significance of the Rohini Kunda. As we see, this Satya Yuga worshipped the image of Sweta scripture gives a wonderful imaginary (yet Madhava. Anyone who died before that image convincing) account of the mythical crow. got such illustrious positions like that of Brahma Bhusanda, the crow, was cursed by a Rishi and Indra. But any one who got terrified to see called Lomasha. It was flying around aimlessly the image perished instantly. That image of Sweta and hopelessly. By chance or coincidence it flew Madhava, in course of time, is dissolved into the down and sat on the Kalpa Bata in the Rohini Kunda. How lofty and powerful is the Purushottama Kshetra. The holy Rohini Kunda imagination of Sarala really ! All said and done, was close by. As the crow was thirsty, it dipped Rohini Kunda is undoubtedly one of the most into it to quench its thirst and miraculously got visited and revered shrines in Srikshetra. liberated. Since then the Bhushanda crow continues to perch on the Kalpa Bata. To the Kalpa Bata : The Kalpa Bata is acknowledged east of Rohini Kunda there still remains the foot as the most ancient relic in the Neelachala Dham. marks of the great sage Markanda. There are two popular justifications for its name. First, it is called the Kalpa Bata as it has survived But Sarala gives an altogether different through the all -consuming time cycle. Second, story about this Rohini Kunda. As Sarala puts any one wishes anything this ancient Kalpa Bata it, Jara Savara was camping on the east-coast of course fulfills. Its glory and significance is well line somewhere near Konark in search of the half- acknowledged. In the olden days Banyan trees burnt remains of Sri Krsna. In his meditation he were popularly worshipped as Nyagrodha.

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In the Atharva Veda the huge banyan Among the Oriya poets Sarala Dasa was tree is called the Nyagrodha. Since the the first to write about Kalpa Bata. But Sarala, composition of Satapatha the as usual, deviates from the Sanskrit poets and significance of Nyagrodha has been well- scriptures and draws an entirely original picture acknowledged. In the Vana Parva of the Sanskrit of the Kalpa Bata with a series of episodes and Mahabharata there is a description of the anecdotes. Nyagrodha. But that has no reference to the Neela Madhava : Kalpa Bata of Srikshetra . It is because there Jagannath is otherwise called Madala. is no direct reference of Sri Jagannath or Sri Madala means a torso without hand or leg. Even kshetra in the Sanskrit Mahabharata. to-day the Savaras (an aborigin, who originally But the Kalpa Bata unmistakably worshipped Jagannath as Neela Madhava in figures in the . Kalpa Bata is the Jungle) worship Madala. In course of time, very much present amidst the Pralaya/deluge that as the historians believe, this Madala transformed engulfs the entire world. As per the Brahma into Neela Madhava. As we know, the Savaras, Purana this Kalpa Bata directly emanates from an aborigine tribe worshipped Neela Madhava the body of Sri Krsna. Anyone who is lucky in one of the remote caves of the Neelagiri till enough to have a darshan of this Kalpa Bata King Indradyumna and his minister Vidyapati gets as much as one gets out of performing tracked that out . And the same tribal deity a Raja Suya Yagna or an Aswamedha Yagna. became popular as Jagannath in later days. Anyone who goes round this Kalpa Bata Hence, this tradition of Madhava is liberated from this sinful existence and gets a worship is very very old in Orissa. The Chinese new form and a fresh lease of life. Even the shade pilgrim Hiuen-Tsang clearly mentions in his of this Kalpa Bata can make one free from as travel±account that in Kalinga, an east-coast province of India, Jagannath was being heinous a crime as Brahma hatya (killing a holy worshipped on a slab of black-stone. Further, in ). As per the Skanda Purana, even one of the rock-edicts it is written that the Gupta during the Maha Pralaya this Kalpa Bata stood king Madhava Gupta of 7th Century A.D. unmoved and clear of the all-devouring water. worshipped Madhava or Neela Madhava. As And maharishi sat pretty under this it appears, the worship of Madhava or Neela tree and had darshan of Sri Narayana Vishnu. Madhava that started in 7th century with the Like Brahma Purana, Skanda Purana too Gupta Kings continued till the end of the tenure extensively deals with the greatness and of Ganga Dynasty. And that had gained significance of the Kalpa Bata. tremendous popularity. But all said and done, Again, as the says, the there is no dispute on the fact that Neela Prasada of Sri Jagannath was being distributed Madhava was being worshipped by the Savaras under the Kalpa Bata. Kapila Samhita further in Neela Kandara till Indradyumna found that mentions that there is yet another sacred patch out. (between the Kalpa Bata and the great Ocean) Skanda Purana gives an exhaustive called Muktipada. Even in Srimad Bhagavatam treatment of the mystery of Neela Madhava and a clear picture of the Kalpabata is given. holds it as a family deity being worshipped in

13 Orissa Review July - 2010 exclusive privacy. According to the Brahma the young Brahmin, gets a chance to see that. Vaivarta Purana, the name Madhava has vivid Originally, as Sarala maintains, king and intimate relationship with the Matrushakti Indradyumna had commissioned Vasu to track Yogamaya. Madhava is the same pure absolute the half-burnt body of Sri Krsna along the sea- Vishnu who is worshipped with Sri . coast. In the process, Vasu had the chance of According to Skanda Purana, Neela tracking down Neela Madhava. Unambiguously Madhava was being worshipped at Neelagiri in Sarala asserts that both Neela Madhava and the Purushottam Kshetra. Anyone who had a Sri Jagannath are one and inseparable. In the glimpse of the Lord was instantly liberated. Skanda Purana Sri Jaganath himself speaks Brahma Purana gives an interesting point. The out to king Indradyumna that ³he is Madhava fact that anyone who saw Neela Madhava got indeed´ whom Indradyumna wished to get. instant liberation irked Raj. So Yama Raj Hence, Sri Jagannath is Madhava or Neela complained to God almighty as a result Neela Madhava. They are one and the same. Sarala Madhava was withdrawn from there for quite upholds that view too. some time. In Neeladri Mahodaya there is an elaborate description of the details of the worship of Neela Madhava. It mentions the name Viswavasu which figures neither in Brahma Purana nor Purana. Both the Skanda Purana and Neeladri Mahodaya partly agree Dr. Satyabrata Das is a Senior Reader & Head, on this. Department of English, Ekamra College, Bhubaneswar Sarala Dasa mentions about Jara Dr. Uday Nath Sahu is a Senior Reader & Head, P.G. Savara¶s worship of Madhava and how Vasu, Dept. of Oriya, S.C.S. (Autonomous) College, Puri.

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