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Home , Bhagavata Purana

Orissa Review July - 2010

Realization of Lord

Ramesh Chandra Dash

Lord Jagannath is the master of the universe. He for fine characteristics of the such as is Lord Purushottam as described in many universality, impersonality, rationality, catholicity such as the Purana, Bhabisya and optimism. He is the reminiscient of all religious Purana, Vaman Purana, Purana and so on. activities undertaken by great asceties and seers Lord Purushottam first established himself in of the country. People bear Him in mind during Odisha - "Odre tu Purushottamam." In no other all stages of life namely childhood, householder, part of the country the supreme Lord is wandering mystic and renunciation and mental worshipped as Purushottam or Jagannath. status like consciousness, unconsciousness and Lord Jagannath - Purushottam exercises trance. His Car-festival is equally enjoyed by child deep influence in social and religious lines and old, poor and rich, people of all places, races, of Odisha. For His religions, castes, colours and antiquity, age-old rituals, status. traditions, festivals, The unmanifested legends etc. has been the (Nirguna) supreme soul was prime adorable deity of the only available when and where country as a whole. For His there was nothing besides utter strange visage and fibre darkness. He desired to be catholicity Car-Festival and manifested and reign the total splendid fame made him most universe as Lord Purushottam. visited and favourable amid He completed the process people of the whole world. of creation within a twinkle His edifice, Mahaprasad of eye in ten stages. These and participation of innumerable people in His stages are named as creation of Mahatattwa. service do cast a spell over all who become Ahankar, Tamasik Ahankar, Rajasik Ahankar, inquisitive of Lord Jagannath. He sees no Sattwik Ahankar, Ignorance, trees, birds and discrimination among his children. He always is animals, human beings and divine elements. This remembered right from birth to old age and dawn was possible after the convulsion of primary nature to dusk. His concept may be difficult to by His river of illusion instilling life force. All the understand yet very clear and familiar. He stands creatures inherited three qualities of nature like

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Sattwa, Raja and Tama by the sweet will of the Sthi tyaadaye Biranchi Hareti Sargyaah Lord Himself. The qualities are bestowed as per Shreyaamsi tatra khalu sattwataronru namsyah" the record of past deeds. His creation is endowed -The Bhagabata with 24 Tattwas (essences) such as (Kaal-death-time), Prakruti (Prime nature), Thus these three deities are highlighted Mahatattwa (the great essence), Ahankar (Pride), as Trinath, Trideva or Triratna etc. But the lord five fundamental elements (sky, air, light, earth and can take any number of appearance in any medium water), five senses (vision, hearing, taste, smell, of life when (righteousness), His creation touch), five sense organs of knowledge (eye, ear, gets endangered and blemished. He may incarnate tongue, nose, skin), five sense organs of action as a divinity, ascetic, man, aquatic, bird, animal at (mouth, hand, foot, genital and anus). Mind is once or to dislay a life for the betterment of created of food and is added to the essences as people. The has three main aims- the 25th. protection of pious people, punishment of impious souls and re-establishment of Dharma as the right Mind is the controller of all the senses. It track. The purposes are described in the Gita, has three substances (sattwa, raja, tama), three Bhagavata and other Puranas. However, the Lord layers (conscious, unconscious, meditative), four is not required to come down Himself with all His abilities (reason, conscience, intelligence and splendour. Thus six varieties of incarnation are pride) and five stages (scattered, ignorant, underlined in our scriptures such as- Partial, converging, concentrated and restrained). It is the Interposing, full fastive, incarnation of qualities root cause of , manners, determination, (Gunavatara), incarnation of Manwantaras (time bondage and salvation etc. units) and Jugavatara (Ages like , Treta, However, man is blessed with essences Dwapara and ) and special incarnation. Lord of the creation and the soul remains as the witness Purushottam-Jagannath is the source of all to all our activities. The prime aim of the creature incarnation. All emerge from Him and or soul is to unite with the great soul. He is to merge into Him after the objectives are choose the best among all pursuits like piety, lust, materialised. material prosperity and emancipation. Lord There is no certainty of occurrence, Jagannath is the image of Purushottam. Man variety, time, quality etc. of incarnations. That is thrives to commune with Him for fulfillment of the Lord's figment of imagination. However, a individual goals. But devotion without any goal is research has tried to make a chronological list of the best among them. incarnations. It may not be so accurate. In general, Lord Purusottam has established Himself we know about ten incarnations as laid by Padma as , Vishnu and in appearances or Purana or Geet namely , , names like , Jagannath and Balabhadra , Nrusingha, , Parshuram, Sri Ram, being endowed with Rajasik, Sattwik and Balaram, Sri , Buddha and . Many Tamasik qualities. Lord Brahma creates, Lord authorities like the Mahabharat, writings of Vishnu protects (By Sudarshan) and sustains and are silent on accurrance of Buddha as Lord Shiva annihilates the creation. an incarnation. "Satwam rajastama iti prakruterguraasteirjuktah However, the Bhagavata, Matsya, Parah purush eba ihasya dhatte, , Bishnu Garbha Puranas have

92 Orissa Review July - 2010 highlighted many incarnations. Among them, the the Bhagavata which provides earliest reference list of the Bhagavata containing 24 incarnations is to Lord Jagannath at many instances. most popular. But the sources also reveal information as much as 45 incarnations as follows- A devotee sees Lord Jagannath as the Purusha, , Pouskar, Sanak, Hansa, greatest pleasure and the Lord is kind-hearted , Matsya, Sri Hari (Saviour of and and unilateral. he comes down to the Badadanda Gajendra), Pruthvi, Jagna, , Varaha, (Grand Road) to offer visual to millions of Nrusingha (Killer of Hiranyakasipu and saviour onlookers devotees of all age, caste, creed, of divine consorts), Bibhu, Satyasena, Nara- colour, sex, status etc. Infact, in His eyes there is Narayan, , Ajit, Kurma, Dhanwantari, no discrimination. He is worshipped in all forms- , Vamana, Sarbabhouma, Rushabh, may be of , Saivism, Saktism, Viswaksena, Dharmasetu, Swadham, Jogeswar, Tantricism, Souraism, Vinayak, Ramaite and Brihadbhanu, saviour of Balakhilya ascetic, curse others. He is prayed as Lord Vishnu, Rudra, Sakti, liberator of , Bharat, Mandhata Chakrabarti, and Ganesh principally while His 'gem dias' Parsuram, Vyaasa, Sri Ram, Balaram, Sri contains other sculptures like Madhab, Sridevi Krishna, , Anirudha, Sisumar, Jayant, and Bhudevi in addition. Buddha and Kalki. It is an irony of thought that people visit The incarnation always carry the same Him to satiate piety, material prosperity, lust and saviour of Lord Purushottam, all are divine and emancipation as four goals of life (Purushartha) full in every respect. Though Orissa has no such when scriptures advise that devotion without any ancient shrine like that of Jangi-Dasavatara desire is the best way to obtain Him. It is wise to temple, yet Saintala (Balangir district) has keep mind peaceful, purified action and speech accommodated remains of such a shrine of 6th in right prospective, lest devotion and prayer have century A.D. Till today, we find sculptural pieces no meaning. Presently we run after youthfulness, depicting ten Avataras on the edge of the sculpture wealth, authority, unconsciousness which will not that surround the standing posture of Lord Vishnu. help to fulfill the real goal of life. To get Purushottam, one is to do moral activities, perform Interestingly, Puri Jagannath temple jagna, munificence, austerities, read holy books, depicts Avataras on corner projections as that of control mind, restrain senses, give up bad habits, Nrusingh temple in the same campus. The latter practise Astangika , devotion and indifference monument displays a fish and a tortoise at the in right sense, gather spiritual knowledge and see respective niches in place of Lord Matsya Avatara others in same way like self. This is the righteous- or Kurma Avatara. Jagannath temple is the hub way to realise Lord Purushottam-Jagannath. of all religious activities - Vaishnavism, Saivism, Saktism, and so on. Naturally the roof of entrance passage of Jagamohan exhibits 31 Ramesh Chandra Dash is the Tourist Officer, Keonjhar, niches for 31 avataras probably in conformity with Madhapur, Dist.-Keonjhar.

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