God Is Lord Jagannātha - The Master of the Universe
Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the Supreme Personality of Godhead mercifully appears in the form of wood as Lord Jagannātha to accept the loving service of His devotees. Although He may outwardly appear to be a wooden Deity, He is the supreme controller of the entire universe, fully absolute and entirely spiritual in every respect.
The Absolute Spiritual Form
It is the greatest mistake to view the Deity with material vision. Śrīla Prabhupāda strongly warns that one must never distinguish between the body and soul of Lord Jagannātha, as His form is composed entirely of pure spiritual energy.
- There is no distinction between the body and the soul of Lord Jagannatha, for Lord Jagannatha is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha (BS 5.1), just as the body of Krsna is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha.
- Regarding smearing on the Body of Lord Jagannatha: You should always know that the Body of Lord Jagannatha is spiritual. We are given the chance of serving the Spiritual Body.
- One who thinks that the body of Lord Jagannatha is made of matter and who distinguishes between Lord Jagannatha’s body and His soul is condemned, for he is an offender.
- If one thinks that the form of Lord Jagannatha is an idol made of wood, he immediately brings ill fortune into his life.
The Supreme Controller
Despite allowing His servants to carry Him, Lord Jagannātha is the ultimate master. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Lord cannot be forced to move by anyone; He travels upon His magnificent Ratha-yātrā cart entirely by His own supreme will.
- Lord Jagannatha is the maintainer of the whole universe. Who can carry Him from one place to another? The Lord moves by His personal will just to perform His pastimes.
- An ordinary human being is prone to be subjugated by the material energy, whereas the Supreme Personality of Godhead - Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Krsna or Lord Jagannatha - is always the master of the material energy and is never subject to its influence.
- When they reached the place called Balagandi, Lord Jagannatha stopped His car and began to look left and right.
- Lord Jagannatha was very much pleased by the sankirtana, and He brought His car to a standstill just to see the performance.
The Ratha-yātrā Pastimes
The great car festival represents the Lord's transcendental journey. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how Lord Jagannātha leaves His majestic temple and the goddess of fortune to travel to the Guṇḍicā temple, which represents the sweet village of Vṛndāvana.
- At the time of the Ratha-yatra festival, Lord Jagannatha goes to the Gundica temple from His original temple and stays there for one week. After one week, He returns to His original temple.
- Lord Jagannatha leaves the secluded place where He enjoys the company of the supreme goddess of fortune in svakiya-rasa, and He goes to Vrndavana, where He enjoys the parakiya-rasa.
- Lord Jagannatha has left His wife, the goddess of fortune, and gone to Vrndavana, which is the Gundica temple. Due to separation from the Lord, the goddess of fortune decides to come to see the Lord at Gundica.
- On the left side, Lord Jagannatha saw a neighborhood of brahmanas and a coconut-tree grove. On the right side, He saw nice flower gardens resembling those in the holy place Vrndavana.
Watching Lord Caitanya's Dancing
During the Ratha-yātrā, the Lord became entranced by the devotion of His own incarnation. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced in profound ecstasy before the cart, astonishing and deeply pleasing Lord Jagannātha.
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu danced down the main road in great ecstasy before Lord Jagannatha, the master of Nilacala, who was sitting on His car.
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu danced in such a mystical way that He pleased Lord Jagannatha. The seer and the dancer were one and the same Supreme Person.
- Lord Jagannatha and Lord Balarama sometimes stopped the car and happily observed Lord Caitanya's dancing. Anyone who was able to see Them stop and watch the dancing bore witness to Their pastimes.
- Lord Jagannatha was astonished to see the transcendental dancing and chanting of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and He stopped His car just to see the dancing.
The Humility of King Pratāparudra
The Supreme Lord is conquered only by humble devotion, regardless of one's material status. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights how Mahārāja Pratāparudra, a powerful king, swept the road for Lord Jagannātha, thereby attracting the absolute mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
- The King (Prataparudra) sprinkled the road with sandalwood-scented water. Although he was the owner of the royal throne, he engaged in menial service for the sake of Lord Jagannatha.
- While the Lord was being carried from the throne to the car, King Prataparudra personally engaged in the Lord's service by cleansing the road with a broom that had a golden handle.
- At first Maharaja Prataparudra did not have a chance to meet Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but when the Lord saw that the King was serving Lord Jagannatha as a menial sweeper, the Lord’s mercy upon the King became a solid fact.
- When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw the King (Prataparudra) engaged in menial service for Lord Jagannatha, He became very happy. Thus the King became eligible to receive Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mercy.
Serving with Awe and Reverence
While the Lord enjoys informal pastimes in Vṛndāvana, His form as Lord Jagannātha demands supreme respect. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that the Lord of the Universe must always be approached and worshiped with the utmost awe and reverence.
- About worshiping Lord Jagannatha, He should always be worshiped with awe and reverence. Krishna's picture as a Naughty Child should not be treated by us as a naughty child. We should always worship Krishna as the Supreme Lord.
- To please Lord Jagannatha means to go on serving Him to the best of your ability. That love is there, dormant, for Lord Jagannatha. Simply we have to revive it. Not that it is something new. Simply we have to remember.
- Your duty as you are doing, even nobody is coming in morning, Lord Jagannatha will hear your kirtana, because we are always in company with the Lord of the Universe.
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu warns all such foolish devotees that Jagannatha will not protect them if they continue to commit offenses.
Conclusion
To properly worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one must completely abandon the atheistic idea that the Deity is an idol made of matter. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that Lord Jagannātha is the absolute master of the universe, eternally full of spiritual bliss and knowledge. By following the humble example of King Pratāparudra and participating in the blissful pastimes of the Ratha-yātrā festival, a sincere devotee quickly attracts the Lord's causeless mercy and attains the perfection of pure love of God.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category God Is Lord Jagannatha. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.