Is the Return Rath Yatra Festival celebrating taking Krishna away from Vrindavan?
To this question, there are two possible perspectives and two possible responses. One must first consider the nature of Sri Jagannath Puri Dham to comprehend them. Lord Jagannath and Puri are described as “the confluence of both opulence and tenderness” in Srila Prabhupada’s Orissan student, Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Maharaja’s book “The Embankment of Separation”. Srila Sanatan Goswami writes in his Brhad-Bhagavatamrta to support this claim. Know in detail about the return of Rath Yatra.
sri-mathura-tathaiva tat-paramaisvarya-bhara-prakasa- lokanusari-vyavahara-ramyam tat-ksetram yatha sri-krsna-devasya sada priyam
Mathura-Vrindavan is eternally dear to Sri Krishna.
“Jagannath Puri’s residence in Purushottam Kshetra is just as important to Sri Krishna as Mathura-Vrindavan is to him. There in Puri, Krishna exhibits unparalleled splendor while presenting amusing pastimes.
The distinction between the attributes of aisvarya, luxury, and madhurya, sweetness, in terms of Siddhanta, may be confounding to more educated readers. Rati-sankucita occurs when jnana and aisvarya are present with knowledge of the Lord’s wealth and position. The love has decreased. In, Srila Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami describes:
Sankucita priti dekhiya na mane aisvarya-jnana-pradhanye?
the Kevalara Rit
“The love of Godhead shrinks when luxury is dominant. But with kevala devotion, the devotee regards himself as equal to Krishna, despite being aware of his limitless power.
Know About Different Names of Lord Krishna
Marriage of Jagannath and Lakshmi
According to legend, Lord Jagannath was first sculpted by Visvakarma and then installed by Lord Brahma at the Gundicha temple. Gundicha thus stands in for Vrindavan, the lovely home of Krishna.
Many devotees are unaware that the activities leading up to the Ratha-yatra start a few days earlier than the main occasion. There is a festival called Rukmini-harana or Rukmini-vivaha on the Sukla Ekadasi day of the month of Jyaistha (May–June), also known to devotees as Pandava–Nirjana Ekadasi. The priests ceremonially wed Lord Jagannath and Goddess Lakshmi at this event, which takes place inside the Sri Jagannath temple.
It is said that Lord Brahma initially erected the deity of Lord Jagannath on Snana-Purnima. The Snana-Purnima day, four days later, is when Lord Jagannath holds his annual Snana-yatra, a public bathing festival. The formal tying of Jagannath and Lakshmi’s robes is a component of this extremely love-themed ceremony.
Following his massive public bath of hundreds of water pots, Lord Jagannath “falls ill” and withdraws into isolation to recover. For the following fifteen days, the newlywed Lakshmi behaves like the perfect wife by nursing her adoring husband instead of sleeping. This period is known as anavasara.
Lakshmi finally falls asleep after fifteen days without sleep (you can’t blame her!). At that point, she recently wed husband gently undid the fabric’s knot and walked away to visit Radharani and the Vraja-gopis, two of his female pals.
How is the Puja of Return Rath Yatra Performed?
The Vamadev-Samhita is a sthala-Purana that is found in the state of Odisha. One of the primary scriptures followed by the priests at the Jagannath Mandir, this book recounts various facets of the worship and activities of Lord Jagannath. There are numerous details about the Ratha-yatra in chapter sixteen. It says that after a few days, Lakshmi Devi walks inside the temple to consult Goddess Bimala. She says, “This is not right! “to paraphrase. I recently became a wife! My husband left me, but why? I was taking such great care of him. He also brought Subhadra with him; at least he could have brought me!
Bimala Devi gives some sage female counsel, something to the effect of “Yes. I comprehend. Every man is like this.
Then, Bimala gives Lakshmi some magical churna or powder, claiming that it can “help restore your husband’s intelligence.”
On the sixth day following Jagannath’s departure, Lakshmi awakens in a glum mood the following morning. She finally takes a bath and dons jewelry. She is then taken on a palanquin to the Gundicha Mandir to see her newlywed spouse after gathering a few of her friends. The fifth day following Ratha-yatra is when this celebration, also known as Hera-Panchami, is held. Pancami means “the fifth day,” while Hera means “to behold.” Lakshmi’s victory celebration, or Laksmi-vijayotsava, is another name for the festival.
Lakshmi then enters the temple to witness her husband in a furious temper. She approaches Jagannath and bends her head; she says nothing to him. Blasting the mystical powder acquired from Bimala Devi at the Lord. Finally, she and her female pals leave the shrine without saying a word.
While Jagannath travels back, the king of Puri attends a significant ceremony and visits Lakshmi Devi. Laksmi Narayana Bhet is the name of the ritual, and the monarch serves as a sort of middleman marital consultant. Perhaps because of this, Lord Jagannath has transcendent anxiety, as he chooses two days later to see Lakshmi at the Jagannath Mandir.
During this time, Jagannath traditionally sends an elephant for Lakshmi to ride on to visit him. He says to Lakshmi, “See his cart,” to indicate that her husband has returned. And tells her that she should forgive him since he loves her.
Lakshmi, still in a foul mood, declines, and when Jagannath asks her again, she ultimately exits the temple surrounded by her friends and rides on a palanquin. She approaches Jagannath’s cart, does a silent lap around her spouse, and then enters the temple again. During the tenth day of the light fortnight of the month of Asad, this typically occurs.
In Orissa, that day is called Bahudha Ekadasi or the “return Ekadashi.” After returning to the SriMandir, Lord Jagannath wishes to appease his grumpy newlywed wife. The following day, Jagannath dons a distinctive garment called a suna vesa. For this reason, some claim that he wears the suna-vesa, or golden dress, on the evening of Bahudha Ekadashi. The richest of all Jagannath’s garments features solid gold hands and feet, countless necklaces, earrings, and other gold decorations. To appease the goddess of luck and convince her that he has abandoned his girlfriends and the humble village of Vrindavan, this is stated that the three goddesses are wearing more than one tonne of gold on this particular day.
The deities return to the Sri Mandir the following day. First to retake their positions on the altar are Balaram and Subhadra. However, Lakshmi’s maidservants slam the Lion-gate shut and prevent Jagannath from entering as he prepares to dismount from his cart and enter. Following that, a discussion between a representative of Jagannath and a representative of Lakshmi is performed in the form of Sanskrit songs. A representative for Jagannath approaches the gate and shouts something like,? Lakshmi, Jagannath’s wife, is much loved by him. He begs for her pardon since he feels so terrible.
Enough to say that Lakshmi finally caves and lets her husband back inside after receiving many encouraging words (and gifts!) from Jagannath.
What is called Niladri Vijaya?
The Niladri Vijaya, which celebrates Jagannath’s triumphant return to the Sri Mandir, honors the day Lord Brahma initially placed him there. Once he has entered the temple, there is one more final rite during which the cloths of Lakshmi and Jagannath are once more tied together.
Finally, the couple is back together.
Conclusion
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