On the Grand Road of Puri

Many prayers and hymns dedicated to Shree Jagannatha have been there in my memory since childhood. I felt happy singing the bhajans of Mahaprabhu Jagannatha while studying in school and college. I felt very close to Mahaprabhu. I do not sing the bhajans these days. But I do remember Mahaprabhu and hum his bhajans every day. I always feel the presence of Mahaprabhu near me. He supports me in difficult times. To this day, I hum the song composed by Bhakta Kabi Madhusudan Rao which reads: ‘The Mahaprabhu is with me day and night; with this remembrance, I shall always worship Him with all my heart’.

By the time I reached an age when I could somewhat understand worldly things, I had come to realise the greatness of Mahaprabhu Jagannatha. At home, there were frequent discussions about Mahaprabhu Jagannatha. Such discussions often took place in our village too. When I studied at the village school, the prayer 'Ahe Nila Shaila' written by Bhakta Salbeg was regularly recited. Our teacher used to tell us a lot about Mahaprabhu Jagannatha:  There is a huge temple in Puri, and no other temple is as magnificent as that! In the temple, Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha is worshiped along with his sister Subhadra and elder brother Balabhadra. Mahaprabhu Jagannatha has dark colour and round eyes. Subhadra's complexion is yellow and Balabhadra is white like a moonlit flower.

Once you see the deities, you can never forget them. Our teacher also used to say, Jagannatha is the 'Mahaprabhu', his prasad is 'Mahaprasada', His temple is the 'Bada Deula' or Big Temple, His path is the 'Bada Danda', that is, Grand Road, and His sea is the 'Mahodadhi' or the Great Ocean. Purushottam Kshetra, Puri is far from my native village, Uparbeda in Mayurbhanj district. How would I get an opportunity to visit Puri? As I grew up, I went to Bhubaneswar and got myself enrolled as a student in Unit-2 Girls High School. I started staying in the hostel there. Then I got a chance to visit Puri, Bhubaneswar, and Konark. The memory of my first darshan of Mahaprabhu Jagannatha is still vivid in my memory. What an impressive temple, such grand deities! Can these ever be forgotten?

Can anyone forget the Ratha Yatra of Mahaprabhu Jagannatha? Thirteen festivals are said to be celebrated during the twelve months of a year in Shree-Kshetra. But the splendour of the Ratha Yatra is unique. Devotees throng the temple all through the year to have darshan of Mahaprabhu. But once a year, Mahaprabhu Himself leaves the temple and proceeds to the Gundicha temple along the Vishal Path, giving darshan to His devotees. On three magnificent chariots, the three Deities, accompanied by Chakraraja Sudarshana, visit the Gundicha temple. They stay there for seven days and then return. This grand festival of Mahaprabhu is incomparable.

Since my childhood, I have been a devotee of Mahaprabhu Jagannatha. He has always been my most revered Deity. He governs the ups and downs of my life. He is the fountainhead of my joys and sorrows. I have endured many hardships in my life. And Mahaprabhu has always pulled me out of all those troubles. I am His daughter, after all.  

When my candidature for the post of the President of India was announced, I reverentially remembered the name of Mahaprabhu. I prayed to the Mahaprabhu, ‘You are taking me to such lofty heights. I implore You to guide me at every step and always be with me.’ He listened to my prayer. He always responds to my prayers. The festival of Ratha Yatra was going to be celebrated when I had to stay in Delhi as a candidate for the post of the President. So, it was not possible for me to go to Puri. Early morning, on the day of Ratha Yatra, I went to Shree Jagannatha Temple at Hauz Khas, Delhi, and had the darshan of Mahaprabhu. My heart was filled with joy. He showered His blessings upon me. Full of confidence, I filed my nomination paper. I participated in the election campaign with great enthusiasm. I was praying to Mahaprabhu Jagannath, on my way to the Central Hall of Parliament for taking oath as the President on 25th July 2022. With His blessings, the ceremony went off very well. At the time of my inaugural address as President, it felt as if He was right there with me.

However, my heart longed to go to Puri to have the darshan of Mahaprabhu. Days went by, but I could not go to Puri. It occurred to me; how can anyone get His darshan unless He grants it! I silently prayed Him, ‘If I have done anything wrong, forgive me, Mahaprabhu! But kindly call me to Puri, grant me Your darshan.’ He is the Mahaprabhu of ‘Bhaav’ or emotions. How could He not understand my emotions? Soon, a tour to Puri was scheduled. The date was November 10, 2022. After arriving at Puri, the carcade proceeded towards the Shree Mandir. As the carcade reached Puri's Bada Danda, an extraordinary feeling overwhelmed me.

The Bada Danda belongs to Shree Jagannatha. Is there any protocol required here? Puri is famous as Kshetra-Raj, the King of all the places of pilgrimage. Mahaprabhu is the God of Gods. Without any further thoughts, I got my car stopped. When my car stopped, all the cars following mine also came to a halt. Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, I had begun walking barefoot on the Bada Danda. The Shree Mandir was about two kilometers away. Keeping my eyes focused on the temple’s Neel-Chakra and the sacred Patit Paawan Dhwaj on the Shikhar, I kept walking ahead.

As I walked, I also kept greeting the children, women, the young and the elderly gathered on both sides of the road. My attention was on Mahaprabhu. The moment I reached near Sinh-Dwaar, the Lion-Gate of the temple, I could not stay still. By then, I had forgotten myself. Lying prostrate in the dust of the Bada Danda, the sacred road, I offered my humble Pranam to Mahaprabhu. Then I entered the temple. Upon reaching the Garbh-Griha and having darshan of the four deities, I was overwhelmed with divine bliss. Mahaprabhu is the protector of the universe. He is the saviour of those forsaken by everyone. He is always there to alleviate the sorrows of the people of the entire world. That is why the lids of His round eyes never blink. For Him, there is no distinction between high and low. In His eyes all are equal and equality of all is His mantra. Blessed with His compassion, I have devoted myself to the service of every section of the society. Looking at Mahaprabhu Jagannatha, the one with the rounded eyes, I folded my hands in reverence and prayed, ‘May Your blessings forever sustain my spirit of dedication to the service of the people, O Mahabahu! Provide your kind protection to our country the entire world, O Kripanidhi.’ Saying this, I found myself immersed into Bhakti-Bhav.