6. Ramanujacarya and Worship of Lord Jagannath

Ramanujacarya and Worship of Lord Jagannath:

One unique feature of the worship of Lord Jagannatha is that He has His own scriptures describing His puja. This was objected to by Ramanujācārya, the exalted acārya of the Sri Sampradaya. When he visited Puri on one of his preaching tours. 

Rămănuja debated with the local priests who serve Lord Jagannatha. He questioned, "How can we accept a system of worship of the Lord that is not described in the recognised scriptures such as the Vedas and Pancaratras?" Although Ramanuja was victorious in his arguments, it was not much appreciated by Lord Jagannatha Himself. 

The evening after the debate the Lord threw Rāmānuja over one hundred miles south to KĆ¼rma-kį¹£etra. 

So, although the worship of Lord Jagannatha may appear unorthodox, the Lord Himself seems to like it. 

In this connection Śrila Vį¹›ndāvana Dāsa Thakura has written:

param brahma jagannathar upa-avatāra 

vidhi ba nişeha etha nĆ£ are vicara

The Supreme Personality of Godhead has descended to this world as Lord Jagannatha. He does not have to think about rules and prohibitions.



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