94. Radha and Jagannath

Radha and Jagannath:

A question remains: How could Sri Gaurasundar, being in the mood of Radharani, be attracted to a form of Krishna if Krishna's beloved consort Sri Radha is not present with that form?

Or is she?

According to the 6th verse of Jagannathāṣṭakam, Radharani is situated in an embrace with Jagannath:

para-brahmapidaḥ kuvalaya-

dalotphulla-nayano

nivasi niladrau nihita-

carano 'nanta-sirasi

rasanando radha-sarasa-

vapur-alingana-sukho 

jagannathaḥ svami 

nayana-patha-gami 

bhavatu me

Lord Jagannath, whose eyes resemble full-blown lotus petals, is the last limit of the absolute. He is a resident of Nilachal Hill and His lotus feet are placed on the heads of Anantadeva. Overwhelmed by the mellows of love, He joyfully embraces Srimati Radharani's body to His chest. May that Jagannath Swami be visible before me!

References to Srimati Radharani's presence with Lord Jagannath in Puri can also be found in several other little known ceremonies during the worship of Jagannath. Very few people are aware of the esoteric details of the rituals involved in the Nava-kalevara ceremony where Lord Jagannath's body is changed. After the tree that will become the new deity of Jagannath has been selected and cut down, the priests place special mantras known as nyasas on the log as part of the process of spiritualizing the wood and bringing the deity to life. The tradition in Puri is that towards the end of placing the nyasas on the daru, the priest meditates on Srimati Radharani and places the following sodha-nyasa mantra 6 times on the log:

smeräsyäm kunkumābhām 

sphurad-adhara-pata-

prānta-klptāvaguntham

ramyām vesena veni-krta-

cikura-sikhalambi-

padmam kisorim 

tarjanyangustha-yuktyä 

hari-mukha-kamale 

yuñjatim naga-valli-

parnam karṇāyatākṣim 

tri-bhuvana-rucirām 

rādhikāṁ bhāvayāmi

I meditate on Radhika who is the most beautiful girl in the three worlds. She has a smile on her face and Her complexion is the color of kumkuma. Her veil is made with the border of Her splendid lower cloth. Her dress is delightful and a lotus hangs at the end of Her braid. She appears wonderful in Her fresh youth, and Her eyes extend to Her ears. With Her thumb and index finger she is placing a betel leaf into the lotus mouth of Hari.

Apart from the deities of Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra, there are a number of small deities in the Puri temple that have important ceremonial roles. Amongst them is a tiny and little known deity called the "Sayana-vigraha", the deity that sleeps. This murti is made of solid gold and, being the combined form of Lakshmi-Narayan, is also known as ardha-nari-Isvara, or ardha-lakṣhmi-hari, (half Lakshmi, half Narayan). The ardha-nari-isvara deity is a representative of Lord Jagannath, considered non-different from Him. The seated deity has 8 arms, four hands of which are holding a conch, club, disk, and lotus, the symbols of Vishnu, and four holding a lotus, mirror, book, and pot full of gems, the symbols of Lakshmi.

Sarada Tilaka Tantram describes this form as follows:

vidyut-candra-nibham vapuh 

kamalaja-tailanthayor ekatām

praptam sneha-vasena 

ratna-vilasad-bhusa-

bharalankam vidya-

pankaja-darpanam 

mani-mayam kumbham 

sarojam gadam

Sankham citram amuni 

bibhrad amitam disyac 

chriyam vah sada

He is of the color of lightning and the moon. Half of His body is Vaikuntha (Vishnu) and the other half is Kamala (Lakshmi). This union is due to mutual affection. He is adorned with numerous gem-set ornaments. He is carrying in each of his 8 hands a book, a lotus, a mirror, a pot full of gems, another lotus, a club, a conch-shell and a discus. May He create boundless auspiciousness for all of you.

A number of things about this deity are noteworthy. First of all, the use of gold. The deities in the Jagannath Mandir are basically made from wood, as in Jagannath, Baladev, Subhadra, and some of the temporary festival deities, or from copper or astadhātu. Gold is the color of the Lord's consort Lakshmidevi, and Srimati Radharani's bodily complexion is like molten gold, as indicated in Her pranama-mantra: "tapta-kancana-gaurangi".

Gold is also the color of the topmost level of love of God. Sri Srimad Goura Govinda Swami has commented in "Embankment of Separation":

When we speak about prema, it has a gradual development. The first rise of prema is called rati. When rati becomes more and more condensed, it develops into sneha, mana, pranaya, raga, anuraga, and bhava. Then comes mahabhava, which further develops into rudha-mahābhāva, adhirudha-mahābhāva, modanākhya-mahabhāva, and then madanākhya-mahabhāva - the topmost. This is the gradual development of prema. When prema has developed to the stage of anuraga, its complexion is the color of the rising sun, aruna-varna. When anuraga becomes more condensed it becomes bhava and then mahabhāva. The color of mahābhāva is golden, gaura-varna. So Vrishabhanu- nandini, the daughter of Vrishabhanu-raj, is mädanākhyā- mahabhava-mayi. The color of that madanakhyā- mahabhava is molten gold. Therefore Radharani is tapta- kancana gaurangi, the color of molten gold.

The role this deity has in the Jagannath Mandir is also significant. It further illustrates the hidden and intimate identity of Lord Jagannath. In the late evening, when Jagannath is meditated upon as Krishna with the gopis performing rāsa-lilā, Jagannath dresses in His Bada-sṛngara-vesa, literally "the dress of great conjugal love".

It is considered that at this time Srimati Radharani and the gopis personally come to have darsana of the Lord. The last ärati of the day, named after this dress, is the bada-srngara-dhupa. After that ceremony is finished, around 11:45 to 12:00 at night, this deity is brought from the bhandara-ghara, storage room, by the priest known as bhandara-mekapa. Sandalwood paste is offered to ardha-narisvara, and then the deity is placed on the throne near Lord Jagannath. Next, the Lord's beds known as rata-palankas, are placed in front of Their Lordships, while, traditionally as per the order of Mahaprabhu's associate Maharaja Prataparudra, the Gita-govinda is sung and another sevaka known as the vinakara, plays the vina. This ceremony is known as "khata seja lagi, vina o gana". The Sayana Thakura is then offered some coconut water and placed to sleep in the bed of Lord Jagannath. After placing the deity there, the sevaka then brings the sayana thakura deity back to the bhandara-ghara, then everyone is cleared out of the temple and the doors are locked. This ceremony of closing the temple is known as pahuda, muda or sodha.