Beloved of All

The occasion was solar eclipse. All from Dwarka, Hastinapur, Mathura and other parts of country gathered at Kurukshetra to offer oblation to God. Queens       of Kuru clan met queens of Dwarka. Draupadi saw fortunate wives of her bossom friend Lord Srikrishn. Intrigued, she asked them,-“O Rukmani! Bhadra! Jambvati! Satya! Satyabhama! Kalindi! Shaivya! Luxmana! Rohini and you all! Tell me how Lord Srikrishn married you all?”

The bemused queens were nostalgic. One by one they all narrated the amorous saga of their unique husband. Rukmani said, -“Draupadi! All kings wanted me to marry Shishupala but he abducted me just as a lion takes away his share from the herd of meek lambs. All warriors licked dust in front of him when they came in our way. I long... to serve him, forever... and ever!”

Satyabhama said, -“My father was bereaved over killing of his brother Prasen and blamed him for it. To wash off that, he restored Syamantakmani from Jambvan, and when he proved his innocence thus, even though I was engaged to someone else, out of his fear, my father married me off to him to please him.”

Jambvati said, -“My father did not know that he was Lord Ram reincarnate. They fought for twenty-seven days. When father realized his ignorance, he married me off to him. I long to serve only him in all.... my future lives.”

Kalindi said, -“I performed penance to touch his lotus feet.  He came with Arjun and took me home. I am his slave who rejoices in attending on him.”

Mitravinda said, -“My swayamvar was held. He came and after battering all kings including my brothers, took me away as a lion takes away his booty after routing dogs. I long to wash his feet ...in all ...my births.”

Satya said, -“My father kept seven ferocious bulls to test the might of suitors. He sportily controlled them all as a child captures kids of goat. He defeated all kings who obstructed our path. I long to serve... only him.”

Bhadra said, -“He is my maternal uncle’s son. I loved only him. When my father learnt of this, he invited him and married me off to him. My best fortune is confined only in touching his lotus feet.”

Luxmana said, -“Queen! Sage Narad often eulogized Lord Srikrishn. Hearing him, I got enamoured of him.  My father held my swayamvar just like yours. The only difference was that the fish in my case was covered and invisible from outside.  Only its shadow could be seen in water. Famous archer such as Karn, Duryodhan, Jarasandh and Bhim failed to spot the fish. Even Arjun missed the target.  Lord Srikrishn hit the eye of fish in first attempt.  Deities showered flowers over him and I put the garland around his neck. He put me in his chariot and Daruk drove us off.  All agitated kings failed to stop us as dogs fail to chase a tiger. He killed and amputated many of them. We surely earned great fortune in past lives that we all are his beloved and honoured wives.”

Rohini spoke on behalf of all other queens, -“Demon Bhaumasur conquered several kings and kept us all captive. Lord Srikrishn killed him and honoured all of us as his queens. During captivity we all                                                used to worship only him. We all long to place the dust touched by his lotus feet over our heads.”

The entire womenfolk including Gopis of Vrindavan were overwhelmed. Tears of delight and ineffable gratitude welled in their eyes.  The Supreme man who is inimitable and most gracious was spreading his charm over all who were fortunate and blessed to be around him.

Meanwhile, a group of all enlightened sages also reached there.              Lord Srikrishn and Balaram rose up from their seats and touched their feet. The two brothers worshipped the great souls with auspicious offerings.

Lord Srikrishn reverentially addressed the sages, -“Our life has attained fruition today as we are blessed with the appearance of such enlightened souls that are inaccessible even to celestial deities. How can the lesser beings see you? A person who considers only his body as self and only his family as mine worships only image of God, rejecting the enlightened souls, is indeed as moron as an ass.” Hearing him utter so, all turned silent. His act and speech left all inert. Overwhelmed sages composed themselves and praised the lord    of Universe with a smile, realizing that his gesture was just to enlighten the ignoramuses.

Neelamadhav plays hide and seek

In the state of Orissa a number of temples stand proof of Lord Srikrishn’s love to his guileless devotees. Long time back there was a king named Indradyumn who was solely devoted to Lord Srikrishn. Lord Srikrishn blessed him with everything he wished. The devotee was a little proud of his affectionate tie with the Lord and wished to build a unique temple for his lord that could immortalize his name as Lord Srikrishn’s favourite. He prayed to lord to show him the path to install a unique statue of his vigraha (form). Lord Srikrishn showed him in a dream his blue form installed in a cave at Nilachala hill but did not tell where the hill was.

King shared his dream with his trusted knights and asked them to search for the hill so that he could fetch the idol himself. One knight named Vidyapati vowed to search for Lord Srikrishn’s that blue idol. He set out but failed to locate it. Inspired by intuition he left his horse and hacked his way through a thick forest. Having roamed around desperately, the youth got frustrated and gave up the hope. Severely afflicted with hunger and fatigue, he fell on the ground under a tree. Suddenly, tinkling of bells attracted him. A cowherd delightedly singing and holding a pot of milk approached him with his cows. He offered milk to Vidyapati and asked what brought him there. Vidyapati disclosed his purpose. The boy gleamed with joy and said-“Yes I know where Nilachala hill is, but won’t tell you where it is. Search with faith and you’ll find it.” The boy vanished leaving Vidyapati to believe that Neelamadhav himself had appeared before him to rekindle his dimmed hope.

With hope re-instilled by the little boy, the explorer reached a village nearby and met a girl named Lalita, the daughter of village head, Vishvavasu. She took Vidyapati home where Vishvavasu treated him with great hospitality. Without disclosing the purpose of his quest, Vidyapati awaited the future happening patiently. Inspired by divine will Vishvavasu married off Lalita to Vidyapati and the couple began to live happily together. Vidyapati was intrigued to see his father in law leaving home regularly in the early morning and returning only after sunset. He asked Lalita about his mysterious destination. Lalita revealed that her father used to go in a cave on Nilachala hill to worship Neelamadhav. Vidyapati implored his wife to persuade her father to take him also to the cave. When Vishvavasu learnt of this he initially felt hurt but later on agreed to take Vidyapati to the cave with his eyes blindfolded.

Amused by this, Vidyapati took some mustard seeds with him and walked behind his father in law blindfolded. While walking, he dropped mustard seeds on his way. In the cave Vishvavasu allowed him to have a glimpse of beautiful image of Neelamadhav. Vidyapati was agape. He longed to have another glimpse, but Vishvavasu blindfolded him again and brought home. Soon rains began to shower and mustard seeds grew into flowering plants following that Vidyapati reached the cave and whetted the appetite of his eyes by prostrating before the Neelamadhav.

Enthused Vidyapati took leave of his father in law and returned to Utkal along with wife Lalita. As he broke the news to restless Indradyumn, he asked him to take him immediately to Neelamadhav.

Accompanied by king Indradyumn and Queen Gundicha, Vidyapati set out for Nilachala. Indradyumn felt a bit proud for taking out Neelamadhav from the possession of selfish Vishvavasu and be the builder of the most beautiful and unique temple of Lord Srikrishn in the world. However, queen Gundicha intuited and reminded the jubilant king that God does not belong to him alone but to the entire creation. He belongs to all. Indradyumn should not dream of becoming the owner of Neelamadhav as Vishvavasu thought of himself. While they were going on in their way, the queen had a premonition that god might not like the possessive approach of his devotees. As apprehended by Gundicha, heavy dust storm came and the hill and mustard plants vanished from the surface of earth under the layers of sand. Neelamadhava thus professing his resistance hid himself from the eyes of erring devotees. Indradyumn and Vidyapati were aghast to see Neelamadhav having vanished from the scenario altogether.

Deluded Devotee Indradyumn

Vidyapati failed to learn as to why Neelamadhav did not wish to be seen by his devotee Indradyumn. The two men began to harbour suspicion behind the disappearance of Lord. Meanwhile king’s men noticed a man hiding behind a tree nearby. As they dragged him out, they found Vishvavasu lamenting at the disappearance of Neelamadhav.

Exasperated Indradyumn resented at Vishvavasu, blaming him for having uprooted the mustard flowers to hide Neelamadhav from him and got him arrested in a fit of rage. Desperate Vidyapati cried like a child to have lost his lord Neelamadhav. Regretful Indradyumn prayed fervently to Lord Srikrishn to be pleased.

The entreaties of his devotees ultimately reached the ears of God who appeared in the dream of King and divulged to him that although he had vanished as Neelamadhav, he would reappear as daruk (a wooden log with symbols of God engraved) at sea. Advising Indradyumn to come to the sea, Lord Srikrishn vanished. Next day the king, with all his trusted men, awaited daruk at the seashore. As they saw a daruk, Indradyumn and Vidyapati both leapt to pull it. The daruk had carvings of conch-shell, mace, lotus and discus on it. Pleased, the duo began to drag it to the shore but it did not move. Even strongest of elephants failed to drag it the least. Indradyumn was left with no choice but to pray to lord with closed eyes. "Free my dear Vishvavasu and drag me along with him, then only will I move.” Lord Srikrishn intuited. King ran to free Vishvavasu and together the three devotees pulled the daruk and lo, it just floated over sea to reach the seashore. The entire crowd was wonderstruck.

Preparation to enshrine the daruk in the temple began. Gundicha advised king to carve the image of Neelamadhav from the daruk. The bests of crafts men tried but their axe-blades broke down as they tried to carve. King was again left baffled .One day an old man arrived and offered to carve the image with a condition that he would sculpt the images in a sealed room and none should disturb him till he himself opened the door. Believing the old man to be Vishwakarma, the couple agreed. The old man locked himself in a room and began his work.

Ten days passed. Gundicha heard no sound from the room and suspecting possible death of the sculptor in the absence of food and water, she inspired king to break open the door. As the room was opened, there was no trace of the sculptor.

The old man was gone leaving behind incomplete images of Lord Srikrishn, Balaram and their sister Subhadra. All anxious devotees were left in a quandary. They knew not what the lord wished and planned for completion of three idols.

Such is the approach of God that no human being can ever claim to know his plan perfectly. Anxious devotees prayed again and again to Lord Srikrishn to solve the riddle and redeem them from the mesh of sheer frustration. The prayers moved Lord and as willed by him, sage Narad arrived to tell that it was the wish of Lord Vishnu that images should be carved so. Inspired by the message, king ordered construction of a unique temple of Lord Srikrishn at the seashore of eastern coast of India.

King donated thousands of cows to Brahmans. The large crater left by the impact of hooves of cows turned into underground stream that created a water pond filled with water lilies. When temple got complete, sage Narad advised King to invite Lord Brahma to consecrate the temple. Gundicha was agape at the idea that king will go to Lord Brahmalok along with sage Narad to invite Lord Brahma on earth. The duo flew and waited for Lord Brahma to come out of meditation. Having spent some time in Lord Brahmalok, the duo flew to earth. The joy of king knew no bounds as he received consent of Lord Brahma to perform the auspicious ceremony in his unique temple. When they reached earth, they realized that scene had changed altogether.

On earth thousands of dynasties had passed bye. The temple had been caved in. Poor Indradyumn again found himself trapped in the web of confusion. He knew not what to do as the things had turned out to be out of his hand.

Strange are the ways of God and not even seers can claim to know his plan perfectly. On the land where king Indradyumn had constructed his unique temple of Lord Srikrishn, which lay now buried deep under the layers of soil, a king named Galamadhav was riding along the desert. At one spot, his horse stumbled and he too fell down. King began to unearth the ground and discovered top of a temple soon. He ordered excavation and a temple emerged.

Sage Narad and Indradyumn found the change in everything. Narad disclosed the gap in time between earth and Lord Brahmalok and Indradyumn paled. He lamented for Gundicha, Vidyapati and Vishvavasu. The duo found the temple under possession of Galamadhav. As Indradyumn divulged himself people took him for a mad man. Even Narad failed to convince Galamadhav, who                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          insisted on a proof to prove his point. The nonplussed king remembered Lord Brahma who also appeared there. Galamadhav then believed the story told by king Indradyumn after Lord Brahma solved the mystery.

Indradyumn discovered the three incomplete images and Lord Brahma performed the consecration ceremony. Lord Brahma blessed Indradyumn and named the temple as,-“Temple of Jagannatha, the Lord of the Universe”.  The presence of Lord Srikrishn at Jagannatha is felt by millions who find fulfilment of their wishes and solution to their most mindboggling problems before the lord of Universe.

The three images are taken every year to the abode of Gundicha Devi in memory of queen who inspired Indradyumn in building the temple. The car festival is celebrated with great gusto and devotion.