English
The auspicious bath of the divine Lord!
Srila Prabhupada reveal "Jagannath" to the world.
We know how our Founder-Acharya, Srila Prabhupada, took Lord Jagannath outside of India. It is the immense and boundless mercy of Srila Prabhupada. For every devotee, Lord Jagannath Himself walks out to sit upon the chariot so that thousands and millions of people can have His darshan. But Prabhupada for devotees outside India,who would not be able to come to India, took Lord Jagannath Himself outside of India. Prabhupada truly fulfilled the meaning of the name "Jagannath"—the Lord of the Universe—by taking Lord Jagannath to the entire world.
Festivals at Jagannath Puri.
Indians are fond of festivals. The amount of gatherings in the festivals is the proof. Jagannath Rathayatra has largest gathering and second largest gathering being at Pandharpur during Ashadhi Ekadashi. At Puri, Snan Yatra, Rath Yatra, Shayan Yatra , Uttarayan, Dakshinayan, Parshva Parivartan, Utthapan, Dola yatra, Chandan Yatra, Bahuda Yatra, Niladri Vijay like that 13 major festivals are there. Chain of these festivals begin from Snan yatra. it is said that ‘the appearance day of Lord Sri Hari falls on Jyeshtha Purnima, and the Snana Yatra done at this time, is a highly exalted and auspicious act. Anyone who witnesses this grand event does not need to perform any arduous penance. Their worldly bonds and the bondages by past sinful deeds are severed effortlessly.
Lord Vitthala is Jagannath.
Saint Ekanath beautifully describes in one of his bhajans
māya Jagannath bāpa Jagannath |
anāthānchā nātha Janārdana ||
Translation:
“Lord Jagannath is my mother, and Lord Jagannath is my father. He is the supreme ultimate protector and guardian (Nath) of those who have no one else in this world (Anath).”
Vitthala in Pandharpur is Jagannath Himself.
Lord Vitthala is speaking about the innermost feelings of His heart—which in Marathi is referred to as ’guja’, means the innermost feelings of the heart. He says, "If you cannot come and stay here forever, then at least do this: make sure to come twice a year to Pandharpur to have My darshan. During Ashadhi and Kartiki Ekadashi come to have My darsan.”
The first Snan yatra
When Lord Jagannath bestowed His mercy upon King Indradyumna in Jagannath Puri and granted him darshan, He expressed His heart's desire to him, saying:
"O Indradyumna, it is my wish—the desire of my heart—that on the day of Jyestha Purnima, which is also My birth anniversary, you must perform My Mahasnan (grand holy bath) through various scriptural rituals and sixteen types of offerings (Shodasha Upachara)."
we must , plan meticulously, and make our Lord's festivals as grand for His satisfaction.
The Lord's service must be performed very carefully and beautifully.
Rituals at Snan Yatra
During Snan Yatra,for the Lord's bath, as mentioned earlier, 108 pots of water are brought from the Sonara Kua (Golden Well) located in the north direction.
The 108 pots of water used for the Lord's bath are infused with Camphor (Kapur), Sandalwood paste (Chandan), Rosewater, Aguru and Saffron (Kesar), Sarva-aushadhih and Maha-aushadhih (mixtures of various sacred medicinal herbs), Nagchampa flowers. All these ingredients are specially mixed to make the water highly purified and fragrant, and it is with this divine water that the Lord is bathed.
Lord Jagannath is bathed with 35 pots of water, Baladev Ji with 33 pots, and Goddess Subhadra with 22 pots. In this manner, the total comes to 108 pots
Phala-Sruti
In Brahma -purana Lord Brahma himself directly tells the sages that any person who sees Lord Jagannath, Baladev, and Subhadra seated upon their bathing altar (Snana Mandap)—even if they see the three of them seated on that elevated platform just once—attains the eternal, imperishable abode.
