The Tantric Aspects of Mahaprabhu Jagannatha
Mahaprabhu Jagannath is the lord of universe. The word Jagannatha itself is self explanatory word, meaning the the Natha of Jagat or God of Universe.
Jagannath (Jagannatha) is a deity worshipped mainly in the Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, Manipur and Tripura. Jagannath is worshipped as part of a triad on the “Ratnavedi” (jewelled platform) along with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra.
In this article, I want to present the tantric aspects of Lord Jagannatha.
Jagannatha as Bhairaba
In Tantrism, Jagannatha is known as Bhairaba and Bimala is Bhairabi. It means, Lord Jagannatha is the supreme Kala Bhairaba and Goddess Bimala is his consort Bhairabi. Another insteresting fact is that Bhairaba is also identified with the sun, with the name of Martanda Bhairaba. The worship to Surya Narayana is also an extremely important part of the rituals in Jaganatha temple in Puri: the Surya puja is performed every morning before any other activity takes place in the temple.
vimala sa mahadevi jagannatha tu bhairav
“Utkala Navi Deshescha Bimala Purushottame / Bimala Bhairavi Yatra Jagannathastu Bhairava.//”
The Bhairavi Chakra has been drawn near the Ratna Simhasana or Vedi in the Jagannatha temple. Sri Jagannatha is installed on this Srichakra. Image of Bhairava was also installed on the Ratna Simhasana. Several temple images of the Bhauma period depict Ekapada Bhairaba, carved in the form of a wooden pillar (the base of the pillar constituting the “single foot” that translates “ekapada”), with the big round eyes that characterise the Ugra form, a tiger skin on his hips, and the urdhvalingam like the lions at the gates at the temples.
Jagannatha as DakshinaKalika
Jagannatha is also described as Dakshinkalika the famous Deity of Odra or Utkal in tantric texts like Kalika purana, Rudrayamala, Brahmayamala, Tantrayamala. In the Tantric tradition, Jagannatha is worshiped with the bija mantra klim and sits on the Kali jantra as Daksina kalika.
The Kalika Purana says:
udrakhyam prathama pitham dvitiyam jalasailajam tritiyam purnapithantu kamarupam chaturthakam
“Among the Tantric Pithas, the first and foremost is Udra or Uddiyana (Odisha), the second is Jalasaila, the third is Purnapitha and the fourth is Kamarupa.”
Devi Bhagavata says:
srishtibhuta mahashakti manipura nivasini vimala sa parashakti uddiyana pureshvari anjuna dehi me devi bahiryoge mamambike madhavah bhairava sakshat pranatosmi jagatpate
“In Odisha, Vimala is Parashakti and Pureshvari, the source of the creation of the universe, residing in the City of Jewels. I offer my homage to You, o Goddess, together with Your Bhairava, Madhava. Please bless me.”
The basic mantra used in Jagannatha temple for daily worship:
klim krsnaya govindaya gopi jana vallabhaya namah klim kamadevaya vidmahe puspa-banaya dhimahi tan no ‘nanga pracodayat
“I offer my worship to Krishna, Govinda, the Beloved of the gopis. May Ananga, Kamadeva, inspire us. I meditate on Kama Deva, who carries the arrow made of flowers.”
The bija mantras used in tha daily puja are Srim for Balabhadra (Ugratara), Hrim for Subhadra (Bhubanesvari), and Klim for Jagannatha (Dakshina Kali)
Jaganntha as Buddha
Want to start this section by having the following pictures, which i got from Lalitagiri,Jajpur, Odisha.
Even when you go to little closer, we will have a good view.
Even more closer, we can have a great view.
As we all know in Odisha, this tribal cult was more prevalent than any other cult. Later, this cult was converted in Shaktism and merged once upon a time with Buddhism. This merger gave a new philosophy of Bajrayana or Tantric Buddhism. But later, after the fall of Buddhism, it maintained its original identity of Shaktism.
Pranipatya jagannatham sarvajinabararcitam |
Sarvabuddhamayam siddhi — byapinam gaganopamam |
Sarvadam sarvasattwebhyah sarvajna vara vajrinam |
Bhaktyaham sarvabhaven kakshye tatsadhanam vajrinam |
It is evident from these lines that King Indrabhuti mentioned him as Buddha. Lord Jagannatha is mentioned as Buddha for the first time in this scripture. The goal of Buddhism is to achieve Nirvana or Salvation. For achieving this one should follow the three jewels (Tri Ratna) of Buddha i.e. Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. As per the buddhist philosophy, Jagannatha is Buddha, Dharma is Subhadra and Sangha is Balabhadra
Buddha is one of the dasa-avataras, the ten main incarnations of Vishnu listed in the famous song written by Jayadeba in his Gita Gobinda:
nindasi yajna-vidher ahaha sruti-jatam sa-daya hrdaya darsita pasu-ghatam kesava-dhrta buddha-sarira jaya jagadisa hare
“Moved by deep compassion at the sight of the animal slaughtering performed because of a mistaken and offensive interpretation of the instructions about sacrifices contained in the scriptures, the Lord appeared in the form as the Enlightened, Buddha. Triumph, Hari, Lord of the Universe!”
Bhagavata Purana (1.3.24) confirms:
tatah kalau sampravritte sammohaya sura-dvisham, buddho namnanjana-sutah kikatesu bhavisyati
“At the beginning of the age of Kali, the Lord will appear in the province of Gaya as Buddha, Anjana’s son, to confuse the demoniac beings who are always envious of the good people.” The Utkala khanda of Skanda purana affirms that Purushottama Jagannatha is the origin and sum total of all the 10 avataras:
ato dasavataranam darsanadyai tu yat phalam tat phalam labhate martyo drstva sri-purusottamam
“A mortal being can get the benefit of contemplating all the ten avataras simply by seeing Sri Purushottama”.
The Odiyana, the most important, has it seat in Odisha, and is also the Adi-bhumi of the Bauddha Tantra (the Buddhist Tantra). Here, Sarahapada started the tradition based on the Buddha kapala Tantra, Kambalapada and Padmavajra started the tradition based on the He Vajra Tantra, Luipada started the tradition based on the Samputa Tilaka Tantra, Lalitavajra started the tradition based on the Krishnajamari Tantra, Gambhiravajra started the tradition based on the Vajramrita Tantra, Kukkuripada started the tradition based on the Mahamaya Tantra. In the viharas (Buddhist monasteries) of Ratnagiri, Pitopada started the tradition based on the Kalachakra Tantra, and Jayadratha started the tradition based on the Chakrasambhara Tantra. In the 8th century, the famous Buddhist scholar Indrabhuti, who was the king of Sambalpur, started the tradition called Bajrayana. This tradition unites the knowledge of the Tantras with the philosophical concepts of the Buddhism; it spread throughout the world, and has been very prominent in Tibet and the Himalayan area. Jagannatha is the main Deity (Bajresvara) of the Bajrayana tradition, while Balabhadra is considered as Bajrodaka (the manifestation of Maha Bajresvara), Subhadra is Bajresvari and Sudarshana is Bajra. Lakshminkara Devi, the sister of King Indrabhuti, who was the queen of Lanka (present day Sonepur), started the Sahajayana tradition by simplifying the Bajrayana method.
Jagannatha as Nrusimha
The other strong emotion (bhava) manifested by the Tantric Jagannatha is krodha, in the terrifying (ugra) aspect in which Jagannatha is worshiped as Nrusimha. Nrusimha is extremely important in the worship of Jagannatha, and especially in the long and complex rituals of Navakalevara, the renovation of the Deities. Even, the Mahaprasada is purified in Nrusimha mantra.
The animal sacrifices
The animal sacrifices (also called bali) are also an important aspect of the worship. In the Jagannatha temple, in front of Goddess Vimala, fish is cooked in a temporary makeshift kitchen and animals are sacrificed during Maha-saptami, Maha-astami and Maha-navami in Durga puja. The Durga saptasati chandi, a very important text for the Tantrics, is divided in three Charitras: Prathama, Madhyama and Uttara Charitras, each presided by a particular Devi and in chronological order Maha-Sarasvati (white in color), Maha-Lakshmi (golden in color) and Maha-Kali (black in color). The Mahanirvana Tantra states:
ugratara sulapani subhadra bhuvanesvari niladrau tu sakshat jagannatha dakshina kalika
“In Niladri Balabhadra is Ugratara, Subhadra is Bhuvaneswari, and Jagannatha is Dakshina Kalika.”
These three Devis are the most important Goddesses in the Tantric rituals; so Balabhadra is connected with Maha Sarasvati, Subhadra with Maha Lakshmi and Jagannatha with Maha Kali. To highlight this identification, the Deities of Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra always wear saris (the garment generally used by women) and a nose ornament made of flowers. The Aranyaka Taittirya Upanishad confirms:
tvam strim tvam puman asi tvam kumara uta va kumari tam jirna dandava chesi tvam jata bhavati visvato mukhah
“You are simultaneously woman and man, You are youthful girl and boy and at the same time You are the eldest. You are self-manifested, and Your divine face is everywhere.”
The Purushottama Trailokya Mohana Gayatri mantra used in Jagannatha worship in Puri is as follows:
lim trailokamohanaya vidmahe puspa-banaya dhimahi tan no visnuh prachodayat.
A further mantra says:
devam sri purusottamam kamalaya svankasthaya pankajam bibhratya parirabdhan ambujaruca tasyam nibaddheksanam.
Jagannatha is meditated upon in a jewel mandapa, decorated with 4 toranas (archways) under a Kalpa vriksha in the heavenly garden filled with flower beds, peacocks and cuckoos. Jagannatha is sitting with Lakshmi (who sits on His left thigh) on a red lotus flower. Both have reddish intoxicated eyes, and Lakshmi wears two yellow pieces of cloth (as upper and lower garment). The worshiper invites Him to manifest in his heart with this meditation: om trailokya mohana hrsikesa apratirupa manmatha sarva stri hrdaya karsana agaccha agaccha namah Regarding animal sacrifices, the tradition in Jagannatha temple is that on Sandhi puja (at the junction of Maha astami and Maha navami in Durga puja), one sacrificial animal is purified by a Ratha brahmana and taken near to the Bakula pindi adjacent to the Vimala temple, in front of the lion (Durga’s vahana). A sword is kept in front of Goddess Kali’s image painted on the wall on the right of GoddessVimala; the sword is worshiped there before being used to behead the goat. Then the goat’s head is kept in an earthen pot and the Goddess Vimala is offered plantains mixed to the sacrificial blood; uncooked rice also mixed with the sacrificial blood. During Solaha puja, the 16 days of the Durga puja festival in the month of Ashvina, the chalanti pratima (festival Deity) of Goddess Vimala (Kanaka Durga) is worshiped along with Nila Madhava in the Vimala temple. At this time a secret Ratha yatra (called Sarad Gundicha) is held in which Kanaka Durga travels to the Narayani temple (in Temple Road) along with Nila Madhava.
It is a fact that ‘Sabar Tantra’, ‘Buddha Tantra’ and ‘Hindu Tantra’ have influenced Jagannatha Cult to a great extent. He is worshipped as ‘Sabari Narayan’, ‘Buddha’ and Jagannatha, according to ‘Sabar Tantra’, ‘Buddha ‘Tantra’ and ‘Hindu Tantra’ respectively, Vimala is the goddess of ‘Buddha Tantra’. Jagannath is perceived as ‘Bhairaba’ and Vimala as ‘Bhairabi’. Nobody can deny the influence of tantrism in the temple of Lord Jagannath. But it is very difficult to say which trantra has influenced Jagannath Cult the most.
