By Deena Bandhu dasa
I wrote this many years ago the first time I ever went to Rathayatra…
I went with Pundarik to Rathayatra in Puri this year [1994] for the first time and had one of the most ecstatic times of my life. The raths were so much more beautiful than I expected, and they’re so very interesting. Each piece of wood has some meaning. Even the number of pieces of wood for each cart is known, 832 for Jagannatha’s, 763 for Baladeva’s, and 593 for Subhadra’s! The Raths even have names, Lord Jagannatha’s, Nandi Ghosh and Balarama’s, Taladhvaja, and Subhadra’s, Darpadalana. Then there are large wooden brightly colored cutouts of the drivers. They’re sitting on the ground when we first arrived on the left side of their respective carts. Subhadra’s is Arjuna (her husband, naturally), Jagannatha’s, Daruka, and Baladeva’s, Matali. Subhadra’s ratha has twelve wheels, Balarama’s fourteen, and Lord Jagannatha’s has sixteen.
One very close associate of the temple, Vasudev Mahapatra, has the service of repainting the Deities every year. That’s the meaning of the name Patra. So he gets to serve Lord Jagannatha for only a couple of weeks each year. He brought us some thick silk threads caked with some type of paste as prasad one day. He told us that actually Jagannatha is very thin, but by wrapping him with these threads and some type of paste we make him fat. In fact there are seven coverings representing the coverings of the material body, skin, flesh, marrow, bone, etc. These were the wrappings from the previous year.
Then he told that inside Jagannatha there is some mysterious very special thing called nabhi-brahma, or “life force”. At the time of Navakalevar, remaking of the Deities, after removing the coverings of Lord Jagannatha, then the head priest is blindfolded. He then reaches inside a special hole in the back of Jagannatha and takes the nabhi-brahma out and puts it in a box which is locked in a safe in the temple. When the new Deity is carved, again he is blindfolded and he puts it inside the new Deity. Nobody knows what it is, maybe a special Shalagram or piece of the original Deity.
We began to realize that Lord Jagannatha is an unfathomable ocean and one could spend his whole lifetime trying to understand everything about Him. And we thought we knew something just because we know the esoteric reason for the appearance of Jagannatha. There’s a lot more to know and a little is revealed each day.
We arrived the day before Gundicha Marjana and went to the small house that the Italian devotees headed by Mayapura Chandra have rented. It’s about three kilometers farther down the beach from Hari Das’s Samadhi, quite a distance away. Still you can see the dome of the mandir over the sand dunes and jungle. Dhruva Maharaja has come from Mayapura and has been staying in Puri for some time. Then we found out that about forty devotees have come from Mayapura. They are staying at and near Bhakti Kutir, Bhaktivinode’s Bhajan Kutir in front of Hari Das Samadhi. ISKCON purchased it along time ago, but only recently kicked out the squatters and taken it over.
The next day was Gundicha Marjana. Many times I have cleaned the temple from top to bottom in whatever temple I was in. But today we all went to do Gundicha Marjana at the very site where Lord Chaitanya had personally done it five hundred years before. We were all very excited. Unfortunately, they don’t allow foreigners inside. So I told Bhadra Charu Prabhu, a very nice devotee who was in charge, to get me a couple of baskets so we could at least clean the front entrance. All around the entrance they were selling brooms and clay pots, but no baskets. But somehow he got a couple.
All the Gaudiya Maths were there with ecstatic kirtans. There were hundreds of Bengalis all with about four or five sticks of broom and tiny pots of water. So we set about collecting all the garbage in the front entrance that everyone else was neglecting. Everyone was anxious to go inside and wash the Simhasana, but no one cared for the front entrance. So all we foreign devotees had it all to ourselves. The people really appreciated what we were doing and sympathized with our position. Sometimes they would come and take the brooms from our hands, or start scooping the pile of debris we had collected into the baskets.
Then just like in Chaitanya-Charitamrita, when cleaning was over we went with a huge kirtan to the Nrisimha Mandir. Somehow we all walked right in, foreigners and all, and no one objected. I was leading the Nrisimha Prayer and we just walked up and touched Lord Nrisimha’s lotus feet. Then as per Chaitanya-Charitamrita, we headed toward Indradyumna Sarovar. All the Gaudiya Maths were ahead of us and it was a big Sankirtan parade. Finally we got our turn and jumped into the clear cool waters. It was such a relief since being rainy season it was terribly humid and we were all sweaty and sticky. After doing Gundicha Marjana at the actual Gundicha Mandir and then taking our bath in Indradyumna Sarovar, we all felt as if our hearts were shining like the sun. It was pure bliss!
When we arrived back at the house, they told us that Kirtiraj had also come and was staying at the official GBC Hotel. He had gone to meet the king with Mayapura Chandra. That evening we walked way down the beach in the other direction looking for the Hotel Vijay International to meet Kirtiraj. I was expecting to see him in Vrindavan before we left, but he never arrived. What a surprise that he’s here.
We finally find him and the first question is where are the green apples? He laughs and says he could stay in Vrindavan for only a few hours, but Krishna Das had asked him the same question. None, but he left your letter with someone in Vrindavan. He’s with a tall French devotee named Premarasa. For all of us it’s the first time to see Puri Rathayatra. He just came from the king’s palace and he has tons of Jagannatha Prasad, real interesting things. I begin to realize the non-difference of the Holy Dhams. Just like in Vrindavan no one can go hungry, here also it seems every time we turn around there’s Jagannatha Prasad!
The next day we went with kirtan to the Simha Dvara Gate. The Bengali devotees at Bhakti Kutir along with Mayapura Chandra have planned out a very ecstatic festival. Forty devotees have come from Mayapura and now we have the biggest kirtan party in front of the raths. This is the first time that ISKCON has ever had an organized presence at the Rathayatra. The King likes us very much and he has arranged a police cordon with a rope around only our kirtan party. We’re right in front of Lord Balarama and he’s giving me some special mercy. For months I’ve been unable to lead or do Harer Nama for more than half an hour. We’ve been here now for hours with a big banner, “ISKCON, His Devine [sic] Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.” And for the first time in history it’s being televised live and a couple of times they zoom in on our kirtan and the sign. Later many people even as far away as Bangalore told me they saw me on TV. Two Ramanandi sadhus on top of a billboard on top of some building are going wild as I chant, “Nitai Gaura Haribol, Haribol…” The announcer proclaims the ISKCON kirtan is increasing the prestige of the Rathayatra and goes on glorifying ISKCON for fifteen minutes.
Now I realize why Lord Jagannatha had never let me come to Rathayatra before. It had been my heart’s desire for a long time, but somehow or other I had never come. Even last year, I had the ticket in my hand. I had even gotten a reservation here in Vrindavan from Puri to Hyderabad to see the ISKCON Rathayatra there. The tickets were in my hand and then I got malaria and couldn’t go. But this year for the first time ISKCON organized a nice program with a huge kirtan party. Lord Jagannatha and especially Lord Baladeva let me lead an ecstatic kirtan, my favorite activity. On top of it all, it was being televised for the first time in history. ISKCON got a lot of publicity. Even the newspapers in major cities like Bombay carried articles about Rathayatra with sub-headlines about the ISKCON foreign devotees’ participation.
It’s about 11:00 AM but the Deities don’t actually start coming until around 3:00 PM, very late. The Dayitapatis are upset that it is being televised and are delaying all the rituals in protest! Usually the Lords are on Their raths before noon! Finally Sudarshan Cakra comes being borne on the heads of the priests and they run up the ramp and place him on Subhadra’s cart. The anticipation is already at a peak and you know Lord Baladeva is coming as you can hear the din of many gongs. Twenty priests precede the Lord pounding on brass gongs and emerge from the gate before Him. Then you can’t begin to imagine being in that vast sea of humanity and suddenly they catch a glimpse of Lord Baladeva’s Peacock-tail mukut coming out of the gate. Suddenly there’s a roar from every throat as thousands of arms are flung into the air–you’re every hair stands on end to hear that sound. The Dayitas rock Him vigorously forward and back as they try to move Him forward. Then every move He makes evokes the same reaction as if His every motion is the lightning and a hundred thousand voices the thunder. He loves every minute of the rocking, his mukut swaying like a dancing peacock.
Coconut tree trunks have been sawed in half and lashed together to make ramps leading up onto the carts. They have a hard time getting Him up the ramp. He somehow rolls around to one side and starts coming down again. The big silken ropes have now been tied to the top of a sort pole lashed behind Him projecting above His Head. After two or three tries, they finally get Him up to His throne. It takes another fifteen minutes or so of pushing and shoving to turn Him and set Him in place.
Subhadra doesn’t like rocking so much so they carry her out very carefully. Then again we can hear the gongs inside the gate. Just when you thought you had reached the limits of your emotions, Lord Jagannatha pushes you a little further. The thunder at His appearance can only be experienced, as it cannot be described. First we can only see His mukut dancing like a peacock to the thunder of one hundred thousand voices. Now you know, THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE IS COMING!!! The announcer cries, “Jagannatha Swami Ki!” That fathomless ocean of His devotees cheer, “Jai!!” Then suddenly you see Him. He’s huge! He’s enormous, much bigger than Balarama. We seem to make Them symmetrical but it’s not that way. Large white eyes made from one lac rupees worth of crushed pearls smile at you just above the heads of the crowd. He’s more beautiful than you ever imagined. You suddenly realize that all the Jagannatha Deities you have ever seen have not captured a fraction of that beauty. You’ll never be satisfied to see any other Jagannatha again! He’s wonderful. Animatedly rocking Him back and forth, He slowly comes around to the ramp. Somehow they draw Him up the ramp without any trouble and set Him in place.
The sun is covered by clouds but there is no rain, and it gives the illusion of shade. We gradually realize our noses are turning red. An elephant appears and behind it the king is coming in a palanquin. Directly behind him comes Kirtiraj with a bright red face, towering above the crowd with Prema Rasa. Then I spot Pundarik, Dhruva, and Mayapura Chandra. They go with the king right up to the foot of the raths. One of the head pujaris hands his servant a hundred-rupee note telling him to buy them all soft drinks. Is this Puri or where are we?
The king doesn’t actually sweep in front of the ratha; probably some editor made a mistake in Chaitanya-Charitamrita. Especially in olden times the road was unpaved and, as it always rains at Rathayatra, it was all mud. He sweeps on the ratha; there is a sort of parikrama right around where the Deities stand. He sweeps around that once. Then he sprinkles sandalwood scented water around twice. First Balarama’s cart, then Jagannatha’s, and then Subhadra’s.
After he sweeps each cart, they put the drivers on the left side of each Rath. Then they take down the ramps in front of each cart. After that, they lash four wooden horses to the front of each cart. White ones for Jagannatha, black for Baladeva, and red for Subhadra. Both Subhadra and Balarama have mares. Lord Jagannatha has stallions. You can tell because all the horses of Lord Jagannatha have their genital erect and painted bright red. And each cart has one fellow with a small whip sitting on one of the horses.
Balarama’s ratha begins to move. We’re in front of Him so we also go. If we don’t move, we’ll be trampled! We went about seventy percent of the way down the road when the sun went down. Then Rathayatra was over for the day, as the carts don’t move after sunset. Jagannatha hardly moved twenty-five feet so the only kirtan anyone saw that day on the road was ours, since everyone else was chanting in front of Him. On the train from Delhi, I was praying that it would be a two-day Rathayatra like two years ago when Balarama’s wheels broke. Looks like Lord Jagannatha is fulfilling my desire.
The next day everyone is a little wiped out from the hours of kirtan the day before. I can see they’re going to be late going to the second day of Rathayatra. So I jumped on a rickshaw with another devotee. By the time we reach, Lord Jagannatha has already moved some distance down the road. It’s less crowded today, so we go and grab onto the rope. It was too hectic the day before. The ropes are so thick you can’t close your hand around them. They must be about 250 yards long.
Now it’s very interesting how they perform Rathayatra. We have a lot to learn. First of all the platforms on all sides of the cart are all slanted down, not straight like we make them. Then there are twenty priests with gongs on the front of each ratha. One priest rides one of the horses with a couple of flimsy sticks in his hand. He gives a sort of pep talk in Oddiya and then starts whipping the horse. Two fellows with long thin horns begin to blow, toowheeeeeeeeuuuu, toooowheeeeeeeuuuuu. Then the gongs start, bong, bong, bong real fast. As soon as the ratha begins to move they change the beat. Ta Taa Bong, Ta Taa Bong… rocking forward and back. Then there is the sound of sixteen wheels. There are no bearings on the axle, just a wooden hub on a wooden axle. Wood against wood. It’s sort of like a mystical brass band, a very celestial sound. Makes your hair stand on end. Sometimes I would stop pulling the rope and walk beside the ratha just to hear it.
Everyone asks where is our kirtan party. Apparently, we made quite an impression the day before. It’s a whole different mood in Puri than I have ever experienced; you know how they usually make you feel unwanted. Something very heavy is happening and that mood has completely changed. Finally the devotees arrive and everyone is very happy. Then I spend time between the kirtan and the ropes.
They stop the cart every so often, so I discovered there is a brake system. There is a large two-foot by one-foot by maybe fifteen-foot beam tied up in front of the first two wheels. When they want to stop, they let the beam loose. It falls in front of the wheels and boom, bam, bam. Jagannatha comes to halt. When the cart is moving sometimes it starts drifting to the left. Then the priest on the horse motions for everyone to pull to the right side of the road. Then again we go straight and then the cart starts drifting to the right. We all run to the left side of the road. It’s so amazing to see this giant Jagannatha with his big white eyes watching you with his merciful glance as he rides along.
Finally, He reaches Gundicha. Even before they put the ramp on the front of the ratha, people are climbing up on the ratha to touch Lord Jagannatha’s feet or embrace Him. The bottom half of His eyes are becoming blackened by so many hands touching Him. Now He will remain here for a day or two before coming off the cart to go in Gundicha Mandir. Then a line of about twenty priests with baskets and pots on their heads comes marching up. They’ve come to offer the bhoga to the Deities. Jagannatha doesn’t take His regular meals, no rice or dahl, as long as He is on the cart. Just sweets and simple ekadshi preparations. Near the front of the line one priest holds a large basket full of Tulasi on his head. As each priest marches forward, another priest takes each pot or basket one at a time. He throws a handful of Tulasi in it and sort of points it toward the Deities. Then they march off again.
That night the King has invited us to the inauguration of the restoration of Maharaja Prataparudra’s Puri residence and temple. When we arrive preparations are going on so we wander around. We see what appears to be the entrance to a temple and go inside. Very beautiful deities of Radha Radha Kanta just like Tota Gopinatha style only standing. There is the typical Orrisan relief arch behind the Deities. Inside the arch is painted a tree and the naked gopis retrieving their garments from the Lord. Very charming. Then there is another altar with the most ecstatic dancing Gaura Nitai I have ever seen. At both altars the pujaris very affectionately offer lots of Tulasi prasad.
Back outside, the King asks us to start the program with kirtan. ISKCON has the only kirtan party there. On the stage is the Sannyasi in charge of the Main Gaudiya Math on the Grand Road where Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada was born. Some other Respected Babajis and a couple of Mayavadi Sannyasis and Kirtiraj are there as well. After all the Sannyasis speak, the King asks Kirtiraj also to speak. He is giving us a lot of respect in public and it is not going unnoticed.
Then we enter one self-manifested eight-ling Shiva Mandir on one side of the property as the King asks us to follow him. The pujaris give us flowers and they chant Vedic Hymns and we shower flowers on the lingas. Then we go back in the main temple. The King motions for us to follow him into the Deity Room. Again they give us flowers to place at Radha Kanta’s lotus feet. Then we do the same to Gaura Nitai also.
It is only the next day that Mayapura Chandra tells us that no foreigner has ever entered this mandir. We not only entered, but we were right in the Deity room! This has now caused a bit of commotion amongst the Puri Pandas. But most of the people are noticing the attention and respect the King is giving us and it is having its effect.
Not far from Gundicha Mandir on the main road, at the King’s suggestion, the devotees have set up a Pandal. Jayapataka came so he lectured in Bengali and I in Hindi. The king came on the stage one night and he very much enjoyed my Hindi lecture. He is actually a Rajput from Rajasthan, though in Puri he speaks in public in Oddiya. Hundreds of people stop to see our program and we fear the police will stop us cause we are practically blocking the road.
The Mayapura devotees, headed by Bhadra Charu, perform plays. The first night they did Jagai and Madhai and it was absolutely fantastic. All the actors and even the musicians are all devotees. They even have a sound effects machine and the whole production is more professional than I have even seen in the west. Their other plays were not as good as this one. I was going to leave as it is very late but end up glued to my seat till 11:30 PM.
The next night is Hera Panchami. Though I leave the stage and go to Gundicha every so often, they keep telling a later time. It’s going to happen after midnight so I go back to the temple. I’ve been up till midnight almost every night, so I missed it. The devotees told me that Laksmi comes on a palanquin looking for Her husband. Why has he been away so long? Why is He staying here with this other woman Radharani? She then punishes all the servants of Jagannatha for taking Him away, making them promise to return Him the next day. They don’t.
My original plan was just to see the Rathayatra and then go to Bhuvaneshvar, Kshirchora Gopinatha, return Ratha in Calcutta, and Mayapura. But the devotees have insisted I stay for the Pandal Program. They are treating us with such love and affection, I can’t leave. They even make chappatis for us every day. (Brijbasis can’t live without chappatis).
They booked a hotel room for Jayapataka but they canceled it, fortunately, as hotels are hellish. When we left Kirtiraj’s room we almost vomited from the meat smell. Just one kilometer from Mayapura Chandra’s Place, the Sridhara Maharaja people have built a temple and first class guesthouse so he stayed there. He went body surfing with us one day but it was very rough surf that day. Then there was a big Italian feast at Mayapura Chandra’s place. Now it’s too late to make it to Calcutta’s Return Ratha and still have time to stop in Remuna on the way, so I decide to see the Ulta Ratha in Puri and then go. Pundarik left a few days before as he has a lot of work in Vrindavan.
Because we know that everything is going to be late, we leave for Gundicha Mandir quite late. I didn’t want to walk so far so I’ve taken a rickshaw. This time I stationed myself by the door of Gundicha, instead of in front of the carts. I want to see them walking Lord Jagannatha out of the temple. In the late morning it poured down rain. In front of Gundicha all the mud is bright orange and there are puddles every-where. The kirtan party arrives; there’s no one else except us. We enjoy splashing in the orange puddles and anyone who has a white dhotis on has it destroyed. Till today the spots have not come out!
It becomes extremely late, so I go back by the door as I can hear the gongs. Finally Lord Baladeva comes out and the crowd goes wild, but it’s not like the beginning Ratha. Then Subhadra is carried out. Finally Jagannatha comes. Because of the crush of the crowd I can barely see Him. Then suddenly, He’s just in front of where I’m standing. The crowd parts a bit and I see Him. Although He’s immense, I’m surprised that without any base He’s not so tall. It is difficult to see Him over the crowd. But now there He is with His giant eyes casting their merciful glance on me.
Suddenly, He turns to the side and I can see His profile. His nose is not pointy like we always make it. Actually, it’s rounded and sort of turns up at the end as per the description in Nectar of Devotion of Lord Krishna. My mind is suddenly blown; seeing that cute nose suddenly I can see Shyamsunder!! You know how sometimes your mind goes through somersaults trying to grasp that Jagannatha is Krishna–but suddenly He’s so enchantingly become Vrajendra Nandana Shyamsunder!! He’s unforgettable. Now when I see Jagannatha Deities I just start thinking the spot of the eye is too small or too big and the design is not just right. Jagannatha’s actual design is 120% perfect!
Again I join the splashing kirtan. The sun has already set. It’s obvious that Jagannatha won’t go anywhere today. People are a bit upset. This is all the politics of the Dayitas, as they are in charge of Jagannatha for one month. The more they delay the more money they can collect. The Pandas have a big fight with them. The police and the King also have been arguing with them all day. Still they brought Him out so late that they will have to do Rathayatra the next day. So now my desire is doubly satisfied. Two days of Ratha and two of Ulta Ratha. Now I only want to see the ratha run into something. We’ve been chanting all day. Since there will be no Rathayatra, we start back. As we leave we pass the King on the way to do his sweeping. Mayapura Chandra is following behind.
Later that night Mayapura Chandra returns and tells us some startling news. The King was very upset. The people were also upset. All these villagers have saved up their money all year, taken off one day to see Rathayatra and now it’s not going to happen. Then I find out that they also observe fasting, even the King, until Jagannatha moves. Mayapura Chandra told us they all began shouting and he asked someone to translate. That person told him that they are complaining about the Dayitas. They say we are going to give their service to the white sanyassis! Our minds are really blown to hear that. Something very far out has happened in Puri this year.
Most of the Mayapura devotees are going to Hyderabad and they already have their booking on the train from Bhuvaneshvar. The rest are taking the bus back to Mayapura after dropping them in Bhuvanesh-var. So there are just a few of us to go for the second day of Ulta Ratha.
I took a rickshaw on the long way around to one crossroads just near Gundicha. By luck I find that Jagannatha is just before the crossroads. Balarama is almost back to the temple with Subhadra still a dis-tance behind. There’s less crowd so it’s easy to get in and pull the ropes. After pulling for a couple of stops, I went beside the cart to listen to the wheels. But Lord Jagannatha did not move. I kept waiting and watching Subhadra’s ratha because it’s obvious that until She moves, Jagannatha won’t move. Suddenly, I saw a Puri Electric Dept. truck move past us through the crowd. Only one reason that it’s on the Grand Road today–Subhadra has run into an electric pole! Jagannatha has fulfilled my last wish.
I followed behind the truck to Subhadra’s cart. Sure enough She’s unable to make the turn and there’s an electric pole just ahead of Her. The electric lines were touching the side of the canopy. The road from the temple to Gundicha is not straight, about one-quarter of the way from Gundicha it turns slightly. First they had to disconnect about six different high-tension wires. But the insulator-connectors were all rusty and they ended up smashing them. Then they dug around the base of the pole and started pulling the pole down. Then they had to fill the hole back up. I don’t know how many hours it took. Then we took the ropes and all ran to the opposite side of the street to make Her turn. Somehow she just made it.
Then I went back to Jagannatha. Suddenly one panda walked up and handed me a handful of Tulasi prasad. Instead of asking for money as usual, he started saying repeatedly, “I see you speaking Hindi Krishna, I see you speaking Hindi Krishna!” He didn’t want any money, he was just showing his appreciation that I spoke in Hindi at the pandal.
When Jagannatha got to the same turn, He was right up against the curb. There were two of those typical wooden shops on stilts right on the turn and it’s obvious that He’s going to hit them. So they put ropes around the top and pulling from behind and pushing from the front–kabaam–the shop goes over on its back. Then they did the other one.
I was thinking that I would pull Lord Jagannatha a couple of times and then go down to the King’s palace. From the roof I can watch a special Laksmi Lila that takes place when Jagannatha reaches there. Well, after we pulled Him around the turn and stop, the next time we pulled they never stopped Him. For about two Kilometers, we pulled Him non-stop. When He drifted to the right, we all went left. When he went straight, we went straight. When he drifted to the left, we all went right. Back and forth all the way down to the King’s palace.
It was glorious. I became hoarse shouting Jagannatha Swami Ki. I thought they were going to stop any time and if I stop chanting everyone starts yelling to start again. They love it. Risking tripping and being crushed, I couldn’t resist turning to watch Him so gloriously and happily laughing at everyone with His two lotus eyes.
When we got to the King’s palace, there was no question of going inside to go on the roof. The crowd was thick and there were police with ropes holding everyone back. Then the King came out and walked behind an elephant up to the mandir. He returns with some priests who carry a Deity of Laksmi that appears to be made out of silver in a royal palanquin.
She then scolds Lord Jagannatha, “You stayed away for so long! You didn’t come back when I went to call You! You were staying there in Vrindavan with some other woman, Radharani! I’m locking the door to Vaikuntha and You can’t come in!!!”
Then she goes back to the temple and locks the gate. This Rathayatra is more involved than we think. After the cart moved to join the others outside the temple, the Italian devotees called me inside the palace to get relief from the crowd that almost crushed me.
Everyone started talking about how tonight the Deities will wear Their solid gold sringar, Sonar Vesh. Like everything else, I know it’s going to be late. It’s so crowded I decide to walk back to our place by a short cut I’ve seen the devotees take. I make a wrong turn and end up coming down some old unpaved road that comes to our place by the back way through the jungle. I’ve been on my feet all day. Besides by the humidity I’ve got a terrible rash between my legs. I felt I’m going to collapse before I reach.
Dhruva had told me that the time he had seen the Sonar Vesh, it was 11 at night. The way things are going I know it’d be after midnight. I’m trying to think what to do. I have no strength left to walk down to where I can catch a rickshaw and my feet are finished. Even if by chance a rickshaw comes by our place, what am I going to do? Where will I stay until God knows when they’ll have the darshan? If I go to sleep, I know I’ll never wake up. If I do wake up, then at that hour where am I going to find a rickshaw? I’m totally bewildered. I just started praying to Lord Jagannatha that now I’m helpless, only You can help me.
About 9:30, one devotee named Damodara Swarup shows up at the temple with a rickshaw. He’s looking for Mayapura Chandra who’s not around. He’s originally a Puri brahmana, initiated in Gaudiya Math. He was temple president of ISKCON Patna, Bihar for many years. Now I know that Jagannatha has heard my prayer. Damodara has relatives all over Puri. We can stay at anyone’s house and then go see the Sonar Vesh. I put my proposal to him and he agrees.
About 10:30 we go down to see if anyone has an idea what time the darshan will be. They’ve barely started dressing the Lord when we reach. A sizable crowd are sitting or sleeping all over the road waiting. So sure enough, just down the road two blocks from the temple he has an aunt. We take a couple of straw mats to the roof, but we never sleep as we talk like two kids all night.
About 1:00 AM, the noise over the loud speaker becomes very loud. On asking, Damodara tells me that they’re saying take darshan and keep moving. I tell him that means it must be a heavy crowd. So lets wait till 2:00. So we talk for another hour. Then we climb down and wake up his aunt to lock the door after us. We head down the street.
Most of the crowd has dispersed but still a lot of people are there. A wonderful cool breeze is blowing. They have the crowd coming up from behind Lord Jagannatha, going around in front of the raths and then going back behind Lord Balarama. Now the Sonar Vesh means that Lord Jagannatha has solid gold hands. Each hand weighs twenty-five kilos (55 lbs.) of solid gold! He’s holding a golden chakra and conch. He also has solid gold feet! Solid gold crown that looks like the one he wears on Rathayatra day. Gold earrings, gold necklace, and thick gold belt complete the outfit. It is fabulous! Subhadra has gold feet, gold crown, gold belt, gold necklace and earrings. Then we pass in front of Lord Balarama. In His gold hands He has His plow and His Musal, as well as feet and everything else.
We come around the side of Lord Balarama to go back down the street. Apparently some guy in the crowd took advantage of the crush and pinched some lady. The gallant police beat the hell out of him with their sticks. They’ve been going crazy for two days trying to manage an unmanageable crowd. This is a great opportunity to let off some steam and tension. We cut across and go back to the going line to take another darshan, and then a third time. Then Damodara puts me on a rickshaw and sends me off to bed. Jagannatha Swami ki Jaya!