Jagannatha and Rama

Both Jagannatha and Rama are revered gods for Hindus, but are they the same deity? This question has bothered many devotees including Gosvami Tulasidas, the Sant-Kavi who in the sixteenth century composed Ramacharitamanas, recited even today with deep devotion and love by the Hindi-speaking population.

Tulasidas once came on a pilgrimage to Sri Kshetra, Puri, and when he visited Sri Mandir, he was sorely disappointed not seeing any likeness of his dear Rama in the Daru vigraha of Jagannatha. Lord Rama, the avatar of Vishnu, was the Supreme Being for him. Rama had been so named because of his charming, captivating visage. Rama casts a magic spell, as it were, on his devotees. In Jagannatha, Tulasi could not see Rama’s strong arms stretching up to the thighs (ajanulambita); nor his fearsome bow and arrows (dhanurdhari Rama). Jagannatha had only two stumps in place of hands, so how could he hold anything at all? Rama’s beautiful eyes were lotus-shaped, kamalanayan; Jagannatha had two oversized pupils with no eyelids. No, the illiterate locals might believe Jagannatha to be the Supreme God, but he did not look like Vishnu or Rama, concluded Tulasidas.

Gosvami was an earnest devotee, and well-versed in the Vedas, Upanishads, and the puranas; yet he could not see through God’s maya and leela. Maybe, he momentarily forgot that the Vedas and the Upanishads had contemplated the Supreme Being as nirakara (formless) and nirguna (attribute-less) brahma. Only much later, the puranas had visualised the Supreme Godhood as one with four arms (Vishnu), and also with many arms, bellies, mouths, and eyes – aneka-bahudara-vaktra-netram[i] (Bhagavad-Gita: 11.16); the expansive and inclusive Hindu mind seeing no conflict or inconsistency in a Supreme Being who is simultaneously apanipada[ii], without hands and feet, which Jagannatha’s vigraha demonstrates, and a terrifying vishwaroopa with countless hands and legs.

After the darshan, as a sad and crest-fallen Tulasidas proceeded to the exit, a pilgrim rudely bumped into him nearly toppling him down, and immediately thereafter a monkey snatched his prasad, the half of the coconut he had offered to the deities.

Tulasi did not have a pleasant visit to Sri Mandira, and went to sleep a troubled and dissatisfied devotee. Rama appeared in his dream, and asked his devotee, ‘Did you have a good darshan at Sri Mandira?’ ‘O, Lord, why are you teasing me, don’t you already know?’ asked Tulasi. ‘O, dear bhakt, how could you NOT see me in Jagannatha? That’s why I had to send Vibhishana to give you a jolt of realisation, and Hanuman to snatch your prasad. Go there again tomorrow, and you will see better,’ said Rama and vanished.

The next day, Tulasidas went for his second darshan. After the darshan, as the overwhelmed Sant-Kavi made for the exit, tears of joy rolled down his cheeks, the pilgrim who had bumped into him the other day stood near the Simhadvara to bid him adieu with a pranam, and the monkey was grinning from ear to ear.

(Image Source: https://twitter.com/SJTA_Puri/)

Gosvami Tulasidas remembered that Rama had blessed Vibhishana with immortality and had instructed him to worship Jagannatha, the kuladevata of the Ikshvaku dynasty! (Shloka 30-Sarga-108, Uttara Kanda, Valmiki Ramayana, Gita Press).

It is believed that every day the first worship of Jagannatha is performed by Vibhishana, and his fresh flower offerings are found when the garbha griha is opened in the morning.

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[i] BHAGAVAD-GITA: CHAPTER 11 VERSE 16

अनेकबाहूदरवक्त्रनेत्रं

पश्यामि त्वां सर्वतोऽनन्तरूपम् ।

नान्तं न मध्यं न पुनस्तवादिं

पश्यामि विश्वेश्वर विश्वरूप ॥ ११-१६॥

anekabāhūdaravaktranetraṃ

paśyāmi tvāṃ sarvato’nantarūpam

nāntaṃ na madhyaṃ na punastavādiṃ

paśyāmi viśveśvara viśvarūpa

 

I see Thee of boundless form on every side, with manifold arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes; neither the end, nor the middle, nor also the beginning do I see; O, Lord of the Universe, O, Cosmic-Form.

SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA

Source: https://shlokam.org/bhagavad-gita/11-16/

[ii] Mundaka Upanishad

यत्तदद्रेश्यमग्राह्यमगोत्रमवर्ण-

मचक्षुःश्रोत्रं तदपाणिपादम् ।

नित्यं विभुं सर्वगतं सुसूक्ष्मं

तदव्ययं यद्भूतयोनिं परिपश्यन्ति धीराः ॥ ६॥

yattadadreśyamagrāhyamagotramavarṇa-

macakṣuḥśrotraṃ tadapāṇipādam .

nityaṃ vibhuṃ sarvagataṃ susūkṣmaṃ

tadavyayaṃ yadbhūtayoniṃ paripaśyanti dhīrāḥ .. 6..

By means of the Higher Knowledge the wise behold everywhere Brahman, which otherwise cannot be seen or seized, which has no root or attributes, no eyes or ears, no hands or feet; which is eternal and omnipresent, all-pervading and extremely subtle; which is imperishable and the source of all beings.

Source: https://shlokam.org/texts/mundaka-1-1-6/