The Parable of the Chariot

Rathe tu Vamanam drustva…

During the annual Rathayatra at Puri, commentators often mention a popular shloka: Rathe tu Vamanam drustva, Punarjanma na vidyate – Upon sighting Vamana atop His ratha, the devotee is released from the endless cycle of birth and death. She will be permanently stationed in Vishnuloka, and spared from the pain and suffering of mortal life, it is implied.

The full shloka is:

Dole tu DolaGovinda,

Chape tu Madhusudana,

Rathe tu Vamanam drustva,

Punarjanma na vidyate.

Exemption from rebirth is assured upon darshan of DolaGovinda on the swing; Madhusudana on the boat; and Vamana on the ratha. Since the shloka does not prescribe sighting of Vishnu during all the three specified festivals as essential, it is presumed that any one of the three would suffice.

Dolayatra, Chandanayatra, and Rathayatra are among the most popular of the Dwadasha Yatras, the twelve annual festivals of Srimandira, Puri. Each of the twelve lunar months of the Hindu calendar has a specific Presiding Vishnu[i]; DolaGovinda, Madhusudana, and Vamana are the Presiding Vishnus for the respective months in which Dolayatra, Chandanayatra, and Rathayatra are held.

Dolayatra is a spring festival. On Phalguna Purnima, three deities - DolaGovinda, Bhudevi, and Shreedevi – are taken to Dola Vedi, offered dry prasad, and thereafter, placed on swings festooned with flowers, and tugged gently. The Presiding Vishnu for Phalguna (Feb-Mar) is Govinda, who when put on the dola (swing) is called DolaGovinda.

Chandanayatra, held in Vaishakha (Apr-May) commences on Akshaya Trutiya, and lasts for 42 days. Madanmohan, Rama, Krishna, Bhudevi, Shreedevi, and Pancha Shivas (interestingly called Pancha Pandavas) are placed on decorated boats (chapa in Odia) and enjoy summer boating at Narendra Tank. For Vaishakha, the Presiding Vishnu is Madhusudana, the Destroyer of Madhu- a demon. Hence, Madhusudana is deemed to be on the boat though the idol is of Madanmohan. Everyone knows that Vishnu has as many as one thousand names. Call Him by whatever name, He listens.

Rathayatra is held in Ashadha (June-July), and for this month, the Presiding Vishnu is Vamana. Hence, Jagannatha atop Nandighosha is deemed to be Vamana. That is the rationale for the shloka – Rathe tu Vamanam drustva…

Vishnu in His Vamana avatar was deceptively small, but grew and grew and grew to envelope all the earth and the skies. With two steps he obtained from Bali the earth and the heaven and with the third step on Bali’s head sent him to patala.

The Vamana or Self inside the human body is capable of similar lofty expansion.

Vishnu Shodasa Nama Stotram[ii]
The Parable of the Chariot

Vishnu Shodasha Nama, the sixteen names of Vishnu, provide for remembrance of a specific Vishnu for a specific purpose or occasion. During travel or journey, Vishnu’s Vamana name is to be chanted: Gamane Vamanam …

During Rathayatra, both the deity and the devotee are on a journey; Jagannatha and the accompanying deities travel from Srimandira to Gundicha temple to Srimandira; and the devotees travel to Puri to participate in the festival.

Ratha or chariot is more than a grand vehicle for transport; it is a metaphor for the human body. The title of this piece is a quote from S. Radhakrishnan’s commentary on Katha Upanishad: Shloka - 1.3.3

aatmaanam rathinam viddhi shariram ratham eva tu

buddhim tu saarathim viddhi manah pragraham eva ca

“Know the Self as the lord of the chariot and the body as, verily, the chariot, know the intellect as the charioteer and the mind as, verily, the reins.”

(The Principal Upanishads[iii] by S. Radhakrishnan)

In Katha Upanishad, upon Nachiketa’s prayer Yama explains the mystery of Death, and inter alia about the essence of life, and Brahma and atman.

Rathayatra reminds one of the parable of the Self as the lord of the chariot. The devotees who pull the ropes may be under the illusion that they are manoeuvring the ratha; but the lord of the chariot is Vishnu or Vamana.

Human body is a chariot, and the atman, though invisible, is the lord of this chariot. He controls the intellect which reins in the five senses and guides the ratha to the destination of a fulfilled life and liberation.

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[i] Presiding Deity               Month               Period

1. Vishnu                          Caitra                  March–April

2. Madhusudana             Vaisakha             April–May

3. Trivikrama                    Jyestha               May–June

4. Vamana                        Asadha               June–July

5. Sridhara                       Sravana               July–August

6. Hrsikesa                       Bhadrapada       August–September

7. Padmanabha               Asvina                 September–October

8. Damodara                   Kartika                October–November

9. Kesava                          Margasirsa         November–December

10. Narayana                   Pausa                  December–January

11. Madhava                   Magha                January–February

12. Govinda                     Phalguna            February–March

Purusottama                   Adhika                Intercalary Month

 

[ii] Link to listen to this stotram: https://youtu.be/1-2IPRI2tqc

[iii] The book can be downloaded from: https://archive.org/details/129481965theprincipalupanishadsbysradhakrishnan/mode/2up?q=The+Principal+Upanishads+by+S.+Radhakrishnan