suddhabhakti

  The Rath Yatra festival is one of the oldest and most popular yatra celebrated in Odisha every year. Devotees throng from far and wide to revere Mahaprabhu Jagannath’s presence amidst them. The devotees walk along the chariot and Rath yatra begins on Asadha Shukla Paksha Dwitiya tithi every year. On this day, Lord Jagannath along with his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra along with Sudarshan chakra embark on a nine-day journey to Gundicha Temple which is almost three kilometres from the Shrimandir (Main Temple). They stay there for a week and return to Srimandir on the ninth day. During these nine days, several rituals are performed. Each ritual has its significance. But there is one which portrays an almost human like relationship between Lord Jagannath and his consort Goddess Lakshmi known as ‘Hera Panchami’. This ritual is observed on the fifth day of the Rath Yatra. ‘Hera’ means to search or look for and ‘Panchami’ means fifth. The ritual signifies the longing and ...

Sri Mukunda Datta was born in the Cattagrama district, in the village of Chanhara, which is under the jurisdiction of the police station named Patiya. This village is situated ten krosas, or about twenty miles, from the home of Pundarika Vidyanidhi. In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (140) it is said: vraje sthitau gayakau yau madhukantha-madhuvratau mukunda-vasudevau tau dattau gauranga-gayakau “In Vraja there were two very nice singers named Madhukantha and Madhuvrata. They appeared in caitanya-lila as Mukunda and Vasudeva Datta, who were singers in the society of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.” When Lord Caitanya was a student, Mukunda Datta was His class friend, and they frequently engaged in logical arguments. Sometimes Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu would fight with Mukunda Datta, using tricks of logic. This is described in the Caitanya-bhagavata, Adi-lila, Chapters Eleven and Twelve. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu returned from Gaya, Mukunda Datta gave Him pleasure by reciting verses from Srimad...