Puri Jagannath Temple Mystery shocks the world | What is Brahma Padartha ?
The Jagannath Temple is located in Puri, Odisha (formerly Orissa) - India. The temple has idol of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra. The idols are made with wood and this is a unique temple of the country with wooden sculptures
According to Hinduism, Badrinath, Dwarka, Rameshwaram and Puri are the Char Dhams. It is believed that when Lord Vishnu settled on the four dhams, he first went to Badrinath and took a bath there, after that he went to Dwarka in Gujarat and changed clothes there. After Dwarka, he had lunch at Puri in Odisha and finally rested at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. There is a temple of Lord Shri Jagannath in Puri.
There are many such stories related to this temple, which have remained a mystery for centuries.
Heart of Krishna Still Alive and Beating ?
There is a belief associated with the temple that when Lord Krishna renounced his body and was cremated, his entire body, except a part of the body, merged into the Panchatattva. It is believed that the heart of Lord Krishna kept beating like a living human being. It is said that that heart is still safe and is inside the wooden idol of Lord Jagannath.
Idols are changed every 12 years
All the three idols of Jagannath Puri temple are changed every 12 years. New idols are installed in place of old idols. There is also an interesting anecdote related to this process of changing the idol. When the idols are replaced, the electricity is cut off in the entire city.
There is complete darkness around the temple. CRPF security is deployed outside the temple. There is a ban on the entry of anyone in the temple. Only those priests are allowed inside the temple who have to change the idols.
The priest's eyes are also blindfolded. Gloves are worn in the hands. After this, the process of changing the idols starts. Old idols are replaced by new idols, but there is one thing that never gets changed, this is the Divine substance (Brahma Padartha). The Divine substance is removed from the old idol and applied to the new idol.
Nabakalebar is the process of transferring the soul from old idols to new one. Nabakalebara is a Sanskrit word which can be split as Naba meaning New and Kalebara meaning body. That is a New Body.
Next Nabakalebar is on 17-Jul-2034 till 25-Jul-2034.
What is this Divine substance or Brahma Padartha ?
Till date, no one has any information about what this Brahma Padartha is. There are just a few stories that have been heard from the priests who changed the idol. This Brahma Padartha or Divine substance is changed every 12 years from the old idol to the new idol, but even the priest who changed the idol does not know what it is.
It is believed that if anyone sees this Brahma Padartha, then he will die.
There is an anecdote that this Brahma Padartha is always seen by connecting it with Shri Krishna. Some priests who changed the idol have told that when the Brahma Padartha is removed from the old idol and put in the new idol, then it is done with hands, at that time it seems that something is jumping in the hands, like a rabbit. There is something which feels like there is life. Because there are gloves in the hands, so much is not realized about that substance.
That is, there are definitely stories of Brahma Padartha being a living substance, but no one knows what is its reality.
Secret of the Lion Gate
Jagannath Puri Temple is on the sea shore. There is a lion gate in the temple. It is said that as long as one does not step inside the lion's door, the sound of the ocean waves is heard, but as soon as one steps inside the lion's door, the sound of the waves disappears. Similarly, as soon as the first step comes out while leaving the Singhdwar, the sound of the ocean waves starts coming again.
It is also said that before stepping into the lion's door, the smell of the pyre that is lit nearby also comes, but as soon as the step goes inside the lion's door, this smell also ends. These secrets of Singhdwar have also remained a mystery till now.
Birds not seen over the temple
Usually birds are seen sitting on the temple, mosque or any big building. But no bird was ever seen flying over the Jagannath temple. No bird was seen sitting in the temple premises. This is the reason why it is forbidden to fly airplanes and helicopters over the temple.
Mystery of the temple flag
Jagannath temple is in about four lakh square feet area. Its height is 214 feet. Usually the shadow of any building or thing or human is visible on the ground at some point of the day, but no one has ever seen the shadow of the Jagannath temple. Apart from this, there is a big mystery about the flag which is installed on the top of the temple.
There is a rule to change this flag every day. It is believed that if the flag is not changed someday, then perhaps the temple will be closed for the next 18 years. Apart from this, this flag always flies in the opposite direction of the wind.
Mystery of the Sudarshan Chakra
There is also a Sudarshan Chakra on the top of the temple. It is said that if this Sudarshan Chakra is seen from any corner of Puri, then its face is visible towards you.
Mystery of the temple kitchen
It is said that the Jagannath temple has the largest kitchen in the world. 500 cooks and 300 of their associates work in this kitchen. A secret related to this kitchen is that even if lakhs of devotees come here, there is never a shortage of prasad. But as soon as the time comes for the temple's gate to close, the prasad ends automatically. That is, the prasad here is never wasted.
Apart from this, the offerings made in the temple are made on a wooden stove. This prasad is made in seven pots. The seven pots are placed one after the other. That is, all the seven pots are kept on the stove like a ladder.
The most surprising thing is that the pots which is at the top, i.e. the seventh number pot, is first prepared (cooked) by making prasad. After this, the Prasad of the sixth, fifth, fourth, third, second and first i.e. the bottom pot is prepared.
I would recommend everyone to visit this Chardham at least once in their lifetime.