nabakalebara rituals: a spiritual...

199July - 2015 # Odisha Review

Nabakalebara is a unique ritual of ancient‘Sanatana Dharma’ or Indian religioustradition. Although Srikshetra Puri is one

among the four revered Dhams of Hinduismlocated in four corners of India, this distinctiveritualistic tradition is not observed anywhere else.It is because at no other place worshipped idolsare made up of ‘daru’ or wood. As per Indianphilosophical tenets this world is manifestation of‘Sthabara and Jangama’ or ‘Chara and Achara’which denotes conglomeration of the animate andthe inanimate. Similarly the Almighty Lord alsomanifests in this world in two ways. One is asAvatar like Matsya, Kachhapa, Baraha,Nrusimha, Rama etc and the other is as ‘Arccha’

or deities meant for worship. Srimad Bhagavatamalso refers to these idols. Lord Sri Krishna tellsUddhaba- Deities are of eight types; they can bemade up of stone, wood, metals like iron, silveror gold, can be created from clay or sandal woodpaste, can be made up of sand, it can be mural orpainting, it may be idol crafted out of preciousjewel and can be the image created in one’s mind.

In ‘Agni Purana’ it is mentioned that idolscan be crafted from seven types of materialsnamely clay, wood, stone, iron, jewels, sandal andflowers. In some other scriptures process toconstruct idols from the alloy created by mixingiron with gold, silver, aluminum, brass, lead. Exceptthe idol created through mental conception all

other idols have a definite life span. Theycorrode with time. So, these idols haveto be replaced from time to time. This isNabakalebara or alteration of body.Four main idols of Sri Jagannath templeare different from idols of other temples.In other places when the idols corrodethey are completely reconstructed, butin Puri Nabakalebara rituals are onlymeant for the idols made up of ‘Daru’or wood. The core materials or ‘BrahmaPadartha’ of old wooden idols arereplaced in the new ones.

Intricate essence of philosophy ofbody and soul described in the Srimad

Nabakalebara Rituals: A Spiritual Analysis

Asit Mohanty

http://www.pdfcomplete.com/1002/2001/upgrade.htm

200 Odisha Review # July - 2015

Bhagavad Gita is the foundation of Nabakalebararitual of Sri Jagannath.

Essence of the Gita in Nabakalebara

‘Kalebara’ or body has been describedas ‘agamapayi’ or that manifests and vanishes.Body gets created and also gets destroyed. But‘Atma’ or soul remains intact as it is indestructible.It is eternal. In this context there is a much quotedsloka in second chapter of the Gita knows asSankhya Yoga, “Basamsi Jirnani …”. In 1951,Dasarathi of Sambalpur had translated thisfamous sloka in nine syllable Odia poetic rhythm,“Tejina puruna basana, pindhila parayenutana, e jirna deha chhadi dei, nutana dehadhare dehi”. When worshipped in this world as‘Devata’ Sri Jagannath as an idol is also ‘Dehi’ orholder of a body. So, Sri Jagannath also shedsoff His worn out body to take up a new one.Nabakalebara is a practical demonstration of thistheory depicted in the Gita.

Meaning of Kalebara

‘Kalebara’ means body. There areseveral other Indian synonyms for it including‘sharira’, ‘deha’ and ‘bapu’. The question isdespite availability of several words why the word‘kalebara’ has been choosen for Nabakalebararitual? Deeper etymological analysis hints that‘sharira’ denotes that which corrodes. Whichshows signs of growth or ‘upachaya’ is ‘deha’and that which is capable to sow seed of life is‘bapu’. Meaning of ‘Kalebara’ is etymologicallydifferent from these words. Experts say‘Kalebara’ word has emerged from ‘kale sukrevaram sreshtham’. Former Sanskrit Professorof Utkal University in his article in the July 2015edition of the ‘Pourusha’ has said, “That which isbest in ‘kale’ or as per essence of life is‘Kalebara’. It is a synonym of the body whichdenotes the period when ‘sukra’ or essence oflife is at its paramount state.

Indian philosophy says our body isconstructed of seven ‘dhatu’ or basic materials.‘Sukra’ is most subtle and powerful among them.‘Saptadhatu’ or seven core materials include‘rasa, asruk, mansa, meda, asthi, majja andsukra’. The body in which ‘kale’ or ‘sukra’ ispowerful and strong is ‘kalebara’. The principleof ‘Basamsi jirnani…’ of the Gita does not gowith this. It hints that ‘nabakalebara’ is a ‘leela’or play of Sri Jagannath. Idols of Sri Jagannathtemple are not reconstructed because ofdeterioration of ‘kalebara’; but through this‘leela’ the cycle of birth and death in this mortalworld are depicted. It shows that there is noreason of fear for death in this mortal world. Bodythat has manifested is sure to get destroyed. Itwill come and go. This is the verity of existence.

Basis of Daru or wooden idol

Scriptures indicate that earlier idol of SriJagannath was ‘manimayi’ or crafted out of aprecious jewel. Nilamadhav worshipped bySabara community or tribals before advent ofworship of Sri Jagannath was an idol of this kind.But historians like Satyanarayan Rajguru opinethat earlier idol of Sri Jagannath was made up ofstone. But ‘Skanda Purana’ and ‘SaralaMahabharata’ say when the idol made up ofIndranilamani (Indranila jewel) vanished, the Lordappeared in the form of divine ‘daru’ or as awooden log. New idols were prepared from thisdivine log, say these scriptures. ‘Skanda Purana’further mentions that the Lord has taken the formof ‘daru bigraha’ or wooden idol in holy andenlightening Purushottam Kshetra as part of aleela for the humans.

Chaitanya Charan Das in his translationof ‘Skanda Purana Purushottama Mahatmya’ hasdescribed the word ‘daru’ to be derived fromtwo Sanskrit roots; one is ‘daa’ and the other is‘do’. ‘Da’ means ‘darana’ or to cut and ‘do’



means to give. The Lord slashes away all oursorrows and provides infinite bliss and happiness,so He has taken the form of ‘daru bigraha’ aspart of His ‘leela’ among the humans. As part ofthis ‘leela’ He takes up new ‘kalebara’ at definiteintervals. Collection of ‘daru’ and constructionof idols are done through His subtle directives.

Thought behind Agnyamala

Rituals of Sri Jagannath’s Nabakalebarabegin with ‘Agnyamala’. As per the tradition onChaitra Shukla Dasami day of Indian calendar,four ‘agnyamala’ are received from the deitiesSri Jagannath, Sri Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra andSri Sudarshan to start the search of ‘daru’ forNabakalebara.

Senior servitor of Sri Jagannath temple,Rabindranath Pratihari in his book‘Sridarubrahmanka Agnyamala Rahasya’ haselaborated this word. According to him, thiscompound word has been formed from twoSanskrit words ‘Agnya and mala’ that have beenjoined through ‘karmadharaya samasa’. He says‘Agnya’ is ‘mala’ and ‘mala’ is ‘Agnya’. Odiadictionary ‘Purna Chandra Odia Bhasakosha’mentions- As a mark of order of any deity thegarland of flower sent to the person who will dothe job is called ‘Agnyamala’. It also meansgarland used by the deity. This garland of floweris revered as order or directive of the deity.

This ‘Agnyamala’ tradition of SriJagannath temple has scriptural and spiritual basis.It is believed that Almighty God despite being the‘kartta’ or ultimate doer is only the ‘sakshipurusha’ or witness. He is also ‘akartta’; Henever does anything but everything in this universehappens as per His directive. As ‘sakshi purusha’He only silently witnesses everything. So, He is‘Jagat Chakshu’ or eye of the universe. So, Hehas large round eyes devoid of eyelids. So, all

actions in this world are offered to Him withoutany desire for their outcome.

In the above mentioned book MrPratihari has mentioned 139 known and unknown‘agnyamala’ of Sri Jagannath temple. In theglossary of the book, he has provided a list of 39kinds of animate, inanimate and ‘chalantipratima’ or proxy-idols, who take part in variousfestivals after getting ‘Agnyamala’. As per this listthere are 27 such ‘chalanti pratima’ or proxy-idols and the number of animate and inanimateentities is eight. The person who dons the garb ofRavana for the ‘Ravana Vadha’ celebrations ofBali Sahi on Baisakha Krushna Dwitiya gets the‘agnyamala’ touched to the ‘ratnasimhasana’or altar of Sri Jagannath temple. For thecoronation ceremony or ‘abhishek utsav’ on theSri Ram Navami day, the ‘ratnapaduka’ of SriRam is provided a ‘agnyamala’. The rest sixtimes ‘agnyamala’ is given for ‘daru’ meant forNabakalebara as well as to the three chariotsmeant for annual Rathayatra. Four ‘agnyamala’are accepted by respective ‘badagrahi’ for idolsof Sri Jagannath temple on Chaitra ShuklaDasami. ‘Badagrahi’ denotes leader of a segmentor ritualistic group responsible for the particulardeity or chariot.

Analysis of agnyamala given to daru

As per the traditional rituals, after the‘madhyanha dhupa’ or food offering of mid-dayon Chaitra Shukla Dasami, servitor PatiMohapatra, who is believed to be descendant ofVidyapati collects four ‘agnyamala’ used on theidols of Sri Jagannath, Sri Balabhadra, DeviSubhadra and Sri Sudarshan. Three of these arehanded over to three respective ‘Badagrahi’ ofSri Jagannath, Sri Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra,who are Daitapati servitors. Pati Mohapatra keepsthe ‘agnyamala’ of Sri Sudarshan with him. Heserves as the ‘Badagrahi’ of Sri Sudarshan.



Most important point to note is that afteridentification of trees meant to become ‘daru’,these four ‘Agnyamala’ are offered to respectivetrees. The ‘Agnyamala’ of each idol is offered tothe tree from which the same idol is to beconstructed. It means the ‘Agnyamala’ providedto three ‘Badagrahi’ and Pati Mohapatra are notmeant for these servitors. They are for the neemtrees which are to be chosen. These four‘agnyamala’ are transported to Deuli Math atKakatpur by a bullock cart. One after another,four ‘daru vriksha’ or trees meant to be ‘daru’are chosen and respective ‘agnyamala’ are offeredto these trees. The message behind it is thatidentification and location of ‘daru vriksha’ forNabakalebara is not done by the servitors whoreceive the ‘agnyamala’ or their associates. SriJagannath chooses the ‘daru’ for His ownNabakalebara. Concerned Daita and PatiMohapatra servitors take part in this wholeprocess only as carriers or couriers of‘agnyamala’.

Chakraraj and Chakranarayana philosophy

After getting ‘agnyamala’, the team of‘darujatri’ or explorers of ‘daru’ come out ofthe temple through its Singhadwara and travel toSri Jagannath Ballav Math via the Sri Nahar orroyal abode of Gajapati Maharaja, the king ofPuri. From there they travel to Deuli Math atKakatpur. During this journey Sri Sudarshan leadsthe way. This Sudarshan is not the pole like oneworshipped on the ‘ratnasimhasana’. It is areplica of the Nilachakra placed at the top of SriJagannath temple, which is kept in the ‘baharabhandara ghara’ or outer store house of SriMandir. But spiritually both the pillar and circularforms of Sri Sudarshan are one and same. Awooden handle is attached to this circularSudarshan made up of silver. In the ‘banajaga’rituals or the process to search the ‘daru’ trees in

the woods Sri Sudarshan plays a key role likethat of Sri Nrusimha.

Apart from leading the ‘banajaga jatri’team from ‘Simhadwara’ the prime gate of templefacing east to Jagannath Ballav Math and fromthere to Deuli Math of Kakatpur Sri Sudarshanis also placed on the left side of Maa Mangaladuring ritualistic ‘majana’ or consecration of thedeity. As per directives provided by Maa Mangalathrough dreams, ‘daru’ trees with divine symbolsare selected. When a tree gets selected as ‘daru’,at first Sri Sudarshan is placed at the base of thetree. Then starts the yagna for ‘daru chhedan’or cutting of ‘daru’.

In this ‘yagnashala’ or abode of yagna,‘astra puja’ or worship of cutting tools to be usedfor cutting the ‘daru’ is performed. These cuttingtools include three axes made up of gold, silverand iron and an iron billhook. The billhook is usedfor sacrificial rituals in which a watermelon is cutdown as symbolic sacrifice and the three axesare used to cut down ‘daru’ tree. These sharptools are worshipped with ‘astra mantra’. SriSudarshan happens to be the deity of ‘astramantra’.

After completion of yagna, its Acharyastake the cutting tools to the base of the ‘daru’tree and sacrifice of the watermelon is done withchanting of Sudarshan mantra. Gold, silver andiron axes sanctified with the same mantra areused to cut down the tree. The Acharyas handover these axes to the concerned servitors, oneafter the other while chanting Sudarshan mantra.

In this process a ‘daru’ tree is cut downand after completion of this process for one, thesame process for next ‘daru’ has to be taken up.Sri Sudarshan is taken to the base of next ‘daru’tree. After cutting, the ‘daru’ logs is prepared fortransportation. It is covered up by traditional silkfabric and one after another they are carried to



Koili Baikuntha of Sri Mandir in Puri by handdragged carts. The cart carrying ‘daru’ of SriJagannath rolls to Sri Mandir in the end and it isled by Sri Sudarshan. During this journey SriSudarshan is tightly bound to the front of silk clothcovered ‘daru’ of Sri Jagannath. ‘Bahirbanajaga’or outside rituals related to Nabakalebaraconcludes when ‘daru’ of Sri Jagannath reachesKoili Baikuntha of Sri Mandir. With it SriSudarshan returns back to the store house.

This proves that Sri Sudarshan plays akey role during ‘bahirbanajaga’ of Sri Jagannathas he is considered most powerful and destroyerof evils. Sri Sudarshan is not only a weapon heldin the right hand of Sri Jagannath, he is alsoworshipped along with Sri Jagannath on the‘ratna simhasana’. Sri Sudarshan also findsplace on the top of the Sri Mandir temple in theform of Nilachakra. As per Puranic scriptures thefirst divine ‘daru’ of Sri Jagannath had floatedout at ‘Banki Muhana’ beach of Puri. A stonecarved Nilachakra is worshipped at the spot,which is known as Chakratirtha. Added to as peryoga and tantra chakras in our backbone andbrain are points of consciousness that lead toenlightenment. Sri Sudarshan represents all thechakras in our backbone, so it is worshipped ina shape of pillar rather than a chakra in the SriMandir.

Gitagovind Khandua and Sri Durga Madhav:

There is ‘shadhi bandha’ tradition formembers of ‘banajaga yatra’ before they starttheir journey in search of ‘daru’. As per it, aftergetting the ‘Agnyamala’ the three ‘badagrahi’daitapati servitors and Pati Mohapatra reach the‘anasara pindi’ through the ‘Kalahata’ door. Therethe head servitor ‘Bhitarchha Mohapatra’ ties upsilk sarees of Khandua variety used by the deitiesthat have has couplet from ‘Gitagovinda’ wovenall over it. Similar but comparably smaller

Khandua silk pieces are tied up to the heads ofother Daitapati servitors, who are members of‘banajaga yatra’. It is believed that theseKhandua silk pieces serve as their armour againstall odds during their ‘banajaga yatra’.

During the ‘majana’ rituals of MaaMangala at Kakatpur a Khandua silk is alsoplaced on the head of the deity.

These ‘Gitagovind Khanduas’ usuallycontain a couplet from third sarga (chapter) ofthe Gitagovind of Sri Jayadev of medievalbhaktiera. It is “Kansarirapi sansara basanabaddhaSrinkhala. Radhamadhaya hrudaye tayajabrjasundari”. It means, bearing the bonds of mortaldesires in the form of emotions of Sri Radha inhis heart, Sri Krishna, the enemy of a demonnamed Kamsa left behind the beautiful lasses ofGopa to depart. This sloka of the Gitagovindspeaks of importance of Sri Radha as the powerbehind power of bliss of Sri Krishna. It states SriRadha, the embodiment of emotions, who hasdedicated her life to Sri Krishna is the reasonbehind his joy and bliss. She happens to be theboundary of reasons behind his every leela andSri Krishna is always rounded up by thisboundary.

Nabakalebara is an inimitable leela of SriJagannath. Through Gitagovind Khandua and‘shadhi bandha’ tradition, powers of Krishna-Radha, Jagannath-Mangala or Durga-MadhavShakti are invoked. It is also believed that whenappeased by chanting of ‘Swapnabati Mantra’and Saptasati Chandi, Maa Mangala providesdirections to locate the ‘daru’ trees.

Mystery of Swapnabati Mantra

As per norms of Nabakalebara, Daitapatiservitors continue to chant ‘Swapnavati Mantra’108 times before their sleep at night till they findout the location of appropriate ‘daru’ tree.



Although it is commonly known as ‘SwapnavatiMantra’, it is actually ‘Swapna-manabaka Mantra.The word ‘manabaka’ means child or a persondevoid of Vedic knowledge. Its aim is to surrenderbefore the mother goddess like an innocent,ignorant and simple child and to pray Her toprovide clues to locate suitable ‘daru’ tree. Themeaning of this mantra is “O, the Lord VishnuWho rules the universe, hey omnipresent basis ofthis universe, hey Lord of all dreams, I bow downbefore you. Hey Lord of Devatas, I am takingrefuge before You; please do fulfill the wish in myheart”.

It is to be noted that Maa Mangala is alsoknown by the name ‘Swapnavati’. This namefinds place in the ‘Sri Durga Sahasra Nama’. Yetthis mantra dedicated to Lord Vishnu is named‘Swapnavati’. It is an obvious question that howcan prayers through this Mantra can please MaaMangala, so that She provides clues to locateappropriate ‘daru’ trees. This can be elaboratedwith support of seventeenth verse of ninth chapterof the Gita. In this sloka Lord Krishna says,“Pitahamasya jagato mata dhata pitamahah”.It means ‘I am the father and Mother of thisuniverse; I am the grandfather as well as theultimate doer’. So, there is no difference betweenHim and the mother goddess. So, Maa Mangalacan be appeased through prayers by Mantra ofLord Vishnu.

Writer of ‘DarubrahmankaNabakalebara’ Pandit Antaryami Mishra haspointed out that ‘Swapnavati Mantra’ is aVaishnavite Mantra. If chanted with properdedication and concentration, ‘Darubrahma’through His own shakti or power, the mothergoddess Maa Mangala, provides direction for‘daru’ in dream. Daitapati servitors of‘Darubrahma’ take up penance to find locationof ‘daru’. Realisation of equanimity between

‘Jibatma’ (microcosm) and ‘Paramatma’(macrocosm) is the goal and philosophy ofShaktitantra, which is the practical basis ofAdwaita philosophy. This is utilized during searchfor ‘mahadaru’ of ‘Darubrahma’. Maa Mangalaawakens the power of soul in them as a blessingfor the chanting of ‘Swapnavati mantra’ andpenance. Using the insight of this blessing, thepersons doing penance locate the ‘Mahadaru’.Everything happens through blessings ofcompassionate ‘Darubrahma’ and Maa Mangala.Dreams through this insight lead to realhappenings.

Idea behind Daru of Neem tree

Materials that can be used to constructdeities have been described in Varahamihir’s‘Vrihat Samhita’. In Kashyap’s ‘Shilpashatra’,‘daru’ or wood has been described as the bestmaterial to construct deities. In ‘Bhavishya Purana’use of wood has been stressed for constructingidols of Lord Suryanarayana or sun god. It hasbeen mentioned that logs of peepul, mahua,deodar, sandal, bel, khadir, anchan, neem,sriparna, jackfruit tree, arjun and raktachandan(red sandal) are most suitable to construct idols.But choice of neem tree for construction of deitiesof Sri Jagannath temple has a deeper meaning.

In ‘Bhavishya Purana’ it is mentioned‘Nimbadyah sarvavarnanam vrikshyahsadharanah smrutah’. It means an idol preparedfrom neem ‘daru’ is suitable for worshippers ofall sections of society. This is supported by dataprovided by another manuscript named ‘PratimaLakshana Soudhagama’. This manuscript says‘Nimba pradhanmetasham pratima chabinirmitou’ proclaiming that among all ‘daru’neem is the prime one. In Sri Jagannath templepersons of every social class includingdescendants of Brahmin Vidyapati, Kshatriya kingGajapati Maharaja and inheritors of tribal



Biswabashu play key role in the rituals of thedeities. So, idols are constructed from neem‘daru’ to make Them suitable for servitors andworshippers of every caste and class of society.

Significance of Triguna-Ankura

The yagna performed in the woods forcollection of ‘daru’ is ‘banajaga’. Like theyagnas of other auspicious ceremonies,‘ankuraropana’ (sowing of seedlings as a markof beginning) is also an integral part. Three earthenpots are used for it. Through prescribed rituals,four pots named ‘Sarab’ are considered abodeof Lord Shiva, four ‘Palika’ pots are dwellingplace of Lord Vishnu and four ‘Panchamukhi’ potare for Lord Brahma. In these four pots holyseedlings are sown. Three pots dedicated to eachof the deities are placed at the four doors of theyagnashala. It means at each door remains‘ankurpatra’ (pot with seedlings) of the divinetrinity. This divine trinity is considered the reasonbehind manifestation of this mortal existence ofthe universe. This also denotes the trinity of threegunas, Satwa, Rajas and Tamas.Conglomeration and equanimity of the divine trinityat the doors leads to the interior of yagnashala,where rituals for a new beginning or‘Nabakalebara’ take place. It denotes that realessence of life is beyond the trinity of deities andgunas. The real journey of birth of consciousnessstarts from the point or door step when onerealises this trinity to be manifestation of singleOmnipresence.

Union of Vishnu-Laxmi

Before fire is lighted, Acharya of theyagna uses muruja (organic colours in powderform) to draw holy designs at the base of‘yagnakunda’ (vessel of altar) and put a bed ofkusha grass over it. It is conceptualised thatgoddess Laxmi is sleeping on this kusha grassbed. Over it ‘Vaishnabagni’ or Lord Vishnu in the

form of fire is placed. This fire is considered tobe ‘virya’ or life force of Lord Vishnu. So, thisyagna denotes unity of Prakriti and Purusha,Mother Nature with the ultimate energy in theuniverse, object with the doer. It hints at themanifestation of eternal energy to a mortal formon the platform of creation.

Explaining Kushmanda (ash gourd) sacrifice

‘Purnahuti’ or final offering of this yagnais done through ‘Patala Nrusimha Mantra’. Itfollows floral offering and ‘gupta niti’ or secretrituals at the base of the ‘daru’ tree. ‘KushmandaBali’ or sacrifice of ash gourd is part of these secretrituals. It can also be termed a symbolicrepresentation of animal sacrifice. Four sticks areattached to a watermelon to make it look like astanding animal. Another small stick forms the tail.This watermelon in animal form is cut down fromthe middle by the billhook earlier consecrated with‘astramantra’. After this sacrificial offering, theinside material of the ash gourd is cut down intosmall pieces. These small pieces are mixed withblack gram and turmeric to be offered as sacrificialoffering to ‘Dashadigapala’ (protectors of tendirections) and ‘bhutas’ (spirits moving around).Higher thoughts remain hidden in this ritual.German researcher Roland Hardenberg in hisresearch document on Nabakalebara has opinedthat ‘obliteration of one existence with birth ofanother’.

Scholars have always opined thatsacrifices were symbolic representation ofsacrifice of our animosities before the deities. Ina way ash gourd represents human brain. Likethe human skull it has a hard outer covering andits inside is watery jelly like. Human brain is thebasis of all our mortal experiences, emotions andactions. Kushmanda sacrifice denotes that whenwe offer our brain or very basis of our identity toAlmighty, a new life begins.



According to Mr Hardenberg, this ashgourd sacrifice ritual can be linked to anothersecret fish sacrifice ritual that is conducted aftercompletion of construction of idols and before‘purnahuti’ by Gajapati Maharaja in the‘pratistha yagna’. This fish sacrifice or ‘matsyabali’ precedes the ‘jibanyas bidhi’ or processof invocation of life in the idols. For many thisagain seems to be a symbolic representation ofhigher yogic and tantric philosophy. Fish or‘matsya’ is one of the ‘panchamakara’ oftantra. It represents Ida and Pingala nadis insidethe backbone, which are intertwined like two slimyfishes. Sacrifice of Ida and Pingala leads wayfor appearance of Sushumna through which lifeforce can rise to the ultimate level to a new birthof consciousness. ‘Matsyabali’ represents this.

Mystery of inverse human drawing

An important ritual is conducted after‘kushmanda bali’ and before cutting of ‘daru’tree. On the trunk of the ‘daru’ tree image of aninverted human figure is drawn up. Aftercompletion of ‘pratistha yagna’, the holy ash,holy water and remnant ghee of the yagna aremassaged over the trunk of the ‘daru’ tree for itsconsecration or ‘suddha snana’. Then a whitecloth is put around the tree trunk. The ‘daru’ treeis worshipped with mantra of the deity whose idolwould be prepared from it and the ‘olata-manushya’ or inverted human figure is drawn onthe trunk. A bunch of kusha grass dipped insandalwood paste is used to draw this figure.

This inverted human figure is mentionedin the ‘Srimad Bhagabat Gita’ and‘Kathopanishad’. First sloka of fifteenth chapterof the Gita is ‘Urddhwamulamadhahshakhamashwottham prahurabyayam, chhandamsiyasya parnani yastam veda sa vedabit.’ As perDasharathi it means ‘this existence is like a Peepultree, its roots actually represent its top, its branches

are originally its base, those who know it realmasters of Vedas. ‘Kathopanishad’ also proclaims‘Urddhwamuloabakshkha esoaswothahsanatanah’. It says base of this world in the formof a Peepul tree is the abode of Brahma. He isthe apex and is indescribable. The existencecreated by Him, manifests under it.

Our body is also considered as a simileof an inverted tree or ‘olata vriksha’. Brain isaccepted as the base and our appendages asbranches. The ‘Sahasrar’ chakra at the top ofthe brain is accepted as the abode of ParamBrahma. Several immortal lyrics based on thismetaphor like ‘olata vrikshe kheluchhi….’ canbe found in ancient Odia literature.

If we analyse this inverted human imagein context of Nabakalebara, we find that the trunkof the idols are prepared from the main trunk ofthe ‘daru’ trees. Hands of respective idols arecrafted out of major branches of respective trees.Drawing of inverted human figure on the ‘daru’tree before its cutting is an effort to keep alive theawareness of common mass regarding thisspiritual concept of the Gita and the‘Kathopanishad’.

Gold, silver and iron axes

Axes made up of gold, silver and iron arecoated with ghee and honey and empoweredthrough ‘Sudarshan Mantra’ before they are usedto cut any ‘daru’ tree. Vidyapati uses gold axe,Biswabasu silver axe and Biswakarma uses ironaxe to cut the ‘daru’ tree. Professor of Sanskritdepartment of Utkal University, GopalkrushnaDash has related it with ‘Ashwamedha yagna’of Indradyumna in his article published in the July2015 issue of the Pourusha. During‘Ashwamedha yagna’ three types of queens ofthe king namely Mahishi, Babata and Paribruktipoke needles made up gold, silver and iron onthe body of the ‘yagnashwa’ or the sacrificial



horse one after the other. Mahishi uses goldneedle, Babata silver needle and Paribrukti queensuse iron needle in this particular pattern. Thispattern is repeated in case of axes made up ofgold, silver and iron to cut ‘daru’ tree. During‘Ashwamedha yagna’ the sacrificial horse iskilled while its head faces east and legs face north.Prof. Dash points out that in similar manner asper tradition the cut down ‘daru’ tree is made tofall towards east or north.

Importance of Nyasadaru

‘Nyasadaru’ (quality transmitted darupiece) is the most important aspect ofNabakalebara.

From the beginning of yagna to end of‘nyasakarma’ or transmission of qualities throughchanting of mantras all important rituals areconducted before this ‘nyasadaru’. Its‘abhisheka’ or consecration with holy water isdone with 108 pots of water by a ‘sahasradharakumbha’ (vessel with thousand holes). During this‘abhisheka’ Purushasukta for Sri Jagannath,Nilasukta or Rudradhyaya of Yajurveda for SriBalabhadra and Srisukta for Devi Subhadra ischanted. Then ‘nyasadaru’ is worshipped withNrusimha Gayatri and Mantraraj NrusimhaMantra through the method of ‘shodashaupachara’ using 16 types of holy materials. The‘nyasakarma’ or consecration work starts fromthe next day. Our various body parts are imaginedon the ‘nyasadaru’ piece and these areconsecrated with every syllable, word and stanzaof Nrusimha Mantra. Describing it JagabandhuPadhi in his book ‘Sri Purushottama Tattwa ONabakalebara’ has said “Through this Nyasadarubegets the image and qualities of Srinrusimha.These ‘nyasa’ are performed thrice for each ofthe three major deities. After this ‘Keshavadinyasa’ is done for Sri Jagannath,‘Srikanthadinyasa’ for Sri Bhalabhadra and

‘Kalanyasa’ for Devi Subhadra is performed onthe ‘nyasadaru’. It follows at least 30 kinds of‘nyasa’ process on different parts of the‘nyasadaru’. Generally ‘nyasakarma’ startsfrom fifth day of yagna and it ends on the ninthday. After ‘nyasa’, ‘prana pratistha’ orinvocation of life is done for the ‘nyasadaru’through conceptualisation of prana (breath),mansa (flesh), rakta (blood) and sense organsin the nyasadaru through ‘prana pratisthamantra’.

It is noteworthy that this ‘nyasadaru’ isritualistically divided into four parts to becomecovering of ‘Brahmakothari’ (internal chamber)of idols of Sri Jagannath, Sri Balabhadra, DeviSubhadra and Sri Sudarshan. Daitapati servitorsdrag this ‘nyasadaru’ in a small chariot aroundthe main temple structure seven times before it istaken to the ‘nirman mandap’ or place ofconstruction of deities. This is the ‘guptarathyatra’ or secret car festival of Nabakalebarayear that is conducted inside the premises of thetemple ahead of the well known annual Rathyatrafestival of Sri Jagannath. Pati and Daita servitorsare the only participants and witnesses of thisRathyatra. They beat the cymbals, hold thechhatra, chamara and drag the chariot. It is alsoquite interesting to note that the ‘nyasadaru’ ispart of the ‘daru’ tree meant to become idol ofSri Jagannath and the chariot for it is constructedas a miniature replica of Nandighosha chariot ofSri Jagannath during Rathyatra. It is alsodecorated with yellow and red cloth like theNandighosha. Although manuscripts say it shouldhave 16 wheels, this year the chariot of‘nyasadaru’ had eight wheels.

At the ‘nirman mandap’ Biswakarmaservitors divide the ‘nyasadaru’ into four partsand these are used as ‘Brahma kapata’ or doorof the chamber of Brahma in the idols. Aftertransfer of Brahma or core material from old idols



to the new idols, other aspects of the body areadded up through ‘Saptabarana vidhi’. Newidols appear for the first time before the devoteeson shukla pratipada day in Ashadha month ofIndian calendar. On the day following it, the worldfamous Rathyatra is celebrated.

‘Nyasadaru’ episode proclaims, althoughseen as four, the deities worshipped on the‘ratnasimhasana’ of the temple are originally oneand the same. The same Brahma takes shape offour different entities to be worshipped in the SriJagannath temple. It makes introspect into theconcept Omnipresence of Almighty.

Sri Yagnanrusimha and Darubigraha (idols ofdaru )

Sri Nrusimha plays a crucial role in allthe rituals of Nabakalebara. In this context wecan remember Sri Nrusimha described in thesixteenth chapter of ‘Skanda Purana’. In its earlierchapter it is mentioned that on the day of Vaisakhsukla ashtami of Indian calendar that was aThursday which coincided with emergence ofPushya constellation in the sky, first ‘daru’ orwooden idols of Sri Jagannath, Sri Balabhadra,Devi Subhadra and Sri Sudarshan had beenestablished in the temple. The eighteenth chapterof the book describes how invoked by mantrasof Lord Brahmaa, these ‘daru’ idols hadmiraculously appeared as Sri Nrusimha beforeKing Indradyumna and lord Brahmaa. Numerouseyes, ears, faces, noses, waists, appendagesappeared in this glowing image of Sri Nrusimha.It appeared as if His shine had pervaded allthrough heaven and earth. It seemed as if like the‘kalagni’ or destructive fire He was trying toengulf the whole universe. Witnessing this‘Rudrarupa’ or terrifying image, sage Naradaasked Lord Brahmaa, why has the Lord takenup this frightening appearance? When all livingbeings are worried over coming ‘pralaya’ ordissolution of this world, why has the Lord taken

up this scary image? What kind of leela of theJagatpati Hari is this?

‘Skanda Purana’ mentions the answer tothis question as words from Lord Brahmaa in ajovial way with a smile. He said, “Hey Narada,thinking it to be made up of ‘daru’ or wood,ignorant persons may neglect or disrespect this‘Brahmarupi’ (image of Brahma) deity. So, aftergetting worshipped with ‘Paramesthi mantra’the Lord has taken up this terrifying appearance.In the past with this terrifying appearance He hadkilled demon king Hiranyakashipu. This image islike the ‘kalagni’ of the colossal glowing identityof the Lord. Worship of this deity can providenirvana to people.

This description of the ‘Skanda Purana’expresses that Sri Nrusimha and Sri Jagannathare a single inseparable. Sri Nrusimha is His fierceimage while Sri Jagannath is His peaceful and calmimage. It passes on the message that everythingin this universe whether fierce or calm ismanifestation of same energy. This image of SriNrusimha described inpurana is used in traditional‘Pata Chitra’ paintings of Odisha called‘Yagnanrusimha’ with some minor changes. Thispainting is quite popular.

From beginning till end rituals related toSri Nrusimha are key elements of Nabakalebara.Even before start of ‘pratistha yagna’, SriLaxmi-Nrusimha is established on ‘chakrabjamandal’ at the Agni corner of the ‘yagnashala’.

In other words this seems to remind usthat everything in this universe whether pleasingor frightening is nothing but manifestation of theAlmighty eternal omnipresence.

Mandalas, Nidraghata and insight intoworship of Lord Jagannath

Although Sri Nrusimha gets utmostimportance during ‘Nabakalebara’ rituals,



interestingly Sri Nrusimha is not worshipped onthe ‘ratnasimhasana’ of Sri Mandir. On the‘ratnasimhasana’ Sri Jagannath is worshippedas ‘Srikrishna Govinda Gopijanaballava’ form.This leads us to importance of ‘nidraghata’ atthe ‘pratistha mandap’.

Basing on his research and collected data,Jagabandhu Padhi in his book ‘Sri PurushottamTattwa O Nabakalebara’ says, “On the first dayof ‘pratistha karma’ ritualistic mandalas aredrawn in the ‘pratistha mandap’. ‘Chakrabjamandala’ and ‘Swastik mandala’ are drawn inthe Agni corner, ‘Sarvatobhadra mandala’ and‘Nabagraha mandal’ in Aishanya corner and‘Vastu mandal’ in Nairruta corner. Sri Nrusimhaas well as other gods and goddesses areestablished on ‘Chakrabja mandala’.‘Nidraghata’ is worshipped on the ‘Swastikmandala’. ‘Snanaghata’ or pots of water to beused for ‘abhishek’ process are kept on the‘Vastu mandal’. Apart from it separatemandalas are drawn for ‘ashtadashamatrugana’ or 18 mother entities, ten ‘Digapala’or protectors of cardinal directions, ‘nabagraha’and various other deities. In the Vayu corner ofthe ‘pratistha mandap’ tools of Biswakarma orcraftsmen servitors are worshipped in the‘Ashtadalapadma mandala’. A day before startof yagna, the metal idol of Laxmi-Nrusimha isbrought from the ‘dakshini ghar’ of Sri Mandirto be established on the ‘Chakrabja mandala’.

But what is the concept behind placementof Sri Laxmi-Nrusimha on the ‘Chakrabjamandala’ and ‘Nidraghata’ in the ‘Swastikmandala’ at Agni corner of ‘pratisthamandap’? Elaborate diagrammatic description of‘Chakrabja mandala’ and ‘Ananta Chakrabjamandala’ is found in the ‘Sasutra-MandalaBaridhi’ written by pundit Artabandhu Mishra.As per it, in these two mandalas Vaishnavyagnaas well as ‘pratistha’ of ‘yupa’ or sacrificial post,

chakra and idols is held. Similarly as per it, duringthe ‘pratistha’ of deities, after the holy bath ofthe idols, all deities, chakra, trishul, and ‘yupa’are placed on the ‘Swastika mandala’. It is tobe noted that ‘pratistha’ of ‘nyasadaru’ is aprime event during ‘pratisthakarma’ of ‘daru’idols. After completion of ‘abhishek’,‘nyasadaru’ is also placed on the ‘Chakrabjamandala’ in ‘pithasana’ (erect) or ‘sayanasana’(lying position).

‘Sasutra-Mandala Baridhi’ alsoprovides details about ‘Swastik mandala’ and‘Mahaswastik mandala’. As per it, this mandalais used for slumber of deities after their ‘snana’(bath) and presentation of offerings.

Establishment of Sri Nrusimha in the‘Chakrabja mandala’ and placement of‘nyasadaru’ in the same mandala in ‘pithasana’or ‘sayanasana’ has special significance.Regarding it former Professor of Sri JagannathSanskrit University Dr Braja Kishore Swainopines “From the yagna conducted after selectionof ‘daru’ till last phase of Nabakalebara ritualsoverwhelming importance of SriNrusimha is quiteevident. Despite this worship of deities on the‘ratnasimhasana’ of Sri Mandir is worship of‘Gopijanaballava’ form. So, here Sri Nrusimha ismade ‘supta’ or inert”. Dr Swain, who has alsotranslated ‘Niladri Mahodaya’ says there is astatement in this scripture that declares at the timeneed ‘SriGopijanballava’ can be worshipped inplace of Sri Nrusimha. So, Dr Swain proclaimsthat normal worship of Sri Jagannath is worshipof ‘Supta Nrusimha’.

Understanding Achala Mahameru

In this context a question rises in mind,how can SriNrusimha in ‘supta’ state getsworshipped as ‘daru bigraha’ on the‘ratnasimhasana’? Moreover, how does SriJagannath run the whole universe at His directives



while He sits like ‘achala mahameru’ (inert butgreat mountain) on the ‘ratnabedi’?

In this context twenty first mantra ofsecond chapter of the ‘Kathopanishad’ has to betaken into account. It says “Aasino durambrajati shayano yati sarvatah, kastammadamadandebam madanyognyatumarhati”. Translating it in the first part ofhis ‘Upanishad Prakash’ Er Priyabrata Das hassaid “Although inert this Brahma reaches out tofar, makes everyone active, although in state ofinactivity He reaches everywhere”. So, in thisUpanishad the Lord of death Yamaraj had toldNachiketa that except him how can anyone realisethis blissful egoless glowing entity?

This statement of Yamaraj in the‘Kathopanishad’ hints that unless we understandand realise death we cannot realise and perceivethe real eternal omnipresent energy. Nabakalebarareminds us not to fear death and accept it withknowledge to perceive the deathless Almighty.‘Nrusingha Mantra’ also proclaims‘mrityormrutyu namamyaham’ meaning “Ibow down before annihilator of death.”

Conclusion

Analysis of rituals of ‘Nabakalebara’indicates that although worshipped as four or‘chaturddhamurtti’, They are really one.Although They are worshipped as Srinrusimha andGopijanaballava, yet Srinrusimha is ‘supta’ orinert and Gopijanaballava is being worshipped.Although made up of wood, They are not‘darubigraha’, It is ‘Darubrahma’.

While describing greatness of‘darumurtti’ or these wooden idols, LordBrahmaa had cautioned Indradyumna not to thinkThem to be just non-living idols. Similar thoughtis depicted in the third chapter of ‘MahapurushaVidya’. In it ‘Parambrahma’ has proclaimed “Iam not of Indranilamani jewel or ‘daru’; but todestroy delusions of living entities I will take upshape of these kinds and I will surely emerge as‘darumurtti’ to provide them endless bliss byexterminating their sorrows.”

So, the deities worshipped on the‘ratnasimhasana’ of Sri Mandir are not ‘darubigraha’, They are manifestat ion of‘Parambrahma’. He has taken this shape foreradication of our woes and to bless us with bliss.We all are nothing but manifestation of the sameomnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent SriJagannatha. If we consider ourselves to be living,how can we consider the deity of Sri Jagannathato be different from us? So, we should neverconsider these deities as only idols. Through theNabakalebara rituals depicting cycle of lifethrough life and death of Sri Jagannatha, we feelequanimity with the deity and eternal divinity aswe observe that when manifested in this mortalworld even deities have to go through this cycleof life.

Asit Kumar Mohanty, 4R 1/2, Unit-3, Kharavela Nagar,Bhubaneswar, Email: [email protected].


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