The Lord of the universe, Puri Jagannath

By Charudutta Panigrahi & Shallu Jindal

“O Sudarshana! The fiery radiance, possessing power of millions of Suns, please pull me out of my ignorance and lead me to Vaikuntha.” – Skanda Purana.

Vaikuntha is the seat of Vishnu and Sudarshan is the energy which propels us to Vaikuntha, Puri. Sudarshan is placed on Chakra Yantra at Ratnasinghasan at Vaikuntha, Puri. He is invoked by reciting the Pavamana, mantras and hymns meant for purification.

The world is nothing but name and form. Reality is Atman, Brahmn, the Supreme Universal Consciousness, which pervades the world. The whole idea is to move from name and form to absolute reality. To do this, we need to uncover the Atman which is covered by impurities such as kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya and bhaya. These should be removed through karma, bhakti and jnana yoga, thereby moving to the light within from the darkness outside. Then, the body, mind and intellect that are mortal and unreal are negated and identified with Atman, the immortal reality. Thereafter there is attainment of enlightenment.

The Sri Yantra of Sudarshan is the key to prosperity and happiness. It radiates energy for the mortal world. There are nine interlocked triangles in the Yantra which surround and spin out from the mula, centre point, the point of convergence between the physical universe and its divine source. Similarly, this is manifested in the human body which has seven energy centres, chakras, that steer life.

Chakras are energy centres in our body also called the ‘whirlpool of energy’ and are the embodiments of Sudarshan. Sudarshan has laid the blueprint for Kundalini awakening and is believed to be Jupa Shakti, “staff of power”, associated with lightning or thunderbolt, and is representative of the divine power, the shakti of purusha.

The Stambha, Jupa Shakti, Sudarshan, are usually installed at yajna salas where rituals are performed. He symbolises the cycle of birth and death and is always attached to Subhadra. Many also believe that Sudarshan is also Radha. His position is always to the left of Jagannath and during Radhashtami, Sudarshan goes on nagara-parikrama, on a city visit. The four letters ja, ga, na, tha of Jagannath encompass all – Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan. This fourfold image is known as Chaturdha Murti. Sudarshan stands for energy and agility, and hence during Rath Yatra, Sudarshan is carried to the Rath by running daitapatis, servitors, and is never ushered slowly into Rath, as is the case for the other Lords. In the Chaturdha Murti, Sudarshan also symbolises the amalgamation of both Purusha and Prakriti and so his vertical shape indicates the holistic dimension of life by enriching prana through a straight spine. During disasters like the pandemic we are currently experiencing, maintaining a straight back will reduce stress considerably.

The Skanda Purana refers to Sudarshan as the personification of Pranava Omkara, bright and all-pervading. In Puri Rath yatra, when he is seated beside Subhadra in Debadalan Chariot, Sudarshan embodies the Adya Shakti of Jagannath. He is also the conductor of energy, the Brahma Purusha in shaft form known as Chakraraj Sudarshan. He ushers in life force as an integral part of Chaturdha Murti. With the blessings of Pranava Omkara, let us straighten our backs, generate positive energy and fight the Covid-19.