Vaishnava-ksetra Bhubaneswar-dhama

[krsna 3]

 

 

Taken From Lectures by

 

Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja

 

We should not disrespect the demigods, they may not be the Supreme Lord, but they are still the servants of Krishna. Mahaprabhu has especially taught us this about Lord Siva, "Vaisnavanam yatha sambhu — Siva is a great vaisnava." Therefore Mahaprabhu visited Bhubaneswar and offered respects to Sivaji who is known as ‘Ksetrapala’— ‘He who guards the ksetra.’

 

In Vraja-mandala you will also find that nine Ksetrapala Mahadeva murtis are there. In Vrindavan you will find Gopeswar Mahadeva, in Kamyavana you will find Kameswar Mahadeva, and at Govardhan there is Cakreswar Mahadeva. In Nandagrama you will find Nandeswar Mahadeva, and in Mathura you will find Bhuteswar Mahadeva, Gokarneswar, Cakleswar, Brdhyeswar and Rangeswar. Besides these, there are many, many Siva temples in Mathura.

 

In the Adi Varaha Purana it is mentioned how Lord Vishnu ordered Sivaji: "In Mathura you shall become Ksetrapala to guard My ksetra. If someone pays respect to you and has your darsana then he will actually get the result of circumambulating My ksetra." Those who circumambulate Vrindavan, at the beginning and at the end of the Vrindavan parikrama, they visit Bhuteswar Siva in Mathura because; vaisnavanam yatha sambhu — ‘Siva is a great Vaisnava.’

 

Caitanya-bhagavata

 

Bhubaneswar ksetra is also Siva’s dhama. That is mentioned in the Caitanya-bhagavata. Therein Sri Vrindavan das Thakura has described Bhubaneswar.

 

When Sriman Mahaprabhu was on His way to Jagannatha Puri He passed through Bhubaneswar. He visited the Lingaraj temple because that Bhubaneswar Lingaraj is a very dear servant of Anantadeva. Caitanya-bhagavat mentions: "Sriman Mahaprabhu came to Bhubaneswar and chanted and danced before Lord Siva in the Bhubaneswar temple." So following in the footsteps of Sriman Mahaprabhu all vaisnavas came here and visited Bhubaneswar to see Lord Siva. They all chanted and danced here.

 

The Skanda Purana also mentions Bhubaneswar ksetra. Once, in Kasi, Varanasi, there was a King who was a great devotee of Lord Siva, but his desires where unfulfilled. That King underwent severe penances in order to conquer Lord Krishna. He was doing tapasya to satisfy Lord Siva with the desire to conquer Krishna.

 

Who can understand the behavior of a vaisnava? Even the demigods cannot understand it, then what to speak of the human beings? Sivaji became pleased with the King’s tapasya and told him: "All right. You go and fight against Krishna. I will follow you to support and help you." So that King started for battle, followed by Lord Siva and all his followers. Krishna, who is known as Vasudeva, Devakinandana, could understand all this. Thus He released His sudarsana cakra. Sudarsana first cut off the head of the king, and then that cakra cut off the heads of all the Siva bhaktas of Kasi. Varanasi turned into a crematorium ground with everyone dead. Lord Siva then became very angry and released his pasupata-astra. But what can the pasupata-astra do in front of Krishna's sudarsana cakra? It could not do anything, and at last Siva became frightened. He tried to run away, but where could he go? Then Siva understood, "Except for Krishna, no one can save me now." So he surrendered to the lotus feet of Krishna, Govinda, and offered many prayers. Siva said: "O Lord of my heart, I have only one prayer. I am always very puffed up and I have this great false ego. But now I have understood that I cannot leave You. I cannot stay anywhere else, so please tell me where shall I live now?"

 

This is all described in the Skanda Purana and Sri Vrindavan das Thakura has also written about it in Caitanya-bhagavata.

 

Ekamra-kanana

 

Then Lord Vasudeva says: "My ksetra is there at Purusottama Ksetra, and in the north of that ksetra is a place called ‘Ekamra-kanana.’ Ekamra-kanana, is a very auspicious place which can give one bhukti and mukti. It is a very nice and beautiful place. You will stay there and be known as ‘Bhubaneswar.’ I shall give you this Ekamra-kanana. You go and stay there and become the guard of that ksetra — ksetrapala."

 

This Bhubaneswar is known as ‘Hemacala’, and ‘Svarnadi Ksetra.’ In this place there are crores and crores, koti lingam, of Sivajis. The eight famous tirthas are also present there. It is superior to Varanasi and more dear to Lord Siva. In the Svarnadi-mahadeva-grantha it is described that once Vyasadeva came here. This Ekamra-kanana is a vaisnava ksetra, so Vyasadeva has described its glories.

 

It is mentioned that once Devi Bhagavati, Goddess Parvati, was hearing the glories of Ekamra-kanana from the lips of Lord Siva. So we know that also Bhagavati-devi came to see this ksetra. She saw the maha-linga, the form in which Siva is worshiped. That Linga has the complexion of half white and half black — sitasita varna. Devi also offered puja to that Maha-linga.

 

One day Devi saw that from a lake hundreds of cows were coming and pouring milk from their udders onto that maha-linga. They circumambulated the linga and then went away. On another day when she saw the same thing again, she assumed the form of a gopalini, a cowherd girl, and followed the cows. At that time, two demon brothers appeared, named Kriti and Vasa. They were very much enchanted by the beauty of Parvati-devi and so they approached her and expressed their desire that they wanted to have her as their wife. Bhagavati-devi disappeared from that place and went to Lord Siva where she narrated everything before her Lord. Lord Siva then assumed the form of a gopa, a cowherd boy, and went there. Lord Siva then understand the history of these two demons. Lord Siva revealed that these two demons Kriti and Vasa were the sons of a raksasa named Drumilla. Drumilla had worshiped many demigods who became pleased and gave him a boon that his two sons could not be killed by any weapon. Sivaji told her, "Now they will be killed by you, O Devi. They will not be killed by any weapons so I cannot kill them, but you will kill them." Thus getting the instruction from Sivaji, Devi in the form of a cowherd girl came before those two demons and said: "All right. I shall fulfill your desires. But I have one condition: He who can carry me on his shoulder or head, I shall become his wife." Then Bhagavati-devi manifested her potency, placing one foot on the shoulder of one demon and the other on the shoulder of the other demon, and she crushed both of them. They were killed as Bhagavati assumed the form of Visvambari, visvambari-rupa. Visva means universe. She expanded herself as Visvambari and crushed the two demons. From that day Sambhu and Devi Bhagavati have stayed in this ksetra known as Ekamra-kanana.