“There is no need for Utkal to have a leader as Lord Jagannath Himself is the leader of Utkal.” Does anybody observe these immortal lines of Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das? There is a pressing need for a government to follow the basic tenets of virtue, idealism and transparency for clean, transparent governance. This is exactly what Gopabandhu had in mind when he composed these magnificent lines of poetry. In our glorious past, the mighty Gajapati kings of Odisha felt a tremendous sense of pride to rule their kingdom as the rautas or representatives of Lord Jagannath. Pandit Gopabandhu, who had nourished an unflinching faith in the Lord of the Universe, might have spoken these words out of his all-out reverence for the religious belief in the rule of the land. Panditji exhorted his people to practice the principles of virtue, morality and self-sacrifice for the sake of the society and the country. As he believed, the people who were born in the land of Lord Jagannath would fight against the British Ruler for the freedom of their country, and after their victory, there would be good governance for the country. The true essence of Pt. Gopabandhu's words lay in the government's execution of welfare measures with humility without any trace of vain glory.
On multiple occasions, I have made visits to Shri Mandir, the grand temple of the Lord. Not very long ago, I grabbed an opportunity to visit Puri to deliver a talk on Odiyan culture and the cult of Lord Jagannath. It was organised at the conference hall of Gopabandhu Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya. For me, it was next to impossible to visit the city without a darshan of Lord Jagannath inside the temple. I happen to be an ordinary devotee of the Lord. It was under His grace alone, I could serve Him as the Law Minister for a very long stretch of thirteen years. I played a significant role in the elevation of the Jagannath Temple Administration Committee to a world class organisation through amendments in the Jagannath Temple Administration Act in 2002, 2003 and 2004. I cannot forget the kind of succour and cooperation the Gajapati Maharaja and the temple sevayats extended to me during those days. I tried my best to sort out long-standing problems through such reforms only. I believe quite strongly all problems on earth can be solved with the Lord's grace. There is no place for one's imperious and domineering whims to lord over others. That’s why Utkalamani spelt out: “There is no need for Utkal to have a leader when Lord Jagannath Himself is the leader of Utkal.”
I am at pains to point out that certain Shreemandir activities related to its puja and seva have hurt me immensely. I can say for sure that it's not just the pain or the intense mental distress that afflicts me and bleeds my heart alone, millions and millions of Jagannath devotees feel the sting of agony when they come to know about the rot in the system. Many devotees and big shots have discussed the matter with me at great length. They have asked me why I keep quiet when the system that thrived for ages has gone to dogs. As the Governor of a state I know I am bound by certain constitutional restraints and obligations. Many people from almost all walks of life as well as the media have sought my opinion on the ongoing Shreemandir Parikrama Project. I said quite candidly that I have no objection to the Project but they should keep in mind the importance of the history and culture surrounding the great temple. The heredity, culture, tradition associated with the temple outside the grand wall (Meghanad Pachery) should be properly preserved. Millions of devotees from across the world come to visit the temple and feel greatly fortunate to have a darshan of Lord Jagannath. Why should one object for some people, if after the darshan of Lord Jagannath they would like to see the parikrama project. There should be no hindrance for a devotee for the darshan of his Lord and derive inner peace and joy out of a hassle-free darshan of the Lord.
Most often the media highlights how the temple rituals are not being performed as per routine, forcing the devotees to face untold hardships. Should it not require urgent and immediate intervention? If they have issues it's the duty of the temple administration and state government to address them. The sevayats have every right to protest, but they have no right to starve the Lord. It is painful that the sevayats keep Lord Jagannath hungry for hours and hours, just merely on the ground that some of their demands are not fulfilled. Do they ever imagine how their action hurts the sentiments of millions of bhaktas and the people around the world? Are those sevayats not the best among the bhaktas of the Lord, who have inherited all the religious rights to perform their divine duties? Instead of indulging in any act of nonfeasance themselves, they should rather protest against dereliction of duties by the government. Lord Jagannath happens to be the Supreme Lord of the Universe. It is the duty of the temple administration and the government to look into their genuine grievances and work towards redressal. It's high time the sevayat thought over the matter with all seriousness. Have they forgotten how they had raised arms against the Mughal invasion and did not hesitate to sacrifice their lives for the safety and security of their most beloved Lord. Even at times they found safe havens outside to hide their deities.
Therefore, they should not mind to undergo limitless pain and suffering for the sake of their Lord. Here it is not possible to go into the details of the gruesome and bloodcurdling time of our history. I would like to request my sevayat friends not to keep our Mahaprabhu starving in such a manner. If they follow the right path, the mass of common people would bend their heads before them in appreciation of their commendable act.
Now, what is most important and painful of all is the way the devotees are made to stand for hours in the kilometres-long queues in the sun and the rain just to have a glimpse of their Lord. Earlier, I had come to know about this from the media. Now I did see it myself with my own eyes, the painful sight of devotees waiting for endless hours, on a 2-kilometre strip of road from the Market Square to the Lions Gate. Among the devotees were many old people, men and women as well as children. Unable to stand for 5/6 hours, some of them would lie down on the narrow barricaded stretch of maze-like rows. Even some of them managed to sit on the rough road of the line for their terrible tiredness which they could not tolerate any more. Do we ever realise the depth of their devotion that has driven them thousands of kilometres to see the Lord of the Universe? Have we tried to assess the extent of their discomfiture when they feel the nerve-wracking pressure to answer the call of nature? Unfortunately, there is nothing in place to cater to their urgent and pressing needs. Instead of imposing restrictions on their entry to the temple, they should open at least three gates, not just the one they are doing now, to reduce a large inflow of devotees through just the Lion gate only. There should not be any hindrance between the Bhakta and Bhagawan, thus creating an insurmountable impediment in the way of Bhakta's easeful darshan of his God. Sri Jagannath is the Lord of the Universe, He is the great Doer, He is called Patitapavan, One Who Purifies the Sinners. A devotee has every right to see his Lord; and no one can snatch away this privilege from him. Let the administration make alternative arrangements for enforcing discipline and facilitating uninterrupted and hassle-free darshan of the Lord. They can confine their construction of the project on one side of the gate and three other gates of the temple should be kept open for the devotees for getting rid of their terrific pain and agony. As an ordinary devotee of Lord Jagannath this is my sincere appeal and suggestion to the government.
By Biswabhusan Harichandan
(The writer is Governor, Chhattisgarh.)
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