From
the very first time I visited Puri in Orissa, India, I had this craving in my
heart to hug Lord Jagannath…
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| Dancing girls at Rathayatra Festival |
Hundreds and thousands of pilgrims come to see Lord Jagannath every year at the Rathayatra festival, when he comes out of his temple. Everyone dances in front of his cart; many hoping for a hug. But only very, very few of his devotees get one.
What is a hug? A hug simply exists to feel a person’s love, to bring you comfort, to make your depression go away, to break the distance between you and the person you love.
I kept telling my mom how much I miss
Jagannath after our Puri parikrama, which is a 19 km pilgrimage walk around Puri, the
origin of Lord Jagannath. I’ve had this feeling since I saw Jagannath in Rajapur
temple, Bengal. The craving has been in me ever since I was a child.
In December 2012, the Puri pilgrimage influenced
me so much that this craving for a hug started to increase more and more.
Finally, One night Jagannath appeared in my
dream and made my wish come true, gave me something I was dying to get: a hug
of love from the Lord himself!
A Hug of Love
There was this one special day
that I had a sweet dream
Of my Loveliest Lord:
Like reality! it seemed.
To see his glorious form
was my longtime wish.
Now finally granted
What happiness I relish!
He gleamed with his beauty:
The Lord of The Universe just as he is!
Seeing his merciful face
my life was filled with bliss.
It was when I entered
the Puri Jagannath temple
And saw Baladev and Subadra
but no Jagannath!
Naturally, I wondered where he’d gone:
Off on a walk, maybe?
Or off to visit his bhaktas?
Nowhere could I see his lovely face.
Suddenly, I turned my face
to the right side of my bed,
And was shocked and bewildered
to see Lord Jagannath’s head!
He lay happily beside me
with his cute charming smile!
I didn’t know what to do
and was frozen for a while.
I tried to call my mother
but my voice had become lost:
Mute with excitement
I wished I could be heard at any cost.
Just then Lord Jagannath
turned his body over to me,
Looked onto my face
and hugged me tightly.
I couldn’t bear this happiness
that my wish had at last come true:
I was hugging Lord Jagannath!
All My burdens in a second away flew!
I woke up and I realized
how merciful Jagannath was.
Just as I wished to hug him
he appeared for this loving cause.
When you fully believe in the Lord
show your faith and trust.
He’ll never ever betray you
keep loving him as you must.
Just crave for his mercy
and he’ll show you the way:
He’ll appear and give his darshan
whether it’s night or day.
~
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| Photography by The Bhakti Beat |
M.G Hreenka : “I am originally from Chennai, India and am currently obtaining my bachelor degree in biomedical engineering. My parents are initiated by Jayapataka Swami, and I am also aspiring for that same shelter. I started writing poems at the age of 16. My inspiration was my mother who is also a wonderful poet. I may not be a great poet but I love writing poetry for the sake of Krishna and his devotee’s pleasure. I wish to continue writing bigger and better ones soon! Besides poetry I have a love for singing and dancing.”
~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~
Hare Krsna Mathaji. very very inspiring experience that shows how the lord is merciful. I wish one day i'll also become as pure unconditionally loving devotee of the lord like you. Jay Jagannath
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