- Written by Nayantara Suriya

பூரியில் விமரிசையாக நடைபெறும் ரத யாத்திரை குறித்த ஒரு கட்டுரை இது. இந்தக் கட்டுரையில் பூரி ரத யாத்திரையின் மகத்துவம், முக்கியத்துவம் குறித்து ஆன்மீக ஆய்வுக் கட்டுரையாக இதைப் படைத்துள்ளார் நயன்தாரா சூரியா.

Falling sick, taken care of and then recovering is part of our life. Whenever we fall sick, we tend to avoid meeting people, get checked by doctor, eat bland food and lots of fruits and rest to recover. Post recovery we yearn for a change of scenery and the comforting pampered environment of our maternal home or people who will give us a homely feel. Have you ever wondered if God also goes through the same cycle as we human do, the answer is yes, even God feels sick and is visited by doctor and once recovers visits his maternal aunt house. This divine act of God where he falls sick, recovers and visit his aunt’s house is celebrated as the Ratha Yatra. The Ratha Yatra started in Puri, Odisha but is celebrated across the globe.

The traditional Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra (younger sister of Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadra) and Lord Balabhadra (Balarama) is a beautiful deeply human centric tradition that intervenes the divine with everyday human experience. Just like any human who catch a fever due to bath after standing in the sun for long, Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra catch a fever due to taking bath with 108 pots of water in order to cool them down (whole summer they are standing in heat and visited by devotees) from being subjected to summer heat.

Due to this they catch a fever and are treated in the same way like us, they are checked by doctors(daitapatis) given herbal medicine and are offered bland diet of fruits and roots instead of their usual 56 dishes(bhog) for 15 days. During these 15 days they do not meet anyone. Once they recover after 15 days of confinement they embark on a Ratha Yatra to their maternal aunt’s house at Gundichapa temple, Odisha. They travel on three massive chariots dragged by millions of devotees to their aunt’s house; were they stay for 9 days to fully rejuvenate.

The lord is treated as a living breathing human family member, he falls sick to show us human vulnerability and shows us that suffering is not a weakness, by taking treatment and care he shows us that serving sick, weak and vulnerable is the highest form of devotion. The 15 days separation makes devotees yearn to see the god making the eventual reunion at the Ratha Yatra an incredible joyous occasion, showing that absences deepen love. Also, devotees who can’t visit him because of old age, sickness or different caste or for any other reason can see him during the Ratha yatra showcasing divinity belongs to everyone and Lord is coming to meet you, you just need to look up upon him with faith and love.

The lord of the universe by submitting himself to sickness, treatment and rest teaches us that no one is above the laws of nature and to accept our physical limit, illness and cycle of life with grace and humility.