Lord Jagannath and Jayadeva

There have been numerous instances where Gods incarnated on earth. Some of them have also come back to simply meet their devotees. But rarely will you find a God who has arrived to help his devotee pray to him. This story is one such surprising instance where Lord Jagannath came to help his devotee who wanted to present something to him.

Lord Jagannath with brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra; Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Jayadeva Goswami once wanted to give Jagannath his masterpiece, Gita Govinda, in the form of a robe. On the clothing, he decided to print the texts and verses of his work. The verses were decided to be woven by some weavers from the village of Kenduli. They had one condition; Jayadeva had to sing it while they weave it. Their conditions were accepted.

The work began in full swing. One day while singing, Jayadeva entered a trance of divine ecstasy. As per the condition, the weavers stopped working. Suddenly a sadhu arrived. He stated that he was the elder brother of Jayadeva and that he would sing the verses of Gita Govinda so that the weavers can continue their sacred work.

After some time Jayadeva woke up from his trance. However, his elder brother was already gone. The weavers explained the whole episode to him, and that they have weaved the verses that his elder brother sang to them.

He was stunned by the whole incident. He explained the reason for such a reaction by revealing that he had no brothers. Moreover, the only person other than him who knew the verses of Gita Govinda was Padmavati (his wife). After several thoughts and confusion, he concluded that only Lord Jagannath could know the verses of his masterpiece. They all mutually agreed that Lord Jagannath must have come as the sadhu to recite the verses.

Jayadeva was finally able to complete what he aimed for, printing the verses of his masterpiece on the robe. He eventually gifted it to the living god, and the living god accepted the gift whole heartedly. Both Jayadeva and Padmavati thanked the lord for his acceptance, most importantly for helping to make his own present. This was truly a unique and a mesmerising story in its own way.

The temple of the "living god" Jagannath; Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

The man who created Gita Govinda, Jayadeva; Image Source: Wikipedia