God Jagannath

Jagannath (or Jagannatha) meaning "God of the Universe", is a deity worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists mainly in India.

Etymologically, "Jagannath" means "Master, Lord" (nātha) of the "World, Universe" (Jagata).[12] The word has Sanskrit origin, being a tatsama in Odia. It is a relational-case Tatpurusa compound word.

"Jagannātha" is a genitive tat-puruṣa-samāsa, derived from "'Jagat (a reduplicated nominal form of the verbal root √gam [to go]), meaning "[whatsoever] is moving" and nātha (Odia: ନାଥ), meaning "lord, refuge, shelter", (Odia: ଜଗତି). Jagannatha can thus also mean "He the shelter of the Revolving World"[13][14]

In the Odia language, "Jagannath" refers to multiple names, as "Jagā" (ଜଗା) or "Jagabandhu" (ଜଗବନ୍ଧୁ) ("Friend of the Universe"). Both names derive from "Jagannath". Further, on the basis of the physical appearance of the deity, names like "Kālya" (କାଳିଆ) ("The Black-coloured Lord", but which can also mean "the Timely One"), "Darubrahman" (ଦାରୁବ୍ରହ୍ମ) ("The Sacred Wood-Riddle"), "Dāruēdabatā" (ଦାରୁ ଦେବତା "The wooden god"), Chakāākhi (ଚକା ଆଖି) or "Chakānayan" (ଚକା ନୟନ "With round eyes"), "Cakāḍōḷā" (ଚକା ଡୋଳା "with round pupils") are also in vogue.[15][16][17]

Metaphysical attributes:

The image of Jagannath in the Puri Temple.
While some schools of thought consider Jagannath as an Avatar or incarnation of Vishnu, others consider him as Vishnu incarnate[20] or the Avatarī, i.e., the cause of the Avatars, and not merely an Avatar of Vishnu.[21][22] The incarnations emanate from Jagannath, who is the cause of all material creation. Therefore, Jagannath does not have any life stories and lila, in contrast to Avatars like Parshurama, Rama, Krisna etc. According to author Dipti Ray in Prataparudra Deva, the last great Suryavamsi King of Odisha.

Puranic version:
The Puranic text Purusottama Mahatmya [45] of the Skanda Purana [46] contains the Indradyumna legend and the origin of Jagannath's wooden idol at Puri.

According to the legends, in the Satya yuga, Indradyumna was a Lunar Dynasty king of Somavamsa lineage. A traveling pilgrim came before Indradyumna and described the great God Nila Madhava (Blue Vishnu) being worshipped at Nilachal (Blue Mountain) in Odra (Odisha). The pilgrim disappeared after telling the story. At the king's request, his priest and his younger brother Vidyapati went in search of the legendary divinity. Vidyapati reached the forest in Savardvipa on the banks of the river Mahanadi. The Savara king, Visvavasu, received Vidyapati and promised to show him Nila Madhava the next morning. Vidyapati did not touch food or water before seeing the Lord. Seeing the eagerness of Vidyapati, the Savara king had him bathed in Rohini-kunda and seated him under the kalpa tree. There Vidyapati saw Nila Madhava being worshipped by the Devas. Then Vidyapati returned to Avanti, the capital of King Indradyumna.

After listening to Vidyapati's account, Indradyumna set out for Nila Madhava, along with the priest, Vidyapati, and his followers. But as it turned out, Nila Madhava had disappeared on the very day that Vidyapati had returned to Malava. Upon reaching the spot, they found the god missing and the entire area covered with the golden sand of the coast. The shocked king Indradyumna was apprised of the message of Brahma by Narada: that the King must worship the deity with one thousand Asvamedha yajnas.

The divination of Nila Madhava went on:

"In this world I will not give you darshana in the form of Nila Madhava, but I will manifest in four forms: Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra, and Sudarshana chakra. Wait near Chakra tirtha, and a daru would come afloat. I will manifest in the form of a very large, fragrant, reddish log, and the signs of shankha, chakra, gada, and padma will be seen everywhere on that form. Go there. Take Me out and make four deities from that log. Then you will be able to worship Me."

Vedic origin of Jagannath
In the Rig veda,[49] there is mention of a Daru (log of wood) floating in the ocean. Vedic prayers have indicated taking shelter in the Daru.

In spite of the fact that Acharya Sayana, the noted commentator on the Vedas, has categorically interpreted the hymn with Jagannath as the daru floating at the sea shores,[50] some scholars have refuted this interpretation under the argument that the hymn deals with "Alaxmi Stava" of Arayi.

Stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharat[edit]
It has been claimed that the land by the sea shore where King Janak performed a yagna and tilled land to obtain Sita is the same as the area in which the Gundicha temple is situated in Puri.[51] In the Valmiki Ramayan it has been said[52] that Ram advised Hanuman and Vibhishan to worship Jagannath after the Treta Yuga.

The Mahabharat amply describes King Indradyumna's Ashvamedh Yagna and the advent of the four deities of the Jagannath cult.[51] It describes how the holy Indradyumna tank was formed by the trodding of ground by thousands of cows donated by Indradyumna to Brahmins. To this day the Indradyumna tank is considered holy by pilgrims.