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The religious meaning of ``Jagannatha''
In article <4df335$6b9@babbage.ece.uc.edu> dchakrav@netserv.unmc.edu (Dhruba Chakravarti) writes:
> Jagannatha is not a
> representation of Lord Vishnu, but simply the Lord of the World. It is a
> complex subject, and unless you really want to know, Jagannatha is
> Ishvara, and he is the creator, nourisher and destroyer of the world.
How does ``Isvara'' or ``Jagannatha'' refer to anyone
but Lord Vishnu, in a religious context? I have never
heard this particular epithet used for Siva, or any
other deity for that matter.
It is universally acknowledged that the Jagannath temple
in Puri is a Vishnu temple. Similarly, Jagannatha is a
very common Vaishnavite name, particularly in South India.
I do not believe it is common among Saivites.
If Jagannatha is Isvara, he can be none other than Lord Vishnu,
as only the latter is praised as the creator, nourisher, and
destroyer of the world in the Vedas.
Mani
