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Re: The religious meaning of ``Jagannatha''
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To: soc-religion-hindu@uunet.uu.net
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Subject: Re: The religious meaning of ``Jagannatha''
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From: dchakrav@netserv.unmc.edu (Dhruba Chakravarti)
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Date: 18 Jan 1996 19:10:22 -0600
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Newsgroups: soc.religion.hindu
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Organization: University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
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References: <4d72sq$8de@babbage.ece.uc.edu> <4df335$6b9@babbage.ece.uc.edu> <4dks93$khi@babbage.ece.uc.edu>
Mani Varadarajan (mani@srirangam.esd.sgi.com) wrote:
: 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.
: 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.
Dear Maniji:
Thank you for your response. From a Vaisnavic way of seeing things, you
are correct. From a puranic view, the three jobs are divided among Lords
BrahmA, Vishnu and Maheshvara, and this is the most commonly held view.
I am not questioning your views, but I find the descriptions in the Vedas
somewhat different, you might say at this time, that it is a matter of
interpretation. Let us engage in this discussion in a more detailed way,
but I do not have time just now. I will be putting forth my views soon.
At this time, I will acknowledge that you have a strong argument; that if
Jagganatha is the Purusha (one who is in the pura), and since the word Vishnu
literally means spread out inside (vish = enter), how could I insist that a
difference exists ?
With best regards,
Dhruba.
