The Story of Bhagavata’s Origin
Date: 10.9.22
Today marks the auspicious occasion of the birth anniversary of the great poet Atibadi Jagannath Das, which is celebrated as Bhagavata Janma Parva.
The Bhagavata holds a revered and permanent place in the hearts of the people of Odisha. In ancient Utkala, every village had a Bhagavata temple where the Bhagavata scripture was worshipped and recited. Children grew up with the Bhagavata as their primary text. It was believed that once a child could fluently recite the Bhagavata, their education was considered complete. But with changing times, these traditional systems are also evolving.
Bhagavata is not merely a scripture—it is a source of national consciousness. To earn spiritual merit by listening to the Odia Bhagavata, institutions like Bhagavata Ghars, Bhagavata Tungis, and Matha Chaupadi flourished in every village. Every evening, villagers gathered in these Bhagavata Tungis, fostering a sense of unity and collective spirit.
The lyrical beauty and poetic rhythm of the Bhagavata is one of the main reasons for its popularity. Written in “Nabākṣarī Chhanda” (a nine-syllable meter), it provides joy to both reader and listener alike.
The Bhagavata has such a deep-rooted presence in the subconscious of the Odia people that, regardless of literacy, almost every Odia can quote hundreds of verses from it as moral sayings or poetic phrases. For instance, these lines often roll off the tongue naturally:
- “Jāhāku rakhibe Ananta, ke karipāre balavanta”
(Whom Lord Ananta protects, no one can harm.) - “Amṛta vinaya bacana kahi toṣiba prāṇīmāna”
(Speak words sweet as nectar to please others.) - “Je prāṇī pare hiṃsā kare, debatā pūji se na tare”
(One who harms living beings gains no merit through worship.) - “Dhana arjana dharma kari, dharme prāpata Narahari”
(Earning wealth through righteousness pleases the Lord.) - “Martye manuṣya deha bahi, debatā haile marai”
(Even gods, when taking human form, are mortal.) - “Aneka loka yahiṁ mili, abashya upujai kali”
(Where many gather, the spirit of the age manifests.) - “Sakala tīrtha to caraṇe, Badrikā jibiki kāraṇe”
(All pilgrimages lie at your feet—what’s the need for Badrinath?) - “Sākṣāte guru je īśvara, gurunku na maṇiba nara”
(The guru is the living God; he who does not honor the guru is no man.)
The fame of the Odia Bhagavata once reached far beyond Odisha, respected even in neighboring states. However, in today’s times, its influence has diminished significantly. With the influx of new inventions and changing lifestyles, the Odia Bhagavata—Jagannath Das’s greatest gift to the Odia nation—is slowly being forgotten.
Jagannath Das’s Bhagavata is the only scripture that not only enriched the Odia people with knowledge and culture but also awakened their spiritual consciousness, shaping them into a philosophically enlightened society.
