The Legend of Daru Brahma

Nobody knows what is ‘Brahma Pathartha’ that is transferred from the old to the new idol in the dead of the night on a pre-determined date during Nabakalebara celebrations. Legends abound and a popular one goes back to mythical past.

King Indradyumna, a devotee of Vishnu, had always had an intuitive feeling that there was a divine substance somewhere near Puri but could not find its location. Restless, the king sent courtiers in four directions in search of the mystical matter. One of them, Vidyapati, lost his way in the forest and came across a group of girls. Their head, Lalita, was the daughter of Savara tribal chief Viswavasu. Vidyapati-Lalita’s accidental encounter took the expected turn of falling in love with each other, getting married and settling down in the tribal land.

Soon, Viswavasu’s practice of getting up early in the morning and going somewhere with a basket of flowers had aroused Vidyapati’s curiosity and wanted to know what his father-in-law was up to. After initial rejection, Lalita had prevailed upon her father to take Vidyapati along with him to the secret place that he had been visiting every day without fail.

Blindfolded, the young courtier was led into a cave where Vidyapati, when the blindfold was removed, saw a dazzling light emanating from a stone casket. He immediately realized that was the divine substance his king had been looking for. He was taken back home, again, blindfolded, without giving him any clue. But Vidyapati outsmarted Viswavasu by throwing mustard seeds on the ground as he trudged along with the tribal chief. When the seeds sprouted, Vidyapati chose a full moon night and went to the cave following the seeded path, picked up the casket and carried it to his king.

He was delighted; but his problem was how to give the mysterious substance a form? According to the legend, a voice told him in his dream to go to the seashore. The next day he saw a log floating but could not drag it to the shore as it was found to be very heavy. A dejected king sat on the shore without eating food or drinking water. Later in the evening, in his stupor, the king saw an emaciated Viswavasu sitting in front of the cave from where the casket was stolen and his crying daughter.

The king, accompanied by Vidyapati, headed to the cave and convinced Viswavasu that it was God’s will to find an abode for the divine object. Once the tribal chief was convinced, the log moved ashore effortlessly.

Again, as the destiny would have it, an old man approached the king and offered his service to carve a figure out of the driftwood. His only condition was nobody should open his work room doors until he completed the task. The king agreed to the condition and provided a safe room in his palace.

Sounds had been heard for some time but later there was silence. Queen Gundicha, unable to suppress her anxiety, one day opened the doors and saw the old man in front of a half-completed image. He turned back for a fleeting second and disappeared. He was believed to be Viswakarma. What was left on the ground was an incomplete figure. An upset king was told later that was the image he should worship. It represented the state of mankind – its incompleteness.

The object in the casket brought from Viswavasu was placed in the navel region of the wooden image and worship began.

The vital question was what was it that the tribal chief and his forefathers had worshipped for generations? According to the legend, it was a handful of relics of Sri Krishna. The descendants of Viswavasu and of Vidyapati and Lalita are among the important priests of Puri temple and are called Daitapatis.

(From Sri Jagannath – Enigmatic Lord of the Universe)