Every year, the Jagannath Rath Yatra is held in Puri, Odisha, on the second day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Ashadh, attracting thousands of devotees. During this festival, Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra are placed on three grand chariots. This year, the journey will begin on July 7 at 04:26 am and conclude on July 8 at 04:59 am. Interestingly, 15 days before the commencement of this yatra, the guardian of the world, Lord Jagannath, is believed to fall ill. To understand why this happens and the mythological story behind it, Bhopal resident Astrologer Acharya Pandit Yogesh Choure provides insights.
According to mythology, Lord Jagannath had an ardent devotee named Madhav. One day when he fell ill, Lord Jagannath himself came to serve him. When the devotee asked him “Lord, why are you serving me when you can cure me too.”, the Lord said that destiny has to be endured no matter what. If you get it cut now, you will have to suffer in the next birth.
Lord Jagannath tells Madhav that the pain he is experiencing will have to be endured for 15 more days. He offers to take on Madhav’s pain, explaining that if he bears this pain, Madhav’s destiny will be destroyed. It is believed that since then, Lord Jagannath has fallen ill for 15 days once a year.
Another belief is that Lord Jagannath, along with his brother Balabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra, visits their aunt’s house by riding on a chariot. They stay at their aunt’s house for 7 days, after which they return. This tradition is carried out annually in the form of the Rath Yatra. Another mythological story recounts that once Lord Krishna, his sister Subhadra, and brother Balram visited their aunt’s house. After taking a bath there, all three siblings fell ill. A doctor was called to treat them, and they recovered after 15 days. Following their recovery, the three siblings went out to tour the city. Since then, this tradition has been performed every year.
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