Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi Come to Bhubaneswar

C hapter 11 t he G lories of B hu B aneswar

the result of visiting My kñetra.” So those who circumambulate Våndävana are supposed to visit Bhüteçvara Liìga in Mathurä at the beginning and at the end of their parikrama.

This Bhubaneswar-kñetra is also Çiva’s dhäma. It is mentioned in the Skanda Puräëa that Lord Väsudeva Kåñëa told Lord Çiva, “My kñetra is Puruñottama-kñetra and in the north of that kñetra is Ekämra Känana. I give you that very beautiful and auspicious place, which can give bhukti* and mukti. ** It will become famous as Bhubaneswar. Go and reside there and become the guard of that kñetra, as the kñetra-päla.” Thus, Lord Çiva, by the order and mercy of Janärdana, has become the kñetra-päla. Hence, Bhubaneswar is also known as ‘Hemäcala’ and ‘Svarnadé Kñetra’. In this kñetra there are crores and crores of Çivajés, koöi-liìga. There is also the añöa-tértha, the eight famous térthas. Bhubaneswar is considered superior to Väräëasé and is also dearer to Lord Çivajé.

In the Svarnadé-Mahädeva-grantha, *** we find that Vyäsadeva once came here and has described its glories. It is mentioned herein that once Devé Bhagavaté, goddess Pärvaté, heard the glories of Ekämra Känana from the lips of Lord Çiva. She came here to see this kñetra. She saw the Mahäliìga, the form of Çiva that is worshipped, which is half white and half black, sétäséta-varëa. She also offered püjä to that Mahä-liìga. One day, Devé saw hundreds of cows coming out of a nearby lake. They poured milk from their udders onto the Mahäliìga, circumambulated it and then went away.

* Bhukti: material enjoyment. ** Mukti: liberation from material attachment. *** Svarnadé-Mahädeva-grantha: a book written by Çréla Vyäsadeva glorifying Bhubaneswar.

A lwAys E mbr A c E d by K åñë A

The next day, it happened again. So, she assumed the form of a gopäliné, a cowherd girl, and followed the cows. At that time, there were two demon brothers named Kåti and Väsa, who were greatly enchanted by the beauty of Pärvaté Devé. They approached her and expressed their desire to have her as their wife. She immediately disappeared from that place. She went to Lord Çiva and told him everything. He then assumed the form of a gopa and went to the place of the Mahä-liìga. Understanding the history of these two asuras, he revealed to her that Kåti and Väsa were the sons of Drumila Räkñasa, a demon who had worshipped many demigods. The demigods had become greatly pleased and gave him the boon that his sons could not be killed by any weapon. Çivajé then said, “Now they will be killed by you, O Devé. You kill them! They cannot be killed by any weapons; therefore, I cannot kill them.” As instructed by Çivajé, Devé came again before those two demons in the form of a cowherd girl and told them, “I shall fulfill your desires, however I have one condition: I shall be the wife of whichever one of you can carry me on his head or shoulder.” Bhagavaté-devé then manifested her potency and assumed the form of Viçvambharé, viçvambharé-rüpa. She placed one foot on the shoulder of one demon and the other on the shoulder of the other, and crushed them. Viçva means universe. She expanded as Viçvambharé and crushed them.

Bindu-sarovara

After killing the two demons Kåti and Väsa, Bhagavaté-devé became very tired and was also very thirsty. She wanted water, so Çiva, with his trident, Triçüla, pierced a hilltop and a great well was created, which is known as “Çaìkara Bamph.” But Devé said, “I want water from a great sarovara, (lake), which will exist eternally.”