Every year, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra leave the sanctum of the Jagannath Temple in Puri and travel about 3 km to the Gundicha Temple in three magnificent wooden chariots. Unlike most Hindu festivals, the deity comes out to meet devotees, symbolizing that divine grace is available to everyone regardless of caste or social status.
This year Rath Yatra festival have already started on 16th July. The Rath Yatra starts in the lunar month of Asadha, when Sun enters of the Zodiac sign of Cancer.The sign Cancer indicates the mind, mother,nurturing, emotional awakening and region containing the heart.Cancer sign is the peak of Sun’s northern journey (Uttarayan), before begining it’s southern journey (Dakshinayan) till it reaches Capricorn (Makar Sankranti).The Rath Yatra therefore symbolizes the soul turning inward toward devotion even as the Lord outwardly comes to humanity.
The return to Gundicha temple can be interpreted as the soul retuning to its spiritual origin and a temporary withdrawal from worldly identity and finally returning to the world transformed.The outward journey and return mirror the cycles of incarnation and spiritual evolution.
Every year the old chariot dies and the new one is built.Exactly like the soul taking another body.The chariot changes but the Lord remains the same.
As per Katha Upanishad, the body is the Rath, the soul its passenger, intellect as the charioteer,the mind as the reins and the senses as horses. Lord Jagannath represents Vishnu Consciousness which signifies the planet Sun or Atman.The Rath Yatra represents the journey of the Sun/Atman across the zodiac or the Kalachakra.
The Jagannath Rath Yatra is much more than a grand procession. It is a living allegory of the soul’s journey through time. The chariot represents the human body, the wheels symbolize the turning of destiny, the ropes signify the bonds of karma, and the Lord upon the chariot is the eternal Self guiding creation toward liberation. When devotees pull the Rath, they symbolically participate in the movement of the cosmos itself. The festival reminds us that while bodies, circumstances, and even civilizations change, the Divine Consciousness remains unchanged, patiently drawing every soul back toward it’s true spiritual home.
