Glories of Puri

Lord Sri Krishna smiled slightly and spoke kindly, "Listen, My dear Siva, I am giving you a very beautiful place. Live here with all your associates and followers. This place is known as Ekamraka-vana. In this idyllic surrounding you will appear and be worshipped as Kotitigesvara. This place is in every way as captivating as Varanasi. Besides, this place is also spiritually extremely elevated, but is not known to all. Today I will reveal to you the esoteric significance of this place which is so dear to Me.

On the shores of the ocean, covering a very large area is the place known as Nilacala. This is also known as Purusottama ksetra or the abode of the Supreme Person. It has a most pleasing and peaceful atmosphere. Even at the time of the cosmic annihilation, this place remains intact, unscathed. I reside eternally here, and daily receive opulent offerings of foodstuffs. Its area is spread over eighty square miles. All living entities living within this area are, by the influence of this place, possessing four-handed forms, though visible only to the demigods and their equals. The demigods glorify this place as the most auspicious of all places of pilgrimage. The act of sleeping here is equivalent to deep meditation or samadhi. Similarly, lying postures accrued the pious result of offering obeisances to the Deity. Simply walking around here is the same as circumambulation, pradiksina, and all speeches are glorification.These are all enumerated in the Vedas.

Such is the potency of this ksetra that even if one eats fish here it is the same as eating sacred vegetarian food or havisya. This place is very dear to Me, hence it is known by My name. All the residents here are My equals. It is outside the jurisdiction of Yamaraja, the guardian of death. I am the judge here who decides on the evil and pious deeds and their results.

The place I have designated as your residence lies north of My abode, Puri. Your place is, as I have described before, very beautiful and charming. Here one can very easily attain liberation and bliss.

This place will be famous as Bhuvanesvara. The glories of Jagannatha Puri greatly impressed Lord Siva He again embraced the Lord's lotus feet and began to speak, "O Lord of my life, I have one prayer. I am always so falsely proud, therefore if I remain far away from your association, it is most detrimental for me. I am yearning in my heart to stay close to you, because I can never benefit from bad association. If You consider me Your servant, then kindly allow me a place in Your own abode. After hearing the wonderful glories of your Dham from your lotus lips, I am feeling an uncontrollable urge to simply live there. Living very humbly, I want to render menial service to you. All I praynfor is just a little space in Your Dham. His voice choked with emotion, and tears coursed down his cheeks. (Caitanya –bhagavata, Antya Lila-2)

In Purusottama-ksetra Nilacala, by the shore of the salt-water ocean, the Lord of the universes (Jagannatha) is splendidly manifest in a spiritual form of wood. "On the northern shore of the ocean, in Purusottama-ksetra, the supremely blissful Personality of Godhead pretends to be made of wood."

Srila Sanatana Gosvami explains that the question may be asked: If the Lord eats the food, how is anything left? The answer is found in the word "dayaluna" (merciful). Although the Lord eats all that is offered to Him, and leaves no remnants, He mercifully makes it as full as before and then gives it to His devotees. These remnants, called mahaprasadam, should be eaten without considering who has touched them or from where they were brought.

Oh, the glory of that place! Even an ass there becomes a four-armed resident of Vaikuntha. Anyone who goes there once is never born again.

"When the demigods in heaven see that the people there are four-armed residents of Vaikuntha holding a conchshell, cakra, and lotus in their hands, again and again they faint."