When the Lord of the Universe came home.

Nilacala Nivasaya, nityaya paramatmane

Balabhadra Subhadrabhyam, Jagannathayathe Namah.

Deity worship is like an arranged marriage where once you start serving the person, you eventually fall in love with them. Though we worship Jagannatha at home when these deities who are at our temple every weekend decided to come home for a 3 week stay, there was great joy at home. The devotees who were caring for Them went on a holiday to India and wanted Them to be cared and pampered for in the interim. So, They decided to come home and I considered it our great fortune. I was hearing in a class by HH Mahanidhi Swami that attaining Sri Kshetra or Purushottam Kshetra is so rare that it is also called as Durlabh Kshetra or Krandhan Kshetra. Durlabh Kshetra because the mood of separation from the Lord/beloved is the highest emotion that one can experience and it is more profound than actually meeting the Lord. Krandhan Kshetra because its a Land of tears where the Lord as Jagannath, Vrajendranandan Krishna, cries for His devotees, the Gopis in Vrindavan longing to reunite with them on the banks of the Yamuna river. Similarly the devotees who are in separation from the Lord signified by Caitanya Mahaprabhu are also crying, longing to meet with the cowherd boy of Vrindavan who has stolen Their hearts making them distraught and sleepless.

I also realized while serving them, what it is like to be a personal servant of the Lord or the spiritual master.As they say pujari seva is like a double edged sword where while it requires utmost attention, one must not assume that the Lord or spiritual master is dependent on us. It requires sacrifice and complete submission and working in a schedule that is suitable to Them. Your time is Theirs. They invade your life sweetly and slowly that They become the center of activities and only a fool will not be willing to let Them take over.