11. King Purusottama Dev

11. King Purusottama Dev

In Indian culture, sweeping is considered to be the basest activity, an occupation of low-class persons. In Puri, however, the kings are famous for being sweepers. It is not that the kings of the Oriya gajapati-rajavamśa are low class persons. Their sweeping is glorious because it is done as service for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Jagannatha.

Famous amongst the vaişnava kings of Orissa is Gajapati Rāja Puruşottama Dev (1470-1497). King Puruşottama Dev was the son of Raja Kapilendradeva (1435-1470). At the time of their reign, Orissa extended from the Ganges river in present day Bengal south to the Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh. Śrīla Kışnadāsa Kavirāja has described that Mahārāja Puruşottama Dev brought the famous deity of Sākşi-gopāla from Vidyānagara in South India, to Cuttack in Orissa.

Once, while Mahārāja Puruşottama Dev was leading his army on a campaign to conquer the lands south of Orissa, he came to Kanchi. The king of Kanchi, Mahārāja Sallwo Narasingha, knowing Purusottama Dev to be a virtuous and powerful ruler, decided to make a truce. Desiring to bring the two royal families closer together, Sallwo Narasingha offered the hand of his daughter Śrī Padmavati Devī, in marriage to Purusottama Dev.

Purusottama Dev was agreeable to the proposal, but the marriage could not take place at that time, as he had to return quickly to Orissa to perform his traditional rites at the Ratha-yäträ festival. He invited Sallwo Narasingha Dev to visit Puri during the cart festival, and he gladly accepted. Returning to Puri, Purusottama Dev ordered his ministers to arrange that the cart festival should be particularly excellent that year, as Sallwo Narasingha Dev was coming to visit. However, Sallwo Narasingha did not come, instead, he decided to send his minister Chinnubhatta Godaranga on his behalf.

Chinnubhatta Godaranga may have been impressed with the empire of Mahārāja Purusottama Dev but he was not able to appreciate seeing the king sweeping Lord Jagannatha's cart. Thinking that such an activity was below the dignity of a ksatriya, when he returned to Kanchi he informed Sallwo Narasingha about the incident. Like his minister, Sallwo Narasingha was also unable to appreciate Purusottama Dev's humble service to the Lord of the universe. Accordingly, he sent a letter to Mahārāja Purusottama Dev regretting that it would not be possible for him to give his daughter in marriage to some one who did the work of a candala, a low class person, by sweeping at the Ratha-yäträ festival.

When he received the letter, Purusottama Dev was incensed. Not minding the affront to himself, he could not bear the insult which he felt was directed toward Lord Jagannatha. Deciding to chastise the king of Kanchi, Puruşottama Dev gathered his army and marched south. A battle was fought, but unexpectedly Mahārāja Puruşottama Dev was badly defeated. With a small group of surviving soldiers he was forced to flee back to Puri.

Despondent and morose, he was haunted by the bitter taste of defeat. Noticing a small āśrama along the way, he stopped to rest. The humble cottage belonged to the saintly Saikatacharya, a householder ascetic and a great devotee of Lord Jagannatha. Seeing the king's downcast face, Saikatacharya inquired from him as to the cause of his unhappiness. The king narrated in brief the incidents leading up to his defeat at the hands of Sallwo Narasingha. When Saikatacharya asked if Purusottama Dev had first taken permission from Lord Jagannatha before he began his campaign, the king realized his mistake. As he had been blinded by anger at the affront to his beloved Lord, in his rush to chastise the offender he had forgotten to first seek the Lord's blessings. 

According to the local tradition, when Raja Purusottama returned to Puri, he immediately went to see Lord Jagannatha. With tears rolling down his cheeks, the king prayed. "My Lord, I made a mistake by not securing Your blessings before I went to fight against the king of Kanchi, but my motivation was only to defend your honor. Sallwo Narasingha has committed a great offense by calling Your servant a candala. Why did you not come to my protection when we went to fight against him?

The doors closed and Mahārāja Purusottama slayed in the temple praying and crying to the Lord. During the last hours of the night he heard a serene voice, "Why are you so concerned over such a small matter? Go again and organize your soldiers. We two brothers will accompany you. You should leave on the auspicious day of śrī-pañcami. Do not worry, this time We will fight on your behalf."

News quickly spread in Puri that Lord Jagannatha and Balarama would accompany the soldiers. Young and old, able and sick, everyone wanted to fight in the battle alongside the Supreme Personality of Godhead. On the auspicious day of śri-paricami, the army set out. In spite of his divine experience of a few days before, the king was having some doubts. "Are Jagannatha and Balarama actually going to personally come and fight on our side? Such a thing is unheard of. I don't see them present. Did They forget? Will they actually come?"

While Purusottama Dev and his army were advancing south, some distance ahead two warriors, one on a black horse and one on a white horse, arrived at a small village near Chilika lake. Selling yogurt by the side of the road was an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannatha named Manika. Thirsty from their hot ride, the two asked her for some yogurt. When Manika requested payment, they told her that they had no money and that they were soldiers in the army of King Purusottama Dev. Giving her a jeweled ring, they told her to give it to the king when he came and that he would pay her.

A few hours later, when Purusottama Dev arrived at that spot, he found an unknown woman standing in the road waving to him. Stopping his elephant, he asked what she wanted. She explained, "Two of your soldiers came and took yogurt from me. They had no money. They gave me this ring to give you and said that you would pay. The king was astonished to see the ratnamudrika, the gem studded ring of Lord Jagannatha. Tears came to the king's eyes as he realized that Lord Jagannatha had actually come. Recognizing the lady as a great devotee, the king gave her the whole village as payment and named it after her. To this day that village is known as Manikapatna.

This time Purusottama Dev and his army had a resounding victory over the soldiers of Kanchi. Returning with the spoils of war, Raja Puruşottama brought back the worshipable deity of Sallwo Narasingha known as Bandha Ganesh, as well as the king's daughter Padmavati. Padmavati was beautiful and qualified in all respects, but remembering the affront of her father to Lord Jagannatha, Purusottama Dev refused to accept her as his wife. Instead, he placed her in the care of his closest minister and instructed him to marry her to a qualified and cultured sweeper. Almost one year passed, and the next Ratha- yätră festival arrived. After the pähandi-vijay ceremony was over and the Deities were on the carts, the king came to perform the chera pahanra, the sweeping of the Lord's cart. At that time, the king's minister came with princess Padmavati and announced to the crowd, "The king instructed me to marry this princess to a qualified and cultured sweeper. In my opinion, the king is the most cultured and qualified sweeper in the kingdom of Utkal because he sweeps for Lord Jagannatha. Therefore, I offer princess Padmavati to the king in marriage. Mahārāja Puruşottama Dev accepted Padmavati as his wife and she later gave birth to a son who became known as Mahārāja Pratāparudra, the great devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Manika receiving jewelled ring from the Lord: