puri ratha yatra , lord jagannath biggest devotee salabega story
Who Is Salabega , How Salbeg Became A Biggest Devotee Of Jagannath : In the streets of Puri, the name of Salbeg Bhakt is taken with devotion among the great devotees. It is said that there is a tomb of Bhakt Salbeg on the way from Puri temple to Gundicha temple. The chariot of Mahaprabhu Jagannath stops in front of his tomb.
There is no end to the Leela and folklore of Lord Jagannath. Just as these stories are unlimited, the stories of his devotees are also countless. Lord Jagannath is so simple and accessible that anyone can be his devotee. This fact is also strengthened by a popular folklore, when the chariot of Mahaprabhu’s Rath Yatra stopped on the call of a devotee. The name of this great devotee was Salabega.
In the streets of Puri, the name of Salbeg Bhakt is counted amongst the great devotees. It is said that on the way from Puri temple to Gundicha temple to Gundicha temple, there is a tomb of Bhakt Salbeg. The chariot of Mahaprabhu Jagannath stops in front of his tomb. The story which is popular among the people is being presented here in the same form.
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Once upon a time, the Rath Yatra had started from the Jagannath temple. The entire sky was resonating with the chants of Jai Jagannath. There was no space to stand even a little from the temple to Gundicha Dham. This scene of Rath Yatra was worth seeing. But… what was this? The chariot had moved a little ahead from the temple when it suddenly stopped at a place. Everyone was surprised. This chariot, which was moving smoothly till now, was not moving ahead. The crowd of devotees thought that maybe he had become weak in pulling the ropes. So they pulled the chariot again with force.
But neither the chariot moved from its place nor the procession moved forward. Now whispers started rife. Some were considering it a miracle, some were surprised. The most voices were asking -has Lord Jagannath become angry? The fear in faith is much bigger than the fear of punishment. The devotees tried again and again and pulled the rope, but the chariot did not move forward. It is said that in the meantime an old man, leaning on a stick, came in front of the main chariot from the crowd and said to the devotees pulling the rope-I can try to move the chariot forward, Just listen to me. The rope pullers once saw his old and weak body, but there was some magic in his voice, which forced everyone to listen to him.
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The old man did not say anything. He just pointed ahead with his finger. There was a shrine in that direction. The old man whispered something in his ears and the eyes of the crowd lit up. Once there was a loud slogan Jai Jagannath, and Immediately after that came the voice, Jai Bhakt Salbeg. As soon as this was said, the wheels of the chariot started moving automatically and the Rath Yatra started moving with the slogans of Jai Jagannath, Jai Salbeg.
This legend is very popular in the streets of Puri in Odisha and it is said to have happened during the Mughal period. This story has spread to foreign countries by being associated with the Jagannath Rath Yatra. Every year lakhs of devotees of Jagannath reach Puri and become witnesses to the scene of how a Muslim faith has been added to a Hindu-Sanatani tradition for about 500 years? Every year the chariot definitely stops at the tomb of Salbeg Bhagat. Who is this Bhagat Salbeg?
How Salbeg became a devotee of Jagannath
In answer to this question, those who tell tell that this is the story of the time when India was ruled by the Mughals. There was a brave soldier named Salbeg in this Mughal army. Salbeg, the son of a Muslim father and a Hindu mother, had as much faith in God as he believed in Allah. Once in a war, Salbeg got a deep injury on his head. Due to being injured, he was no longer in the army. Seeing her son’s despair, Salbeg’s mother told him you should take refuge in Lord Jagannath and saying this, the mother narrated many stories of the glory of the Lord. After listening to these stories, Salbeg felt the desire to see the Lord.
With such a desire, Salbeg reached Jagannath Dham in Puri one day. When he tried to enter the temple, he was not allowed because he belonged to a different religion. He became disappointed, so the mother said that you should stay outside and chant the name of the Lord. If your devotion is true, then Jagannath himself will come to your door. He definitely comes. Salbeg kept this in mind. In this way, he built a monastery on the way of Rath Yatra and started singing Jai Jagannath’s bhajans by staying there.
It is said that seeing his devotion, Lord Jagannath appeared before him in his dream and on that very day Salbeg passed away. It is said that while leaving, Salbeg said – you did not even come to me, then Lord Jagannath said-from now on my chariot will not move forward without stopping at your door This tradition continues till date. The Rath Yatra starts and moves forward only after resting at the tomb of devotee Salbeg..
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