Episode 18: Oh My Yantra-Deva*! Now What?
“Lord Sri Krsna encouraged Arjuna outwardly just to test Arjuna's sense of duty. It is not that Arjuna was incomplete in the sense of his duty, nor was Lord Sri Krsna unaware of Arjuna's sense of duty. But Lord Sri Krsna puts many of His pure devotees to the test just to magnify their sense of duty. The gopis were put to such tests as well. Prahlada Maharaja also was put to such a test. All pure devotees come out successful in the respective tests by the Lord.” - Srimad Bhagavat Purana Canto 1“Creation”, Chapter 7, “Son of Drona Punished”, Text 40p.
Several hours later it was starting to get dark and where the electricity was being rationed, people lit up their Coleman lanterns while the parade rolled on. It seemed we were getting close to the pandal program and I was again feeling confident that we would make it to our destination with no further incident when the cart started to make a very loud horrible sound. We slowed down and did not stop but it was quite clear that something was very wrong. The cart didn't feel like it was rolling. I knew something wasn’t right especially when we did finally come to a stop.
What could it be this time I thought with exasperation and in trepidation? Again people were yelling in all different languages and what I could understand was that something was now apparently wrong with the rear wheel on Jagannatha’s side of the cart although it looked fine to me when I examined it. Nothing was dragging and everything looked like it was in place so I called out for the crowd to pull the cart some more so I could see what the commotion was all about. When they did I learned, the 7ft tall wheel was no longer rolling but had completely locked up and was now just being dragged along the surface of the street leaving a terrible trail scratched into the tarmac like huge bear claws in raw flesh. NOT GOOD!
As others observed the same thing I did, several people suggested that if we had to we could requisition a nearby car to get the deities from where the cart had stopped to the park, which was just a few blocks away. Apparently this was now okay after delivering a six hour parade which was now three hours late at getting to the Pandal program. I felt a little solace in that fact but wasn't ready to give up so easily. It was my job to have Lord Jagannath ride into the pandal on his chariot and by golly I was going to make sure I did everything I could to try and make that happen!
I knew we couldn't just drag the cart the last few blocks in this condition and that a locked rear wheel was now a very big problem. As I diagnosed what had occurred I realized that I had provided way too small of a clearance for the wheels to rotate on the axle. After turning all day the thin film of grease had literally burned off and now the inside of the steel wheel hub was ripping against the steel axle. The metal eventually built up and literally locked itself in place on the inside of the wheel making it impossible to turn. What a mess. We were almost at our destination but I was determined to do something to get the cart rolling again.
I sent someone out into the city to get a container of heavy motor oil. I had a plan but had no idea if it would work considering the extent of the damage that had been done. It seemed that I had hardly made my request before someone thrust a new quart can of oil in my hands as if it had literally dropped out of the skies as soon as I had requested it. I then coordinated an effort with the tow-truck driver and everyone holding the ropes to push the cart backwards a bit to dislodge the jam. Fortunately that appeared to work, although I am sure those who weren't in that immediate area couldn't begin to phantom why we were pushing the cart in reverse.
As it rolled backward I poured the can of oil we had punched open with a screwdriver all over the axle on both sides of hub while it turned. I then did the same thing to the other rear wheel as a preventative measure. After there was oil everywhere I had everyone stop pushing the cart backward and prayed in my heart to Lord Jagannatha that He would allow the wheel to roll forward again so we could get Him to the park. I gave the word for everyone to now go forward and to my great relief the wheel went around once, then twice then three times and it looked like we might actually be able to get to the pandal on our own. I continued to pour the oil all over the axle periodically as we made our way to the pandal, which was now fully lit up. It was filled with more humanity than I had ever seen in one place. The kirtan was more vibrant than ever as thousands participated and the stars seemed to sparkle brighter than I ever noticed before. The hot day was starting to finally cool off and it felt like the city of Calcutta was offering me a soothing hug. Jayapataka Maharaja eventually found his way on to the stage and the crowds received him with great affection. While I sat on the cart observing the sea of humanity I felt both relieved and very blessed. We had done it. Despite all the setbacks my duty was now finally completed for the day and I would sleep very well that night.
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