प्रसादो जगदीशस्य अन्नपानादिकं च यत् ।
ब्रह्मवन्निर्विकारं हि यथा विष्णुस्तथैव तत् ॥
नरेशका हृदय जला जा रहा था। वे मन-ही मन छटपटा रहे थे। अशान्ति बढ़ती जा रही थी। बात यह थी कि वे नियमपूर्वक प्रतिदिन भोजनके पूर्व प्रभु श्रीजगन्नाथजीका प्रसाद लिया करते थे। प्रसादके बिना वे भोजनका स्पर्श भी नहीं करते थे। प्रसादमें बड़ी निष्ठा थी उनकी। किंतु उस दिन पाकशालामें पुजारीने प्रसाद नहीं दिया था । कारण यह था कि महाराज चौपड़ खेल रहे थे खेलमें तन्मय थे। उसी समय पुजारीजी भगवत्-प्रसाद लेकर पहुँचे। नरेशने चौपड़खेलते हुए प्रसादको बायें हाथसे स्पर्श कर दिया। पुजारीजीसे प्रसादका अपमान नहीं सहा गया और उस दिन उन्होंने पाकशालामें प्रसाद नहीं दिया। उन्होंने नरेशको प्रसाद देनेका अधिकारी नहीं समझा।
धार्मिक नरेश व्यथित थे । उनका हृदय बैठा जा रहा था।‘प्रसादका अपमान करनेवाला अङ्ग अनावश्यक है।’ अपनी इस धारणाके अनुसार उन्होंने अपना दाहिना हाथ अलग कर देनेका निश्चय कर लिया था ।
‘मेरे शयनकक्षमें खिड़कीसे हाथ डालकर एक प्रेत प्रतिदिन मुझे डराता है।’- नरेशने हाथ कटानेकी युक्ति सोचकर अपने मन्त्रीसे कहा’रात्रिमें आपके साथ मैं भी शयन करूँगा’ मन्त्रीने नरेशको निर्भीक रहनेका आश्वासन दिया।
दूसरे दिन प्रातः काल जब मन्त्रीको विदित हुआ कि खिड़कीसे हाथ डालकर हिलानेवाले महाराज ही थे और प्रेतके विचारसे मैंने अपनी तीक्ष्ण तलवारसे परम पुण्यात्मा नरेशका दाहिना हाथ काटकर अलग कर दिया है, तब उनके मनमें बड़ा खेद हुआ। वे पश्चात्ताप करने लगे। किंतु नरेश आनन्द- निमग्न थे। उनकी आकृतिपर हँसी खेल रही थी ।
श्रीपुजारीजीको प्रसाद लाते देखकर नरेशने दौड़करउनका स्वागत किया और प्रसादके लिये ललककर एक हाथ बढ़ाया, तो दूसरा हाथ भी निकल आया; यह पूर्व हाथकी अपेक्षा अधिक सुन्दर था। राजाके नये हाथके निकल आनेसे मन्त्री और सारी प्रजा भगवान्की जय-जयकार करने लगी।
गहत प्रसाद हाथ जमि आयौ ।
सकल पुरी जय-जय-रव छायौ ॥
श्रीजगन्नाथजीके आदेशानुसार पुजारीजीने नरेशका कटा हाथ एक खेतमें गाड़ दिया। वही दानाके पौदोंके रूपमें उग आया। ‘दाना’ भगवान्को अबतक नित्य चढ़ाया जाता है। उसकी सुगन्ध प्रभुको अत्यन्त प्रिय लगती है।
– शि0 दु0
The grace of the Lord of the universe is whatever we eat and drink.
Just as Lord Viṣṇu is transcendental, so is the Absolute Truth.
The king’s heart was burning. They were struggling in their minds. The unrest was growing. The thing was that he regularly took the offering of Lord Sri Jagannathji before meals every day. Without offerings, they would not even touch food. He had great devotion to offerings. But the priest had not offered prasad in the kitchen that day. The reason was that Maharaj Chopra was playing and was absorbed in the game. At the same time the priest arrived with the offering of the Lord. Naresh played chopad and touched Prasad with his left hand. The priest could not bear the insult of the offering and did not offer the offering in the kitchen that day. He did not consider the king entitled to offer prasad.
The religious kings were distressed. His heart was sitting. ‘The limb that insults Prasad is unnecessary. According to his belief, he had decided to separate his right hand.
‘A ghost scares me every day by putting his hand through the window in my bedroom.’ Naresh thought of a trick to cut off his hand and told his minister. ‘I will sleep with you at night.’ The minister assured Naresh to be fearless.
The next morning, when the minister learned that it was the Maharaja who had shaken his hand from the window and that I had cut off the right hand of the most pious king with my sharp sword at the thought of a ghost, he felt great sorrow. They began to repent. But the king was ecstatic. Laughter was playing on his figure.
Seeing Sri Pujariji bringing the offering, Narashne ran to welcome him and reached out one hand for the offering, and the other hand came out; It was prettier than the previous hand. The ministers and all the people began to praise the Lord as the king’s new hands came out.
Gahat Prasad hands froze.
Sakal Puri Jai-Jai-Rava Chhayo ॥
As per the order of Sri Jagannathji, the priest buried the king’s cut hand in a field. The same grain grew as plants. ‘Dana’ is still offered daily to the Lord. Its fragrance is very pleasing to the Lord.
– Shi0 Du0
