Jaya Jagannātha!

“Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kīrtana Standards,” installment 25

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From Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta we understand that during the Rathayātrā festival Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wandered from one kīrtana group to another, chanting “Jaya Jagannātha!”¹ and all the other devotees were chanting “Jaya Jagannātha!” as well.² Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta says that at the San Francisco Rathayātrā Śrīla Prabhupāda told devotees to switch the chanting from Hare Kṛṣṇa to Jaya Jagannātha.³

On November 17, 1975, on a walk on Juhu Beach, Lokanāth Swami asked Śrīla Prabhupāda about the chanting of “Jaya Jagannātha!” and Śrīla Prabhupāda answered that it was all right. Lokanāth Mahārāja writes:

He went on to say, “Anukīrtanam, to chant the Lord’s name always. So these are Lord’s names. Jagannātha is also the Lord’s name. Nityānanda is also the Lord’s name. Harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam. So harer nāma can be chanted.” Śrīla Prabhupāda explained that chanting means glorifying and asking the Lord to “please engage me.”

I wanted to be certain about what Śrīla Prabhupāda had approved, so I enquired f­rom him further, “But chanting in that particular fashion, saying ‘jaya jagannātha, jaya jagannātha’?”

“Yes, Chanting means glorifying, ‘jaya jagannātha’. Please engage me,” Śrīla Prabhupāda responded.⁴

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So it’s fine to chant “Jaya Jagannātha,” especially during the Rathayātrā festival.

Notes:

1 Cc. Madhya 13.52.

2 Cc. Madhya 14.57. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta doesn’t mention “Jaya Baladeva!” or “Jaya Subhadrā!” I have nothing to say about this.

3 Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta, Volume 4, chapter 29

4 Lokanāth Swami, In Conversation with Śrīla Prabhupāda, chapter 28, “End of Haribol! Haribol!”