When the Lord Himself Performs Shraddha – The Living Tradition of Funeral Offerings at Puri Jagannath Temple

 Four Parents, One Lord: The Profound Shraddha Tradition of Jagannath Puri

In the ancient and sacred city of Puri in Odisha, where the waves of the Bay of Bengal echo the chants of devotees, stands one of the most revered shrines in all of Bharatavarsha — the temple of Jagannath, the Lord of the Universe. Within this living temple, which has been a centre of devotion and dharmic practice for millennia, there exists a tradition so profound and so human in its emotional depth that it continues to move and instruct every generation that encounters it. This is the tradition of Shraddha — the ritual offering of funeral rites — performed by Jagannath Himself for not one, but four parents: His biological parents Vasudeva and Devaki, and His foster parents Nanda and Yashoda.

Krishna and His Four Parents: The Divine Context

The story of Krishna's birth and childhood is among the most cherished in all of Hindu sacred history. Born to Vasudeva and Devaki in the prison of the tyrant Kamsa in Mathura, the infant Krishna was secretly carried across the Yamuna river by His father on a stormy night and placed in the home of Nanda and Yashoda in Gokul. It was in Gokul and later Vrindavan that Krishna spent His early life — playing, dancing, tending cows, and filling the hearts of every resident with a love so overwhelming that the Bhagavata Purana describes it as the highest form of devotional experience.

In this sacred narrative, both sets of parents played essential roles. Vasudeva and Devaki gave Krishna life, and through their suffering and imprisonment, they demonstrated the depth of sacrifice and surrender that is central to devotion. Nanda and Yashoda gave Krishna His childhood, His nourishment, His first steps, His songs and laughter. To diminish either relationship would be to diminish the fullness of who Krishna is. The Bhagavata Purana (10th Canto, Chapters 45 and 46) beautifully recounts how Krishna, after the killing of Kamsa, went to see both His parents — first Devaki and Vasudeva, and then Nanda and Yashoda — honouring each with equal love and reverence.

The Shraddha Tradition at Jagannath Puri: A Living Practice

The Puri Jagannath temple is not merely a monument of stone and sculpture — it is a living institution, with a daily schedule of rituals, offerings, and services that have been maintained without interruption for centuries. Among the many remarkable traditions of this temple is the observance of Shraddha on behalf of Jagannath for all four of His parents: Vasudeva and Nanda, Devaki and Yashoda.

Shraddha, derived from the Sanskrit root shraddha meaning faith and sincerity, refers to the rituals performed for deceased ancestors to ensure their peace and well-being in the afterlife and to acknowledge the debt of gratitude that the living owe to those who brought them into existence. The Garuda Purana and the Dharmashastra texts elaborate extensively on the importance of Shraddha, emphasising that it is among the highest duties of a son or daughter. The Vishnu Purana similarly affirms that Shraddha performed with devotion reaches the ancestors and brings merit to the performer.

That Jagannath — who is none other than the Supreme Being, Purushottama Himself — participates in this tradition through His servitors is a statement of breathtaking theological significance. The Lord does not stand above dharma; He embodies it. He demonstrates through His own divine conduct what is expected of a devoted son. This is entirely consistent with the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita (3.21), where Krishna tells Arjuna:

"Yad yad acharati shreshthah tat tad evetaro janah. Sa yat pramanam kurute lokas tad anuvartate."

(Bhagavad Gita 3.21 — Whatever the great ones do, others follow. Whatever standard they set, the world adheres to it.)

By performing Shraddha, Jagannath sets the highest standard of filial piety for all of humanity to follow.

Both Parents Are Real: The Theology of Biological and Foster Parenthood

Perhaps one of the most powerful messages embedded in this tradition is its inclusive understanding of parenthood. Hindu dharmic thought has always recognised that the relationship between parent and child is not defined solely by biology. The one who feeds, protects, loves, teaches, and raises a child is as much a parent as the one who gave birth. The Manusmriti and various Dharmashastra texts speak of multiple categories of parenthood, and the tradition honours all of them.

By offering Shraddha to both Vasudeva-Devaki and Nanda-Yashoda, the Puri tradition makes an unambiguous declaration: adoption and fostering are not lesser forms of parenthood. The woman who nursed Krishna, who wiped His tears, who tied a rope around His waist in gentle discipline — Yashoda — receives the same sacred honour as the woman who carried Him in her womb. This is not a theological afterthought; it is a deliberate and deeply compassionate message enshrined in ritual.

In the Bhagavata Purana (10.8), Yashoda's love for Krishna is described as so pure and absolute that it surpasses even the love of sages who have realised Brahman through years of austere practice. The love of a mother — whether biological or foster — is celebrated here as one of the noblest expressions of the human heart. This tradition thus carries a message that resonates powerfully across all cultures and times: every child who is raised with love has a true parent in that caregiver.

An Endorsement of Adoption: A Timeless Social Teaching

The Shraddha tradition at Puri carries an implicit but powerful endorsement of the practice of adoption. Hinduism has always recognised adoption as a sacred and honourable institution. The Manusmriti (9.168-172) discusses the adopted son (dattrima putra) as one of the twelve recognised forms of sons in ancient Hindu law, emphasising that such a son carries full rights and responsibilities within the family. The Mahabharata contains numerous instances of adoption, including Karna's adoption by Adhiratha and Radha, which shaped his identity and destiny.

That the Lord of the Universe Himself was, in a sense, a fostered child — and that His temple tradition commemorates this through the highest of all rituals, Shraddha — is a divine stamp of approval upon every act of selfless caregiving. For families that choose to adopt, for parents who raise children not born to them, the tradition of Jagannath offers a sacred affirmation: what you do is seen by God, honoured by God, and indeed, lived by God Himself.

When God Performs Rituals: A Response to Modern Skepticism

In contemporary times, there is a tendency among certain sections of society to dismiss Hindu rituals as superstition, as empty formalism, or as relics of an unenlightened past. Shraddha, in particular, has attracted such criticism — with detractors questioning the logic of feeding the departed through offerings made to Brahmins or into sacred fire. The response to this skepticism does not need to be defensive or apologetic. It needs only to point to the living tradition of Puri.

If Jagannath — who is Brahman, who is the Self of all beings, who is beyond birth and death — participates in Shraddha through the rituals of His temple, then the question is no longer about the logic of the ritual but about the humility and the faith with which it is performed. The Bhagavata Purana (1.2.6) offers a touchstone:

"Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje. Ahaituky apratihata yayatma suprasidati."

(Bhagavata Purana 1.2.6 — The supreme dharma for all of humanity is that by which love for the transcendent Lord arises, unmotivated and uninterrupted, for that alone satisfies the self completely.)

Rituals, in the Hindu understanding, are not merely social conventions. They are structured expressions of the deepest truths of existence — gratitude, continuity, love, and the recognition that we are never truly separate from those who came before us. When a son or daughter performs Shraddha, they are not merely feeding a ghost; they are acknowledging the infinite chain of life, love, and sacrifice that produced them. This understanding is not pre-modern — it is timeless.

Jagannath: The Universal Lord Who Honours the Universal Bond

Jagannath is a unique form of the Divine. His name means Lord of the Universe, and His temple at Puri is one of the four sacred dhams of Hindu pilgrimage. What is theologically striking about Jagannath is His all-inclusivity — the tradition holds that once inside the Jagannath temple complex, all distinctions of caste, community, and station are dissolved before the Lord. The famous Mahaprasad of Jagannath is offered to all without discrimination, a practice that moved the great social reformer and bhakta Ramananda Raya deeply.

It is this same spirit of radical inclusivity that animates the Shraddha tradition for four parents. Jagannath does not choose between His biological and His foster parents. He honours both, equally, with the same sacred rituals. This is a message for all of humanity: do not create hierarchies of love. Do not diminish one set of parents to elevate another. The heart is vast enough, and the dharma is clear enough, to hold all those who have loved us with equal reverence.

Modern Day Relevance: Ancient Wisdom for Contemporary Life

The lessons embedded in this tradition speak directly to the challenges and questions of modern life. In a world where millions of children are in need of homes, where the institution of adoption is still sometimes viewed with unwarranted hesitation, and where the bonds of the heart are sometimes weighed against the bonds of biology, the Puri tradition offers a luminous answer. Parenthood is love expressed in action — in feeding, sheltering, guiding, and cherishing a child. When that love is present, the relationship is sacred, whatever its origin.

Moreover, in a time when the performing of ancestral rituals is increasingly questioned or abandoned in educated households, the tradition of Jagannath's Shraddha is a reminder that gratitude to one's ancestors is not an archaic obligation but a living, meaningful expression of the Hindu understanding of time, continuity, and cosmic debt (rnanubandha). The three foundational debts recognised in Hindu thought — to the sages, to the gods, and to the ancestors (pitru rina) — are obligations that sustain the spiritual and social fabric of civilisation.

When children witness that even the Supreme Lord honours His parents through sacred ritual, the message they receive is not one of blind custom but of conscious, loving reverence. That is a message every generation needs to hear.

A Tradition That Teaches, Heals, and Elevates

The Shraddha tradition at the Puri Jagannath temple is far more than a religious ritual. It is a living philosophical statement about the nature of parenthood, the sanctity of adoption, the importance of gratitude, and the eternal relevance of dharmic practice. In honouring both Vasudeva-Devaki and Nanda-Yashoda, Jagannath tells the world that love is the true measure of every relationship, and that the sacred act of caring for a child is no less divine than the sacred act of giving birth to one.

In the words of the Taittiriya Upanishad (1.11.2), which forms the core of the ancient Vedic teaching on duty:

"Matru devo bhava. Pitru devo bhava."

(Taittiriya Upanishad 1.11.2 — May the mother be unto you as God. May the father be unto you as God.)

Jagannath, in performing Shraddha for four parents, embodies this ancient teaching completely. He is not only the Lord of the Universe — He is the ideal son, the ideal devotee, and the supreme teacher of dharma. His living tradition at Puri is a gift to the world, as fresh and as vital today as it was when it was first established.