In the Puri Shree Jagannath Temple, the presiding deities are three siblings: Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra. On Rath Yatra day, the three siblings come out of the Shreemandir, to embark on a journey to visit their parents at the Gundicha temple, about three kilometers away. The rationale behind this is yet unclear. The temple of the two brothers and the sister is named after the consort of Lord Jagannatha, Lakshmi, who is also referred to as Shree. One often sees a picture of Vishnu, sleeping on the Shesha Naga and served by Lakshmi in the mythical Vaikuntha Dham. Jagannath represents Vishnu and Balabhadra the Shesha Naga. In the Ramayana, the three went to the forest together as Rama, Lakshmana and Sita. In the mythical Dwapara yuga, however, there is no such account of the three embarking on a journey together. In that age, Krishna represented Vishnu, except that the former married several women and loved a multitude of damsels (the gopikas). Krishna perhaps did not want to invoke the wrath of his wives by going on a journey with brother Balarama and Rukmani, considered as the incarnate of Devi Lakshmi. In Dwapara, Krishna and Balarama together undertook a journey to Mathura to kill their tyrant uncle, Kamsa. In order to justify his romance with many, Krishna revealed to Arjuna, husband of Devi Subhadra, that He represented many in One.
Om Namah Shivay.
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