Count Down: Day 11 To Ratha Yatra! || Festival Event: June 26th 2025

Before the Ratha Yatra festival in Jagannath Puri, there is a very meaningful event that takes place—Gundicha Marjana. It is the day when Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu personally cleaned the Gundicha temple, the place where Lord Jagannath would later reside during His stay away from the main temple.

On this day, Mahaprabhu gathered all His devotees and went with them to the Gundicha temple, carrying brooms, water pots, and great joy in their hearts. The Lord Himself began sweeping, collecting all the dust, straw, and dirt into piles. The devotees were amazed—the Supreme Lord was cleaning with His own hands, and He was doing it with so much love and care.

Everyone followed Him, working together, fully engaged in the service. The Lord then brought water to wash the temple. The walls, floors, ceilings—everything was washed clean. Mahaprabhu even used His own cloth to wipe areas that needed more attention. He would gently correct anyone who missed a spot, not with pride, but with deep affection, teaching everyone the mood of true service.

By the end of the day, the temple was completely clean, cool, and bright. But it wasn’t just the temple that had been cleansed. In truth, everyone’s hearts were being cleaned, too.

This whole event is deeply connected to the verse from Śrī Śikṣāṣṭakam:

ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam

“Cleansing the mirror of the heart…”

Just as the temple was cleansed to receive Lord Jagannath, our hearts must also be cleansed so that the Lord may reside there. The dust in the temple represents the many unwanted things in our hearts—false pride, selfishness, envy. Mahaprabhu showed us that cleaning with our hands can lead to cleaning within, and that even the most ordinary task becomes sacred when done with love and sincerity.

Gundicha Marjana is not just a festival of cleaning—it is a festival of purification, of learning humility through service. And the most beautiful part is that the Lord Himself showed us how to do it.

So every time we pick up a broom, every time we clean something in the Lord’s service, let us remember this sweet pastime—when the Lord became a sweeper and showed the world the glory of simple, heartfelt service.

To serve on this day please visit: https://www.mayapur.com/festivals/Gundica-Marjana