# Cc. Madhya 13.8 > বলিষ্ঠ দয়িতা’গণ — যেন মত্ত হাতী । > জগন্নাথ বিজয় করায় করি’ হাতাহাতি ॥৮॥ ## Text > baliṣṭha dayitā' gaṇa-yena matta hātī > jagannātha vijaya karāya kari' hātāhāti ## Synonyms *baliṣṭha dayitā' gaṇa*—very strong *dayitās,* or carriers of Jagannātha; *yena*—as if; *matta hātī*—drunken elephants; *jagannātha*—of Lord Jagannātha; *vijaya*—departure; *karāya*—cause; *kari'*—performing; *hātāhāti*—hand to hand. ## Translation **The very strongly built dayitās [carriers of the Jagannātha Deity] were as powerful as drunken elephants. They manually carried Lord Jagannātha from the throne to the car.** ## Purport The word *dayitā* refers to one who has received the mercy of the Lord. Lord Jagannātha has a number of stalwart servants known as *dayitās.* These servants do not come from very high-caste families (*brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas* or *vaiśyas*), but because they are engaged in the service of the Lord, they have been elevated to a respected position. Thus they are known as *dayitās.* These servants of Lord Jagannātha take care of the Lord from the day of the Snāna-yātrā up to the time the Lord is carried from the throne to the Ratha car. In the *Kṣetra-māhātmya* these *dayitās* are said to come from the *śabaras,* a caste that keeps and sells pigs. However, among the *dayitās* there are also many who come from the *brāhmaṇa* caste. Those *dayitās* coming from the *brāhmaṇa* families are called *dayitā-patis,* or leaders of the *dayitās. The dayitā-patis* offer food such as sweetmeats to Lord Jagannātha during the *anavasara,* the resting period after Snāna-yātrā. They also make the early morning offering of sweetmeats daily, It is said that during the *anavasara* Lord Jagannātha suffers from fever and that the *dayitā-patis* offer Him an infusion of drugs represented by fruit juice. It is said that in the beginning Lord Jagannātha was worshiped by the *śabaras* and was known as the Deity Nīla Mādhava. Later, when the Deity was established in the temple, the Lord became known as Jagannātha. Because the Deities were taken from the *śabaras,* all the *śabara* devotees were elevated to the position of *dayitās.*