Verse 2.1.199

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.1.199:

विविधा वर्धितास् तस्य मया पूजा-महोत्सवाः ।
विशेषतो महा-यात्रा द्वादशात्रापि गुण्डिचा ॥ १९९ ॥

vividhā vardhitās tasya mayā pūjā-mahotsavāḥ |
viśeṣato mahā-yātrā dvādaśātrāpi guṇḍicā || 199 ||

vividhāḥ–variegated; vardhitāḥ–increased; tasya–of Him; mayā–by me; pūjāḥ–the practices of worship; mahā-utsavāḥ–grand festivals; viśeṣataḥ–especially; mahā-yātrā–the Ratha-yātrā; dvādaśa–twelve; atra–there; api–especially; guṇḍicā–Guṇḍicā.

After becoming king, I improved the standard of Śrī Jagannāthadeva’s various festivals. Year round, twelve grand monthly festivals such as dolā-yātrā are celebrated. Among those, I especially expanded the great festival known as Guṇḍicā Mahā-yātrā (Ratha-yātrā) to a much greater extent.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)

In verses 198 and 199, Śrī Gopa-kumāra describes the result of obtaining the kingdom. He says, “After accepting the role of king, I expanded the level of Śrī Jagannāthadeva’s service and worship in all the major annual festivals, especially the twelve great monthly festivals, such as those in the month of Phālguna. These included the Dola Festival (Swing Festival), the festival of damanaka flowers, bathing Lord Jagannātha in fragrant sandalwood water for Candana-yātrā, the ceremonial bathing festival during Rāma-navamī, Ratha-yātrā (Festival of the Chariots), Herāpañcamī, Śayana-ekādaśī, Pārśva-ekādaśī, Janmāṣṭamī, Vāmanadvādaśī, Laṅkā-yātrā, Utthāna-ekādaśī, Oḍana-ṣaṣṭhī, Puṣyā (Pauṣa), Makara-saṅkrānti, Vasanta-pañcamī, as well as other great festivals.”

Gopa-kumāra says, “I made all these great festivals even more attractive so that people from the entire world would come to Puruṣottama-kṣetra (Śrī Jagannātha Purī). Among all of these festivals, I made the grand Guṇḍicā festival (Ratha-yātrā) especially opulent.” Guṇḍicā-yātrā, or Festival of Guṇḍicā, celebrates the time when Śrī Jagannātha-deva ascends His chariot with Śrī Balarāma and Śrī Subhadrā and travels to His home in the abode of Śrī Guṇḍicā. Here the term vardhitā means that among all the festivals, Gopa-kumāra made this the paramount one, making it more opulent and attractive than ever before.