Taittiriya Samhita praises the Supreme One as abhivIrO — matchless warrior — and this can be interpreted as praise of Lord Jagannatha of Puri, said V.S. Karunakarachariar in a discourse. The Gajapathi kings of Orissa had deep bhakti towards Jagannatha. One of them spent all his time in worship of Jagannatha. So when an enemy king marched against Kalinga, the king was unprepared for war. He prayed to Jagannatha and set off to fight the enemy.
As he neared the battleground, his spies told him that a soldier had singlehandedly fought off the invading army. Even as the king was wondering who this solider could be, an old lady approached him. She said a soldier had bought some buttermilk from her. He had given her a ring and told her that if she showed it to the king, the latter would pay her. When the king saw the ring, he was taken aback, because it belonged to Jagannatha. The lady’s description of the solider also matched that of the lone soldier who had battled the enemy. The king realised that Jagannatha had come to his aid. Since Jagannatha chased away an entire army, who but He could be abhivIrO?
The Veda mantra also says the Supreme One is abhisatvA, which means He who is surrounded by those who serve Him. When Jagannatha sets out in His chariot, He is surrounded by thousands who reach out to touch Him. So, the Vedic abhisatvA suits Jagannatha perfectly. The mantras also uses the word sahOjA, which means the One who emerged from strength, that is the One who is strong. The strength from which He emerges is the strength of the penance of His devotees. Sahas also means effulgence. So, the Vedic usage of sahOjA can also be taken as a reference to Jagannatha.
