shirdi maze pandharpur

“YOU ARE VITHU-MAULI*, YOU ARE SAI-MAULI !”{from sai leela magazine written by devotee megha}

Preamble

    Pandurang of Pandharpur town is the Deity dear to many, not only from Maharashtra and Karnatak but also for several people from outside Maharashtra ! The heartfelt love of Vitthal pulls the devotees to Pandharpur - forgetting the differences in religions and castes. Due to this congregation, Pandharpur has become a regional cultural center.

    Many devotees fervently believe that Pandurang or Vitthal of Pandhari is Lord Shrikrishna. This Deity is a beautiful statue carved out of black stone.

    Actually, the complexion of Pandurang (Pandurang Kanti) is supposed to be fair and that’s why He is called ‘Pandu-rang’. However, at the time of Amrut Manthan, the poison ‘Halahal’ came out of the seven seas and Lord Shankar digested it. Therefore, Lord Shankar (and in turn Lord Vishnu) acquired a dark complexion. Similarly, Lord Vishnu took ‘Amrut’ and hence, Lord Shankar became fair like camphor (Karpoor Gaur). Thus, the birth of Vitthal personifies

Origin of the name ‘Vitthal’

Many Saints have mentioned that Vitthal is a Form of no one else but Vishnu. The Kannada word ‘Vitthal’ is originated from ‘Vishnu’. Actually, the word ‘Vishnu’ got corrupted into ‘Vithu’ and its full form became ‘Vitthal’. It is also said that word ‘Vitthal’ is made up from Vit = Brick and Thela = Kept.

According to some, the name ‘Vitthal’ contains ‘Vid’ (Sanskrit) which means ‘knowing’. Thus, ‘Vitthal’ is the one Who gives experience of unity of knowledge. He is very much loved by the Saints.

Vitthal has a conch shell (Shankha) in one hand and a destroyer wheel (Chakra) in another. These are symbols of war. He has a cap over His head. It is believed that it is symbolic of Shivling.

Vari and Varkaris

For past more than 700 years, the devotees of this sect (Sampraday) have been undertaking annual pilgrimage trip to Pandharpur. This vow is known as Vari or trip and the devotees are known as Varkaris.

The Varkaris believe that performing Pooja of Sagun - Sakar Vitthal and His statue is equivalent to performingPooja of Brahma. They are convinced that Varkari Panth is the only sect showing the easiest path for transformation from Sagun to Nirgun. Varkari Panth is also referred to as Vaishnav Panth. The origins of this sect of devotion are very ancient. Pinnacle of the Saints - Saint Dnyaneshwar - embraced this sect. And after his doing so, the common men believed that Parabrahma itself is residing at Shri Kshetra Pandharpur in the Form of Vithoba.

Various Saints and Pandhari

sai vitthal

Pandharpur was dear to Saint Eknath for two reasons. For one, he believed that it is his Maher (parent’s abode).

‘‘Know that, that is this Pandharpur is the Maher1 of all Gods and the Nij - Mandir2 of all Saints’’

Secondly, he loved it because there was a congregation of Gods (Hari Har Sangam) at the place. He said that Pandhari is a mine of endless blessings.

‘‘There, where Karpoorgaur3 is standing constantly with Vishnu.’’

Sant Namdev

Namdev and Saint Jnaneswar - The Immature Pot

Devotee : Is it possible to speak to Iswara as Sri Ramakrishna
did?
Ramana Maharshi : When we can speak to each other why should we not speak to Iswara in the same way?

Devotee :Then why does it not happen with us?
Ramana Maharshi : It requires purity and strength of mind and practice in meditation.

Devotee : Does God become evident if the above conditions
exist?
Ramana Maharshi : Such manifestation is as real as your own reality. In other words, when you identify yourself with the body as in jagrat you see gross objects; when in subtle body or in mental plane as in swapna, you see objects equally subtle; in
the absence of identification as in sushupti you see nothing.

The objects seen bear a relation to the state of the seer. The
same applies to visions of God. By long practice the figure of God, as meditated upon, appears in dream and may later appear in jagrat also.

Devotee : Is that the state of God-realisation?
Ramana Maharshi : Listen to what happened once years ago.

Vithoba found Namdev had not yet realised the Supreme Truth and wanted to teach him. When Jnaneswar and Namdev returned from their pilgrimage, Gora Kumbhar gave a feast to all the saints in his place and among them were Jnaneswar and Namdev. At the feast Jnaneswar, in collusion with Gora, told Gora publicly, “You are a potter, daily engaged in making pots and testing them to see which are properly baked and which are not.

These pots before you (i.e., the saints) are the pots of Brahma. See which of these are sound and which not.”
Thereupon Gora said, “Yes, Swami, I shall do so,” and took up
the stick with which he used to tap his pots to test their soundness.

Holding it aloft in his hand he went to each of his guests and
tapped each on the head as he usually did to his pots. Each guest
humbly submitted to such tapping. But when Gora approached
Namdev, the latter indignantly called out, “You potter, what do
you mean by coming to tap me with that stick?”

Gora thereupon told Jnaneswar, “Swami, all the other pots have been properly baked. This one (i.e. Namdev) alone is not yet properly baked.” All the assembled guests burst into laughter.

Namdev felt greatly humiliated and ran up to Vitthala (the deity he worshipped) with whom he was on the most intimate terms, playing with him, eating with him, sleeping with him and so on. Namdev complained of this humiliation which had happened to him, the closest friend and companion of Vitthala.

Vitthala (who of course knew all this) pretended to sympathise with him, asked for all the details of the happenings at Gora’s house and after hearing everything said, “Why should you not have kept quiet and submitted to the tapping, as all the others did? That is why all this trouble has come.”

Thereupon Namdev cried all the more and said, “You also want to join the others and humiliate me. Why should I have submitted like the others? Am I not your closest friend, your child?” Vitthala said, “You have not yet properly understood the truth, and you won’t understand if I tell you. But go to the saint who is in a ruined temple in such and such a forest. He will be able to give you enlightenment.”

Namdev accordingly went there and found an old, unassuming man sleeping in a corner of the temple with his feet on a Sivalingam. Namdev could hardly believe this was the man from whom he – the companion of Vitthala – was to gain enlightenment. However, as there was none else there, Namdev went near the man and clapped his hands.

The old man woke up with a start and seeing Namdev, said, “Oh –
you are Namdev whom Vitthala has sent here. Come!” Namdev was dumbfounded and began to think, “This must be a great man.” Still he thought it was revolting that any man however great, should be resting his feet on a lingam.

He asked the old man, “You seem to be a great personage. But is it proper for you to have your feet on a lingam?” The old man replied,
“Oh, are my feet on a lingam? Where is it? Please remove my feet elsewhere.” Namdev removed the feet and put them in various places. Wherever they were put, there was a Sivalingam.

Finally, he took them on his lap and he himself became a Sivalingam! Then he realised the truth and the old gentleman said, “Now you can go back.”

Bhagavan added, “It is to be noted that only when he surrendered himself, and touched the feet of his guru, enlightenment came. After this final enlightenment Namdev returned to his house and for some days did not go to Vitthala at the temple, though it had been his habit not only to visit Vitthala every day, but to spend most of his time with Vitthala at the temple.

So, after a few days, Vitthala went to Namdev’s house and like a guileless soul, enquired how it was that Namdev had forgotten him and never visited him. Namdev replied, ‘No more of your fooling me. I know now. Where is the place where you are not! To be with you, should I go to the temple? Do I exist apart from you?’ Then Vitthala said, ‘So you now understand the truth. That is why you had to be sent for this final lesson’.”

Who is lord viththal ?

Viththal’s idol is dark complexioned with protruding eyes and stands on a brick with hands held on the waist. When Pundalik served his parents Lord Viththal was appeased and appeared before him. At that time to avoid any lapse in service towards his parents, Pundalik threw a brick and asked The Lord to stand on it. The Lord stood watching his service with admiration. This idol is different from idols of other deities which wield either a weapon or bestow a blessing with the hand. It depicts Viththal observing everything as a spectator (sakshibhav). The sense organs lie above and the motor organs below the waist. Hands on the waist means the one with the motor organs within His control.{From hindu jagruti}

And our dear baba showed his devotees how viththal manifested in shirdi.Baba said that devotion is the only necessity to get his darshan.