Ashadi Ekadashi

Today is Ashadi Ekadashi.

Read about its importance in my earlier articles on the same -

This is Utkarsh Speaking: Ashadi Ekadashi – Vithoba of Pandarpur

This is Utkarsh Speaking: Vithoba of Pandarpur – Pundalik 

Ashadi Ekadashi – Vithoba of Pandarpur

July 11, is the day of Ashadi Ekadashi (the eleventh day of the month of Ashad). The day is significant according to the Hindus as it marks the beginning of Chatur-masa (four months). On this day, Lord Vishnu goes to sleep for four months and thus these four months are considered to be inauspicious for any religious or social activities like marriage. Many people observe fasts and abstinence of different sort during these four months.

However, for Mahrashtrians, this has another significance which is associated with Vithoba or Vitthala of Pandarpur. As per the Bhakti cult of Maharashtra, two main exponents of the Bhakti movement, Sant Tukaram and Sant Jnaneshwar are supposed to have reached Pandarpur on the day of Ashadi Ekadashi. The day till date is commemorated by undertaking a pilgrimage to Pandarpur by the devotees which is better known as the Pandarpur Yatra. The unique feature of the temple is that the shrines of Vithoba and his consort, Rakhumai have two different temples. Let me tell you the myth associated with this.

Vithoba’s (a name for Lord Vishnu) wife was fondly called Padubai and was always busy with her household chores. Once she was so busy with her work that she did not attend to Maliraya, a guest of Vithoba. Vithoba’s anger knew no bounds and in his anger he cursed her that she would go mad and be separated from her. True to her curse, Padubai went to a forest and died. Vithoba was so angry that he took the form of a snake and came in between the corpse of Padubai and her parents who had come to see her at the sad turn of events. He then had clouds turn to rain and wash away her bones into the sea, after allowing the kites and vultures eat up her body.

All this upset Maliraya to no end as he felt guilty for the events. He took severe penance for twelve years at the sea-shore and then got the release of Padubai’s bones from the lord of the sea. He then immersed the bones in the Chandrabhaga River and a beautiful lotus emerged out of it. Meanwhile Vithoba was sad and guilty for his acts, was roaming and looking for Padubai all over, till he reached Chandrabhaga River. When he saw the lotus, he plucked it and Padubai emerged as Rukmini. But by then Vithoba had renounced family life and could not undo his own curse and so they decided not to live under the same roof, but decided to meet regularly and speak to each other. The two separate temples symbolize Vithoba’s non-attachment and a life of suffering and a life of duty, devotion and forgiveness.

Many see Vithoba as a pastoral deity, who got assimilated in the Hindu pantheon in due course of time. Many have said that Vithoba is a form of Shiva, like majority of the pastoral deities and this could be based out of the fact that Pandarpur has many Shiva temples. However, the exponents of the bhakti cult like Sant Tukaram and Sant Eknath have identified Vithoba with Vishnu and Rakhumai with Rukmini.

Vithoba is also associated with his devotee Pundalik and as a savior of the Varkhari community. Next time we will go thru the myths associated with Pundalik.

Parijat Flower

Parijat is a beautiful small flower, with snow-white petals and a red stalk. This flower blooms only at night and sheds flowers before sunrise. They flowers have its medicinal values, but we will focus on some of the interesting myths associated with the flower.

The first myth is a sad romantic myth. According to this myth, Princess Parijataka was in love with Sun, but her love was never reciprocated. Having lost in love, she committed suicide and from her ashes rose the Parijat tree. Since she is unable to bear the sight of her love during the day, she blooms only at night, and sheds the flowers as tears, before the sun rises. Some myths go on to say, that the tree sheds its tears on the touch of the first rays of the sun! The fragrant flowers spread their fragrance in the entire area, during the day, as a sign of undying love for her lover, the Sun.

Another myth too has a romantic link, but more as a bone of contention. According to this myth, the Parijat tree was planted in Indralok (the abode of Lord Indra) which was one of the gifts received from the samudra manthana, and thus was a celestial plant, not available on earth. To sow seeds of discord, Narada, brought some flowers from Indralok and gave them to Lord Krishna, and waited to see as to which wife he gave the flowers to. Krishna gave the flowers to Rukmini. On seeing this, Narada went to Satyabhama; Krishna’s other wife and told her about it. When Satyabhama’s jealousy was aroused well enough, Narada went on to give a solution to her. He suggested that she should insist on Krishna getting the plant itself from Indralok and plant it at her home, instead of a few flowers! Satyabhama decided to do that and when Krishna came to her quarters, she showed her anger and disappointment on the whole incident and insisted that he get the plant from Indralok.

True to his nature, Narada, in the meanwhile went and warned Indra that some earthlings were out to steal the celestial plant from his Indralok! When Krishna and Satyabhama were about to leave after taking a branch of the celestial Parijata tree, they were accosted by Indra and a battle took place, leading to Indra losing the battle. But Indra would not let it go so easily, and cursed that the plant would never bear fruits, though it might bear flowers, and thus since then the Parijat tree does not bear any fruit.

Having brought the tree to Dwarka, Rukmini too took fancy to the tree, because of its flowers. So Krishna planted the tree in such a manner, that though the tree was planted at Satyabhama’s house, when it bore flowers, they would fall in Rukmini’s home! Satyabhama had asked for the tree and she got it, and Rukmini wanted the flowers, and she had it too!

Another example of Krishna’s diplomacy.