Vithoba of Pandarpur – Pundalik

Last time we read about Vithoba and Rakhumai and their association with Vishnu. We will now discuss about Pundalik, a devotee of Vithoba. There are a few stories associated with Pundalik.

According to one of the myths, an ascetic by the name of Pundarika (same as Pundalik) was a devotee of Lord Vishnu and was dedicated to the service of his aged parents. It is said that pleased with his devotion, Lord Krishna (again a form of Vishnu) came from the Mount Govardhana along with his cows to graze and meet Pundarika. Krishna at that time was in described as wearing a headdress made out of peacock feathers, with his hands on his hips and his cow-stick between his thighs. Pundarika, moved by the divine sight, requested Krishna to stay on at the site, which was at the banks of the river Bhima, as that would make the area a sacred place or a tirtha-sthana. The location is today identified as Pandarpur which is at the banks of river Bhima and the description of Krishna matches with the image of Vithoba at Pandarpur.

Another legend has it that Pundalik who was devoted to his parents, started neglecting his parents after his marriage since he had madly fallen in love with his wife. However, a sage made him aware of his folly and he felt guilty of what had happened and re-dedicated his life to the service of his parents. Meanwhile Radha, came to visit Krishna at Dwarka and sat on the lap of Krishna and did not even acknowledge Rukmini who was the queen of Krishna. As if this act by itself was not offending enough, Krishna did not even find Radha guilty of the act. Rukmini took offence to this and left the palace and went to the forest of Dandivan which is near the modern day Pandarpur. Later Krishna who was saddened by the absence of Rukmini went to Dandivan in search of Rukmini and later found her resting near Pundalik’s house. After a lot of coaxing and cajoling, Rumini agreed to return with Krishna. They then went to visit Pundalik who was busy taking care of his parents. On hearing Krishna, he threw a brick outside and asked him to wait and rest on it till he is done with his parents. Krishna stood and waited and it is said that on the request of Pundalik Krishna remained on the brick with Rukmini as Rakhumai.

Both the myths have very simple rustic origins, which imply that Vithoba was a local deity who in due course of time got assimilated with the larger Hindu pantheon. The larger association of Vithoba, with Krishna and thus Vishnu proves the ‘long-distance’ association with the mainstream gods. However, the local flavor has not changed and the rituals and the legends still bear testimony to the same. The legends of Pundalik also gives moral messages of taking care of aged-parents as that seems to be the underlying theme in both the above mentioned variants of the myth. Thus the myths have both religious as well as moral undertones.

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.

Modern Day Dronacharyas

A recent news item of students who have secured more than 95% in their Board exams, not getting admission in ‘good’ colleges has set me thinking. A particular college even had a cut-off of 100% - just what is ‘cut-off at 100%’?

This and some other colleges sound like Dronacharya’s (of Mahabharata) school. Dronacharya used to teach only children of kings, the family of Bhishma to be precise. When an equally qualified, if not more, pupil like Eklavya tried to take ‘admission’ in Drona’s school, he was denied admission, however, fees was extracted out of him. Nobody questioned the faulty education system and the injustice meted out to a deserving student, by a well-known ‘head of an institution’, rather, an elitist institution. This was similar to rejecting a deserving student because the son(s) of the trustees or the governing body feel insecure of other students’ capabilities or the head of the institution’s loyalties lying elsewhere. Such biases are seen even today, except that the bosses have changed, and at times this is not done so openly.

Further down, when a qualified pupil, like Karna tried to appear for exams in what seemed to be an ‘open-exam’, he was disqualified from the same on the grounds of unknown caste of birth or lower caste to be precise. This is similar to someone who is inherently intelligent and qualified, but cannot produce his domicile certificate or other such credentials! This is exactly why many students leave their own states and go to other states or some deserving students decided to leave the country due to such inherent impediments in our Education system, like reservations for example.

How long will deserving students be deprived of good institutions? Are students who secure anything above 80% not supposed to be good in studies? Are the above-average students now becoming mediocre students, as certified by a few ‘academics’?  Are students who get 95% any less better than those who secure 98%? Just who decides such ‘cut-offs’ and who authorizes such people to occupy such seats of learning, who sow the seeds of discord and end up creating an education based caste-system?

Dronacharya himself jumped his caste by fighting the war of Kurkshetra, which was the domain of Kshatriyas, even though he was a Brahmin. But he deprived Eklavya and Karna on grounds of not-deserving of education for similar reasons, which were unethical. Dronacharya got away with such petty acts, but why are we letting the modern-day Drona’s get away with such academic bias? Why are we allowing them to create a rift between all deserving students, by making some feel more gifted than the others? The modern day Drona’s are creating new set of haves and have-nots amongst the academic-haves.

It would be a service done to the nation, if the Education Minister takes firm steps than just laughing the matter away. We know he would not get admission if he had to secure one today, but why not take steps to stop such a menace unleashed by the modern-day Drona’s? Stop them before they create a new unviable educational eco-system, where many deserving students will be made to perish.

The (un)Health(y) Minister

The Honourable (?) Health Minister says that man-to-man sex is unnatural. By this statement, he implies that man-to-woman sex is natural. I have the following questions for him –

?         Is forced man on woman sex natural (rape)?

?         Is marital sexual violence meted out by a man to a woman natural?

?         Is father raping his daughter natural?

?         Is an older man having sex with younger women (at times minors) 

       natural?

?         Is one man having sex with many women (read harem) natural?

?         Is having unnatural sex by a man with a woman, natural?

The honourable minister would do good not to question one supposedly unnatural act, when hundreds of ‘natural’ acts need to be questioned!

I hope he doesn’t become a ‘gulam’ of popular notions and soon becomes ‘azad’ from ancient prejudices!

Coffee House

My non-mythological short story which was published in a Blog -


Coffee House – By Utkarsh Patel

http://www.litizen.com/StoryReading.aspx?StoryId=33
 

http://litizen.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/coffee-house-by-utkarsh-patel/

Please feel free to send in your comments on the same.