Journey to Pandharpur
Ms. Sarita Alurkar-Sriram and Ms Anu Raju- Kankipati
According to the Hindu calendar, the 11th day of the month of Ashadh is said to be a special day for the devotees of Lord Vitthal, who is believed to be an incarnation of Krishna. On this day, an ocean of devotees from all over Maharashtra, Karnataka and adjoining regions undertake an arduous journey to Pandharpur in south Maharashtra.
This tradition goes back over 325 years. The wooden footwear (known as paaduka) of the poet saints of Maharashtra, Sant Tukaram and Sant Dnyaneshwar are placed in a palanquin or paalkhi. Those who undertake the strenuous expedition on foot are called Varkaris. The term has evolved from the repeated (Wari) pilgrimage of the devotees who brave the scorching sun and the monsoon downpour for a glimpse of their beloved Lord Vitthala.
Two processions, carrying the paaduka of Sant Tukaram and Sant Dnyaneshwar start from Dehu and Alandi respectively. After a long journey through varied terrain, the paalkhis meet just before Pandharpur and make the final journey together.
The coming together of the wari tradition, a tradition that has had an unbroken following for over eight hundred years has entirely been a peoples’ initiative. The Varkari Sampradaya came about at a time when the masses were cut off from religion with the upper caste dominating religion, knowledge and access to the Divine. The importance of Sanskrit and an emphasis on rituals ( both the preserve of the higher castes) meant that the common man was unable to express his devotion or bhakti. At such a time, people like Gyaneshwar, Tukaram and Namdev penned their works of devotion in Marathi, a language understood by all, irrespective of caste and creed, allowing the masses easy access to God through bhakti/devotion.
As the varkaris make their journey, they sing the abhangs that the saint poets of Maharashtra wrote. Over fifty saint poets of Maharashtra penned simple verses in a language that the common man could understand. The varkaris joyously recite these hymns all along their journey. Some of these abhangs give moral lessons: others express undying devotion to God.
There is a poignant story about how Vitthala came to reside at Pandharpur. It is said that Lord Vitthala himself came to see the sage Pundalik, who was known for his piety and goodness. Pundalik was devoted to his parents and was attending to their needs when Lord Vitthala appeared .The river Chandrabhaga in Pandharpur was in full spate and Pundalik passed the Lord a brick to stand on while he completed his duties. Pundalik never did come back and Vitthala or Vithoba as he is lovingly known as is caught in stone, hands on his hips, standing on a brick, still waiting for his bhakt or devotee. The image of the Lord, the river and the sand all evoke a deep reverence in the throngs of devotees that flock to Pandharpur and finds mention in several abhangs. For devotees who do not join the pilgrimage, too, the month of Ashadh is celebrated by singing devotional songs.
The word Abhang means ‘A-bhang’ or that which has no bhanga or hindrance or alternatively, ‘that which does not stop’. Another interpretation of abhang is that which is external, ever new and always full of life.
The poet saints wrote abhangs in Marathi and were drawn from various castes. The abhang was for them, an important medium of comprehending and expressing a sense of divine mystery and joy. The abhangs were written in the simplest language to enable even the unlettered masses to attain the highest state of devotional bliss.
Like the dohas of Sant Kabir which bear his name in the last verse, abhangs were signed off by the poet composing them. A long lineage of Maharashtrian Bhakti saints from the 13th to the 17th centuries, representing virtually all castes and creeds created a wealth of devotional poetry in the form of abhangs: Sant Gnaneshwar, Namdev, Gora Kumbhar , Janabai , Sawata Maali, Sant Tukaram…there were many.
Sant Tukaram was an ardent devotee of Lord Vitthal of Pandharpur and he wrote over 5000 abhangs in praise of his Lord. In one of Sant Tukaram’s popular abhangs ‘Sundara te dhyaan ubhe vitevari’, he captures the beauty of Lord Vitthala at Pandharpur as he stands on a brick, waiting for his bhakt.
‘Sundara te dhyan ubhe vitevari
Kar kataavari thevuniya
Tulsi haar gala kaase pitaambar
Aavade nirantar te chi rupa
Makar kundale talapati shravani
Kanthi Kaustubha mani viraajit
Tuka mhane majhe he chi sarva sukh
Paheen Shree mukh aavadeene”
This has been beautifully translated by poet Dilip Chitre in his book ‘Says Tuka’ and reads as follows:
In an exquisite trance, He stands on a brick,
Arms akimbo, hands on hips, sweet basil beads
Garland on His neck, a yellow silk garment girdled round His loins,
I love His trance, Crocodile shaped rings gleam at His ears
The Kaustubha stone glows at His throat
Says Tuka : For me, this is absolute bliss
The loving eyes are mine; the loved face His
In another abhang, Janabai who is said to have worked as a house help in Sant Namdev’s house wrote
Dalita kaandita tuzha gaayina ananta
Na visamde kshanabhari tuzhe naam ga Murari
Translated, this means
Pounding and grinding, whatever I do, my heart sings of You always
I don’t forget You even for a moment, Dear One.
In more recent times, Hindustani classical musicians have explored this devotional form of music with a sense of dedication. Several Hindustani vocalists like Master Krishnarao of yesteryear included abhangs as part of the general concert format. But it was Pandit Bhimsen Joshi who popularized the abhang among critics, connoisseurs and the common man alike; when he sang abhangs as part of his concert repertoire , he would virtually go into a trance carrying the entire audience with him. He is also credited with having started the trend of giving concerts that focused only on abhangs and bhajans – such ‘Santwani’ concerts endeared him to the masses. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi crossed the barrier between classical music and popular music and thus became an icon through the medium of devotional music concerts.
Over the past 15 years, abhangs have slowly, but steadily made their way into the repertoire of Carnatic classical concerts. Ms Subbalakshmi is known to have rendered several popular Marathi abhangs with a lot of bhakti bhav. But it is Ms Aruna Sairam, well known Carnatic vocalist who is credited with having started the trend of singing abhangs in her trademark effervescent style during a classical concert. In an interview with the Hindu newspaper on 11th Oct, 2011 she traced the journey. “It was with trepidation that I started singing abhangs in concerts in Chennai, 15 years ago. First such foray was at the Narada Gana Sabha, where Swami Haridas Giri used to conduct an annual bhajan mela dedicated to the Saint of Thapovanam. The audience liked it. Thereafter I made it a point to include an abhang in every concert.”
In the same interview, she talked of her introduction to this form of devotional music.” I spent my childhood in Mumbai, where abhangs are sung by people at all levels – from the mendicant to the labourer, musician to the flower vendor ; each in his own way, sincere and with total devotion. I absorbed all that. Even before my lessons in Carnatic music started in earnest, I had imbibed the abhang. It was a natural process, result of constant listening. And I loved it.
Several other Carnatic singers have also made abhangs a part of their repertoire. It is also not uncommon to come across concerts in Chennai where abhangs in Varkari style are rendered in chaste Marathi by local Tamilians, to rapt audiences.
As Aruna Sairam sums up well in her Hindu interview, “The word ‘abhang’ means to free. It is therefore more physical. The singer just lets himself go. The focus is Vitthala, the deity of Pandharpur. Mind and soul melt as the songs pick up momentum. The body responds with the arms and feet moving without inhibition. Remember, pilgrims sing the songs as they make their journey to Pandharpur, dancing most of the way. Bhajans do move one to tears but the charged atmosphere makes the abhang something unique.”
