Pandharpur – Bijapur

PANDHARPUR Vithoba is indeed a most popular deity. He is visited by pilgrims from all parts of India. Hundreds of them are everyday coming to Pandharpur with this object. It is said that on important festival days thousands of people are pouring into the place. Here flows the beautiful river Chandrabhaga. A little away from the banks of this river is situated the temple of Vithoba. To go inside this temple is to merge oneself in an atmosphere full of spiritual fervour. On one side, a group is busy performing Bhajan ringing cymbals; on another side, a saintly figure is preaching the greatness of Bhakti giving now and again a sweet song or an apt illustration. Again at another place, some saints with the Tambourine in hand are singing Abhangas of Tukaram. Some are sitting near the massive pillars of the temple deeply absorbed in meditation. Still others are found occupying the verandahs reading religious books. Some again are dancing, only repeating Vithal, Vithal! O, it was a scene in which Ramdas lost himself every time he entered the temple. There is always a huge rush of pilgrims for the Darshan of Vithoba.

Ramdas remained in Pandharpur for 5 days occupying a small Mandir of Shanker on the banks of the holy river, in the company of two Sadhus. Ram is very kind. Ramdas here came to know that Mangalvedha lay only 12 miles from Pandharpur. One morning he walked this distance and reached Mangalvedha at midday. In the town a kind merchant served him with food. It appeared as though the merchant was looking forward to Ramdas’ arrival. Ram’s plans are always so when man leaves everything to Him without interference. Mangalvedha is a small town where about 400 years ago the great Saint Damaji Pant flourished. The ancient and worn-out fortress in which Damaji was holding office for managing public affairs under the Badshah of Bijapur is still there.

Damaji was a great devotee of Vithoba of Pandharpur. The way how he came to the relief of thousands of starving, famine-stricken fellowmen by a loving and fearless act of charity, and how God Vithoba saved his Bhakta by assuming the form of a Pariah, form the theme of a well-known story in this great Saint’s life. The memory of the Saint is still dear and sacred to everyone of this blessed town even to this day. On the Samadhi of this Saint there is now a temple containing three idols, viz. of Vithoba, Rukhmayi and Damaji. Bhajan, Puja and reading of religious books are going on in this temple throughout the day and a great part of the night. There is also a Sadhu residing here. Ramdas remained in the society of the Sadhu for five days. They were indeed, by the grace of Ram, very happy days.

The Sadhu was a simple and child-like man – a true Shishya of Damaji. He was rearing a white cow of which he was very fond. He called her Krishnabai. He has written some beautiful verses in Marathi upon the Gomata. Truly, the cow represents the Mother of the universe and is a grand ideal of all that is gentle, pure, self-sacrificing and innocent. The Gomata yields milk, out of which curds, butter and Ghee are made for the use of man. And again, she is the mother of the bullocks that plough the fields for growing corn that provide food grains for the use of man. Even her dung is of great use as manure and fuel. In Kathiawar, where there are no trees and forests close by, the common fuel is only cowdung cakes. Then again, after death, various useful articles are made out of her skin and bones. O Mother, thou art indeed Kamadhenu!

Ramdas now started by Ram’s command on foot for Bijapur which is 40 miles from Mangalvedha. He came across, on the way, a number of villages and in almost all the villages he was welcomed by the resident Sadhus of the place. In some places, the villagers prevailed upon Ramdas to stay with them for two or three days. So the journey proved, by the grace of Ram, a most delightful one. At last he reached Bijapur in the evening. He went straight to a Ram Mandir and receiving some Prasad after Puja, took rest for the night in a small shed attached to the temple.

Next morning, Ram prompted him to go about enquiring for any generous-hearted merchant who supplied foodstuffs to Sadhus. For, every town or city contains such charitable Bhaktas. Ramdas had given up doing this kind of thing independently; for, in fact, foodstuffs were of no use to him since he did not cook. If food was given, he would take, otherwise not. But in this particular instance, it was all the prompting of Ram. At last, knocking about for 2 or 3 hours from one bazaar to the other, from one lane to the other, from one shop to the other, he was directed to a place where he was given some wheat flour, Dal and one Anna for sundries. These things Ramdas tied up in a piece of cloth and was passing in the crowded streets without knowing where to go. When he was in the middle of the street, he was detained by a call from a young man who approached him from a high storeyed building.

“Will you deign, Maharaj, to accept Bhiksha at my house to-day?” he asked. “If you can do so, you may come to this house at 12 o’clock.”

It was then about 10 o’clock. Ramdas, accepting the invitation, proceeded onwards and eventually sat down on the outer verandah of a shop which was shut. Ten minutes had not elapsed when he descried, at a short distance, an old man with a rosary of large Rudraksha around his neck, standing in front of a house for alms in the hot sun. Now Ramdas clapped his hands and beckoned the old Bhikshu to the place where he was sitting. He came. After mutual salutations, he took his seat beside Ramdas. Ramdas now handed over to him, as prompted by Ram, the bundle containing wheat flour, etc. as also the anna piece. No sooner had Ramdas made this offer than he stared at Ramdas with a solemn, uncertain and vacant gaze. Then, falling at the feet of Ramdas and clasping his feet, he looked up and said:

“At last, God has shown Himself to me! You are none else but God to whom I was praying and praying all these years.” Then again he cried out, “Am I dreaming, or is this a reality?”

Now Ramdas was utterly bewildered and was quite unable to understand the cause of his strange behaviour.

“What ails you, O brother?” asked Ramdas.

“The fact is, Maharaj,” he replied, “from morning I have been wandering for alms. I could get till now only half an anna (here he showed two quarter anna pieces). At home there is an old sickly wife, besides two children, to be fed. To go home empty-handed means the starvation of these innocent children. I was praying to God in all humility, but I was almost losing hope, when you – whom I look upon as God Himself – called me and offered me food.”

O Ram, what a deplorable tale! O Ram, how many are there in the world who are always on the verge of starvation! This occurrence is narrated here in detail to show the acuteness of the misery of starvation that exists among the poor, down-trodden lower classes. O rich brothers, O rich mothers, O Ram!

Now parting from the old friend, Ramdas came to the house of the merchant-friend who had invited him. Here both the merchant and his wife treated poor Ramdas most kindly. They pressed him to remain at their house for two days. During this time he visited the vast and imposing pile – the Jumma Masjid; climbed the turret and ascended the gallery of that gigantic structure – Golgumata. The masterly architecture of this building is indeed wonderful. The hollow dome of the building reverberates the slightest sound inside seven times. The sound is also magnified. A man standing near this huge leviathan structure appears like an ant in comparison. Ram showed Ramdas all these marvellous things.