Varkari ( ; Marathi language: वारकरी; Pronunciation: ) Meaning: 'The one who performs the Pandharpur Vari' is a Advaitic Vaishnavsampradaya (religious movement) within the bhakti spiritual tradition of Hinduism, geographically associated with the Indian state of Maharashtra. Varkaris worship Shri Krishna as Vithoba (also known as Vithoba), the presiding deity of Pandharpur, regarded as a form of Vishnu, and his consort Rukmini (Also known as Rahi), regarded as a form of Lakshmi. Saints and of the bhakti movement associated with the Warkaris include Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, Chokhamela, Eknath, and Tukaram all of whom are accorded the title of Sant.
Influence
The Varkari tradition has been part of Hindu culture in Maharashtra since the thirteenth-century CE, when it formed as a
panth (community of people with shared spiritual beliefs and practices) during the
Bhakti movement. Varkaris recognize around fifty poet-saints (
Sants) whose works over a period of 500 years were documented in an eighteenth-century
hagiography by
Mahipati. The Varkari tradition regards these sants to have a common spiritual line of descent.
Practices
The Varkari movement includes the worship of Krishna as Vitthal and a duty-based approach towards life emphasising moral behavior and strict avoidance of alcohol and
tobacco, the adoption of
sattvic diet, a modified lacto-vegetarian diet that excludes onion and garlic and fasting on
Ekadashi day (twice a month), self-restraint (
celibacy) during
student life, equality and humanity for all rejecting discrimination based on the caste system, gender or wealth, the reading of
Hindu texts, the recitation of the
Haripath every day and the regular practice of
Bhajan and
Kirtan.
The Varkaris wear tulashi-mala, a
prayer beads made from the wood of the sacred Tulsi (
Ocimum sanctum L.) plant. The Varkari men may be known by their three upright brow lines, a black between two white gopichandan or white clay and sandal-paste lines which is also popular with other Vaishnavaite devotees.
Varkaris look upon God as the Ultimate Truth and ascertained grades of values in social life but accept ultimate equality among men. Varkaris bow to each other because "Everyone has
Vishnu soul in them" and stress individual sacrifice, forgiveness, simplicity, peaceful co-existence, compassion, non-violence, love and humility in social life.
The Warkari poet-saints are known for their devotional lyrics, the
Abhang, dedicated to Vithoba and composed in
Marathi language. Other devotional literature includes the Kannada hymns of the Haridasa, and Marathi versions of the generic
aarti songs associated with rituals of offering light to the deity. Notable saints and
of the Warkaris include Jñāneśvar,
Namdev,
Chokhamela,
Eknath, and
Tukaram, all of whom are accorded the title of Sant.
Pilgrimages
Warkari people undertake an annual pilgrimage called
Pandharpur Wari, to Pandharpur, gathering there on
Ekadashi (the 11th day) of the Hindu
lunar calendar month of
Ashadha, corresponding to a date falling sometime between late June to July in the Gregorian calendar. Pilgrims carry
Pandharpur Wari of the saints from their places of
Samadhi (Enlightenment or "spiritual birth"). The tradition of carrying the
paduka (sandals) of the sants in a Palkhi was started by the youngest son of
Tukaram, Narayan Maharaj, in 1685. Further changes were brought to the pilgrimage by descendants of Tukaram in the 1820s and by Haibatravbaba, a courtier of the
and devotee of Dnyaneshwar.
Devotees of Vitthal were holding pilgrimages prior to the 14th century. In the present day, about 40 palkhis and their devotees from all over Maharashtra do so.[ Hindu.com and page 21 of VidyaOnline.net ] Another pilgrimage is celebrated on the Ekadashi of the month of Kartika, which falls in November of the Gregorian Calendar.
Events such as Ringan and Dhava are held during the pilgrimage. During the Ringan, an unmounted sacred horse called Maulincha Ashva, who is believed to be the soul of the saint whose idol is being carried in the litter, runs through the rows of pilgrims, who try catching the dust particles kicked off and smear their head with the same. Dhava is another kind of race where everyone wins and it is held to commemorate the manner in which Tukaram first saw the temple at Pandharpur and started running in sheer exhilaration.
Further reading
-
Turner, Victor. "The Center out There: Pilgrim’s Goal." History of Religions, vol. 12, no. 3, 1973, pp. 191–230. JSTOR, . Accessed 23 Oct. 2022.
