The Land of Lord Vitthala

Throughout the provinces of India, the Supreme Lord is worshiped in various forms. In Andra Pradesh He is worshiped as Tirupati Balaji, in Kerela as Guruvayurappan, in Karnataka as the beautiful Udupi Krsna, in Gujarat as Dvarakadhisa and Ranacora Raya. In Pandharpur, the spiritual capital of Maharashtra, the lord is worshiped as Sri Vitthala. His devotees also fondly call Him Vithhobha or Panduranga.

Pandharpur Dham is located about four hundred kilometers southeast of Mumbai. Some call it Bhuvaikuntha, "the spiritual world on earth." Others call it Daksina Dvaraka, the Dvaraka of the south. The town is located on the western bank of the river Bhima. Because of the way the river bends as it reaches Pandharpur, it is known there as the Candra bhaga ("crescent moon") For the devotees of Vitthala, the river is as holy as the Ganges. Along the river bank are fourteen ghatas, or bathing places. The main one is Maha Dvara Ghata. The short street that links this ghata to the Vitthala temple is lined with shops and stalls selling tulasi, flower garlands, coconuts, incense and sweets, all to offer to the Lord.The Padma Purana and the Skanda Purana briefly describe why the Lord journeyed to Pandharpur and why he stays there in this form.
Once Srimati Radharani, Lord Krishna's consort in the village of Vrndavan, visited Dvaraka, where Lord Krishna lived as a King. At that time, Rukmini Devi, Lord Krishna's queen, noticed that Krishna was dealing more intimately with Radharani than He had ever done with her. Upset, she departed for the forest of Dindirvana, near Pandharpur. Lord Krishna followed Rukmini to apologize, but His apology left her unmoved. So the Lord moved on to Pandharpur to visit one of His devotees, Bhakta Pundarika.

When the Lord reached Pundarika's asram, Pundarika was serving his elderly parents. Pundarika gave the Lord a brick as a seat and asked the Lord to wait. The Lord did as told. He stood, lotus hands on hips, waiting for Pundarika to return. On his return and at the request of His devotee, the Lord manifest into His deity form.
While waiting for his devotees to come and see Him, the Lord seems to tell the devotees, "Do not fear. For those who have surrenderd unto Me, I have reduced the depth of material suffering. See, it is only this deep." He indicates the shallowness of the ocean by placing his hands on His hips.

 

Devotees of Lord Vitthala

Some illustrious devotees of Lord Vitthala traveled widely throughout Maharashtra. Thier preaching and their exemplary devotional mood left a permanent impression on the people. Their unanimous conclusive instruction to their followers wa this:

"Go on singing, go on dancing, and when you get to the lotus feet of the Lord, beg for love from Him." So nama-sankirtana, congregational chanting of the Lord's holy names, is very popular in Maharashtra.

In a letter dated July 30, 1977, Srila Prabhupada encouraged H.H. Lokanath Swami in this way:
"The whole of India and specifically your Maharashtra are enthused with Krishna. Now you have to revive their Krishna Consciousness. This is Tukaram's country, but now they are becoming bad politicians. So revive them by the process of the sankirtana movement."

Saint Tukaram was the most famous of all Maharashtrian saints. He lived during the seventeenth century, and over the last three hundred years his devotional influence has been deeply felt by the local people. His poems, the 4,500 verses known as the Abhangas, have become part of the public memory of Maharashtra. They are sung in every village and in every town.

In his autobiography, Tukaram says he was initiated in a dream by Raghava Caitanya Kesava Caitanya. Though not everyone agrees, Gaudiya Vaisnavas (such as the ISKCON devotees) understand this to mean Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

As Srila Prabhupada comments (Caitanya-Caritamrta, Madya 9.282, purport), "The sankirtana party belonging to Tukaram is still very popular in Bombay. [It] exactly resembles the Gaudiya Vaisnava sankirtana parties, for they chant the holy name with mrdanga and karatalas." They also wear neck beads and tilaka similar to those of the Gaudiya tradition.

 

Lord Caitanya visited Pandharpur while on journey through south India, apparently to search for his sannyasi brother, Sankararanya, formerly known as Visvarupa. After traveling down the east coast of India through the province of Tamil Nadhu and up the west coast through Kerela and Karnataka, Caitanya Mahaprabhu entered Maharashtra. As stated in the Caitanya-caritamrta _Madya 9.282-283), the Lord went to Pandharpur, where he happily sore the deity of Lord Vitthala and chanted and danced. In Pandharpur Lord Caitanya met Sri Ranga Puri, a godbrother of His spiritual master, Isvara Puri. Lord Caitanya stayed in Pandharpur for about eleven days. His pastimes there, and those of his brother, establish yet another link between Pandharpur and the Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition followed by the present-day Hare Krishna devotees.