Vithala – in search of you!

The quest and the yearning for Shri Vishnu had never been as crucial as it is in this era of strife, the Kaliyuga. When no one is spared from pain and struggle, the few moments of touching the true essence of your soul can be a rare momentary occurrence. This is what happened to me when I visited the Vithala temple in my locality on the occasion of Janmashtami. I returned home with some humility, thanks to the sight of Varkaris, the pilgrims of lord Vithala.

The Varkari (meaning "a pilgrim") is a community of people from Maharashtra who follow a religious movement within the bhakti spiritual tradition of Vaishnavite Hinduism. They worship Lord Vitthal (also known as Vithoba), the presiding deity of Pandharpur, as a form of Shri Krishna.

I was lucky to hear the bhajans and kirtans sung by the Varkaris on the eve of Janmashtami, as if it were a gift of Janmashtami for me. The Varkaris wear white attire and follow a religious movement that includes fasting, refraining from vices, and singing poems written by saints through bhajans and kirtans. Their simplicity, earnestness, and selfless devotion to Vithoba and the absence of any outward demonstration of rituals particularly caught my attention. I was stunned. I realized the simplicity of God. How simple it is just to call upon the name of God through singing! Nothing can match the beauty of singing and music to call upon God. One does not need any pomp, grandeur, rituals, and exhibition; the rights and the wrongs of the outward rituals. It is only the truthful yearning for the love of God that can invoke such spiritual bhava (emotion).

Voluntarily, I picked up the 'taal', tried to emulate it, and played it in tune with the ‘aarti’, calling upon the name of Vithala.  The beauty of the musical instruments played in combination with the invoking of the name of 'Vithala' with such fervent affection touched my soul. No mics, no speakers, no digital tuning, no photos, no mobiles, no video recordings, no compering, no organizers! What a rare, beautiful experience! The most striking thing was the unassuming humility of the Varkaris. Many times, one sees pride in the face of priests, learned pundits, and the so-called guardians of religion and religious practices. However,  having witnessed the Varkaris, the spiritual awakening was so easy. Although it lasted for a few brief moments, it was exhilarating. As they say, the company of truthful seekers is ‘Satsang’, the opportunity to sing the ‘aartis’ with the Varkaris was a blessing of Lord Krishna on the concluding day of Janmashtami.