Visoba Khechara
Encyclopedia
Visoba Khechara spelled also as Visoba Khechar or Visoba Khecar, was the yogi
-guru
of the Varkari
poet-saint Namdev
(c.1270-1350) of Maharashtra
, India
. Visoba was a disciple of the Varkari poet-saint Dnyaneshwar
(c. 1275-1296). He had linkages with the Varkari tradition as well as the Nath
tradition of Maharashtra. He preached the omnipresence of God and thus denounced idol-worship. Though a staunch Shaiva, Visoba has composed verses in praise of the Vaishnava god Vithoba
, the patron deity of the Varkari faith. He has also composed a manuscript called the Sansthal.
, a Tantric
master possessing magical powers and his linkage to the Nath
tradition of Maharashtra. Another theory relates his name khechara, literally meaning a mule
in Marathi
, as the name Dnyaneshwar and Muktai called him in contempt, when Visoba refused to believe in their powers.
. In the text, Visoba's real name is said to be Visoba Chati. He is described as a Brahmin
, who hated the Varkari poet-saint Dnyaneshwar
and his siblings and created obstacles in their path. Once, when Dnyaneshwar's sister Muktai or Muktabai went to get some earthenware from the potter, Visoba struck her angrily and disallowed the potter to sell her his pans. Disheartened, Muktai returned home and told the tale to Dnyaneshwar. The text says he heated his back by his yogic powers and Muktai baked the food on his back. Astonished by seeing this miracle, Visoba repented and asked for forgiveness from Dnyaneshwar. Initially, Dnyaneshwar calls Visoba "a scavenger bird", which gave him the name "Visoba Khechara". Though, Visoba refused to acknowledge Dnyaneshwar and Muktai, but after knowing their spiritual greatness he became their disciple. Even though elder to Dnyaneshwar, he is described as servant ("Kimkara") of Dnyaneshwar, by poet-saint Bahinabai
.
According to the text Dnyandev Gatha, Dnyaneshwar and Muktai instruct Namdev to journey to temple of Aundha Nagnath
in search of a proper guru. In the temple, Namdev finds Visoba resting with his feet on the sacred Shiva-linga, the symbol of god Shiva. Namdev reproached him for having insulted god Shiva
. Visoba asked Namdev to place his feet elsewhere, wherever Namdev placed Visoba's feet a Linga sprang up. Thus, through his yogic powers, Visoba filled the whole temple with Shiva-lingas and taught Namdev the omnipresence of God. Other texts which record Visoba as the guru of Namdev are Adkar
from Sikh
text Guru Granth. Some texts call Visoba Khecharnath Nathpanthi, linking him to the Nath tradition.
He also accompanied Dnyaneshwar and Namdev on their pilgrimages. He died in Barsi on Shravana Shuddha Ekadashi
(the 11th lunar day in the fortnight of the waxing moon in the Hindu month Shravana
) in 1309 CE.
Though described as a staunch Shaiva (worshipper of Shiva), Visoba has also written abhangas (verses) in praise of the Vaishnava god Vithoba
, the patron-deity of the Varkari tradition.
The Dnyandev Gatha also mentions Khechara, as playing at the Gopal-kala festival in the Pandharpur
- where Vithoba's chief temple is located - along with the brothers Dnyaneshwar, Nivrittinath and Sopan
. This also suggests Visoba being a devotee of god Vithoba. Visoba has also written a manuscript called Satsthal.
Yogi
A Yogi is a practitioner of Yoga. The word is also used to refer to ascetic practitioners of meditation in a number of South Asian Religions including Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.-Etymology:...
-guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
of the Varkari
Varkari
Varkari is a Vaishnava religious movement within the bhakti spiritual tradition of Hinduism, geographically associated with the Indian states of Maharashtra and northern Karnataka. Varkaris worship Vithoba , the presiding deity of Pandharpur, regarded as a form of Krishna, an Avatar of Vishnu...
poet-saint Namdev
Namdev
Sant Namdeo or Bhagat Namdeo was born on October 29, 1270 in the state of Maharashtra village of Narasi-Bamani, in Hingoli district . His father, a calico printer/tailor, was named Damshet and his mother's name was Gonabai...
(c.1270-1350) of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Visoba was a disciple of the Varkari poet-saint Dnyaneshwar
Dnyaneshwar
Dnyāneshwar , also known as Jñanadeva , was born into a Deshastha Brahmin Kulkarni family.He was a 13th century Maharashtrian Hindu saint , poet, philosopher and yogi of the Nath tradition whose works Bhavartha deepika teeka ,...
(c. 1275-1296). He had linkages with the Varkari tradition as well as the Nath
Nath
The Sanskrit word nāthá or नाथ, is the proper name of a Hindu initiatory tradition and the word itself literally means "lord, protector, refuge"...
tradition of Maharashtra. He preached the omnipresence of God and thus denounced idol-worship. Though a staunch Shaiva, Visoba has composed verses in praise of the Vaishnava god Vithoba
Vithoba
Vithoba , also known as Vitthala and Panduranga , is a Hindu god, worshipped predominantly in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and Andhra Pradesh. He is generally considered a manifestation of the Hindu god Vishnu or his Avatar Krishna...
, the patron deity of the Varkari faith. He has also composed a manuscript called the Sansthal.
Etymology
The name Visoba is derived from the word viṣṇein, which means to relax and relates to the meeting of Visoba with Namdev. The latter part of the name Khechara (lit. "one who is moving in air") relates him being a SiddhaSiddha
A Siddha सिद्ध in Sanskrit means "one who is accomplished" and refers to perfected masters who, according to Hindu belief, have transcended the ahamkara , have subdued their minds to be subservient to their Awareness, and have transformed their bodies into a different kind of body dominated by...
, a Tantric
Tantra
Tantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....
master possessing magical powers and his linkage to the Nath
Nath
The Sanskrit word nāthá or नाथ, is the proper name of a Hindu initiatory tradition and the word itself literally means "lord, protector, refuge"...
tradition of Maharashtra. Another theory relates his name khechara, literally meaning a mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
in Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, as the name Dnyaneshwar and Muktai called him in contempt, when Visoba refused to believe in their powers.
Life
Visoba either lived in Amvadhya or Barsi. The story of Visoba's transformation is told in the text Bhaktivijaya of MahipatiMahipati
Mahipati was an author who wrote in Marāthi biographies of the prominent Hindu saints who had lived between the 13th and the 17th centuries in Mahārāshtra, India....
. In the text, Visoba's real name is said to be Visoba Chati. He is described as a Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
, who hated the Varkari poet-saint Dnyaneshwar
Dnyaneshwar
Dnyāneshwar , also known as Jñanadeva , was born into a Deshastha Brahmin Kulkarni family.He was a 13th century Maharashtrian Hindu saint , poet, philosopher and yogi of the Nath tradition whose works Bhavartha deepika teeka ,...
and his siblings and created obstacles in their path. Once, when Dnyaneshwar's sister Muktai or Muktabai went to get some earthenware from the potter, Visoba struck her angrily and disallowed the potter to sell her his pans. Disheartened, Muktai returned home and told the tale to Dnyaneshwar. The text says he heated his back by his yogic powers and Muktai baked the food on his back. Astonished by seeing this miracle, Visoba repented and asked for forgiveness from Dnyaneshwar. Initially, Dnyaneshwar calls Visoba "a scavenger bird", which gave him the name "Visoba Khechara". Though, Visoba refused to acknowledge Dnyaneshwar and Muktai, but after knowing their spiritual greatness he became their disciple. Even though elder to Dnyaneshwar, he is described as servant ("Kimkara") of Dnyaneshwar, by poet-saint Bahinabai
Bahinabai
Bahinabai or Bahina or Bahini is a Varkari female-saint from Maharashtra, India. She is considered as a disciple of another Varkari poet-saint Tukaram. Born in a brahmin family, Bahinabai was married to a widower at a tender age and spent most of her childhood wandering around Maharashtra along...
.
According to the text Dnyandev Gatha, Dnyaneshwar and Muktai instruct Namdev to journey to temple of Aundha Nagnath
Aundha Nagnath
Aundha Naganath is a town and a tehsil in Basmat Subdivision of Hingoli district in Marathwada region of the Indian state of Maharashtra.There is famous Temple of Lord Shiva.The Shiva Temple claims to be one of the Twelve Jyotirlingas in India...
in search of a proper guru. In the temple, Namdev finds Visoba resting with his feet on the sacred Shiva-linga, the symbol of god Shiva. Namdev reproached him for having insulted god Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
. Visoba asked Namdev to place his feet elsewhere, wherever Namdev placed Visoba's feet a Linga sprang up. Thus, through his yogic powers, Visoba filled the whole temple with Shiva-lingas and taught Namdev the omnipresence of God. Other texts which record Visoba as the guru of Namdev are Adkar
Adkar
Adkar is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Honavar taluk of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Uttara Kannada.nic.in/...
from Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
text Guru Granth. Some texts call Visoba Khecharnath Nathpanthi, linking him to the Nath tradition.
He also accompanied Dnyaneshwar and Namdev on their pilgrimages. He died in Barsi on Shravana Shuddha Ekadashi
Ekadashi
Ekadashi , also spelled as Ekadasi, is the eleventh lunar day of the shukla or krishna paksha of every lunar month in the Hindu calendar . In Hinduism and Jainism it is considered a spiritually beneficial day...
(the 11th lunar day in the fortnight of the waxing moon in the Hindu month Shravana
Shravana
Shravana is the 22nd nakshatra or lunar mansion as used in Hindu astronomy and astrology. It belongs to the constellation Makara or Capricorn....
) in 1309 CE.
Teachings and literary works
Visoba denounced idol-worship and advices Namdev to not worship God as a stone image. He says:
A stone god never speaks. What is the possibility then of his removing the disease of mundane existence? A stone image is regarded as God but true God is wholly different. If a stone god fulfils desires, how is it that he breaks when struck? Those who adore a god made of stone, lose everything through their folly. Those who speak and hear that a god of stone speaks to his devotees are both of them fools. Whether a holy place is small or large there is no god but stone or water. There is no place which is devoid of God. That God has shown Nama (Namdev) in his heart and thus Khecar (Visoba) confers a blessing on him.
Though described as a staunch Shaiva (worshipper of Shiva), Visoba has also written abhangas (verses) in praise of the Vaishnava god Vithoba
Vithoba
Vithoba , also known as Vitthala and Panduranga , is a Hindu god, worshipped predominantly in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and Andhra Pradesh. He is generally considered a manifestation of the Hindu god Vishnu or his Avatar Krishna...
, the patron-deity of the Varkari tradition.
The Dnyandev Gatha also mentions Khechara, as playing at the Gopal-kala festival in the Pandharpur
Pandharpur
Pandharpur is an important pilgrimage city on the Bhimā river in Solāpur district, Maharashtra, India. The Vithoba temple attracts about half a million Hindu pilgrims during the major yātrā in the month of Ashadh ....
- where Vithoba's chief temple is located - along with the brothers Dnyaneshwar, Nivrittinath and Sopan
Sopan
Sopan was a Hindu bhakti Saint and also younger brother of Sant Dnyaneshwar.Sopan means a new chapter in India, and means polite in Indonesian....
. This also suggests Visoba being a devotee of god Vithoba. Visoba has also written a manuscript called Satsthal.