The Bhakti movement started in the 7th-8th Century in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Later it spread to Karnataka, Maharashtra and to North India in the 15th Century. It reached its peak in the period between 15th and 17th Century.
Each state in India had proponents of the Bhakthi movement.
The Azhwars (Vaishnavite Saints) and the Nayanmars (the Shaivite Saints) in Tamil Nadu, Basavana, Akkamahadevi, Allama Prabhu, Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa in Karnataka, Jnanadev, Namdev and Tukaram in Maharashtra, Narasinh Mehta in Gujarat, Meerabai in Rajasthan, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in West Bengal immediately come to our mind when we think of Bhakthi.
Bhakti is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety or love. In Indian religions, it may refer to loving devotion for a personal god (like Krishna or Shiva), a formless ultimate reality (nirguna brahman) or an enlightened being like a Buddha, a bodhisattva or a guru. Bhakti is often a deeply emotional devotion based on a relationship between a devotee and the object of devotion.
The Bhakti movement was a significant religious movement in medieval Hinduism that sought to bring religious reforms to all strata of society by adopting the method of devotion to achieve salvation. Bhakti movement preached using the local languages so that the message reached the masses. The movement was inspired by many poet saints who championed a wide range of philosophical positions ranging from theistic dualism (dwaita) to absolute monism (Advaita). It provided an individual focussed alterative path to spirituality regardless of one’s birth or gender.
The Varkari (वारकरी) tradition started by Saint Jnaneshwar (Mawli) 700 years ago was one such movement which propagated Bhakti amongst the populace in Maharashtra. Varkari in Marathi means Travellers or more precisely periodic travellers. In the Varkari Sampraday or Varkari tradition, followers or devotees travel by foot, hundreds of miles from far flung villages, near and beyond to the holy place of Pandarpur (where the presiding deity is Panduranga Vittala) every year on Ekadashi (11th day of the lunar calendar) in the Hindu month of Ashada (which falls sometime in July) and Karthika Ekadashi (which falls in November). This pilgrimage is called Vari (वारी) in Marathi and one who undertakes this journey adhering to the tenets of this path of devotion is a Varkari.
We have a visitor from India who is a Guru and a leading practitioner of the Varkari Sampradaya. He is Raghunathdas Maharaj, who is the Founder and Adhikari of the Vishwa Varkari Samsthan. He is in Australia between 26 April and 11 May 2024.
On 5 May from 10am to 11am he will offer Kirtan Seva at Namadwar, Melbourne, Unit 12/7, Samantha Court, Knoxfield, VIC 3180. You can RSVP Vidya on 0425 770 971.
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