INTRODUCTION :
Pundarika is the main character associated with Lord Vithoba, a form of Lord Krishna. He is the one who have brought the idol of Vithoba to Pandharpur. Pundarika is the founder of the Varkari sect, a sect of Panduranga devotees. Pundarika was mentioned in the devotional text, which was written by Prahalad Maharaj.
Ancient Kings and other saints were the devotees of Panduranga, and they built the popular Vithoba temple at Pandharpur. The Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana had renovated the present Pandharpur temple of Vithoba, in the 12th century. Pandharpur is also known as Pundarika-kshetra.
Pundarika, was a Brahmin scholar, who was very much interested in worldly affairs, and he loved his wife very much and due to that, he neglected his aged parents. Later, when he met sage Kukkuta at his ashram, he found that the sage had devoted his entire life in doing service to his aged parents, and due to that he had changed his mind, and began to serve his parents whole heartedly.
One day, Lord Krishna comes near to Pundarika’s house, and found that Pundarika was serving to his parents in a pleasing manner. Since Pundarika was busily attending his parents, he threw a brick outside the house for Lord Krishna to take rest, and asked him to wait for some time. Krishna stood on the brick and waited for Pundarika by keeping his hands on his hip. After finishing services to his parents, Pundarika had asked the Lord, to stay on the brick in the same posture, along with his consort Mata Rukmini Devi, in the form of idol, in order to bless his devotees forever, and Lord Vithoba had also agreed, and still now he is showering his grace to his devotees at Pandharpur.
Let us visit and worship Lord Vithoba at Pandharpur and be blessed.
“OM SRI BHAKTA PUNDARIKARE NAMAHA”
“JAI VITTAL MAHAPRAHU KI JAI”
“OM MATA RUKMANI DEVIYE NAMAHA”
SENT BY
R.HARISHANKAR
