Varkari is one who performs the Wari which is a long pilgrimage taken to Pandharpur to worship Lord Vithobha or Vitthala. The people who believe in this tradition and undertake this pilgrimage are called Varkaris and Namdev was one of the most significant saints of this tradition.
Profile
Though there are varying dates given for the birth of Namdev, most agree that it is 1269 or 1270. His father was a tailor and belonged to the Varkari sect. His father, DamaSetti, moved to Pandharpur a year or two before Namdev was born. His mother was Gonai. Another story is that this couple were childless and prayed to the Lord. One day they found a child floating on the river and they took him as a blessing from the Lord. Whatever is the story, it was known that Namdev from the age of two uttered the word ‘Vitthala’ first. His devotion was so strong even as a young child that the Lord came directly to eat the offerings given to the Lord. As he grew up, he was married to RadhaBai and had a son,Vitha. However he failed to take interest in the affairs of the family. He used to be sitting in front of Vithobha, talking to him and doing bhajans. For Namdev Lord Vitthal was everything. However without his realising he began taking pride in being a great devotee of the Lord. Once Muktabai, another saint of that time, taught him a lesson and proved through the words of a potter that Namdev was a half-baked pot. Totally upset he ran to Lord Vithobha and the Lord said that the potter was right and to go to VisobaKechar and accept him as a guru. Namdev found it very difficult to accept VisobaKechar as his guru because the first time he saw his guru, he had his legs on the deity and Namdev was horrified. VisobaKechar is said to have told Namdev to remove his leg from the deity and place it elsewhere. Wherever Namdev placed his legs there the Lord appeared. Namdev immediately realised the greatness of the guru and the fact that god was everywhere in the universe. Namdev is believed to taken Samadhi at the age of 26 in 1295.
Philosophy Propounded
Devotion to Lord Vithobha was the only thing he knew in his life and that was what he spoke about.
Work Done to Spread the Philosophy
Namdev is said to have taken the Bhakti movement and the sankirtana tradition to Karnataka. He has written many songs and an anthology of them is found in the Guru Granth Sahib. Though around 2500 abhangs, the devotional songs, are credited to him only 600 to 700 seems authentic. His abhangs have been transmitted over the centuries making him one of the foremost saints of the VarkariSampradaya.
