“In the ‘Vaivasvatha
Manvantharam, after passage of 27 Maha Yugas ~ in the 28th Mahayuga – after
passage of 3 Yugas ~ in the Kali Yuga – after passage of 4 lakh 28 thousands of
years – in the year 5117 ~ Salivahana Saha
1938 ‘- 27th day in the Tamil month of Panguni - that is Saturday, 9th Apr 2016 occurred ‘Durmugi Varusha Panchanga release function’. ~ more
about that later – this is about what preceded it ! Miles
away, ages ago, at Pandharpur lived a shoe-maker by name Rohidas.
Every morning he
first broke his fast, so that he might meditate the
more easily on the excellence of the Lord Krishna ; how he lived piously doing
his job with passion and his ultimate devotion to the Lord were heard with rapt
attention the other day at Gangaikondan Mandapam nearer Triplicane vegetable
market.
Pandharpur
is the most popular pilgrimage city on the banks of Bhimā river in Solāpur
district, Maharashtra. The Vithoba
temple attracts millions of people. Pandharpur
Wari is an annual pilgrimage (yatra) to
Pandharpur - palakhis (palanquin processions)
carrying the paduka (foot prints) of various saints - most notably Dnyaneshwar
and Tukaram - from the Varkari sect
(which venerates Vithoba). The tradition
is believed to be more than 700 to 800
years old.
Music is
heavenly when it is purely devotional – in our cult, it is Nama Sankeerthanam,
more colloquially bhajans. They are
simple expressions in soulful language portraying emotions of love for God, a complete
submission or self-surrender to him through singing. Singing of Bhajans and devotional songs unites
people. More of bhajans are offered to
Lord Krishna, in specific the Lord Sri Vittobha, Pandarinathan, Pandurangan of
Pandharpur.
Before Panchanga
release function, was the soul-stirring performance of singing, drama and
highlighting of bakthi kirtans by Cuddalore Gopi Bagavathar, a veteran who has
been uplifting this culture for close to 3 decades now. He is no ordinary person; he is a banker, in
a high position with a prestigious Bank – fully devoted to singing bhajans and
performing at various places. In 2011,
had the fortune of attending his Radha kalyanam at Vijay Avenue and later when his
bakthi drama was staged for the 1000th time at T Nagar Krishnaswami marriage hall, there
were more than 5000 people jostling to have a glimpse of the performance.
It is not
that he performs for the crowds – this Saturday too, the attendance was much –
his enthusiasm and calibre were undiminished.
His singing of Abhangs, nama Sankeerthanam mingled with Divyaprabandham,
Sanskrit slogas, Geetha Govindam was a rich experience, that stirred those of
us, hearing and watching, feeling one with Lord. In between, he lamented on the opening of old
age homes, asking how would one ever leave one’s dear parents to languish in
such places, when people were earning so high venturing to various parts of the
World. He emphasized on filial duty,
devotion to Lord, leading a disciplined life and more.
Sri Gopi
Bhagavathar is an exceptional person, he is the founder of Bhagavan Naama
Prachara Mandali Trust promoting and
bringing many youth to adopt Bhava and
Bhakthi, singing paeans with jeevan. He has performed day long programmes and has
been taking his group to various important places of bakthi movement. Those who waited for the function at
Gangaikondan Mantap were truly blessed to hear soul-stirring voice and more
enthralled to witness the drama story of Rohidas, the footwear maker. His young daughter Sruthika performed the
role of Lord Krishna.
Here above are some photos taken at Ganganna mandapam Thiruvallikkeni … and below some more taken by me in 2011.
Adiyen
Srinivasa dhasan.
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