The Vari pushes one up the healing ladder through the spiritual journey that it makes one embark upon. It is all-pervading and soul-stirring, a panacea to heal the soul.
Shital Ravi
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The land of saints, Maharashtra has the custom of Vari. The Vari is the walk the Varkari embarks upon from Alandi to Pandharpur with the Palkhi of Dnyaneshwar Mauli. There are other routes too taken by Varkaris with the palkhis of different saints such as Tukaram Maharaj, Sant Nivruttinath, Sant Muktabai. The list goes on, as I said it’s the land of saints. But the destination is one, Pandharpur, where resides Lord Vitthal. It is 21-day pilgrimage covering more than 250 km which ends on the Ekadashi of the month of Ashadi when one takes the darshan of Lord Vitthal Mauli at Pandharpur.
This is 750 years of an enigmatic custom, with lakhs marching on foot with single-minded devotion. And for this 2000 plus mobile toilets, thousands of trucks, water tankers and tents are deployed for carrying everyday rations and goods and staying, entire kitchens for the Varkari groups who walk in Dindis (traditional groups). Farmers, labourers, teachers, students, businessmen, men, women, children, all ages; all taking their steps in harmony as if playing the notes of a well-orchestrated symphony. The music conductor here is miles away standing inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Pandharpur temple eagerly awaiting his bhaktas.
But to call it just a religious pilgrimage will rob it of its all-encompassing nature.
So, before moving forward it is important to have some insights about the Vari. A few insights for the modernists or the iconoclasts, which is sure to put one in awe and reverence for the movement called Vari.
- An almost 25 km steady walk every day, give or take a few, infused with the singing of kirtans, dancing, chanting, and playing games by lakhs of Varkaris all along.
- Night halts with bare minimum basic necessities and one has to make the best use of what facilities are available and yet one sees a smile of contentment on every Varkari’s face.
- Male and female fellow Varkaris looking at each other and calling each other Maulis in reverence, going beyond the biological distinction which we live with otherwise – rendering any help that one can give each other because one sees the supreme consciousness in each one.
- Women, even though menstruating, continue the Vari whereas in most societal norms there different rules would be set.
- A great demolisher of economic status, education, the colour of the skin, caste or sect and whatever the other factors that divide human beings. Like I said, here every one is Mauli.
The ghats, the scorching sun, the rains, the crowd, the great distances between the halts, and the 21-day separation from family, familiar routines, comforts and secured surroundings; all only add up to the enigma of how lakhs throng and complete the Vari year after year for centuries.
What about the Vari makes it to a magazine dedicated to the mental health and well-being of an individual and is celebrating its second anniversary? Vari pushes one up the healing ladder through the spiritual journey that it makes one embark upon. It is all-pervading and soul-stirring, a panacea to heal the soul.
A typical scenario in today’s towns and cities is the web of mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and so many more. And the closer one is sucked in the chakravyuha (labyrinth) of social media and the more one is drawn away from customs and such traditional practices, the speedier it seems are the rise in the emotional and mental health issues.
Here is where we need to revisit our old customs and traditions steeped in spirituality which have stood in good stead for centuries. Of course, there is a thin but definitive line between healthy traditions and dogmas and one ought to keep our eyes and ears open to questioning, analysing or sometimes even experiencing it before discarding or treading any such practice just because they are old or new. But to discard it just because many of our traditions are embedded in religion would be a fallacy too. So, the wise person would need to sieve the spiritual, which nourishes the mental, emotional and holistic development. An essential exercise if we want to bring integral well-being.
We should take a lesson or two from our forefathers who were much wiser, while we are much more intelligent and advancing. Herein lies the root of many of our current-day problems.
Look at this 750-year-old enigmatic custom. The Varkaris dance sometimes with very brisk and sweating movements and for long durations, every day of the 21-day journey. And mind you this is after a 20- 25 km walk for the entire day. From where do they get this energy and enthusiasm, and why instead of their minds giving up on the hardships and meagre facilities provided make it appear like they are the happiest people on earth that day? The pain, the swellings, the cuts and bruises are real. Only the focus is on something larger and the body is made to obey the mind and dance to its tune. Today we very well know the power of dance movement as a therapeutic process and how much it benefits the practitioner.
As one Varkari with a cut in his leg and all bandaged told me, “It’s the attention you give it that makes all the difference. If you don’t give two hoots about it, then it automatically goes away not getting any attention!!” Mind you, the necessary medical precaution was all taken but what the Varkari was not doing was wallowing in self-pity or paying over attention to the injury.
The power of music as therapy is well-researched and documented in all platforms of academia. Music is a source of healing and coping and what many practitioners recommend today. Music is the soul of the Varkaris too. For it is the singing with mridangam, tanpura and cymbals all along the 250 plus km, 21-day journey that makes it not only doable but so ecstatic that he wants to come and do it year after year. Add to this the power of chanting too.
Today, we know the therapeutic power of mantra chanting. Repeating the name of Vithala, Mauli in chorus definitely seems to bring a euphoric state of mind to the Varkaris.
Storytelling too both as a medium and a therapy for all age groups is now gaining much popularity. After the long and arduous journey through the day, the night halt is typically at a village setting in a Zilla Parishad school or a community hall or sometimes a godown or a warehouse! It is here that you just want to drop yourself down. But what you see is the Varkaris immediately getting ready for the evening Haripath, Abhangs (bhajans), and a Pravachan (discourse) on the philosophies of the saints interwoven with stories from the Sant Parampara, or the Itihasas and the Puranas. The Varkari who ought to have the burden of the householder and that of his physical body is now lost in this Vagyagna (offerings of the words) or the Yagna of words, which feed the soul of the Varkari. The Varkari forgets about his children, his wife, his parents, his fields, his property, his village, even his usual self. For he is now in a different world, with a different purpose, and a different path. This power of storytelling and Abhangs helps him do this without any remorse or sadness.
The current day terminologies like minimalistic living, power of the collective, teamwork, attention to detail, mindfulness; or the philosophical jargon like Sharanagati (surrender to the Gods), Advaita (non-dualism), Dhyaan (meditative practice), etc. are all found in varying shades in the journey of the Vari.
All this dancing, singing, chanting, playing instruments, playing games, walking, listening to good thoughts do wonders for one’s emotional and mental well-being. One releases so much toxicity and absorbs so much positivity.
Mainly the Vari fosters ‘collective compassion’. Vari further kindles love, kindness, hope, acceptance, unconditional positive regard, being non-judgmental towards each other, trusting the self and others, healthy interdependence, faith, good communication, being mindful at every step that one surely comes back rejuvenated and recharged from this spiritual journey. The Vari especially fosters humility and gratitude, which rewires our otherwise self-centric and materialistic thinking.
The strength to make the statements above does not come from Google research or from interviewing people sitting in the comforts of my space but from my own living experience spent with my fellow Varkaris throughout the journey. Yes, I embarked on the Vari, challenged my own standards, tested my own physical and mental limits, countered the doubts of my well-wishers and yet undertook this journey of self-discovery. There were moments when I cried, when I almost gave up, when I fought with my own body when I had to drop my vanity and shame, when I was humbled by many, chided by some and appreciated by most. But it was all in good stead.
The greatest lesson for life that you carry back is no matter what the challenges and obstacles, keep your faith, keep walking, keep going….
A note of caution though before you ever embark on this journey: The Vari needs some amount of physical fitness and endurance, an openness to leave the comforts of your city life and manage with basic amenities. Remember it’s not a vacation but a spiritual journey of self-discovery.