Ashaadi Ekadashi

People consider the 11th days of each fortnight (approximately) extremely important, in religious fashion. The eleventh day of Ashaad (June-July, according to the Hindu calendar) is given special importance, known as the Mahaekadashi (Maha = big, great). In a small town called Pandharpur, on the banks of the river Bhima, scores of devotees of Vithoba, an avatar of Vishnu, pour in from all over the country (though mostly just Maharashtra), for a great festival celebrating the defeat of the demon Mrudumanya. Mrudumanya, it is said, prayed so long and so well, that Lord Shiva, pleased with his devotion agreed to give him whatever he wanted, even if it was a power to defeat and conquer all gods including the great Shiva himself. Throughout Indian mythology, one sees Shiva empower all sorts of demons, almost as if giving that mythology a raison d'etre. Eventually, of course, the gods created a woman, Shakti, for she alone would kill the demon. Shakti is Ekadashi, and the fast of Ekadashi is in remembrance of the vow that we pledge to her, so she will be enticed to save the world from destruction and evil.

In Pandharpur, on the Ashaadi Ekadashi, Lord Vitthal (Vishnu's avatar) went to visit Pundalik, a sage, who, at that particular moment, was massaging his parents' feet. Pundalik throws a brick, tells Vithoba to wait on the brick, and lo and behold we have a pilgrimage town made out of Pandharpur. This is how they workde on the tourism industry in the before-dark ages.

Now, the fall out of this is, if you can't get yourself to Pandharpur, but you have a city, and more importantly, a railway station, all for your convenience, you work it. Yesterday, about 150 people gathered at the Churchgate station, waving flags, chanting, singing, playing music - all devotional ok? - and of course, asking all and any to make a donation. All in all, fun stuph.

Saffron is commonly known as the colour of Hinduism. Flags ahoy.



Donations welcome.



All in a day's prayer.