Denmark’s Erich Sand has been travelling extensively for more than 25 years to various places in India to compile his first volume on the deity.
Lord Vitthal, the popular deity of Maharashtra, has fascinated people all over the world. But 57-year-old Erich Sand from Denmark stands out among them. In the quest to understand Vitthal, he has been travelling extensively for more than 25 years to various places in India and gathering manuscripts on the deity. And these very efforts will culminate in the first-volume on ‘Vitthal Mahatmya’ to be released by the end of this year.
Sand is a researcher under the department of Cross Cultural and Regional Studies at the University of Copenhagen. He first came to Pune to study Sanskrit in 1976-77. During this course he also studied the abhangs by Marathi sants which is where he first came across Lord Vitthal. He completed his doctorate in ‘Shradh’ (a ritual that is performed for the benefit of dead ancestors) of the Hindus. In 1982 he walked from Alandi to Pandharpur in the wari to the Vitthal temple held annually and later started searching for manuscripts related to Vitthal Mahatmya.
“I found out about 11 related, unpublished manuscripts in various places across India from Varanasi to Mysore,” said Sand, who had got a scholarship from Danish Research Council for this work. He went with the wari again in 1984 and interacted with the warkaris on various topics.
“He even wore the ‘Tulshi maal’ and resolved to stay away from non-vegetarian food while going to the wari,” said VL Manjul who is a native of Pandharpur and served as a librarian of Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute for more than two decades. He helped Sand in the research and also accompanied him to various places.
Sand studied the literature on Vitthal from Padma and Skand Puranas and started a comparative study. He travelled to places like Neera, Narsinhpur, Vakhari, Pakhalpur, Machnur, Sarkoli, Degaon, Mangalvedha and Chincholi, which are referred in the literature on Vitthal.
“Some Marathi manuscripts are adaptations of Skand Purana. Some of the works of authors like Gopal Barve are datable. Then there is a manuscript by Tenali Ramkrishna in Telugu on Vitthal. All this text has never been published,” said Sand. A close study of the manuscripts showed that the legend of Vitthal and his disciple Pundalik is quite simple than what is popularly known to people.
“The Puranas say that Pundalik was a simple man who worshipped his parents and Vitthal was impressed by his love. However, many say it otherwise that Pundalik used to disrespect them and later realised his mistake,” Sand said.
His first volume on ‘Vitthal Mahatmya’ will include the manuscripts with the summary of the contents. “I will analyse the content and try to put it in a historical context. It will be a critical edition and my attempt is to conceptualise Vitthal,” he said, adding that the two volumes will be a mix of Sanskrit, Marathi and English.
His deep study of the old Pandharpur (described in the manuscripts) and the new one has brought him closer to the pilgrim place. He laments the fact that some significant signs of the past in Pandharpur, historical temples, old manuscripts, scriptures and idols are fast diminishing.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}