The Vedicization of Viṭṭhal
The Vedicization of Viṭṭhal
This chapter, which has been abridged from the Marathi original, presents a variety of attempts that Brāhmaṇ pandits and Vedic scholars have made to induct Viṭṭhal and his cult into more Brāhmaṇical-orthodox, Sanskritic, and even Vedic traditions. The chapter discusses a ritual that was performed until very recently to purify Viṭṭhal from the pollution arising from repeated contact with his many devotees of various castes; the life story of an extremely orthoprax worshipper of Viṭṭhal, who was so insistent on purity that he deprived the god of a water-offering and left him thirsty; a scholarly attempt to interpret a particular Vedic hymn as referring to Viṭṭhal; the performance of Vedic sacrifices in Pandharpur; and the proliferation of Sanskrit and Marathi manuals giving instructions for performing Brāhmaṇical pilgrimage rituals there.
Keywords: Sanskritic traditions, Vedic traditions, orthoprax worship, Sanskrit manuals, Marathi manuals, purity
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