Nirgunacha Sanga- Gora Kumbhar

 

निर्गुणाचा संग धरिला जो आवडी – संत गोरा कुंभार अभंग 

The special mark of the thirteenth century in Maharashtra was, without any doubt, the democratization of the Bhakti movement spearheaded by Dnyaneshwar, his siblings and Sant Namdev. It was in this period that any man or woman from any section of society gained the power to express their feelings towards the regional deity that is Vitthal or Pandurang. Only the sincerity and intensity of their devotion mattered for granting them sainthood. One such highly regarded individual was a potter from a village near Pandharpur. His name was Gora. Kumbhar was the family name acquired through the generational trade in pottery. It was in the midst of the daily work as a potter that Gora immersed himself in the love of Vitthal. As the love got stronger the highest spiritual truths unraveled in his heart and found expression in his poetry. The poetry of the saints like Gora Kumbhar are testament to the power of devotion and the fact that wisdom has no prerequisite of social status, formal education, wealth or power. 

The following abhang is a good example to understand the spiritual position of Gora. It is easy for someone who understands the philosophy of the warkari sampraday which is identical to the Advaita Philosophy of Shankaracharya and in turn the teachings of Vedanta. For the non- initiated it can be somewhat abstract and confusing. 

Hindus are often questioned for idol worship and having multiple Gods. It becomes even more confusing when Hindu scholars claim that it is a monotheistic religion that worships an unmanifest God. The devotees like Gora Kumbhar are the best ones to know the non- contradiction in this case.Their journey may have started with idol worship of Panduranga but it culminates in knowing that the form of the deity is simply a facade. The real entity has no shape, color or other physical attributes. With maturing understanding the devotion shifts seamlessly from the form to the formless. It becomes steadfast with the formless.

निर्गुणाचा संग धरिला जो आवडी ।
तेणें केलें देशधडी आपणासी ॥ १ ॥

Ok, we get it dear Gora, that you voluntarily and fondly indulged in the company of the formless divine being. But why do you say that this turned you into a penniless beggar?

The devotion towards the formless is not just anybody’s cup of tea. To envision something as formless and devoid of characteristics requires a high degree of subtlety of one’s intellect. And such intellect capable of entering a subtle realm to be also capable of holding the purest of emotions for such extremely subtle entity is rarest of rare feats. In the process of refinement every gross identity begins to feel like a burden. So the person starts to leave it behind. Identification with the gross body, then with the subtle body and finally with the ego is relinquished. With the abandonment of the ego the devotee stands, figuratively speaking, naked in the presence of the formless. His own previous identity becomes an unreal facade and Vitthal’s form had already become a facade. With ownership over the body, mind, intellect and ego gone, the bhakta( devotee) is stripped away of everything. He becomes a beggar with no possessions.

When Gora declares that my love for the Nirgun One made me a beggar he is attesting that he has shed his false identity which relied on grosser things. In other words he has become Nirgun like Vitthal. 

I lovingly sought out the company of the Unmanifest and He reduced me to a beggar. 

अनेकत्व नेलें अनेकत्व नेलें ।
एकलें सांडिलें निरंजनीं ॥ २ ॥

So now Vitthal and himself began to look identical. Duality transformed into non duality.

He took away my vision of multiplicity. In his pure presence all that was left was oneness.

एकत्व पाहतां अवघेंचि लटिकें ।
जें पाहें तितुकें रूप तुझें ॥ ३ ॥ 

Realizing this oneness despite two distinct outer forms, he was convinced that the forms are deceptive. Whatever there was, was only Vitthal. The perception of many entities was without a doubt fake for him thereafter.

Once I became aware of the oneness, the universe  appeared unreal. Everything I saw was nothing but you.

म्हणे गोरा कुंभार ऐका नामदेव ।
तुह्मा आह्मा नांव कैचे कोण ॥ ४ ॥ 

Gora, the potter and Namdev, the tailor were contemporaries and fellow devotees of Vitthal/ Panduranga. Likeminded souls naturally tend to flock together and share experiences. Having realized the oneness in all creation, Gora could see that himself as well as his dear friend Namdev too were nothing but Vitthal. They did not have any separate identities. The facial features and individual names were deceptive. These were inaccurate means to know each one in their natural state. To call one Namdev and the other Gora was foolery, knowing that both are Vitthal.

Oh Namdev, Gora Kumbhar says to you, by what names should we recognize the two of us?

This high level exchange of spiritual truths stemming from personal experience puts Gora Kumbhar in the same league as Dnyaneshwar and Namdev.They had all seen the oneness of every single entity in the perceived universe and concluded that in each of these entities, a single divine presence exists. 

In essence, Gora had succinctly seconded the Upanishad Mahavakyas Sarva Khalvidam Bramha in his own way. 

I am Bramhan( Aham Bramhasmi) but you are Bramhan too! ( Tat Tvam Asi)