Soyarabai (end of 13th and beginning of 14th century C.E.) was the devoted wife of Chokamela, a great devotee of Lord Vitthala. The couple lived in Mangalvedhe a few kilometres away from Pandharpur. Attracted by Vitthala and the bhakti movement, they later spent most of their life in Pandharpur. Though they were pure in heart and Vitthala’s name was continuously on their lips, they were looked down upon, as they belonged to a very downtrodden class of society — they were ‘Mahars’, ‘untouchables’!
Mahars had to do all the menial cleaning tasks in the village including removal of dead animal carcasses; they were therefore considered impure and even their proximity was deemed polluting. As outcastes, they were denied education, knowledge of the scriptures, access to certain social facilities in the village, and were also forbidden entry into the temple.
This was Chokha’s background when he arrived with Soyarabai in Pandhari. He had always aspired for something higher which could raise him above his debased – existence a human dignity which was beyond caste, a longing for God which could not be erased no matter how oppressive and cruel the world is. At Pandharpur in Vitthala and his bhaktas – the Varkaris – he saw this all-encompassing love that embraced the whole world in a spirit of understanding.
Little is known of Soyarabai’s life except that she served her husband faithfully and was a spiritual seeker. Chokamela’s sister Nirmala had married Soyarabai’s brother Banka. Both families stayed together and most intriguingly all four lived in a high spiritual state, composing abhangs for Vitthala!
They became the loving disciples of Sant Namdev, and Soyarabai’s foremost guru was naturally her husband. She was also greatly devoted to her sister-in-law Nirmala. It is wonderful to see that despite their poverty and deprivations they never fretted about their livelihood, but lived in harmony and singular devotion to Vitthala!
They were lovingly integrated into that first wonderful association of bhaktas in Pandharpur; Sants – Namdev, a tailor; Janabai; Gora, a potter; Narahari, a goldsmith; Savata, a gardener and foremost among all of them – Sant Jnaneshvar and his siblings! As long as they were in the company of these sants their life was blissful; but the moment they stepped out they had to face the atrocities of society. Especially the brahmins did not accept that a mahar could rise to be reckoned as a sant and be revered by others socially superior to him!
Chokamela and his family were not allowed to enter the Vitthala temple. Hence Choka calls himself a ‘singer on the threshold’. There, at the entrance steps, at the mahadvar, he sang his abhangs with pure love and longing, begging for grace. It is told that Vitthala himself brought Choka secretly into the temple and garlanded him besides gifting his necklace. The priests who were enraged about this, accused him of stealing the necklace and banished the family to the other side of the river.
God always stays with his bhaktas and Pandurang would come to their poor cottage and share their simple, stale morsels! What a paradox that Vitthala, the holiest of the holy, rejects the puja in his temple to eat in the house of ‘impure outcastes’! There are abhangs describing the joy of having Vitthala as a guest in their poor cottage and welcoming him with an arati lamp lit with the five pranas – a symbol of total surrender.
There is an interesting legend about Soyarabai. The couple intensely longed for a son, and Vitthala finally granted their wish. In the late stage of Soyarabai’s pregnancy Chokha left to fetch his sister from another village to help in the delivery. Chokhamela however, immersed in Vitthala, joined a bhajan procession and forgot all about it. Soyarabai was left all alone in that state. Then Panduranga himself assumed the form of Soyarabai’s sister-in-law, delivered the child and thus became a midwife for the sake of his bhaktas! When Chokha finally returned, their son was already born and the soiled clothes washed! It is also stated that at the name-giving ceremony Vitthala was present and named their only son Karmamela. Upajata Karmamela, vace Vitthal savala . . . . “Karmamela was born, a promise from black Vitthal. As soon as everyone exalted in Vitthala’s name, the husband of Rukmini came running to perform the 12th day name-giving ceremony with all the necessary materials – so says Chokha’s Mahar-wife.”
Soyarabai eventually became a widow when Chokhamela died with many other workers in the nearby Mangalvedhe while helping to construct a parapet wall which collapsed. His guru Namdev himself went to collect his bones and distinguished them from those of the others by the sound Vitthala emanating from them. Sant Chokhamela’s bones were buried right in front of the Mahadvar, the big gate of Vitthala’s temple – the beloved ‘threshold’ from where he used to sing his abhangs; there is his small samadhi shrine even today!
There is an instructive anecdote told about Chokhamela. One day the Devas from Indraloka came rushing in search of Vishnu/Vitthala for help. Something awful had happened! The nectar of immortality churned from the milk-ocean, had spoiled! At that time there was a festival in Pandharpur, and all the devotees were seated in rows to partake prasad. Vitthala pointed out to Chokhamela and said, “Let Chokhamela stir the amrit with his finger, he will fix it!” This story is a paradox, for, amrit can never be spoilt! The story shows that a pure devotee of the Lord has the power to purify the whole world even if he is outwardly an outcaste! A painting depicting this incident is hanging right in Chokha’s little samadhi shrine opposite the Mahadvar.
After Chokhamela’s death, Soyarabai spent the rest of her life with his sister Nirmala in Mehunpur, immersed in bhajans.
Their abhangs
There are about 350 abhangs of Sant Chokamela, and 62 abhangs of Soyarabai. They had no education in the remotest sense, but their abhangs are full of love and wisdom! The highly educated Sant Ekanath (16th C.E.) wrote his famous abhang ‘Kaya hi Pandhari, Atma ha Vitthala, “The body is Pandhari, the Atma Vitthala”. More than 250 years earlier, expressing a similar experience the uneducated Chokamela had sung Deha hi Pandhari Atma Panduranga. And their high level of God realization made them dare question untouchability and the hierarchy of the caste system.
The basis of Vitthala bhakti is that God does not consider high or low; he considers only pure love! Uncha niche kahinene bhagavanta – This abhang of Sant Tukaram sung daily by the varkaris, lists many bhaktas from the lower strata and describes how Vitthala out of love, helps them in their work. Sant Chokamela is depicted here as dragging off dead animal carcasses together with Shri Vitthala – one of the many odd works of a mahar!
Soyarabai was deeply devoted to her husband and her abhangs reflect the same emotions and themes as Chokamela. Like other sants they composed songs on the absolute importance of God’s name, the bliss of Pandhari, and the joyful meetings with the Varkaris during the pilgrimages. But the underlying tone of most of the songs is heart-rending: feelings of utter lowliness, disgust with the world, questions on untouchability, the inability to understand this birth and karma, and this endless waiting for Vitthala’s mercy at the temple gate. “I’m your poor wretch, a dog, barking, in the hope to get your leftovers – waiting at the door for mouthfuls!”
Soyarabai signs her abhangs with the mudra mhane Chokhyachimahari, ‘the Mahar-wife of Choka’. She must have hated the stigma associated with a mahar, but in her songs she takes almost a defiant pride in calling herself a mahari! Since the Mahars were living from the scraps and leftovers of the higher castes, the request for leavings, ucchishtha, is a common imagery in the abhangs. With the call Johar, a greeting of the lower castes to the higher, Chokamela would call on Vitthala: Johar Maybap, “It’s me Choka, your mahar! I brought my empty plate to get your ucchishtha, your leavings, i.e., your love!”
Soyarabai feels the stigma of impurity when she sings, Hina mi kaya vanu deva, tumhiKeshavaudara, “I’m weak and low, how can I describe your glories? Generous one, Keshava! Make me happy and show me your feet! Even if the broadest river flows over me, this body will not get pure! Please, save the drowning one! says Chokha’s Mahari.” Again, she challenges the state of impurity by singing Dehasi vitala mhana to sakala, atma to nirmala shuddhabuddha, “All say the body is unclean, but the soul is pure! At the moment of birth everyone’s body becomes impure, there is no immaculate birth! … Impurity occurs not by touching the body; pollution is in your heart and mind says with conviction Choka’s Mahari.”
Like all the other Varkari sants, Soyara also extols the greatness of God’s name as the easiest and only way to cross over this terrible samsara. Kalikala kampe name uccharitam, “Death is trembling when the Name is uttered, everything is achieved by saying ‘Vitthala’! These three syllables are so easy to pronounce; repeat them all the time! It removes all pain, weariness and suffering of life. Have full faith in the Name and hold on to it from within! says Chokha’s Mahari.”
Sometimes Soyara would get a glimpse of Vitthala and that would make up for all her miseries. Aji majha sarva purava navasa, “Today all my vratas were fulfilled! I have seen Vitthala’s feet! The troubles of endless births have come to an end. His form appeared before me! I kept thinking of those feet, and now I finally saw them on the brick! My mind cannot contain this happiness, says Chokha’s Mahari.”
In another popular abhang, she expresses this cherished vision of oneness and the means to achieve it: avagha ranga eka jhala, rangi rangala shriranga, “When all colours became one, they were coloured in the Supreme colour – Sri Hari! The concept of ‘me’ and ‘you’ has become meaningless on seeing the Lord of Pandhari! No place for differences, lust and anger also ran away! Though in the body, you are not aware of it, beyond, ever in samadhi! The seer and the seen have vanished, says Chokha’s Mahari.”
Soyarabai describes the mood in Pandhari when thousands of Varkaris celebrate the great Ashad Ekadashi lost in the bliss of bhajan Ananda sohala ashadi Pandhari, “A festival of bliss – Ashadi (Ekadashi) in Pandhari, down at the Chandrabhaga kirtan is roaring! The shouts of ‘Jay, jay!’, a festival of bliss! It is raining nectar on the Vaishnavas! No body consciousness, no other thought — all these sants call out Vitthala’s name! Hearts overflowing, this is the arati of love, Soyara comes rolling on the ground blessed by the dust of the feet of these Vaishnavas!”
Soyarabai was equally devoted to her husband and her sister-in-law. In her abhang Chokha Nirmala ekarupa, darushane hare tapa, she says “Choka and Nirmala are one, all misery is gone by having their darshan! Unceasingly they repeat the name of Vitthala, there is no difference between both of them! The greatest tirtha is Nirmala, the Ganga is flowing there!”
Nirmala tells Vitthala in an abhang Tumcha bharavasa dharoni manasi, “I’m sure of you, full of determination I took refuge at your feet! Now do what you think is right, I have unburdened myself! I’ve put my head into your lap, Nirmala says: save me or kill me, my whole burden is now yours!”
Vitthala bhakti with its tradition of sants, the pride of Maharashtra, stands for equality for all, to embrace all mankind in one single ‘caste’ of Vitthalaprem. Choka and Soyara never used their abhangs as a means of public protest, but as a means of self-expression. Theirs was a peaceful revolt against untouchability, to change the mentality of the oppressors through prembhakti and knowledge.