Life
Visoba either lived in Amvadhya or Barsi. The story of Visoba's transformation is told in the text Bhaktivijaya of Mahipati. In the text, Visoba's real name is said to be Visoba Chati. He is described as a Brahmin, who hated the Varkari poet-saint Dnyaneshwar and his siblings and created obstacles in their path. Once, when Dnyaneshwar's sister Muktai or Muktabai went to get some earthenware from the potter, Visoba struck her angrily and disallowed the potter to sell her his pans. Disheartened, Muktai returned home and told the tale to Dnyaneshwar. The text says he heated his back by his yogic powers and Muktai baked the food on his back. Astonished by seeing this miracle, Visoba repented and asked for forgiveness from Dnyaneshwar. Initially, Dnyaneshwar calls Visoba "a scavenger bird", which gave him the name "Visoba Khechara". Though, Visoba refused to acknowledge Dnyaneshwar and Muktai, but after knowing their spiritual greatness he became their disciple. Even though elder to Dnyaneshwar, he is described as servant ("Kimkara") of Dnyaneshwar, by poet-saint Bahinabai.
According to the text Dnyandev Gatha, Dnyaneshwar and Muktai instruct Namdev to journey to temple of Aundha Nagnath in search of a proper guru. In the temple, Namdev finds Visoba resting with his feet on the sacred Shiva-linga, the symbol of god Shiva. Namdev reproached him for having insulted god Shiva. Visoba asked Namdev to place his feet elsewhere, wherever Namdev placed Visoba's feet a Linga sprang up. Thus, through his yogic powers, Visoba filled the whole temple with Shiva-lingas and taught Namdev the omnipresence of God. Other texts which record Visoba as the guru of Namdev are Adkar from Sikh text Guru Granth. Some texts call Visoba Khecharnath Nathpanthi, linking him to the Nath tradition.
He also accompanied Dnyaneshwar and Namdev on their pilgrimages. He died in Barsi on Shravana Shuddha Ekadashi (the 11th lunar day in the fortnight of the waxing moon in the Hindu month Shravana) in 1309 CE.
Read more about this topic: Visoba Khechara
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