The God who wore Fish earrings

Once upon a time, a fisherman came to Pandarpur to worship Lord Vittal (a form of Lord Vishnu). He had brought along with him two of the fishes that he had caught as an offering to the Lord. The guards and priests of the temple denied him entry. Their sentiments were hurt for a dirty, poor man of a low caste, reeking of the smell of dead fish had the courage to come to a place of worship.

 “Are you in your right mind? How can you even step foot in this area?” they yelled in anger. “You are committing a grave sin,” they remarked and tried to throw him out. The fisherman begged, “Holy Sirs, I came to see my Lord whom I love very much and I wanted to get him a present. However, I a poor fisherman and do not have any money. These two fishes are all that I have caught all day. They are my livelihood but I want to give them to my Lord.”

The voice of God

Upon hearing this, Lord Vittal himself came out, took the fishes and wore them as earrings, much to the shock of everyone gathered around.

In a mesmerizing voice he said,

“Love is my language! Regardless of caste, religion or creed, I have always been and always will be accessible to anyone and everyone who seeks my help. I will accept anything that is offered to me with love and devotion. Despite not even having enough to eat, this man has come to see with a gift, filled with love, compassion, and devotion. Only true love is important. It can heal us, help us evolve and elevate us to a higher spiritual plane.”

Jewelry of the God who wore Fish earrings

The deity of Lord Vittal is seen wearing fish earrings till date. The earrings are a reminder to exercise control over what one hears and choses to believe. His anklets symbolize the need lead a detached life despite being in the shackles of the needs of everyday life. The sculpture also shows a crown (mukut), a strand of beads, and a waist belt and the deity is often adorned with a variety of clothing and jewelry depending on the occasion.

References and Further Reading

Narsinha. 2016. “Science Underlying the Idol of Shri Vitthal.” Sanatan Sanstha. December 28, 2018. https://www.sanatan.org/en/a/3031.html.
Vadke, Shekhar, ed. n.d. Vithoba. Accessed November 14, 2021. http://starspeak.co.nz/articles/Issue06/vithoba.html.

Note

All stories have been collected from various sources, including oral histories and temple histories and compiled to form one narrative. Hence, there may be differences from the master narrative. The project hopes only to be a curator of stories and not an expert on history, religion and iconography.