_Manbhao_. [177]--A religious sect or order, which has now become a
caste, belonging to the Maratha Districts of the Central Provinces and
to Berar. Their total strength in India in 1911 was 10,000 persons,
of whom the Central Provinces and Berar contained 4000. The name
would appear to have some such meaning as 'The reverend brothers.' The
Manbhaos are stated to be a Vaishnavite order founded in Berar some
two centuries ago. [178] They themselves say that their order is a
thousand years old and that it was founded by one Arjun Bhat, who lived
at Domegaon, near Ahmadnagar. He was a great Sanskrit scholar and a
devotee of Krishna, and preached his doctrines to all except the Impure
castes. Ridhpur, in Berar, is the present headquarters of the order,
and contains a monastery and three temples, dedicated to Krishna and
Dattatreya, [179] the only deities recognised by the Manbhaos. Each
temple is named after a village, and is presided over by a Mahant
elected from the celibate Manbhaos. There are other Mahants, also
known after the names of villages or towns in which the monasteries
over which they preside are located. Among these are Sheone, from
the village near Chandur in Amraoti District; Akulne, a village near
Ahmadnagar; Lasorkar, from Lasor, near Aurangabad; Mehkarkar, from
Mehkar in Buldana; and others. The order thus belongs to Berar and
the adjoining parts of India. Colonel Mackenzie describes Ridhpur as
follows: "The name is said to be derived from _ridh_, meaning blood,
a Rakshas or demon having been killed there by Parasurama, and it
owes its sanctity to the fact that the god lived there. Black stones
innumerable scattered about the town show where the god's footsteps
became visible. At Ridhpur Krishna is represented by an ever-open,
sleeplessly watching eye, and some Manbhaos carry about a small black
stone disk with an eye painted on it as an amulet." Frequently their
shrines contain no images, but are simply _chabutras_ or platforms
built over the place where Krishna or Dattatreya left marks of their
footprints. Over the platform is a small veranda, which the Manbhaos
kiss, calling upon the name of the god. Sukli, in Bhandara, is also
a headquarters of the caste, and contains many Manbhao tombs. Here
they burn camphor in honour of Dattatreya and make offerings of
cocoanuts. They make pilgrimages to the different shrines at the full
moons of Chait (March) and Kartik (October). They pay reverence to no
deities except Krishna and Dattatreya, and observe the festivals of
Gokul Ashtami in August and Datta-Jayantri in December. They consider
the month of Aghan (November) as holy, because Krishna called it
so in the Bhagavat-Gita. This is their sacred book, and they reject
the other Hindu scriptures. Their conception of Krishna is based on
his description of himself to Arjun in the Bhagavat-Gita as follows:
"'Behold things wonderful, never seen before, behold in this my body
the whole world, animate and inanimate. But as thou art unable to
see with these thy natural eyes, I will give thee a heavenly eye,
with which behold my divine connection.'
"The son of Pandu then beheld within the body of the god of gods
standing together the whole universe divided forth into its vast
variety. He was overwhelmed with wonder and every hair was raised
on end. 'But I am not to be seen as thou hast seen me even by
the assistance of the Vedas, by mortification, by sacrifices, by
charitable gifts: but I am to be seen, to be known in truth, and to
be obtained by that worship which is offered up to me alone: and he
goeth unto me whose works are done for me: who esteemeth me supreme:
who is my servant only: who hath abandoned all consequences, and who
liveth amongst all men without hatred.'"
Again: "He my servant is dear to me who is free from enmity, the friend
of all nature, merciful, exempt from all pride and selfishness, the
same in pain and in pleasure, patient of wrong, contented, constantly
devout, of subdued passions and firm resolves, and whose mind and
understanding are fixed on me alone."