The Story

of

Aarti Ganeshpuricha Raya Tula

Manorama Shenoy’s Darshan of Ganeshpuri Vitthala

Manorama Shenoy was a simple, devout soul who worked in a cigarette factory in Andheri East, Mumbai. Though her livelihood was tied to the factory, she herself had no attachment to its product. In a gesture of goodwill, she would gift the free cigarette packets she received to attendants at the Ganeshpuri Ashram. Amused by this unusual offering, the attendants affectionately began calling her “Chigarettewali Bai”. Bhagavan himself would chuckle at the nickname, amused by her innocence and sincerity.

Her visits to Ganeshpuri became a regular part of her life, especially on weekends. Like many Vaishnavs of her Konkani GSB community, she had a deep longing to visit Pandharpur and have darshan of Shree Vitthala, the deity who stands eternally with his hands on his hips, waiting for his devotees.

One day, filled with yearning, she sought Bhagavan’s permission to undertake this sacred pilgrimage. To her surprise, Bhagavan gently replied,
“Why go there? When Everything is here, why go to Pandharpur?”

His words felt like a gentle rebuke. She was disappointed—why would Bhagavan deny such a sacred desire? She returned later that evening for darshan, nursing a quiet sadness in her heart. And then, grace descended.

As she looked upon Bhagavan, his form shimmered and transformed before her inner vision into that of Shree Vitthala—the very Lord she had wished to see in Pandharpur. Standing with arms akimbo, crowned, adorned in yellow silk and tulsi garlands, He radiated the same divinity sung of by saints like Tukaram and Namdev. Overwhelmed, tears streaming, Manorama fell at His Lotus Feet.

Her heart burst forth in song. That very moment, she composed a heartfelt Aarti:

“Ganeshpuricha Raya tula Drishta Lagali,
Ovalite re Deva Tula Bhakta Mandali”*

Here, the word “Drishta or Drustha” carries a profound, layered meaning. Being a Konkani-speaking devotee, Manorama Bai would naturally draw from the Konkani/Marathi usage of Drushta, meaning the evil eye. In traditional understanding, when something is exceedingly beautiful, radiant, or attractive, it invites not only admiration but also envy—and hence becomes vulnerable to Drushta. Just as a mother performs an Arati to protect her beloved child from such harm, Manorama Bai instinctively performed the Arati for Bhagavan.

In this tender expression, she looks upon her Sadguru as a divine child—so captivating, so irresistibly attractive, that He draws the gaze and longing of countless devotees. Her Arati thus becomes an act of protective love, a motherly gesture meant to ward off all negativity arising from excessive admiration and desire. It is devotion stripped of theology and filled with intimacy.

To this day, this Arati is sung every Thursday evening in Ganeshpuri, echoing not only a miraculous divine manifestation but also the pure, childlike bhakti of Manorama Shenoy, in which the devotee protects the Divine and love flows without boundaries.

गणेशपुरीचा राया तुला दृष्ट लागली,
ओवाळिते राया तुला संत मंडळी ।
देवा भक्त मंडळी ॥ १ ॥

एतुके भक्त मिळुनी तुझी दृष्ट काढिती,
तुझी कीर्ती ऐकुनी आलो चरणासी ।
ओवाळिते तुला रे देवा संत मंडळी,
देवा भक्त मंडळी ॥ २ ॥

मीरा बाईसाठी देवा विष प्यालासी,
कान्हो पात्र घेऊनी आलो आपुल्या चरणासी ॥ ३ ॥

जनाबाईसाठी देवा ब्रीड रक्षिसी,
विठेवरी नित उभा हात कटीसी ॥ ४ ॥

ओवाळिते तुला रे देवा संत मंडळी,
देवा भक्त मंडळी ।
ओवाळिते तुला रे देवा संत मंडळी,
देवा भक्त मंडळी ।

गणेशपुरीच्या राया तुला दृष्ट लागली,
ओवाळिते तुला रे देवा संत मंडळी,
देवा भक्त मंडळी ॥

Aarti to the King of Ganeshpuri

O King of Ganeshpuri, you have drawn every (evil) gaze,
So radiant is your form, so vast your grace.
The circle of devotees waves the sacred flame,
O Lord, embraced by your loving devotees.
O Lord, embraced by your loving devotees. (1)

So many devotees gather to ward off every (evil) trace,
Of envy born from seeing your divine face.
Hearing your glory, we hasten to your Feet,
Saints and devotees together, your aarti we repeat.
O Lord, surrounded by saints and devotees. (2)

For Mirabai, O Lord, you drank the cup of poison,
Kano-Patra, with offering in hand, I fall at your feet again. (3)

For Janabai, O Lord, you preserved her honour and vow,
Ever standing on the Vithe (brick), hands on hips, here and now. (4)

We wave the aarti to you, O Lord, saints gathered near,
Devotees all around you, bound by love sincere.
We wave the aarti to you, O Lord, saints gathered near,
Devotees all around you, bound by love sincere.

O King of Ganeshpuri, you have drawn every (evil) gaze,
So we circle the flame, to guard your childlike grace.
We wave the aarti to you, O Lord, saints gathered near,
Devotees all around you, bound by love sincere.