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The philosophic background for this panth is provided by the literature of Marathi- scints dating back from the twelfthCentury. The most important single work that can be cited is of course, the Jnyaneshvari, a commentary on the Bhagavadgita by Jnyaneshvar. Unlike the northern followers of the Bhagvat sect, who are followers of Ramanuja, and who belong to the Dvaita school, the Varkaris of Pandharpur are the followers of Jnyaneshvar and the Advaita system preached by him. The mass of the literature of the later saints preaches devotion in a pure and a simple form as the one way to ultimate salvation.
The panth has no recognised head, it does not constitute itself like a church or a monastical order and hence the question of formal leadership does not arise. However, this is not to imply that there are no leaders or preachers among the Varkaris. There are several of them. The Varkaris naturally gather together around a person who is spiritually more advanced than the rest or is a better exponent of the philosophical aspects of their cult.Recently there is seen the phenomenon of several gurus having their well-knit groups and maths or monasteries, inside the Varkari panth.
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