Eknath

Courtesy:Smt.Saroja Ramanujam

Eknath
Ekanath was the great grandson of a great devotee Bhanudasa.he lost his parents while young and was brought up by his grand parents. He learnt the sastras and epics from Jagannathaswami and later wrote Ramayana in Marathi.
Once Ekanatha looking after the accounts of his guru and was not aware when he came and stood behind him. Then Jagannatha said that  if only he could concentrate like that towards God he will become a great bhaktha. Then on being requested by Ekanatha he gave him the spiritual teaching.
Ekanath was sent by his guru to return to his village Bhaitinipura and to get married and  lead normal householder's life. He did so and was devoted to Panduranga and spent his days in inviting the bhagavathas and feeding them. One day Panduranga appeared to him in his dream and told him to write Ramayana in Marati. He started doing so and it  came to be known as bhaavaartha Ramayana.
The love of the Lord to his devotees is unimaginable. Panduranga was so pleased at the devotion of Ekanatha and his service to the bhagvathas that He took a form of a Brahmin and applied for a post in the household of Ekanath! He said he will serve as an assistant ot Ekanath in worship and the household duties. He said his name was Khandya Krishna and Ekanath asked him the details about himself. The words of Panduranga  in reply reminds one of the words of Subramanya Bharathi of our times. In his song  titled 'kaNNan en sevagan' he says,
"He came from some where saying he belongs to the caste of cowherds." Then Krishna seems to have given a resume about Himself.
மாடு கன்று மேய்த்திடுவேன் மக்களை நான் காத்திடுவேன்
நானோர் தனி ஆள்  நரை திரை தோன்றாவிடினும்
ஆன வயதிற்களவில்லை ஆதரித்தால் போதும் என்றான்
It means, " I will tend the cows and calves, I will look after the children. I am alone with no one around. There is no count for my age even though I do not have any signs of old age  such as grey hair . I only what you to accept me."
We can see that there was no pretense in what the Lord said. He said that He will tend cattle. All His creations are like cattle and He is the Good Shepherd. Caatle also means our possessions which we think that we are looking aftyer but it is only he who looks after everything and as he said in Gita ,
ananyaaH chinthayantho maam ye janaah paryupaasathe
      theshaam nithyaabhiyukthaanaam yogakshemaam
                                                                            vahaamyaham
For those people, who think of me without any other thought and persistent in my devotion always , I take care of their welfare.
He said that He will look after the children. Are we not His children?
He is  all alone as the Upanishads say 'ekan meva adhvitheeyam,' one only without a second. He is nithya yuvaa , eternal and always young and hence who can ascertain His age?
He wants only to be included in our lives. But we are not prepared to do so with our hearts engaged in everything else except in Him!
Khandya Krishna spoke to Ekanath in a similar manner. He said " I am a brahmin all alone and I want to serve you hearing that you are serving the bhagavathas. If you give me food and treat me like one of your household that I all want."
Is it anything strange? When Narada came to see Him in Dvaraka , probably being abrahmachari he wanted to know how Krishna coped up with all His wives! He saw Krishna in the house of each of His wives engaged in different actions . Then there was a separate place where he saw Krishna worshipping . Narada wondered whom could Krishna be worshipping. When he asked Him Krishna showed the object of His worship. It was the  dust of the feet of His devotees! Oh the love of God towards His devotees , in fact to all , devotees or not, is all surpassing and unparalleled and which could never be compared to the love we have for Him which is like a molehill to the mountain.
Khandya Krishna started working for Eknath, who told Him that He was one of the household and can be free to act as he liked. Then there came the day of sraadha for his parents. Ekanatha told Khandya Krishna to prepare food and other things necessary for the ceremony. At that time some outcaste servants outside the house were talking and Eknath heard the wife telling hr husband that there was delicious food being prepared inside and they would get it after the ceremony is over. The husband replied that her desire was in vain because they would bury the remaining food on that day and would not give it to them. Ekanatha on hearing this told his wife to give the food to them as feeding the poor is like feeding the Lord Himself. His wife agreed and said that she would again prepare fresh food for the Brahmins in the ceremony. But seeing this the Brahmins got angry and refused to come  for the sraadha.

Ekanath was desolate and seeing him thus Khandya Krishna told him that if he prayed sincerely  the devas will themselves come with the pithrs to partake the food and He Himself a with other Brahmins who were helping Ekanath will join in the eating. Eknath by that time became very much attached to Khandya Krishna and he did as he was told. Then a miracle happened. Lord Siva , Lord Vishnu and came and sat in their respective places along with the forefathers of Eknath. The Brahmins who boycotted the ceremony heard the vedagosha and the smell of the ghee from the homa and of the food. They came to see what was going on and was wonder struck to see the gods there eating and Khandya Krishna serving them. Then they understood the greatness of Ekanath.
In the meanwhile a devout Brahmin was meditating on the Lord to see his darsan in Dvaraka. The Lord appeared to him as a brahmin and said that the Lord  was not there but He was serving Eknath in Baitinipura  for the last twelve years.
Why as the Lord stayig with Eknath for so long? It was because He was enjoying the devotion of Eknath  listening to His abhangs.
Eknath sang,
VedhaachEm saara nigamaachE maaho thO haa paraathpar ubhaa vitE
The one who is the essence of the Vedas, the source of the agamas The supreme reality is standing on a brick!
SaaSthramchE nijagara puraaNaamchEm  nija saara thOhaa viSvambar ubhaavitE
The one who is the meaning of the sastras and the juice of the puranas , He is standing on a brick!
kaaLaacchaa kaaLa bhakthaanchaa prathipaaLa tho Haa dheena dhayaaLa ubhaavitE
The one who is the end of death and who protects His devotees, he is standing on a brick!
ekaa janaardhaneem chobhe dhinamani bhaktha bhaagya thane pandareeyE
he who shines like the Sun and the fortune of the devotees , is standing on a brick.
 Eknatha describes Panduranga thus:
sakaLa dhevaanchaa niyanthaa
he who commands all devas
maajee vittala  maathaapithaa
He is my mother and father
thOhaa ubhaa vitEvaree kata dhrooniyaam kareem
He is standing on this brick with His hands on His hips.
miravE vyjayahthee maalaa kesarakasthooree chaa thilaa
Vyjayanthee garland on His chest, and the thilk of kesar and kasthuri
makaraakaarakundalE karee Sankha chakra SobhalE
with fish shaped kundala and conch and the disc on His hands
Ekaasarana janardhaneem vital paahE Dhyaaneem maNeem
I also surrender to janrdana and see Him inside and outside.
Then the devout Brahmin hurried to the house of Ekanatha and saw Panduranga there , who appeared to him in his real form. Then he fell at the feet of the Lord and expressed his anguish that the one whom all the devas served was a servant of a devotee and marveled at His Bhaktha vathsalya.  Then Khandya Krishna laughed and went inside the pooja room and disappeared.
Eknath was astounded and wept to thing that the Lord had come to him as a servant . he could not check his tears which flowed like the chandrabaga river. He ran to the temple and washed the feet of the Lord with his tears.
He exclaimed,
Oh Lord 1 You went to the Muslim ruler to pay the money to free Ramdas. How can we  imagine the prince of Ayodhya saluting a muslim ruler! You stood on a brick waiting patiently for Pundareeka! Now you have come to serve  to me who is your servant!
Panduranga is the mother for the devotees and will run after them like a mother behind her child !
Thus Ekanatha lived as a great devotee and his abhangs became well known through the country.

Samartha Ramadas

Courtesy: Smt.Saroja Ramanujam

– Samartha Ramadas

Samartha Ramadas is well known as the guru of Samrat Shivaji. He was born as the second son of Suryaji pundit and Raanu bai. He was named Narayna and he was supposed to be the amsa of Anjaneya. His actions proved this. He used to climb the trees like a monkey and pluck mangoes and coconuts and was a great nuisance to the residents of the village. When he became a young man his mother chided him for not helping the family to get their daily food by doing some work. He went out affected by the words of his mother and saw some paddy bags in a field ready to be dispatched for sale. He simply picked  them, to carry even one of which is difficult for a man, and carried them home. His mother was surprised but before sha said anything the owner of the field came to complain. Narayana told him that he could take them if they belonged to him. But when the man took one with the help of his men, another appeared in its place. Then they realized that Narayana was a divine incarnation and went away praising him.
Narayana read the scriptural texts while young and took to meditation and chanting. His mother arranged for his marriage. He came to the pandal not conscious of what was happening as he was immersed in dhyana but when he heard the manthras and became aware of what was happening he ran away saying that the marriage will be an impediment to his spiritual progress. The people realized that he was not born for the worldly life and he was known as Ramadas since then.
Ramadas went to a forest and chanted the name of Rama who was his ishtadevata and prayed that he should have the darsan of Rama. Anjaneya appeared before him and told him to go to Pandaripur to have the darsan of Rama. He went  to Pandaripur and saw Panduranga and not Rama.
He said,
Yedhem ubhaakaam sreerama
Manamohana meghaSyaama
He Rama, who has the hue of  the clouds and attractive, why are you standing here?
Chaapa bane kaayakele
Kar kataavaree devile
Why did you leave your bow and arrow and keep your hands on your hips?
Kaayakelee ayodhyaapuree
yedhem  rasavili pandari
why did you leave Ayodhya and come to pandaripur?
Kaayakelee sarayoo gangaa
Yedhem vaahem chandhrabhaagaa
Why did you leave sarayu and come to chandrabhaga?
Kaayakelee seethe baayee
Yedehm raahee rakumaabhaayee
Why did leave Seeetha dn took Rukmini as your consort?
Kayakelaahanunathaa
ye dhem pandaleeka bhakthaa
why did you give up Hanuman and accepet Pundaleeka as your devotee?
Kaayakelaa vaanaradhala
Yedhem vasaviLe gopaaLa
Why did leave the vanara army and mingled with the cow herds?
Then Panduraga appeared to him as Rama and Ramadas sang
raamadhaasee jaisaa bhaava
thaisaa jaalaa pandareerava
Panduranga has come in the form which Ramadasa wished to see.
Ramadas saw Rama in his throne with Seetha, Lakshman, Bharath and Sathrugna with Hanuman at his feet.
Ramadas was overjoyed and described the scene
rathnajhatitha simhaasana
 vareeSobhe raghunanandhana
vaama bhaagee seethaabhaayee
jagajjananee maajee aayee
paSchaath bhagee lakshoomaNa
putem anjaninandhana
bharathaSathrughnadhoyee bhaayee
chelaanya daaLithi dhoheem baaheem
naLa neela jaambhavantha
angadha si ugt reeva vibheeshaNa abhaktha
dhehabuddhi neNom keehee
dhaas aankitha raamaabhaayeem
Rama is seated in the throne imbedded with gems. On his left is seethe and on the right Lakshmana. Hanuman is in front,  Bharatha and Sathrughna wielding the chamara. Surrounded by the devotees Nala, Neela, Jambavan, Angada and Vibheeshana, I see Rama on his throne  and I have lost my body  consciousness and have become the servant to His feet.
Ramadas went to a forest and was doing penance there and even the wild beasts approached him and were standing around peacefully. It was at this state Chathrapati Shivaji saw him.  He did not approach him fearing that the wild beasts may harm him if he does so and returned to his capital. He returned again after few days and found him in the same state. This happened for few days. Ramadas used to write abhangs  on Rama and used to put it in the river. Shivaji's men collected them and took them to the king. He read them and lost his heart to the words therein and later came to know that Ramadas was the author and decided to have him as his guru.
Shivaji went to the forest and prayed to Ramadas to accept him as a disciple. Ramadas accepted him and instructed him the tharakanama. Shivaji was staying in the forest for some days  and his ministers were worried because Aurangazeb the Mogul emperor was giving trouble to the kingdom as Shivaji did not accept his sovereignty. Ramadas told Shivaji to go back and rule his kingdom. He did so and to show respect to his guru he hoisted a flag of saffron as his signalia and ruled the kingdom, which he considered as the property of his guru, placing the sandals of his guru on the throne , and himself as his servant like Bharatha did. Shivaji used to visit his guru often and offered him rich clothes food etc. and Ramadas refused that and moved to another forest where Shivaji could not find him. When Shivaji felt distressed Ramdas appeared  to him and told him to go back and do his duty reassuring Shivaji that he will appear to him whenever he wished.
Ramadas travelled extensively spreading bhakthi and spirituality and people started calling him Samartha Ramadas. He built 11 temples for Hanuman and the temple built in Chaphal near Satara became famous since Shivaji used to come and meet him there.
The literary works of Ramdas such as Dasabodh, Manache Shlok (verse addressed to the mind), Karunashtakas (hymns to God) and Ramayana (describing only the conquest of Lanka by Sri Rama and the vanquishing of Ravana) were very popular.
Ramadas spent his whole life in Ramadhyana and his abhangs were full of his ramabhakthi. He says,
raama ghavaa raamadhyaavaa
raamajeevaacaa vaisaavaa
kalyaaNaachem je kalyaaNa
raghu raayaache guNa gaana
'Let us sing about Rama, think about Rama who has infinite auspicious qualities.'
At his last days which he informed his disciples in advance he left this world with instructions to the disciples and to the world on bhakthi and transcient nature  of the worldly life and told them that he will live in the hearts of his disciples.
Thus the bhakthi prapancha other wise known as the LAND OF ABHANGS  is completed. The devotees of the Lord are a legion and it is  impossible to mention about all and I have written about the chief bhakthas well known to all. May the Lord shower His blessings on those who enjoy reading this series.

Jnanadeva

Courtesy:Smt.Saroja Ramanujam

Jnanadeva 

Jnana deva's father Vitoba took sanyas before he begot children and lied to his guru Ramananda who initiated him into sanyas. But when the guru came to know the fact that Vitoba was married and had left his wife to take sanyas leaving her desolate , he told him to go back.. Vitoba obeyed his guru and came back and led family life. Four children were born to Vitoba and his wife Rukmayi . all of whom came to be known as great devotees. MukthaBai a well known devotee was the sister of Jnanadev. 

The brahmins of Alandi , a village near Pune where  they  lived, ostracized Vitoba and his family because he returned from sanyasa nd became a householder. In the end Vitoba and his wife gave up their lives by entering the river as a prayschittha. Even then the Brahmins never relented and refused to perform sacred thread ceremony to Jnanadeva and said that they would not do it without aletter from the Brahmins of Paithan, another village far away from Pune, Jnana deva and his brothers went to Paithan and Jnandeva gave a discourse on advaita to them. They made fun of him and pointed out to a buffalo and told him that if the same self is within him all beings then that buffalo should be able to recite the Vedas. To the surprise of everyone the buffalo started chanting the veda and it is said that it never stopped afterwards!

 

The life of Jnandeva and his siblings is filled with miracles such as the one when on the occasion of the ceremony of their parents no one in the village would give them fire and Jnanadeva told his sister Mukthabai to cook on his back which was transformed into an oven. Jnana deva, also known as Jnanesvar wrote a commentary for Bhagavatgita in Marathi, which is called Jnanesvari and became a reputable work.

Jnanadeva says,

saguNa nirguNa dhonhi vilakshana brahma sanaathana vittalaHaa

pathitha paavana maanasa mohana brahma sanaathana vittalahaa

Dhyeya Dhyaathaa chittha niranjana brahma sanaathana vittalahaa

jnaanadevamhaNe aanandha chithghaNa brahma sanaathana vittalahaa

Vittala is that which appears with attributes and that without attributes, Vittala is that which is pure and that which enchants the heart, Vittal is the object of meditation as well as the one who meditates, He is the bliss absolute and the knowledge absolute.

Choka Mela & Bhakta Sena

Courtesy:Smt.Saroja Ramanujam

In the land of abangs, the devotees of Panduranga are a legion. But in this series only the main ones especially the composers of abhang are included. The remaining few devotees of Panduranga are Choka Mela , Bhaktha Sena and Eknath. We shall look in to the life of these and the grace of Panduranga showered on them before ending the series with the life story of Samartha Ramadasa, a devotee of Lord Rama and the guru of Shivaji.

Choka Mela

Choka Mela was born as a harijan and a great devotee of Panduranga. He was not allowed inside the temple and used to stand outside pining for the darsan of the Lord.
 He visualized all the bhagavathas like Jnanadeva and others congregating there singing the praise of Panduranga. He sings,
Vittala vittala gajareem avaDhee dhrumadhrumalee pandaree
Everywhere the chant of 'vittal vittala.' All over Pandaripur the sound of music.
Hotho naamaachaa gajara dhindyaa pathaa kaanchaa bhaara
Nama sankeerthan by various groups of people bearing the flag of devotion on their shoulders.
Nivrtthi jnaanadheva sOpaana apaara vaishnava the jaaNa
All the unparalleled vaishnavas such as Nivrtthi natha, Jnanadeva and Sopana deva,
Harikeerthanaachee dhaaTee the the chOkaa galle meetee
were jumping with joy singing harinama and embracing each other with love.
One day some brahmins saw him and censured him for standing at the temple entrance wishing to see the Lord inside. They said , "if the Lord wants to give you darsan He would have shown Himself to you privately. Just as a dog cannot enter into the kitchen you cannot enter into the temple. You should not have come to the temple in the first place."
Choka said to them,
As the Sun give light to all and makes all the lotuses blossom. Like wise the Lord is everywhere in all  hearts irrespective of caste, creed and learning.  Can you say that He is not in me and that He is only inside the temple. As far as the devotion is concerned the Lord is the same for all. Oh Lord You give me your darsan if and when You will it."
Saying thus he went home. The Lord could not bear to see His devotee going away with sorrow. He went to the house of Choka after the temple was closed and stood in front of him. Choka was overjoyed and prostrated in front of the Lord but he said that eh wanted to see Him inside the temple. Then Panduranga led him by hand and took him inside the temple and was talking to him inside the sanctum sanctorum.
The Brahmins who came to the temple  next morning lisened to the conversation and recognized the voice of Choka and were furious thinking that  somehow he has entered the temple  and gained entrance inside. They asked him how did he enter inside and he said that the Lord took him inside . they could neither believe  nor disbelieve it. But they told him to leave Pandaripur so that this would not happen again and he went to the other side of Chandrbhaga river and lived in a hut there.
But even if the devotee leaves him the Lord would not allow him to do so.Pandurang awent to his hut oneday and asked Choka to give him food. Choka was feeding the Lord under a tree outside his hut and his wife, while  bringing the curd tripped and some drops fell on the pithambar of the Lord. Choka Mela scolded her saying that when the Lord himself has come to their house to eat how could she be careless and spill the curd on His pithambar. At that time a Brahmin priest who was evil minded passed that way and heard these words, and getting angry at what he thought was the audacity of Choka he slapped him on his cheek since he could not see the Lord sitting there. When he went to the temple and stood near Panduranga he was shocked.
Every one shouted ," Look there are curd drops on the peethambar of the Lord and one of his cheeks is swelled up. " The priest alone understood what happened. The Lord has taken the slap on Himself to show His love to His devotee.
( Oh Lord ! how can we ever understand the extent of your love to us ! I could not help crying while writing these lines)
The priest ran to the hut of Choka  and said,
"Oh great soul! The Lord has taken the slap on His cheek and it is swelled up . Only you can cure it " saying this, he dragged Choka to the temple. Choka Mela saw that the Peethambar of the Lord was speckled with curd drops and His cheek swelled up. Shedding profuse tears he went near the Lord and embraced Him. He touched the cheek of the Lord and the swelling disappeared. Then only everyone realized the greatness of bhakthi of ChokaMela.
On seeing the great wonder that was Panduranga without any restriction anymore Choka sang
dhekilaa dhekilaa yogeeyaanchaa raavO
rakhmaa dheveeSaa hO pandareeSaa
I have seen the king of the yogis, the lord of Rukmini, the Lord ofPandari.
gaayee gopaala vathsE vaiNavaanchaameLa
naachathee gopaalavittala chandhE
I have seen the cows and calves,  the bhagavathas and the gopas all dancing in the thought of Gopala Vittala.
chokaamELaa dhedhem vandhithO charaNa
gaalee lotaangaNa mahaadhvaareem
I , Choka mELa also fell at the door of the temple and  worshipped His feet.

Bhaktha Sena
Bhaktha Sena
Sena was a barber and he was a great devotee of Panduranga and used spend most of his time in meditating and worshipping the Lord. The king of that region was a muslim and he sent his servants to call Sena to attend on him as his barber. When they came Sena was not at all awre ogfthem and was immersed in the meditation of the Lord. His family members  were afraid that the king may get angry if Sena did not go to him and knowing that he could not be disturbed at that time told the servants that he was not at home. The servants of the King went away and told the king so. But a man who was jealous of Sena knowing that he was inside the house went and told the king the truth and the king ordered that Sena should be flung in to the sea with hands and legs tied.
Will Panduraga allow His devotees to come to harm? He took the form of Sena and went to the king saying that he had come to attend on him. Can there be any limit to the love the Lord has for His devotees for whom He would not hesitate even to do the job of a barber? The moment He went near , the king felt an indescribable joy and experienced an ecstasy  while he was having haircut and shave. . There was  a pot of oil and the pseudo barber applied it on the head of the  king which removed all his impurities of the mind and the king became peaceful and loving. When he looked into the pot of oil what did he see?
The king saw a beautiful form with crown and kundala  with a face the beauty of which  was unimaginable. He suddenly was seized with  extreme love to the barber which he could not understand. Who can help loving the Lord ?
The king gave him a lot of gold coins told him to wait till he finished his bath because he wanted to enjoy his company for long. But the Lord after putting the coins in the bag of Sena disappeared.
Sena on knowing that the servants of the king came and went away became afraid of punishment. But he put the whole burden on the Lord and thought that whatever is His will let that happen.  Then he went to see the king expecting the worst punishment. But he was in for a surprise. The king came back from his bath and expressed a great joy in seeing Sena and asked him to show the beautiful form which he showed earlier. Sena could not understand. He said,
"Forgive me master , I was engrossed in my worship and was not aware of my surroundings and  could not come when you called ."
 The king said, "Are you mad?  You just came with your bag and attended on me and when you applied oil to my head I saw a beautiful form in the oil vessel. I want to see it again." Then he made the vessl of oil to be brought and asked Sena to show him the form . But there was nothing to be seen. Then Sena asked the king to describe the form. The king said,
"It ahd four arms, a crown on his head, and ear drops  and many ornaments. He wa shaving a disc and a conch on his arms.  His eyes werelarge like lotuses and his face was with a beautiful smile."
Sena could not control his tears and weeping he fell at the feet of the king, who was baffled. The he said, Oh King you are blessed you have seen Panduranga Himself ."
Then Sena cried,
"Oh Lord is there no end to your love? Should you take the form of a barber and cut the hair and shave the king irrespective of the fact that he was of muslim faith and not your devotee? All that in order to protect this worthless servant of yours?"
Sena says,
rakhmaadhevee vara angeekaara kelaa
nivaantha raahilaa senaa naahvee
I understood that I acquired merit because the lord of Rukhmani has accepted me as His devotee and hence I am bold enough to sing on Him.
Then  Sena took his bag and found that it was heavy with gold coins which was the reward to Panduranga for having done the job of a barber! Sena saying that it belonged to the Lord only he spent it on His devotees.
Sena sings,
udhaara thumhee santha maaya baapa krpaavantha
Your devotees Oh Lord are generous and care for us like parents
kevdaa kelaa upakaara  kaaya vaanoomee paamara
How can I describe the good things they have done to me, being a common man.
jadajeevaa uddhaarakelaa maarga dhaaveelaa supantha
They have show me, who was inert like a stone, the right path
senaamhaNE udharaayee hothaa kaamheedhisenaa
I cannot think as to how I can repay their kindness.

Bhakta Janabai

Courtesy:Smt.Saroja Ramanujam

Bhaktha Janabai

Jana bai came to Pandaripur with her parents when she was a small girl and seeing panduranga she lost her heart to Him and wished to stay in Pandaripur, She describes Him thus:
Paaya jOdooni vitEvaree
Karatevunee kataavaree
Vittala is standing on the brick with hands on his hips
Roopasaam vale sundhara
Kaanee kundalE makraakaara
How beautiful He is with the fish shaped ear drops
gaLaamaala vyjayanthee
pude gOpaala naachadhee
With vyajyanthee maalaa on His chest and the gopas are dancing in the yard.
garuda sanmukha upaa
mhaNe janee Dhanya Sobhaa
I see Garuda standing with folded hands and it was sheer bliss.
She was so enchanted with Panduranga that she started expressing her joy thus.
Vaikuntee chaa hari thanhaa yaSOdhechyaa gareem
He is the Supreme Lord in vaikunta, in the house of yasodha He is a little boy.
raangathase haa angaNee maathaa jaavaLaachee vENee
He crawls as a little boy in the yard and there is a small plait on His head
Paayeem painjana aaNeevaaLe haadheem navaneethaachE goLE
There is ankle bells on His little feet  and a ball of butter on His little hand.
Dhanya yasOdhaa maaya dhaasee janee vandhee paaya
What penance did Yasodha do , I Janaa worship her feet.
When it was time for her parents to return to their village, Janaa refused to go and wanted to stay in Pandariput itself. No amount of coaxing or scolding could move her.
Namadeva came that way and saw her and asked her why she was argi uing with her parents and crying. Janaa said ,
"My name is Janaa. My parents are here only, Panduranga and Rukmayee. I do not want to leave Pandaripur. " Namdeva told her parents that he will take her to his house and she could help him in the worship of Panduranga and Janaa gleefully went with him.
The other devotees asked Namdeva about the girl. He said that she was the hunchback in Mathura whom Krishna transformed into a beautiful girl. She was born again as Janaa to unite with the Lord in this janma.kl
Janaa was always singing the name of Panduranga.  There was an incident which shows the depth of her bhakthi. She used to prepare cowdung cakes for fuel . Once her neighbor stole some of hers and Janaa found that a few were missing. She accused the neighbor of stealing her cowdung cakes and that lady denied it saying that they were hers. Then Janaa said,
"I can prove that the ones you have are mine. " The lady laughed and said ,
"Is there your name on it?"  Janaa said " No not my name but the name of Vittala. If you put it near your ear you can hear the name of Vittala because when I made them I was chanting His name ."
The lady did not believe this and took one and brought it near her ear. Wonder of wonders! There was a clear chanting of the name of Vittala coming from that . Then she apologized and gave them back after prostrating in front of Janaa.
The story goes that Panduranga used to go to namdeva's house and help Janaa bhai in her chores and also He wrote the songs she composed on Him.
She sang,
thujee naahee kElee sEvaa
dhuhkhavaatE maajE jeevaa
My heart pains when not doing your service.
nashtapaapiNa mee heena
naahee kElE thujE dhayaaLa
You showed mercy on me who sinned in not contemplating on you.
jE jE dhuhkha jaahlE malaa
thE thvaam sO silE vittalaa
You took over my  problems and showered your grace on me.
kshmaakaree dhevaraayaa
dhaasee janee laagE paayaa
I bow down to you forgive all my faults. 

Janaa bai enjoyed the presence of Vittala in Namadeva's house where all the devotees used to assemble. She describes the bhaktah vaathsalya of the Lord thus:
naamadheva keerthan karee premabhare naache paanduranga
Namadeva sang and Panduranga danced with love.
Janaabhaayee  mhaNe dhevaa bOloom abhang
Janabhai said , "Oh Lord will you not sing abhang?"
abhang bolathaam keerthaneem ranga votavaLaa
The song escalated and Rangan danced enchanted
Premaachiyaa chandhEm dheva naachoom laagalaa
He danced wheeling around filled with love
naachathaam dOlathaam dhevaachaa galalaa peethaambar
When he danced round and round His peethambar was slipping.
saavatha hoyee dhevaa aisE bOlE kabeer
Kabeer said " Be at peace, oh Lord" and the Lord acceded.
Ekachi gardhee jaalee chandhrabhaagE vaaLuvantee
maajaa naamadheva maajaa jnaana dheva
All devotees saw this and were overjoyed and Namadeva and Jnanadeva too.
Naamayaachee janee lOLE santhaachE paayeem
janmamaraNa paasuni muktha karee kE vitaabhaayee
Jana also rolled over the dust of the feet of the devotees, crying "Rangaa will you not remove my rebirth and give me mukthi.

Namdev-Part4

Courtesy:Smt.Saroja Ramanujam

They had the darsan of Lord Siva who turned towards them thus, as if to show how much he enjoyed harinamasankeerthan.

 

Then jnanadeva sings,

Saara saara saara vitoba naama thuje saara

Vitoba , your name is the essence of all

mhaNonee SoolapaaNee japadhaahe vaaram vaara

Lord Sankara wearing the trident also chant your name only.

aadhi maDhya anthee nijabeeja Omkaara

It is the source of pranava , pervading the beginning , middle and the end.

Dhruva prahlaadha ambarudshee maanilaa nirdhaara

Your name was extolled by Dhruva,Prahlada,  Amabrisha and others.

Bhukthi mukthi sukhadhaayaka saachaara

It bestows enjoyment as well as the bliss of mukthi

Patheetha ajnaana jeevatharale apaara

It redeems ignorant who have fallen into samsara

dhiva se dhiva se vyrTha jaathaa samsaara

Why revolve around the worldly life in vain

baapa rakumaa dhevivaru vittlaachaa aaDhaara

When there is the supreme purusha Vittala the consort of Rakumayee.?

After this they returned to Pandaripur where there was a great gathering of all the saints like Ghora kumba, Janabhai, Mukthabai and others. Ghora invited them all to his house and they went.

Then the Lord decided to stage a leela to make Namadeva a polished diamond.  Ghora invited the devotees to his house and they all went there. Ghora honoured them and Jnanadeva asked Ghora whether there are any unbaked pots in his house. Ghora understood what he meant and took a stick with which he stirred the clay and tapped everyone on their heads. All kept quite but Namadeva alone protested, when Ghora said "This is the only unbaked pot." All laughed and when Namdeva was offended, Jnanadeva told him that a real enlightened one never cared for the body. Nama deva was hurt and returned to Pandaripur and complained to Panduranga .

He said,

"Oh Lord you have been making me feel all these days that I am dear to you and you would not part with me for anything etc. Was it all a lie? If it was true why did you allow me to be humiliated in presence of other devotees. Is this why you sent me with Jnanadeva?"

Panduranga said, " My dear, they were right. Your bhakthi is perfect and for that reason you are very dear to me. But you have not yet acquired enlightenment which comes only when you shed the attachment to your body and mind. That was why you opposed being tapped  by the rod. "

Namadeva said, " Then could you not grant me that enlightenment? "

The Lord said " No. you have to get it from a guru. Whom you are destined to meet in this life . I myself in my incarnations had to go to a guru without which one's learning does not become complete. You go to Mallikarjuna and seek Visobha who will lead you to enlightenment."

Namadeva went to Mallikarjuna and he saw Visobha there but he was shocked to see that Visobha was lying in the temple with his feet on the sivalinga. Namdeva thought , " How could Panduranga send me to this man who does not even seem to know that it is sacrilege to put one's feet on the image of the Lord?" Then he asked Visobha, " Sir  don't you see that you are doing something wrong by putting up your feet on the Linga"

Visobha replied, My son I am very old and weak. I do not have strength even to move my feet. Why don't you lift them and place them on the ground?" Namadeva tried to do that but found that wherever he moved the feet there appeared a sivalinga under them. Then the ego of Namadeva and he became enlightened to such an extent that when he went back to Pandaripur  he did not even go and visit Panduranga.

Panduranga was surprised at this . He talked to Namadeva  and said,

 " Have you forgotten me Namadeva or angry with me? You never came to see me afte r your return from mallikarjuna?"

Namadeva said, " NO my Lord how can I forget you when I am seeing you everywhere now and inside me also so that I feel Iam not different from you? I do not have to see you only in the temple  now. That is all." Panduranga laughed and said ,

"Now the pot is properly burnt."

Namadeva lived past 80 years of age and wrote more than 2000 abhangs. While his abhangs before this experience were full of yearning the later ones were expressing the inner bliss he enjoyed after his enlightenment

Namdev-Part3

courtesy: Smt.Saroja Ramanujam

 

Jnanadeva heard about Namadeva and came to Pandaripuram. Namadeva was elated to see Jnanadeva, who was also known as Jnanesvar and  wrote a commentary for Bhagavatgita in Marathi, which is called Jnanesvari and became a reputable work. He and his siblings,Nivrtthi deva, Sopana deva and Mukthaabai were all reputed devotees of Panduranga. Nama deva honoured him duly and gave him food . Then Janandeva told Namdeva that he came only to take Namdeva along with him for theertha yathra. Namadeva was shocked at the idea he had to leave Panduranga . He said,

"pandareechaavaasa chandhrabhaage snaana

aaNeeka dharsana vitobhaa che

Living in Pandaripur, to bathe in Chandrabaga river,and to have darsan of Vittala

he chi gado maja janmajanmaantharee

I wish to have this only in all the lives to come,

maagaNem sreehari naaheem thujhe

 the nama of Sree hari on my tongue,

mugeem naama sadhaa santhaanche dharsana

the joy of seeing saintly persons,

janee janaardhana aisaa bhaava

To see all as the Lord only,

naamaamaNe thujhe nithya mahaadhvaaree

to stand at thedoorof His temple

keerthana kajareem sapremaache

singing about Him with love."

Then jnanadeva said that he had not the heart to separate Namadeva from Panduranga but he very much wanted to enjoy the company of him and hence wished to teke him along.  He suggested that they can go to the temple and ask Panduranga' s permission. How much must have been the greatness of the devotees of Panduranga by which they were able to talk to Him in person!

Both went to the temple and jnanadeva expressed his wish to the Lord. Panduranga laughed and said,

 " It is strange that you who has a heart pure as a crystal feel some unrest and wish to go to Theertha yathra! This is like the Moon wishing to get coolness or the Sun wishing for heat!"

Jnanadeva replied,

"Oh Lord what you say may be true because you know me better than myself. But I have started feeling that bhakthi is much more powerful  than jnana to attain your lotus feet and want to share the joy of bhakthi which is in abundance with Namadeva. Please grace me with your permission to take him along."

Then Panduranga turned to Namadeva and said with a smile,

My dear, you may go with Jnanadeva as he is eager to enjoy your company. Wherever you go,  remember me only and return soon."

 Panduranga told Jnanadeva that Namadeva was very dear to Him even more than Rukmini and asked jnanadeva to take good care of him. What kind of love the Lord has for His devotees! This brings to mind the scene when Lakshman was unconscious in battle field Rama said that he could even live without Sita but could not live without Lakshmana.

Namadeva left with Jnanadeva reluctantly, often turning back to see Panduranga and cried out loudly that he had to leave Panduranga. Jnandeva told him that Pandsuranga is all pervading and is everywhere including in the heart . Namadeva replesd that he did not have the jnana to see the Lord without form and for him Panduranga is everything.

He said,

Janmo janmee aamheem bahupuNyakeledhevahaam yaa vittalem krpaakelee

Jamoni samsaareem jaalom dhyaachaadhaasa

Maajaa tho viSvaasa paandurangeem

"Panduranga vittala has enslaved me as a result of merits acquired  in countless janmas. I am His slave  and have staunch faith in Him."

aneka dhaivathaam nethe maaje chittha godagaathaam geetha vitobhaache

"My mind goes only to Vittala without resorting to anyone else."

bharamarasuvaaseem madhaavaree maasee

thaisEm yaa dhevaasee maaje mana

"As a bee goes to a flower and a honey bee falls into honey, my mind goes to Panduranga "

naamaamhaNe maaja pandareese nyaare

hata soni dhyaare vitobaasee

" Let me sing only His name and think only of Him."

Jnandeva marveled at this devotion and asked him how he got it?

Namadeva replied that it was like a father asking a question to his child with the sole purpose of the enjoyment of hearing to speak.

Then jnandeva praised him saying that there has been no devotee superior to him anywhere.

They both went to Hastinapura where many were awaiting them having heard about both.  From there they both went to Kasi where they met Kabir. They proceeded to Gaya, Prayag and came to Marvar where they experienced water scarcity. Feeling thirsty they came across a well the water of which was right at the bottom and there was no rope or vessel to draw water. Jnanadeva went down through his yogic power and drank water and told Namadeva that he would make the water come up using his yogic power. Namadeva said that if God wills it would come up and at that moment water rose to the top and Jnanadeva was astonished at the power of Bhakthi.

Then they went to a place called Naganath where the siva temple was very famous. Namadeva and Jnandeva had the darsan of Lord Siva and started to sing bhajans there. A great crowd gathered around and all were doing namasankeerthan and the priests of the temple could not go in for their daily worship. They shouted at the singers and told them that they could go Pandaripur if they want to sing and dance and Lord Siva would not like them to do it there. The people protested  and the priests edging their way through them told them not to crowd in front but go to the back side of the temple and carry on ther bajans there. Namdeva and Jnanadeva though pained at not being able to have the darsan of Lord Siva from the entrance went to the back in order to make way for the devotees to go in,since they could not stop their namasankeerthan. But  miracle happened. The temple itself turned round and they were happy to have the darsan as they wished.When the priests came out they were surprised to see the bajan going on in front and when they enquired about it they came to know the truth, Their pride quelled they bowed down to the saints and asked to be forgiven for their ignorance.

Namdev-part1,2

Courtesy:Smt.Saroja ramanujam

 

Namadeva lived in 13th Century to whom Jnanadeva, mukthabai, Gorakumba , Kabeer and some others were not only contemporaries  but also they have met as companions in their journey along the path of bhakthi. These great souls showed to the world that  attainment of mukthi is possible through namasankeerthana alone in the era when the country was under the rule of moguls.

 

Janabhai a great devotee sings in one of her abhangs,

 

Vitumaajaa lenkaruvaalaa

Sage lenkuraanchaameLaa

 

Vittal is carrying the burden of His devotees, see around Him always,

 

Eknaath kanthyaavaree

kabeeraath haathdharee

 

Ekanath is on His shoulders,Kabeer is in his hand.

 

pute saale jnaanesvar

maaye mukthaayee sundar

 

On His back is jnanadeva and on His chest there is Mukthaabhai.

 

Ghoraakumbhaa mandeevaree

chokaameLaa barobharee

 

Ghoraakumbha is on His thigh and Choka Mela is  standing near.

 

Bangaabase khadiyevaree

namaa karaanguleedharee

 

Banhaa is on His hips and Namadeva is holding His hand.

 

These are the most important devotees of Panduranga.

 

Namadeva was the son of a tailor Dhamshet. He and his wife Gunabai were great bhakthas of Panduranga and  would eat only after offering the food to Panduranga every day.

One day Dhamshet and his wife were feeling sad. The reason was that they did not have a son. That night Panduranga appeared in the dream of Dhamshet. Panduranga said " Tomorrow you will find an infant in Chadrabhaga river. Take him and bring him up as your son."

Dhamshet went to take bath in the river the next day and what did he see? A big shell was floating on the river and came near him. He took it and opened it because he remembered the dream and a baby will not float on its own but only in a container! He heard the cry of a baby inside and found a baby boy  and gleefully took him home and gave him to his wife. Both of them marveled at the grace of the Lord and brought up the boy, naming him Namdev.

Who was the boy and where did he come from? He was supposed to be Uddhava , the unparalleled devotee  and frind of Krishna, sent by the Lord to spread bhakthi. Namdev grew ingrained in bhakthi

Once Dhamshet had to go away and could not take the food to be offered to Panduranga and his wife told Namdev to take the food . The boy in his all innocenc took the food and offered it to Panduranga . When he placed the food in front of the Lord he called Him to come and eat it. But Panduranga did not come. Namvdev pleaded with Him thus:

Pandarinivasa sakhaa panduranga

Kari angasanga bhakthaaciyaa

Oh Panduranga , who is in Pandaripur, my friend, will you not come and embrace me , your devotee ?

He called again and again but the Lord did not appear. Then he cried with anguish,

Vaaravaara thusa laaja naaheem dhevaa

bolare kesavaa mhanE naamaa

How many times I have called you oh Kesava are you now ashamed in keeping silent . Why don't you talk to me.

Then  moved by his devotion Panduranga came in person and ate all the food!

Namdev went home with empty vesse and told his mother that Panduranga haad eaten the food.

Then the father came home and hearing what Namdev said , he could not believe it not could he suspect the child of telling a lie, seeing his innocent face. The next day the father took him to the temple and again Namdev asked the Lord to come and eat the food. But He did not come. The Lord will not oblige those who are not having staunch faith in Him as the innocent souls  like Namdev.

 But Namdev pleaded again and said " Panduranga if you do not come and eat the food my father will think that I lied yesterday and have eaten the food myself. Fid you not prove the words of your devotees like Prahlada eartlier. Why do you test me like this?"

Then a miracle happened Panduranga came in person and ate the food in the presence of Dhamshet, while Namdev gleefully fed him. After this incident Fhamashet and his wife understood that their son is not an ordinary mortal.

Namdev attained youth and his bhakthi also grew. Along with him.and his parents wanted to get him married. One day Dhamshet went to bed with this thought in mind. He saw Panduranga who said ,  "Go and ask the hand of Rajabhai for Namdev."

Dhamshet woke up baffled and told his wife about the dream. "But," she said, they are the  richest family in Pandaripur and how can we ask their daughter  for our son, whose father is a tailor?"

Dhamshet said, " Nevermind. I will go to their house because Panduranga has told me to go. Rest is in His hands."

Dhamshet went to the house of the father of Rajabhai and told him about the dream and asked the hand of his daughter for Namdev. The man said he wanted 1000 gold coins as kanysulka, thinking that Dhamshet could never give it. Damshet went home disappointed and told Panduranga, " Oh Lord I have acted asper your command . More than this is not in my hands."

But how can anyone go against the will of the Lord? Panduranda wished to teach a lesson to the rich man and in that night Dhamshet and his wife heard a great noise as though somethinghas fallen down . They rushed to see what was the matter and what they beheld was a miracle!

A thousand gold bars have fallen from nowhere into their courtyard! Dhamshet took all of them to the rich man and said, " You asked for 1000 gold coins and I have brought 1000 gold bars. The man could not believe this and asked how Dhamshet acquired those gold bars. When he was told what happened he was awed and realized what a great soul was going to be his son in law, if Panduranga Himself wanted to pay the kanyasulka for him. He said, "Pardon me , you are blessed by the Lord. I will gladly give my daughter without any kanyasulka to your son. She must be fortunate to have such a husband who is the best of devotees." Then Namdev was married to Rajabhai.

Namdev was a good husband and father to his children but he was all the time engrossed in namasankeerthanam and soon they were impoverished. Once he had gone to the temple and his wife was complaining to her neighbor that her husband was not at all taking care of the needs of the family spending all his time in singing  the glory of the Lord.

Namdev could not hear this since he was in the temple but can  the Lord who is everywhere help hearing this accusation about His devotee who was most dear to Him? Has not he said 'ananyaaSchinthayantho maam ye janaaH paryupaasathe theshaam nithyaabhiyukthaanaam yogakshemam vahaamyaham?'

"For those people, who think of me without any other thought and persistent in my devotion always , I take care of their welfare."

He cut vegetables in the house of Ghorakumbha, prepared cowdung cakes for Bhaktha Jana, helped in the daily worship for Ramanuja and some others, repaid the loan of Badrachala Ramadas, protected the money given to Thyagaraja by a devotee from the thieves, what ever He did not do for His devotees! It produces horripilation even to mention these acts of love of the Lord and they are countless, starting from early yugas right down to Kaliyuga.

 

A man came to Rajabhai saying that his name was Kesavadas and he was  a great friend of Namdev and came to give him money he owed him. Then he gave a lot of money and went away. She happily spent the money in buying food clothes etc. and Namdev , on returning home was surprised and when he was told about the visit of Kesava das, he said that he never knew anyone with that name. Then he realised that Panduranga Himself came as Kesavadas.

Namadev said " Why should you take so much trouble Oh Lord to redeem my name? " What have I done to deserve this? You seem to have said you owed me all this . It is I who owe you this janma and this bhakthi which without your grace I could not have had." Panduranga smilingly stood on the brick as though saying, my greatest wealth is my devotees and I have to recompense you for your love towards me. Don't you know that for mere two handfuls of flaked rice I gave Kuchela a fortune? You are singing to me doing namasankeerthan in front of me always. Should I not display at least a little of the love I share with you?"

Namdev did not want to keep the money as he thought that it may turn his mind away from his devotion to Panduranga and distributed it among the poor and needy. And he happily started singing the glory of the Lord.

Vittalaasee paahe vittalaasee Dhyaaye

Vittalaasee gaaye sarvakaaLa

Whatever I see is Vittala and whatever I think is Vittala

Vittal is in my song always

Vittala haa vrtthi vittala japaNe

Chittha vittha manasarvakaaLa

Vittala is my work, Vittala comes in japa, Vittala is my wealth and Vittlala is my thought

Sabaahya vittala dhaade ganavata

Vittala is everywere outside  and filled in the clouds

daS diSa apaata vittalachi

Vittala is in all ten directions

naamaamaNe thumheem vital ho ooLa

I say, you become Vittala and

abhanga bajana karee thasaam

do abhang bajan