Pundalika

Om Jai Sairam! I humbly bow before by Sadguru, offering my ego at his lotus feet and I beseech his help and guidance in this most difficult task. By my Sadguru's grace, I have had the good fortune of listening to his leelas and the leelas of many saints who graced this land. All Saints are verily one and they are Sagun Sakar Parabrahma (Almighty with form). Even the vedas and the thousand tongued Shesha find it hard to describe his glory. How can a dullard like me try then? What hope is there for me. The hope to a sailor like me, near the reef called samsara in the darkness of Maya is the grace of the Sadguru which shines like a beacon light coming out of a lighthouse on the shore! Verily Sadguru is the doear. He is the creator , preserver and destroyer of the Universe. He is verily Brahma Vishnu and Maheshwara! He alone can sing his glory and I am a mere instrument in his hands. Therefore, putting the dust of his feet on my forehead and onto my mouth, so as to enable me to sing his glory, I beseech the Sadguru to bless me in this endeavor.

About seven hundred years ago, the fertile and rugged plains of the Deccan experienced a spiritual revolution. A spiritual tidal wave swept through the rugged and parched lands of the Deccan in the form of numerous saints, sadgurus and divine incarnations. Most of the saints were devotees of Vitthala and belonged to the Varkari Sampradaya. To them Vitthala alone was real, and they saw Panduranga in the animate and the inanimate. I would like to now, sing the glory of the great devotee of Panduranga who installed the beutiful murthi of Panduranga at Pandharpur and created a bhoovaikunta (The abode of Lord Vishnu on earth).

Long long ago, there lived in the country called Karanata (Modern day Karnataka), a man called Pundalika. He loved his parents very much and took good care of them. His parents got him married. After his marriage Pundalika changed. He forgot all about his parents and whatever he owed them. He thought about his wife alone. 

One day this Pundalika decided to go on a piligrimage. He accompanied his wife and his parents and headed north. He and his wife travelled in a horse while his poor parents walked on foot. The parents were hurt and apalled by their son's attitude, but being full of piety, they accepted their fate and taking Hari's name kept quite and wished their son welfare. They again and again prayed to Hari thus "Oh Lord you are all knowing and all pervading. Forgive our son's folly. He is young and does not realize that he hurts us by this attitude of his. Please bless him and ensure that he achieves your feet (moksha:attaining the ultimate goal of life) in this life."

One day, the family camped on the banks of the migthy Chandrabhaga river. During sometime in the night, Pundalika awoke and found that he was not getting any sleep. So he went out of his camp and sat near the river bank. Then he saw a sight that startled him. He found 3 women of exceptional beauty and divine appearence wearing dirty clothes come to the river bank. They did not seem to notice Pundalika. They went into the hermitage of a sage living nearby, washed the sages clothes and then left looking clean. Pundalika was perplexed by this sight. He thought to himself "Those women indeed looked divine in their appearence. Why then, should they be wearing clothes that are dirty. It seemed to contrast their divine appearence."

Pundalika did not reveal this to anyone. The next night, bursting with curiosity he again went to the banks of the Chandrabhaga river and lo! The same three divine maidens again. Their clothes were again dirty.  Pundalika noticed this strange sight every night. One day, unable to control his curiosity he went and fell at the feet of the three divine women and questioned them thus "Oh divine maidens, I am blessed by your sight. But I cannot understand this strange thing that happens every night here. Verily you are divine, and there is not a shred of doubt in that. However you come here wearing  clothes that are dirty. This I cannot understand". When Pundalika stood up, he was met with angry stares by the three divine women. They replied to him thus "Oh fool! It is because of sinners like you that we are undergoing this plight! What is the reason behind all this piligrimage of yours? Who are you trying to please? Open your eyes. For I am Ganga, and these are my sisters Yamuna and Saraswathi. For what do you come to us and wash yourself in our holy waters?". Stunned by this declaration, Pundalika answered thus, "Oh mother, verily, you are the divine rivers Ganga,Yamuna and Saraswathi. I come and bathe in you for the very same reason coutless devotees come to you. To wash of my sins! Where have I erred mother?". To this they replied "Oh fool, it is due to sinners only that our clothes become dirty. And verily you, who ill treat your parents are the biggest of them. It is your sins and your great sins only, that stain our robes".

So saying the divine rivers disappeared from Pundalika's sight. So let it be. But this incident brought a change in Pundalika. From an ordinary man he became a great saint. His attitude to his parents changed. And he served them dilligently day and night. He made them travel on horseback while his wife and he walked. He massaged their feet in the night thus enabling them to get sleep easily after a tiring day's travel.

Thus did Panduranga, by his divine grace, change the attitude of one Pundalika and made him his great devotee. In the next blog I shall by Panduranga's grace try to describe how this Pundalika came to be responsible for the beautiful temple at Pandarpur which is a place of piligrimage, and which was responsible for countless saints coming to the region. They were but Panduranga himself in Sagun form.

Bow to Shri Sai! Peace be to all!