Santh Jnaneshwar : Visoba learns his lesson

Om Jai Sai Ram! Verily the task I have undertaken is a very bold one! For how can a dullard like me try to describe the supreme spirit or sing his glory? What can the glowworm say about the Sun? However I draw strength from my Sadguru, who alone is the doer. Sadguru alone makes me type these words. And by falling at his lotus feet, I beseech him to help me in my endeavor. This endeavor of mine is to sing the glory of the Sadguru.

In the previous post, I described how Santh Jnaneshwar humbled the king of Yogis Changdev, by showing his spiritual prowess by making a lifeless wall move. Now hear another tale, where a jnani and an elite brahmin of Alandi took refuge under the feet of Santh Jnanadeva.

There lived in Alandi a brahmin and a devotee of Lord Shiva called Visoba. This Visoba was proud of his learning. He was a pundit (Scholar) in Sanskrit, and had read and mastered the Vedas and Upanishads. However all his learning had taken him far from the goal of all life, which is spiritual illumination. In fact, this very Visoba had vehemently opposed the decision of Shri Vitthalpant (The father of Jnanadeva) to return to grihastha from Sanyasa.

Now after Changdev's submission to the saint family, most of those who considered Santh Jnanadeva a heretic Sanyasin's son, now fell at his feet. Even the most learned of the Sanskrit pundits mingled with uneducated peasants to listen to his discources. And what to say of his discources? They were like nectar to the ears. Visoba however still considered them outcastes, and was upset with the respectful way in which people were treating the saint family. With this kind of prejudice in mind, Visoba loathed the very ground on which the saint family walked.

One day Muktha Bai asked Santha Jnanadeva what he would like to eat? She said she wanted to cook something special for all her brothers. Jnanadeva said "If that be your wish, oh Muktha, you may prepare pancakes". Muktha saw that they did not posess the required thava (Pan) to make the pancakes. Hence she decided to get it from the local potter. She went to the potter, who bowed reverentially before Muktha. She gave him whatever little money she had and bought the thava (pan). However Visoba witnessed this and strode towards the potter's shop in fury. He snatched the pan from Muktha and dashed it to the ground, shattering it to many pieces. Muktha asked Visoba "Uncle, why did you do that? What have I ever done to you? Have I ever harmed you? This conduct does not suit a village elder like you". To which Visoba replied "Do not call me uncle you outcaste! You were born of a Sanyasi (Celibate). You pollute the very ground you walk on! And now, you buy at the village potter's shop? You pollute the shop, where we all have to buy utensils! Shiva Shiva! What a sacrilage!! Now begone you!!" And then he turned to the potter and said "You! How dare you sell anything to the outcaste? I will break all your pottery! You hear me?". The poor potter, who looked upon the saint family as divine incarnations was shocked, but knowing how much influence Visoba had on the village headman, only managed to utter an apology, with tears rolling down his cheeks.

Muktha was hurt by all this ran all the way to the cottege where the saint family was staying. Looking at her hurt thus, her brothers consoled her. Jnanadeva asked her what happened? Mukta said "I bought the tava at the potter's, but Visoba the village elder broke it, and insulted me, and said we are outcastes and should not buy anything at the potters!" and again started crying. When all this was happening, something very strange happened. In his evil and arrogant mind, Visoba thought, "That Muktha wanted to buy a pan (Thava). Surely she wanted to cook something special. Let me go and see what she does now, now that there is no pan (Thava). So saying he had silently followed Muktha and was peeping through the window, and enjoying the suffering of the saint family.

Then Panduranga himself, who was none other than Lord Jnanadeva said "Oh, why do you cry Muktha? So what if we do not have the thava? Prepare the dough and bake the pancakes on my back!" Thus consoled, Muktha started preparing the dough! Visoba was thinking "What are these fools upto? What did Jnanadeva mean when he said, bake the pancakes on his back?They must indeed be crazy". But even as he was thinking thus, he saw Jnanadeva sitting with the support of his hands and knees, and on his back there came unmistakable fumes of smoke. It looked like exactly like a red hot thava. And as soon as Muktha bai started putting the dough on Santh Jnaneshwar's back, they started cooking, and soon Visoba could smell fresh pancakes from the outside.

Visoba suddenly realized why all the people were worshipping the saint family. He realized that they were indeed divine incarnations. He suddenly remembered all the troubles that he had put the saint family and overcome with grief and repentance, he ran into the house and fell at the feet of the Saint family.

When Lord Jnanadeva picked him up , with tears rolling down his cheek, he said "Oh Lord! Please forgive me! You are indeed Lord Shankara and no one else! I have been a sinner all my life. I have troubled your father, and I have trouble you. Give me any punishment which I deserve! But please always let my head rest on your lotus feet!" So saying he again prostrated to the saint family.

Then Lord Jnanadeva consoled him thus "The ways of the Lord are mysterious! Visoba uncle, how can you tell if a man is outcaste? Is he not a human and a creation of god? There is nobody who is inferior and nobody who is superior! Under the eyes of god all are same. Please let go of your ego and learn to see god in all and all in god."

Visoba thus consoled said "Master! You are an ocean of mercy! Please forgive me, and let me serve you as your humble servant! Only by clinging onto your feet can I attain moksha (liberation)". Jnanadeva consented, and thus Visoba, who hated the saint family so much became their devotee. Lord Jnanadeva thought him the eightfold ways of yoga and revealed the mysteries of the universe to him. Under the guidance of Lord Jnanadeva who was Panduranga himself, Visoba did namasmarana (Chanting the divine name repititively) of Lord Shiva, and then finally realized god in the form of Lord Shiva. After that Visoba roamed around like an ascetic and took to living in a temple of Lord Shiva. All this while he aged considerably, but spiritual illumination had touched him and he had become one with god.

Lord Jnanadeva was like a philosopher's stone. Whoever approached him, immediately changed and treaded on the path of spirituality and realized the goal of life. Like the philosopher's stone which converts iron into gold, Lord Jnanadeva made saints out of ordinarty men who were filled with ignorance or arrogance or both.

Jai Jai Ram Krishna Hari!

Shree Satchitananda Sadguru Sainath Maharaj ki Jai!

Bow to Shree Sai! Peace be to all!