a story about bhakti and jnana.

[Guest guest]

Hi Vicki

 

the man in the temple was Namdev's 'guru'

which Vithoba knew.

 

no more messages or lessons for Namdev, but rather immediate realization

bestowed by the 'touch' of the 'guru'.

 

Vithoba was an instrument through which Consciousness moved ( a piece in the

puzzle of eternity)

It was the ordained 'time' for Namdev's awakening.

 

Love,

~jessica

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

-

"vicki" <viorica

<RamanaMaharshi>

Thursday, May 24, 2001 8:21 AM

[RamanaMaharshi] a story about bhakti and jnana.

 

 

> Namaste All,

>

> I came across this story in Ramesh's book.

> Reading this story ,I have a feeling that there is something I miss

> from the message and the lesson in the end,

> many thanks for an interpretation,

> vicki.

>

>snip>

> Go to him and see what happens."

>

> Namdev went into this temple and found the man lying there , totally

> absorbed in his own state , with his feet on the Shivalingam.

> Namdev was horrified .

> "What are you doing ?" he explained.

> "You have placed your feet on the sacred Shivalingam. "

> The man replied , "Have I? I wasn't aware.

> I am so sick and debilitated , I don't even have the strength to lift

> my feet.

> Would you please lift them and place them where there is no

> Shivalingam ?"

> So Namdev lifted his feet and wherever he put the man's feet ,

> a Shivalingam appeared under them. In frustration Namdev finally

> placed them on his own head , whereupon he suddenly experienced

> total understanding.

>

> So that was the lesson and the message which Vithoba wanted him to

> have.

[Guest guest]

hi,

The following story related to Namdev was taken from

www.ramana-maharshi.org website. This article was

published in Mountain Path Journal, October 1964.

 

http://www.ramana-maharshi.org/m_path/1964_4/thename.htm

 

Namdev's Enlightenment

 

This was read out before Bhagavan, in the hall and he

said: "Namdev must have written this after he had

obtained full Realization on touching the feet of

Vishobakesar." The point of this remark is that for a

long time Namdev, although a saint and an ecstatic,

was not fully realized. He worshipped God under the

name, of Vithoba (as is common in Maharashtra), and so

intense was his devotion that the image of God in the

temple used to come to life for him and speak to him

as a friend. This sort of manifestation is apt to

occur for the ecstatic bhakta. A modern example, is

Sri Ramakrishna, for whom the image of the Mother,

Kali, came alive.

 

Bhagavan continued with the following story of

Namdev's final Enlightenment.

 

Gora, another saint, who was a potter by trade, held a

feast to which he invited the saints, including Namdev

and Jnanadev. In the hope of enlightening Namdev,

Jnanadev said to Gora: "Your job is making pots. You

daily test them to see which are properly baked and

which are not. There sitting in front of you are the

pots of God, so test them to see which are sound."

Gora, who had been told privately of the purpose of

the test, agreed and, taking up the stick with which

he used to test his pots, went round among his guests,

tapping each one on the head. They all submitted

meekly till he came to Namdev, who cried out

indignantly "What do you mean, potter by coming to tap

me with your stick?" Gora thereupon replied to

Jnanadev: "All the other pots are properly baked; only

this one is not yet baked."

 

 

At this everyone burst out laughing, Namdev was so

humiliated that he got up and rushed out of the house

straight to the temple of Vithoba where he complained

bitterly, crying out: "Am I not your child and your

closest friend? How could you let such a humiliation

befall me?"

 

 

Vithoba appeared before him as usual and seemed to

sympathise, but then said Why could you not sit quiet

and submit to the tapping, like all the others? Then

there would have been no trouble."

 

 

At this Namdev became still more upset and cried: "You

too want to humiliate me! Why should I submit? Am I

not your child?"

 

 

Vithoba then said: "You have not yet understood and

even if I tell you you won't. But go to such and such

a ruined temple in the forest and there you will find

a saint who will be able to give you Enlightenment."

 

 

Namdev went to the forest, as he was told, and when he

reached the ruined temple he found a simple old man

lying asleep there with his feet resting on a

Siva-lingam. He could hardly believe that this was the

man from whom he, the chosen friend of Vithoba, was to

obtain Enlightenment. However, as there was no one

else there, he went up to him and clapped his hands to

wake him. The old man woke with a start and, seeing

him, said: "Oh, so you are the Namdev whom Vithoba has

sent here."

 

 

At this Namdev was taken aback and began to think that

this must be a man of power to know his name and why

he had come. Still, man of power or not, he had no

right to rest his feet on a lingam, he thought; and he

told the old man so.

 

 

"Oh, are my feet on a lingam?" the old man said; "All

right, put them somewhere else."

 

 

So Namdev, out of reverence for the lingam, moved them

to another spot. There too a Siva-lingam sprang up,

and so in one place after another, whatever place he

put them. Finally he sat down and took them in his

lap, and he himself became a Siva-lingam. And at that

moment Enlightenment dawned on him.

 

 

After this Namdev returned home. For some days he did

not go to the temple at all, although it had been his

habit to go there daily and spend most of the day

there with Vithoba. After a few days Vithoba appeared

before him in his house and asked, apparently

guileless, why he had forgotten to visit him.

 

 

"No more fooling me now," Namdev replied. "I know now.

Is there any place where You are not? Do I need to go

to the temple to be with You? Do I exist apart from

You?

 

 

"Yes, now you understand," Vithoba said.

 

 

Commenting on this story, Bhagavan said: "It is to be

noted that it was only when he surrendered and touched

the feet of the Guru that he obtained Enlightenment."

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Hi again Vicki,

 

I think perhaps the way I posted the last message ( after your snipped post)

you didn't see what I had written at the bottom so here goes again

>

 

Namdev was worshipping an external God (Vithoba). Bhakta is total surrendur

> to God, which apparently Namdev did not have. The Jnani (wisdom)

recognizing

> Namdev to be unripe, stimulates the vestiges of Namdev's ego, which turns

> him back railing to his God, Vithoba,( and the significance of the

external

> God telling him there is nothing he can do) (perhaps Vithoba here also

> represents the inner guru) in turn directs him to the man in the temple

> (Namdev's outer guru). Perhaps the picking up of his feet represents

service

> to the guru. (stories of those in service to the guru; liberated just

> through that) The man lying in the temple was the embodiment of love

> (bhakta) and wisdom (jnana)( In union with the beloved) and whose contact

led Namdev to

> the (union of bhakta and jnana) the realization of Omnipresence; the

> Self ~ within/without ~ everywhere ~ The Thou art That.

>

> Love,

> ~jessica

>

> ps i enjoy your contributions Vicki

>

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

-

"vicki" <viorica

<RamanaMaharshi>

Thursday, May 24, 2001 11:50 PM

Re: [RamanaMaharshi] a story about bhakti and jnana.

 

 

> Hi Jessica ,

>

> Glad to meet you here !

> I know you from other groups , I am glad you joined this one too ;

> after reading this story I realized how simple it is to ask oneself

> "who am I?" , more simple than looking for hidden meanings

> in other texts ,

> thank you ,

>

> vicki

>

>

>

> > Hi Vicki

> >

> > the man in the temple was Namdev's 'guru'

> > which Vithoba knew.

> >

> > no more messages or lessons for Namdev, but rather immediate realization

> > bestowed by the 'touch' of the 'guru'.

> >

> > Vithoba was an instrument through which Consciousness moved ( a piece in

> the

> > puzzle of eternity)

> > It was the ordained 'time' for Namdev's awakening.

> >

> > Love,

> > ~jessica

>>

Hello again Vicki,

>

> My previous response to your post must have left you scratching your head!

> <lol>

> I realized i had not read the post in entirety ( missed that Vithoba was

> referred to as God) and ~ misread some of the lines that i did read. It

> stimulated many stories to come to remembrance...a Sufi story, the

> metaphorical significance of the South pole of the Master ('lotus feet')

> connected to the North pole of the disciple ( head in bow to Master)

etc.,

> then i had to go to work, so...