A Beautiful Story

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Jaya Sri Radhey!

 

Saint Namadeva

 

Namadeva is a saint who is said to have lived around the 13th century

in Maharashtra. God used to appear before him daily in person, to

accept his offerings. However he suddenly stopped doing so.

 

Namadeva was perturbed at this and was told by someone to meet

Vishobakesha in Amvadya. He reached Amvadya and was guided by the

villagers to a Shiva temple on the outskirts of the village, where

Vishobakesha resided.

 

Namadeva entered the temple and was shocked to see an old man

sleeping in the sanctum with his feet resting on the Linga.

Namadeva was aghast. In anger he rushed to the old man, waking him

rudely and ordering him to take his feet off the Lord.

 

But Vishobakesha remained unperturbed.

 

"I am an old and fragile man," he said, "please lift my feet and put

them where the Lord is not."

 

Namadeva took the old man's feet and hastily moved them away from the

Linga. But when he wanted to put them down on the ground, lo, a

second Linga sprang up from under the earth as a footrest for the

saint.

 

Namadeva tried moving those feet to different places and every time

another Linga sprang up from the ground to meet them. In the end the

entire room was filled with Lingas.

 

He suddenly realized that there is no place where there is no God.

He felt humbled and said,

"O Guru, forgive me for my ignorance. My head filled with arrogance

is the only place where there is no God", and placed the legs on his

own head.

 

The sage smiled and said: "You have realised what you came to learn.

Go back to Pandarpur."

 

Namadeva returned, a different person. He perceived the vibrant

presence of the Lord in everything. After reaching Pandarpur, he did

not visit the temple, but stayed at home.

 

Four days went by, when not seeing Namadeva at the temple, Lord

Panduranga Himself walked to his devotees house and knocked on his

door.

 

"Namadeva, my dear," He called, "Please open the door. Where have you

been so long ? I'm missing you!"

 

Namadeva did not open the door. From inside he called back to

Panduranga: "My dear Lord, I have looked through your game. You won't

fool me again. You made me believe the temple was the only place to

meet you. But now I know that all is You and there is nothing but

Yourself!"

 

Lord Panduranga laughed and returned to the temple, blessing Saint

Namadeva.

 

Jaya Sri Radhey!