Bhajans as Prayer

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Bhagawan used to conduct Wonderful Bhajans in his boyhood with his classmates. Most of the songs in those Bhajans were in praise of the protective aspect of God descending in the forms of various Avatars for the establishment of Righteousness, the protection of the good people and the prevention of the proliferation of evil tendencies. A good number of the songs were especially devoted to the deity at Pandarpur variously known as Krishna, Narayana, Pandari Nath and Panduranga but most commonly and fondly called Vittala or Vittoba. To appreciate this peculiar name given to the Lord which means ‘the one who stands on a brick’, we must know the story of Pundarika which is as follows: Long ago, there lived in a village in Western India, a very great devotee of God with his wife. The couple were childless for long and after sustained prayers, austerities and offerings, were blessed with a son. He was named

Pundarika. They pampered him and doted upon him so much that he was thoroughly spoiled and grew up into a lad with all bad habits. He forced them to give him money for gambling, to go to prostitutes etc. so often that they lost all their wealth and became very poor. Yet their son pestered them for money and scolded them with very bad and harsh words. They cried to the Lord most pitiably for an escape from this wordly life or at least from their son’s torments. At that time, a group of pilgrims came to their village and stayed there for a rest in the middle of their long journey by foot to Kasi (now known as Varanasi or Benares). The old and poor couple decided to join them. Unfortunately the son also joined the group and also managed to a get a horse to ride on. The old parents resigned to their fate and tottered on by foot while their young and able-bodied son trotted on a

horse! After several days, they happened to camp under a large Banyan Tree for the usual rest. It was a forest area but near their tents was an ashram of a great saint by name Kukkuda Rishi. In the early hours before the dawn, Pundarika woke up and then he saw three women entering the ashram! He grew suspicious and decided to keep watch! The women who looked poor and dirty came out very soon from the ashram and began to clean the premises. Soon they re-entered and evidently after leaving the brooms and buckets inside, came out. And this time they were resplendent in looks and in their dress! There was something so other-worldly or superhuman about them, that Pundarika spontaneously ran towards them and prostrated before them! To his humble query about their identities they answered that they were the deities of the sacred rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Godavari! They further revealed that since they took on the sins of the devotees

who bathed in the sacred rivers, they became dirty and mundane. To regain their powers and purity they had come to serve Kukkuda Rishi’s Ashram! Suddenly after saying this they disappeared! Pundarika was dumb-founded at the revelation and was soon at the feet of the great saint, requesting him to reveal the mode of worship which made him so powerful and purifying. The saint said, “My dear son, God is everywhere and in everyone. It follows that He is immanent in one’s parents also. So taking them as living idols of God, I serve them to the best of my ability. That is all.” Pundarika was surprised and shocked at this answer and filled with remorse and true repentance for the cruelties heaped by him on his parents. He ran to them and fell at their feet. The old couple began to tremble at the thought of what could follow but soon realised that the son had turned a new leaf. Pundarika decided to stay there itself serving his parents. So he built a small hut out of mud and some palm leaves for them and did his best to feed, clothe and take care of them in every possible way within his capacity. The more he adopted this mode of worship, the more his sins were wiped out and great merit began to accumulate in his spiritual account! The Lord was pleased to reward him and decided to give him His darshan in his bewitching super natural form with four hands, the wheel of time, the Lotus of wisdom, etc. When he thus appeared near him, Pundarika was preoccupied in feeding his parents and so told the Lord, “Oh Lord! You have granted me this darshan only because of my worshipping you in the form of my parents. So I don’t want to stop my service to them in the middle. Kindly wait until I finish my service!” The Lord was very happy at this ‘Service-worship’ and continued to stand there!

But Pundarika suddenly realised that it was ordinary good manners to offer a seat for a guest coming to the house and how sinful it must be to make the supreme Lord Himself stand on the floor without offering a seat. Unfortunately, there was no chair or anything like it in the hut. However, of late he had been making some bricks with a view to build a better residence for his parents in times of rain, winter, etc. Thinking quickly he told the Lord, “My dear Lord! I have only a brick to offer for your seat! Please use it and don’t stand on the bare floor!” The Lord was amused but accepted the brick so lovingly offered to him! When Pundarika came back from the service to his parents, he was asked to seek any boon from the Lord. But overwhelmed by the utmost compassion and unassuming simplicity of the Lord, he requested Him to stay on in that place in the form of an idol standing on a brick and shed His grace on His worshippers. The Lord agreed and hence the name Vittala or Vittoba! The Lessons and revelations from this wonderful episode must be obvious and may we sing the Vittala Bhajans remembering them and being guided by them in our daily life. If we do so, our day to day life itself will become a prayer that draws forth the love and grace of the most compassionate and loving Lord of the Universe. Source : www.kingdomofsai.com