Spiritual Stories by Ramana

[Guest guest]

BHAKTA EKANATH

 

A discussion in the hall centred on the story of Kulasekhara Alwar,

which had appeared in the Vision magazine. During a Harikatha,

Kulasekhara identifying himself so completely with the situation of

the story, felt it his duty as a worshipper of Rama to at once hasten

to Lanka and release Sita. He ran to the sea and entered it to cross

over to Lanka, when Rama appeared with Sita and Lakshmana and

showered His grace on him. This led others in the hall to

remark, " Some Maratha saint also did a similar thing. He leaped up to

the roof, I think. " Thereupon Sri Bhagavan related the story.

 

EKANATH WAS WRITING the Ramayana, and when he came to the portion in

which he was graphically describing that Hanuman jumped across the

ocean to Lanka, he so identified himself with his hero Hanuman that

unconsciously he leaped into the air and landed on the roof of his

neighbour's house. This neighbour had always had a poor opinion of

Ekanath, taking him for a humbug and religious hypocrite. He heard a

thud on his roof, and coming out to see what it was, discovered

Ekanath lying down on the roof with a cadjan leaf in one hand and his

iron stile in the other. The cadjan leaf had verses describing how

Hanuman leapt across the sea. This incident proved to the neighbour

what a genuine bhakta Ekanath was and he became his disciple.

 

After a pause Bhagavan also related: " God appeared in a dream to

Ekanath and asked him to go and repair the tomb of Jnaneswar. When

Ekanath went there accordingly, he found a contractor ready to do all

the work and take payment at the end. The contractor opened a big

account in which all expenses were entered, with the names of all the

workmen and wages paid. Everything went on systematically. When the

work of repairs was completed, the accounts were looked into and the

contractor paid his dues. Then the contractor and his big account

book totally disappeared. Then alone Ekanath came to know that God

was his contractor and did the work. Such things have happened. "