Lord Vithal, or Panduranga Vittala, is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and is worshipped in the world famous Pandarpur Rukmini Vithal Temple at Pandarpur in Maharashtra. There is an interesting story that explains about the incarnation of Lord Vithal at Pandarpur.
Once a devotee named Pundalik was traveling to Kashi and reached the Ashram of Saint Kukkut. He asked the sage the way to Kashi. Kukkut Rishi said that he did not know the way to Kashi and he had never been there.
Pundalik made fun of Kukkut Rishi for not knowing the way to Kashi and said that a holy man like him should have already visited Kashi. Kukkut Rishi kept quiet and did not bother to answer Pundalik. During the course of the night Pundalik heard the voice of women in the ashram.
He came to out to look what was happening and saw that three women were sprinkling water on the Ashram and cleaning it.
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On enquiry, Pundalik found out that the three women were Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswathi and they had come to clean the Ashram of Kukkut Rishi. Pundalik wondered how a saint like Kukkut who had not visited Kashi was such holy and powerful that the three holy rivers came down to purify his ashram.
The three women told Pundalik that piety, spirituality and devotion does not depend on visiting holy places or doing costly rituals but in performing one’s karma.
The three women told him that Sage Kukkut had served and nursed his parents most faithfully and devoted all his life to that one aim. He had thus accumulated Punya enough to earn Moksha and bring us down to earth to serve him.
Pundalik had left is old parents at home and was visiting Kashi to gain moksha and blessing. He did not bother to entertain the request of his parents to take them also to Kashi.
Pundalik now understood his mistake and rushed back home and took his parents to Kashi and on return started looking after them. From then onwards the care of his old mother and father came before everything else.
Lord Krishna was moved by the sincere devotion of Pundalik towards his parents. He decided to visit Pundalik’s home.
When Lord Krishna visited Pundalik’s home he was serving food to his old parents.
Pundalik saw the Lord at his door but his devotion to his parents was so intense that he wanted to finish his duties first and then attend to his guest. Pundalik had reached such a stage that it didn’t matter to him whether the guest was a mere mortal or God. All that mattered was service to his parents.
Pundalik gave Lord Krishna a brick to stand on and asked Him to wait until his duty was completed. Lord Krishna was moved by the devotion of Pundalik to his parents and waited for him patiently.
Later when Pundalik came out he asked the Lord forgiveness for making Him wait. Lord Krishna blessed him and asked him to ask a boon.
Pundalik said what more can I ask when the Lord himself waits for me.
When Lord Krishna insisted that he ask a boon, Pundalik asked that the Lord should remain on earth and bless and take care of His devotees.
Lord Krishna agreed to stay there and is known as Vithoba or the Lord who stands on a brick. This form of the Lord Vithoba is Swayambhu which means that His idol has not been carved or etched but it came into existence on its own
Beautiful and short. This is to emphasize devotion to parents as prime duty of a true son. Though son slips out of ignorance or selfishness still the chasing anugraha of the Lord reminds the human duty. Sages are the gurus who illuminate the goals of life and bring twist in life-direction.The sage Kukkut was a punyavan that three River goddesses sanctify his ashram right in the morning by sprinkling water. It is due to his unswerving devotion to his parents.The is always a big net work of punya gathered since janmas and ultimately they help for emancipation. Pundalika’s concluding part of life is an example of lokopokara and atmoddharana. He made Lord Krishna stay on land as Vithoba and got relived of follies due to matapirtru seva. Very instructive sthala purana , a mark of good guidance.
I must commend the author for writing a very concise and beautiful prose on Pundalika, which reminded me of my Guru H.H. Namananda Giri Swamigal (Namaji), Chief Disciple of H.H. Swami Haridhos Giri (Guruji) of Thennangur, TN who used to narrate this story in his discourses with great emotion. If I remember correctly. He used to say that the 3 ladies who were cleaning Sage Kukkut’s Ashram (Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati) are covered with litter as soon as they set their eyes on Pundalika when he asks them who they are as they had to take on his sins as Punya Teerthas, which surprises Pundalika making him realise his folly in trying to accumulate Punya without carrying out his basic duties towards his parents. This is the equivalent of chanting a thousand mantras without chanting the Gayatri Mantra which is like constructing a building without a foundation and thus infructuous. Radhe Krishna ! Bola Pundalika Varadhe .. Hari Viththale ! Sathguru Nath Maharaj Ki Jai !
JAIGURUDEV
THANKU SO MUCH FOR VITTAL JI STORY ,PLEASE ALSO POST HOW SRI RAKMAAYI GODDESSESS JOINED WITH VITTAL GOD .