Friday, 26 October 2012
Dog
Linga Every Where
Eknath grew up in a devout family in Maharashtra. From childhood, he developed intense devotion for Panduranga (a form of Lord Vishnu worshipped in Maharashtra). As a young boy, his father had once asked him to do the puja in the family shrine. Eknath completed the puja and refused to move from that spot until Panduranga came in person and ate the naivedyam (sacred offering to Bhagavan) that Eknath had offered. He became known for his devotion to Panduranga and Eknath himself was satisfied. Sant Namdeo, another famous saint, was passing through Eknath's hometown. At bhiksha, he tapped Eknath on the head with his staff and said, "the pot is kaccha" implying that he was an immature devotee like a wet clay pot that had not yet been fired in the kiln. Eknath was offended and asked what he should do to become "pukka", (mature). Sant Namdeo sends him to Shri Visobha Kechar in a remote village.
Eknath goes to that village and enquires after the teacher. On being told, Shri Visobha is in the temple, Eknath goes to the temple. There he finds an old man sleeping on the floor with his feet resting on the shivalinga. Shocked, Eknath goes and rudely wakes up the old man and rebukes him for his effrontery in placing his feet on the Lord. The old man sleepily says that he is tired and would Eknath kindly move his feet away from the Lord. Eknath angrily, lifts the old mans feet and places them away from the shivalinga. Lo and behold, a shivalinga springs up where he placed the old man's feet. Furious, Eknath repeatedly moves the old man's feet only to find that wherever he placed the old man's feet, a shivalinga appeared. It dawned on Eknath that this old man could be none other than Shri Visobha Kechar. He prostates to the teacher and asks that he reveal the nature of the Lord.
Sunday, 1 July 2012
Mithyaa Haa Sansaara - Eknath Maharaj
मिथ्या हा संसार । अवघा मायेचा बाजार ॥१॥
mithyaa haa sansaara | avaghaa Maayecha baazaar ||1||
स्त्रिया पुत्र धन । हे तो सर्व मायिक जाण ॥२॥
striyaa putra dhan | he to sarva Maayika jaana ||2||
यांत गुंतू नको नरा । न करी आयुष्य मातेरा ॥३॥
yaat guntoo nako naraa | na kari aayushya maateraa ||3||
वाचे वदे हरिहर । करी ध्यान निरंतर ॥४॥
vaache vade Harihara | kari dhyaan nirantara ||4||
एका जनार्दनी नरा । नित्य भज हरिहरा ॥५॥
Ekaa Janaardani naraa | nitya bhaja Hariharaa ||5||
mithyaa haa sansaara | avaghaa Maayecha baazaar ||1||
स्त्रिया पुत्र धन । हे तो सर्व मायिक जाण ॥२॥
striyaa putra dhan | he to sarva Maayika jaana ||2||
यांत गुंतू नको नरा । न करी आयुष्य मातेरा ॥३॥
yaat guntoo nako naraa | na kari aayushya maateraa ||3||
वाचे वदे हरिहर । करी ध्यान निरंतर ॥४॥
vaache vade Harihara | kari dhyaan nirantara ||4||
एका जनार्दनी नरा । नित्य भज हरिहरा ॥५॥
Ekaa Janaardani naraa | nitya bhaja Hariharaa ||5||
Saturday, 30 June 2012
Grip of Habits: Theory of Karma
The way we live our life is not a conscious way of living. We live a mechanical life propelled by our habits. It is the easiest way to live, but it makes our life dull.
We do feel cozy and comfortable but our level of consciousness starts going lower. The sharpness in our life comes when we bring more and more awareness to each moment. Then we can get out of the vicious circle of habits and liberate ourselves from karmic bondage.
The theory of karma exists, but only for those who live life without full awareness. For a man of awareness, a Buddha, this theory has no relevance.
Osho often told the story of a Hindu mystic, Eknath, who was going on a year-long pilgrimage, visiting all the sacred places of the country. A thousand people were travelling with him.
The thief of the town also came and said, "I know that I am a thief and not worthy enough to be a member of your group, but do give me a chance. I would like to come for the pilgrimage".
Eknath said, "It will be difficult, because one year is a long time and you may start stealing people's things. You may cause trouble. Please drop this idea". But the thief was insistent. He said, "For one year I will stop stealing, but I have to come. And I promise you that for one year I will not steal a single thing from anybody". Eknath agreed.
But within a week trouble started, things started disappearing from people's luggage, and even more puzzling was that things would disappear from somebody's bag only to be found in somebody else's.
The man in whose bag they would be found would say, "I really don't know how these things have come to be in my bag".
One night Eknath, pretending to be asleep, lay awake, and he watched. In the middle of the night, the thief started changing things from one person's luggage to another person's. Eknath caught him red- handed and said, "What happened to your promise?" The thief said, "I have not stolen a single thing. But this is my old habit. In the middle of the night if I don't do some mischief, it is impossible for me to sleep. And for one year, not to sleep? Be compassionate I am not stealing, things are just exchanged from one person to another. And moreover, after one year I have to start my stealing again, so it will be good practice also".
So we are victims of our habits. Hindus call it the theory of karma: Each action that we repeat, or each thought — because thought is also a subtle action in the mind — it becomes more and more powerful. Then we are in the grip of it.
We are imprisoned in the habit. When we get angry, we rationalise and say that the situation demanded it. That's how our ego goes on thinking that we are still the boss, but we are not. Anger comes out of old patterns, out of the past. And when anger comes we try to find an excuse for it.
Osho points out: Nobody is responsible except you. Nobody can make you angry, and nobody can make you happy. You become happy on your own, you become angry on your own, and you become sad on your own. Unless you realise this, you will always remain a slave.
Our relationships are creating miseries for us for the simple reason that we lack awareness, our behaviour is coming out of unconsciousness. Become more and more conscious to make life blissful.
We do feel cozy and comfortable but our level of consciousness starts going lower. The sharpness in our life comes when we bring more and more awareness to each moment. Then we can get out of the vicious circle of habits and liberate ourselves from karmic bondage.
The theory of karma exists, but only for those who live life without full awareness. For a man of awareness, a Buddha, this theory has no relevance.
Osho often told the story of a Hindu mystic, Eknath, who was going on a year-long pilgrimage, visiting all the sacred places of the country. A thousand people were travelling with him.
The thief of the town also came and said, "I know that I am a thief and not worthy enough to be a member of your group, but do give me a chance. I would like to come for the pilgrimage".
Eknath said, "It will be difficult, because one year is a long time and you may start stealing people's things. You may cause trouble. Please drop this idea". But the thief was insistent. He said, "For one year I will stop stealing, but I have to come. And I promise you that for one year I will not steal a single thing from anybody". Eknath agreed.
But within a week trouble started, things started disappearing from people's luggage, and even more puzzling was that things would disappear from somebody's bag only to be found in somebody else's.
The man in whose bag they would be found would say, "I really don't know how these things have come to be in my bag".
One night Eknath, pretending to be asleep, lay awake, and he watched. In the middle of the night, the thief started changing things from one person's luggage to another person's. Eknath caught him red- handed and said, "What happened to your promise?" The thief said, "I have not stolen a single thing. But this is my old habit. In the middle of the night if I don't do some mischief, it is impossible for me to sleep. And for one year, not to sleep? Be compassionate I am not stealing, things are just exchanged from one person to another. And moreover, after one year I have to start my stealing again, so it will be good practice also".
So we are victims of our habits. Hindus call it the theory of karma: Each action that we repeat, or each thought — because thought is also a subtle action in the mind — it becomes more and more powerful. Then we are in the grip of it.
We are imprisoned in the habit. When we get angry, we rationalise and say that the situation demanded it. That's how our ego goes on thinking that we are still the boss, but we are not. Anger comes out of old patterns, out of the past. And when anger comes we try to find an excuse for it.
Osho points out: Nobody is responsible except you. Nobody can make you angry, and nobody can make you happy. You become happy on your own, you become angry on your own, and you become sad on your own. Unless you realise this, you will always remain a slave.
Our relationships are creating miseries for us for the simple reason that we lack awareness, our behaviour is coming out of unconsciousness. Become more and more conscious to make life blissful.
Marriage and Uddhav,
Marriage and family life never came in the way of Shri Janardan Swami in following the path of righteousness. His disciple Shri Eknath Maharaj, also did not consider marriage as an obstacle in following religious practices. In due course he also thought of matrimony and was married to a well-behaved and chaste lady. Her name was Girijabai. She was always hospitable to the visitors and a willing worker at home. She always joined hands with her husband in welcoming each and everybody who visited their house.
At the time of the marriage of Shri Eknath one Shri Uddhav, who stayed at Bijapur and who was known to the family of Shri Eknath, came to Paithan and after the marriage he stayed permanently in the house of Eknath Maharaj.
This gentleman was a man of great capacity and he used to manage all the household affairs of Eknath Maharaj. Because of the "Sadavarta" referred to before, a number of grocery articles were required to be purchased and stored in the house very often. Apart from this, Shri Eknath Maharaj was a saint who was widely known in the country. Hence he always used to have a number of visitors everyday. All these visitors also were required to be sui¬tably entertained. Similarly the festivals, birthdays etc. of all the Gods like Rama, Krishna, Dutta, etc used to be celebrated when also a number of people used to visit Eknath's house.
To attend to all these jobs and manage all the household affairs of Eknath Maharaj was no small job and it required a man of various accomplishments. It goes to the credit of Uddhav that he managed all these jobs quite efficiently.
At the time of the marriage of Shri Eknath one Shri Uddhav, who stayed at Bijapur and who was known to the family of Shri Eknath, came to Paithan and after the marriage he stayed permanently in the house of Eknath Maharaj.
This gentleman was a man of great capacity and he used to manage all the household affairs of Eknath Maharaj. Because of the "Sadavarta" referred to before, a number of grocery articles were required to be purchased and stored in the house very often. Apart from this, Shri Eknath Maharaj was a saint who was widely known in the country. Hence he always used to have a number of visitors everyday. All these visitors also were required to be sui¬tably entertained. Similarly the festivals, birthdays etc. of all the Gods like Rama, Krishna, Dutta, etc used to be celebrated when also a number of people used to visit Eknath's house.
To attend to all these jobs and manage all the household affairs of Eknath Maharaj was no small job and it required a man of various accomplishments. It goes to the credit of Uddhav that he managed all these jobs quite efficiently.
Pilgrimage
According to the instructions of his guru, Eknath started on the pilgrimage. They started from Daulatabad and came to Nasik after a few days. After performing the usual rites there, they went to Panchwati Here Shri Janardan Swami told his disciple to write a Commentary in Marathi on "The Chatushloky Bhagwat".
After finishing this work, Eknath went to Trimbakeshwar. There he paid his homage to the Samadhi of Nivrittinath and composed twenty two Abhangas. Eknath similarly had great respect for Dnyanadeo, Sopan and Muktabai and he has composed Abhangas praising them also.
After finishing this work, Eknath went to Trimbakeshwar. There he paid his homage to the Samadhi of Nivrittinath and composed twenty two Abhangas. Eknath similarly had great respect for Dnyanadeo, Sopan and Muktabai and he has composed Abhangas praising them also.
Janardan Swami thereafter returned to Daulatabad and directed his disciple to visit the holy places of Northern India Among the saints of India there was always a practice to visit the holy places in India in order to get the first-hand knowledge of the condition of the country and the people. Eknath was no exception to this convention. According to the directions of his guru, he visited the
- Fayoshni,
- Tapi and
- Narmada rivers.
- Ujjain,
- Mathura,
- Gokul,
- Vrindavan,
- Kashi,
- Prayag,
- Gaya,
- Ayodhya,
- Badrinath,
- Pushkar and
- Dwarka,
Omni Present
One person of the untouchable caste once called Shri Eknath at his house for dinner. In those days of strong orthodoxy, it was a great sin even to touch an untouchable Then if some brahmin goes to the house of an untouchable, he would get an exemplary punishment of being boycotted.
So when the brahmins in Paithan came to know that Shri Eknath has agreed to go to the house of the untouchable for dinner, they were hilarious about catching Eknath red handed so that he could be humiliated in any manner they liked.
Hence on the appointed day they kept a strict watch over Eknath's house. They divided them into two groups and one of them kept a watch over the house of' the untouchable, while the other group kept a watch over Eknath's house.
Very soon the persons in the locality of the untouchables came in Paithan proper and said, " Eknath is in the Maharwada " (the locality where the untouchables were staying). They therefore wanted to storm the house of Shri Eknath.
Hence they went to his house and lo ! Shri Ek-nath was in his own house doing his usual jobs. They therefore again ran to the Maharwada and to their utter surprise they found Eknath Maharaj also there They could not believe in their own eyes and again ran to Shri Eknath's house.
Thus they were running helter skelter from Eknath's house to the Maharwada and back; but all their efforts for catching Shri Eknath were completely foiled, for they could not really decide as to where Shri Eknath was present. In this predicament the brahmins felt ashamed and said that Shri Eknath was not an ordinary person and that he was the gods favourite.
So when the brahmins in Paithan came to know that Shri Eknath has agreed to go to the house of the untouchable for dinner, they were hilarious about catching Eknath red handed so that he could be humiliated in any manner they liked.
Hence on the appointed day they kept a strict watch over Eknath's house. They divided them into two groups and one of them kept a watch over the house of' the untouchable, while the other group kept a watch over Eknath's house.
Very soon the persons in the locality of the untouchables came in Paithan proper and said, " Eknath is in the Maharwada " (the locality where the untouchables were staying). They therefore wanted to storm the house of Shri Eknath.
Hence they went to his house and lo ! Shri Ek-nath was in his own house doing his usual jobs. They therefore again ran to the Maharwada and to their utter surprise they found Eknath Maharaj also there They could not believe in their own eyes and again ran to Shri Eknath's house.
Thus they were running helter skelter from Eknath's house to the Maharwada and back; but all their efforts for catching Shri Eknath were completely foiled, for they could not really decide as to where Shri Eknath was present. In this predicament the brahmins felt ashamed and said that Shri Eknath was not an ordinary person and that he was the gods favourite.
Death of Krishna Das Postponed
One Shri Krishnadas, who was a poet and who was the contemporary of Shri Eknath, was writing a book on "Yuddha Kand". The writing of the book continued for a long time and Krishna, das felt that his end had come near. He therefore felt that he would not be able to complete his work. Hence he ran to Eknath and stating all the circumstances, requested Eknath to complete his work. Eknath however, enquired with him as to what was the time required by him to complete the work. On being told that eleven days would be required for the purpose, Shri Eknath told Krishnadas that only he would be completing his work and death cannot overcome him during that time. According to the guarantee given by Shri Eknath, Krishnadas completed his work within that period and breathed his last after that period in a peaceful mann¬er.
Due ot Shri Eknath's blessings, the life of Krishnadas was extended by eleven days.
Sadavarta
Because of the Sadavarta" at the home of Eknath, he was expected to feed any one who came to his house. All the brahmins in Paithan had already become jealous of Eknath; because his advice was listened to by all and their importance had lessoned. So they started sending people to the house of Eknath even at the odd hours of night; but Eknath was not a man who would be upset by such small things. He faced every visitor who came to his house and after welcoming them all he fed them to their hearts' content.
God Came to Settle His Loans
The sixth day of the dark half of the month of Falgoon was the day when Eknath's Guru Shri Janardan Swami took Samadhi. Hence this day was quite important to Shri Eknath and it used to be observed at Eknath's house very meticulously. Of course some extra expenditure used to be incurred on that day.
Once Shri Uddhav, who has already been referred to before, could not procure all the things required for the day with the money he had. Hence he borrowed rupees seven hundred from a money lender in Paithan. Somehow that loan remained to be repaid for a long time and it so happened that the money lender himself came to Shri Eknath and told him that the outstanding loan should be paid immediately.
Eknath therefore decided not to eat a morsel of food upto the time the loan would not be repaid. He therefore remained without food and slept on a hungry stomach; but in the night it so happened that the money lender was awakened in the dead of the night by Uddhav and the money was repaid with interest.
In the morning when Eknath started reading his usual "Pothi" ( Sacred religious book ) he found in it the promisary note passed by him duly receipted. Very soon the money lender also came to Eknath and expressed his regret for having pressed for the recovery of his money and also stated that Shri Uddhav came to his house by night to repay the debt.
After listening to this account of the money lender, Shri Eknath followed the whole affair and knew that god had satisfied the pronote posing himself as Uddhav. He however felt very sorry that god had to take that much trouble for him. He was overwhelmed with feelings and he prayed to God and begged his pardon for the troubles given to him.
Once Shri Uddhav, who has already been referred to before, could not procure all the things required for the day with the money he had. Hence he borrowed rupees seven hundred from a money lender in Paithan. Somehow that loan remained to be repaid for a long time and it so happened that the money lender himself came to Shri Eknath and told him that the outstanding loan should be paid immediately.
Eknath therefore decided not to eat a morsel of food upto the time the loan would not be repaid. He therefore remained without food and slept on a hungry stomach; but in the night it so happened that the money lender was awakened in the dead of the night by Uddhav and the money was repaid with interest.
In the morning when Eknath started reading his usual "Pothi" ( Sacred religious book ) he found in it the promisary note passed by him duly receipted. Very soon the money lender also came to Eknath and expressed his regret for having pressed for the recovery of his money and also stated that Shri Uddhav came to his house by night to repay the debt.
After listening to this account of the money lender, Shri Eknath followed the whole affair and knew that god had satisfied the pronote posing himself as Uddhav. He however felt very sorry that god had to take that much trouble for him. He was overwhelmed with feelings and he prayed to God and begged his pardon for the troubles given to him.
Shiridi Sai Baba on Eknath
The Sai Satcharitra has numerous mentions of "Eknath Bhagwat" book and how sai baba asked his devotees like Kakasaheb Dixit, shama hemadpant and many others to relish this valuable book.....
Kakasaheb had just read hari-vrinda & came to baba to ask what he should read next.baba asked him to read Eknath's"Virndavan Pothi".
kakasaheb didnot understand which book baba was referring to. He came with a copy of "Eknathi Bhagwat" & baba agreed that this was the pothi he was refering to.kaka still could not understand why baba should call it as 'Vrindavan Pothi'. He commenced reading and when he reached the end of the book, "know this (book) is not just eleventh canto (of Bhagwat )'. This is the vrindavan of 31 parts. here sri krishana always resides, in his own essence, Full of his own bliss'.
Then kaka realized how much thoroughly familier baba was with Eknath Bhagwat. After finishing reading bhagwat, kakasaheb asked baba whether he should read some other spiritual book given to him by his freind. Baba said " no. only these two book (Eknathi Bhagwat & Bhawartha Ramayana) are sufficient for us".
Now , both these books are written by saint eknath maharaj. sai baba's dependency on these books for his best devotees is an indication how much he loved & admired Eknath maharaj & his works
kakasaheb didnot understand which book baba was referring to. He came with a copy of "Eknathi Bhagwat" & baba agreed that this was the pothi he was refering to.kaka still could not understand why baba should call it as 'Vrindavan Pothi'. He commenced reading and when he reached the end of the book, "know this (book) is not just eleventh canto (of Bhagwat )'. This is the vrindavan of 31 parts. here sri krishana always resides, in his own essence, Full of his own bliss'.
Then kaka realized how much thoroughly familier baba was with Eknath Bhagwat. After finishing reading bhagwat, kakasaheb asked baba whether he should read some other spiritual book given to him by his freind. Baba said " no. only these two book (Eknathi Bhagwat & Bhawartha Ramayana) are sufficient for us".
Now , both these books are written by saint eknath maharaj. sai baba's dependency on these books for his best devotees is an indication how much he loved & admired Eknath maharaj & his works
Departure to Spiritual World
Shri Eknath told Uddhav to arrange for the "Dindi" and arrange to inform all his friends about his journey to the other world.
Eknath thereafter started making his preparations.
1 He first of all had a bath with the water of the Ganges.
2 He then took the "Veena" and started Keertan.
3 He also requested the people to repeat the God's name.
The whole procession then started through the streets of the city and Shri Eknath was walking with them singing the God's name all along. On the way the people worshipped him with great affection.
Some offered him garland of flowers
while others offered him garlands of Tulsi.
Bukka was all along being showered like rain.
Most of the people were watching Eknath very closely with the idea that this saint will not be seen any more. Some people were oppressed with sorrow so much that they were all along shedding tears but Eknath was quite composed and unruffled as usual.
When they reached near the Laxmi Tirth on the bank of Godawari, Eknath requested all to sit down. He then did the Keertan in his usual way. As those were the last words from the month of the great sage, all the people were attentive and they were spell bound with his advice. He thereafter took leave of all and walked slowly towards the stream. He waded in the water slowly and when he was in waste deep water he cast away his human body peacefully.
Friday, 29 June 2012
Message
He has given us a simple and straightforward message:
Eka Janardani Sopa, Vithtalnaam Mantra Japa
(Listen to Eknath, keep repeating the name of god)
Bhavartha Ramayana - The Story Behind
Eknath began writing the Bhavartha Ramayana, a Marathi translation of the Ramayana, but took Mahasamadhi (left his body) in 1599 before completing it. This parallels the story of the sage Valmiki: Scholars believe that Valmiki never wrote the Uttar Kanda, but that it was added later. Similarly, in Eknath's case, the Uttar Kanda was written later by his disciples.
Santh Eknath had a boy named "Poli"who was generally considered a good for nothing by all the villagers.One day he was brought to Santh Eknath and remained with him thereafter.After Santh Eknath took samadhi,many of his disciples,including his son tried to complete the Bhavartha Ramayan with no success.One day one of Santh Eknath's disciples had a dream where the Saint told him that Poli would be able to complete the unfinished Bhavartha Ramayan.So next day the day disciple went to meet Poli and told him his dream.Poli was such a sincere and earnest sishya,he immediately said if guruji has said then ok, come and sit and write down what I say,and shlokas just started pouring and Bhavartha Ramayan was thus completed.
Santh Eknath had a boy named "Poli"who was generally considered a good for nothing by all the villagers.One day he was brought to Santh Eknath and remained with him thereafter.After Santh Eknath took samadhi,many of his disciples,including his son tried to complete the Bhavartha Ramayan with no success.One day one of Santh Eknath's disciples had a dream where the Saint told him that Poli would be able to complete the unfinished Bhavartha Ramayan.So next day the day disciple went to meet Poli and told him his dream.Poli was such a sincere and earnest sishya,he immediately said if guruji has said then ok, come and sit and write down what I say,and shlokas just started pouring and Bhavartha Ramayan was thus completed.
His son Hari Pundit
Eknath's reformist views brought him into conflict not only with orthodox pundits but also with his own family. His son Hari Pundit was annoyed at his father's habit of preaching in Marathi and of eating in low-caste homes.
He went away on a pilgrimage to Varanasi and didn't return. When Eknath followed him, Hari Pundit told him the reason for his exile. With a heavy heart, Eknath promised to give up his discourses and unorthodox ways. Hari Pundit returned and gave discourses in Sanskrit, while Eknath remained silent. The audience dwindled to near-zero while the people clamoured for Eknath's discourses and kirtans.
One day an old, low-caste widow came to invite Eknath for a meal at her place. She desired to feed a thousand Brahmins, but, being poor, could not do so. Since she considered Eknath to be worth a thousand Brahmins, she decided to feed him. Eknath turned to Hari Pundit, who was moved by her plight. But Hari Pundit made two conditions: one, that he would accompany Eknath; and two, that he himself would cook the food.
On the appointed day, the two of them went to the woman's house and settled down to eat. Hari Pundit noticed that the woman had slipped a dish that she had prepared onto Eknath's leaf plate. He resented this but kept quiet. After finishing the meal, Eknath told Hari Pundit to pick up the leaf plates, so as not to trouble the old woman.
Hari Pundit bent down to pick up Eknath's leaf plate. As he picked it up, he found another plate beneath it. Perhaps he had been served on two leaf plates. But below the second was a third. Eventually, Hari Pundit had to pick up a thousand leaf plates! A thunderstruck Hari Pundit realized his stupidity. His father was worth a thousand Brahmins and more. He fell at his feet begging forgiveness.
Eknath forgave him saying, "Hari, you have learnt the shastras, but not humility." Needless to say, after this Eknath resumed his preaching and other activities.
He went away on a pilgrimage to Varanasi and didn't return. When Eknath followed him, Hari Pundit told him the reason for his exile. With a heavy heart, Eknath promised to give up his discourses and unorthodox ways. Hari Pundit returned and gave discourses in Sanskrit, while Eknath remained silent. The audience dwindled to near-zero while the people clamoured for Eknath's discourses and kirtans.
One day an old, low-caste widow came to invite Eknath for a meal at her place. She desired to feed a thousand Brahmins, but, being poor, could not do so. Since she considered Eknath to be worth a thousand Brahmins, she decided to feed him. Eknath turned to Hari Pundit, who was moved by her plight. But Hari Pundit made two conditions: one, that he would accompany Eknath; and two, that he himself would cook the food.
On the appointed day, the two of them went to the woman's house and settled down to eat. Hari Pundit noticed that the woman had slipped a dish that she had prepared onto Eknath's leaf plate. He resented this but kept quiet. After finishing the meal, Eknath told Hari Pundit to pick up the leaf plates, so as not to trouble the old woman.
Hari Pundit bent down to pick up Eknath's leaf plate. As he picked it up, he found another plate beneath it. Perhaps he had been served on two leaf plates. But below the second was a third. Eventually, Hari Pundit had to pick up a thousand leaf plates! A thunderstruck Hari Pundit realized his stupidity. His father was worth a thousand Brahmins and more. He fell at his feet begging forgiveness.
Teaching's Summary
Eknath’s teachings is summarized as "Vichar, Uchchar and Achar" – i.e.,
Purity of
Purity of
- Thought,
- Speech and
- Practices.
Initial Struggles
Eknath was born under the star sign of ‘Mula’ in sagittarius constellation, traditionally considered a bad omen for the parents of the child. In reality also, Eknath’s father Suryanarayan and mother Rukmini died shortly after his birth and Eknath was brought up by his grandparents, Chakrapani and Saraswatibai. Due to this Eknath had to suffer taunts from other children. As a result, Eknath avoided their company and devoted his time in devotional practices.
Compassion
An omnipotent voice answered that Rameshwar Bhagwan's thirst had already been quenched when Eknath gave the water to the donkey.
Bharud / Abhang
He was a prolific writer who wrote a number of abhangas (hymns) and bharudas (short allegorical poems)
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=vid&hl=en&source=hp&biw=&bih=&q=sant+eknath+bharud
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=vid&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1024&bih=649&q=sant+eknath+maharaj+abhang
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=vid&hl=en&source=hp&biw=&bih=&q=sant+eknath+bharud
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=vid&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1024&bih=649&q=sant+eknath+maharaj+abhang
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