Namdev ji was a small child when he saw his maternal grandfather serving Thakur ji. Whenever Namdev ji’s maternal grandfather served his Thakur ji, Namdev ji would watch him carefully. He would come out and serve a stone similarly and get happiness. Namdev ji would insist his maternal grandfather give him the service of his Thakur ji, saying I have learnt the same service as you do. His maternal grandfather would say that when you grow up, I will give you the service of the lord. Once, his maternal grandfather had to go out for a few days, so he gave Thakur ji’s service to Namdev ji. He told Namdev ji to first feed milk to Thakur ji and only then eat. Namdev Ji’s joy knew no bounds. Namdev ji made very tasty milk for Thakur ji by working hard and placed it in front of Thakur ji. Thakur Ji smiled at seeing Namdev Ji’s efforts. Namdev Ji also became happy seeing this. To date, even his maternal grandfather had not received this smile. Namdev ji kept thinking that maybe Thakur ji is not drinking milk because I am standing before him. He removed the curtain again and saw that Thakurji had still not drunk milk. He was worried that if Thakurji did not drink milk, his maternal grandfather would remove him from the service. He told Thakurji that I am a new priest, if I have made any mistake, please tell me, if you do not like milk and want to eat something else, please tell me that too. The milk was still lying there. Morning turned to evening. Thakurji did not drink his milk that day. The next day came, and again, the offering was made; Thakurji did not drink milk on this day, either. Namdevji also did not eat anything on both days. He was afraid that his service would be taken away from him. The third day came, he could not sleep.
He prepared milk, and this time, with determination, he went to Thakurji with a knife and said, Thakurji, drink milk! Otherwise, I will cut my throat. He attacked himself with the knife; Thakurji could not see all this and came in front of him and held Namdevji’s hand. Thakurji picked up the bowl and started drinking milk. Namdev Ji took the bowl and said, don’t drink it all; I haven’t eaten anything in three days; I also want to drink the remaining milk. When the grandfather returned, he told him that Thakur ji didn’t drink milk for the first two days, but on the third day, he drank milk properly. Maternal grandfather thought, did he drink milk? Really, did he drink milk? He said I want to see. Namdev ji took him and knife and went to Thakur ji and said, Thakur ji, drink milk, don’t prove me a liar. Thakur Ji came and drank the milk. By the grace of Namdev ji, his maternal grandfather also had a vision of God. God is easily pleased with the innocence of devotees.
The Pot Is Still Not Fully-Baked!
Namdev ji was sitting at Gora Kumhar ji’s place. Many great saints were also there. Muktabai ji was also there. She told Gora ji, “Kaaka, I will tell you which of these pots is not well baked, ” Many great saints were sitting there, and all of them smiled. She hit Namdev Ji on the head (like a potter hitting a pot to check whether it is baked); he said, “Go away; what are you doing?” Muktabai ji said, “Kaaka, this pot is raw because it spoke.” The saints laughed and said, “Yes, it is not well-baked.” Namdev Ji thought that the only truth of human life is the realization of God, and Thakur Ji plays and eats with me every day. How am I not well-baked?
He went straight to Lord Vitthal and said that the greatest state of accomplishment is when God talks to His devotee. You play with me daily; why did those saints say I am not well-baked? Thakur Ji also said that, yes, you are still unbaked. Namdev Ji asked then how one becomes well-baked. Lord Vitthal said there is a temple of Lord Shiva in the forest, and there is a saint named Visoba Khechar; you sit at his feet and follow whatever he preaches, and then you will become well-baked.
Visoba Khechar Placed His Feet On The Shivling!
Namdev ji went to Visoba Khechar on the advice of Lord Vitthal. Visoba ji slept comfortably with his feet on the Shivling of Lord Shiva. Namdev ji thought that even an ordinary believer could not do this, but God asked me to make him my Guru; how is that? Namdev ji said to Visoba ji, move your feet, Maharaj; why are you sleeping with your feet on lord Shiva? Visoba ji said, Son, wherever lord Shiva is not there, place my feet there.
Namdev Ji held his feet, and Shivling appeared wherever he placed them. He understood that Visoba Ji was a great sage. Namdev ji said to Visoba ji; I could not understand your glory; please preach to me. Visoba ji said, Son, you just have to understand there is no such particle where Vitthal is not there. Vitthal is everywhere; Vitthal is in everyone. Namdev ji imbibed this preaching in his heart.
Vitthal Everywhere, Vitthal In Everyone – Lord Vitthal Appeared From The Dog!
One day, Namdev Ji was making roti for Vitthal ji. He kept the roti and went to heat the ghee. Meanwhile, a dog started eating the roti made for Vitthal ji. Namdev ji told the dog, ” Lord, don’t eat dry roti; let me apply ghee on it first, and started running after the dog. Lord Vitthal appeared from that dog. Vitthal Ji said, see, you recognized me, didn’t you? When you were called a raw pot, you came to the temple to complain to me, and today, when Guru’s blessings were bestowed upon you, and you became fully baked, you found me even in the dog.
If God Wishes, We Can Recognize Him, But We Cannot Know Him On Our Own.
One day, Namdev Ji told Lord Vitthal that now, no matter how much you hide, I will recognize you. Vitthal Ji said, okay, let’s see! Suddenly, Namdev Ji thought there was a lot of noise in the temple; let’s go and sit behind the temple and meditate on God in peace. When he sat behind, some boys came there and started playing. His meditation was disturbed; he thought of going to the river bank.
When he went to sit on the river bank, bullock carts started stopping there; Namdev Ji said don’t make noise; I am meditating here. A man and a woman came out of a bullock cart carrying a machete (sharp blade). They started talking among themselves, saying that they were very hungry. Today, they did not find any prey, but this man was the one they had found; let’s kill him and eat him, they thought. Both of them started running behind Namdev Ji. Namdev Ji also started running away from them.
Namdev Ji ran and reached lord Vitthal’s temple. Vitthal Ji asked where are you coming from? Namdev ji said I am saved; a man and a woman were trying to kill and eat me. Vitthal ji said, you couldn’t recognize me; it was me!
Sikandar Lodi Tested Namdev Ji
Namdev ji reached Delhi from Maharashtra via Braj with his kirtan troupe. Delhi’s king Sikander Lodi came to know that there is a miraculous saint named Namdev ji in a Hindu kirtan troupe. He called the entire troupe there to test the Hindu saints. The king told Namdev ji that if you have met Saheb (God), show us a miracle. Namdev ji said that I do not have any siddhi; I just do kirtan and live with the saints; I do not have any miracles.
The king considered Namdev Ji’s humility as his insult. The king called for a cow to cut its neck before him and said now bring this cow back to life. Namdev Ji was shocked. Namdev ji prayed to the Lord that it is your dignity that is in question, bring the cow back to life, I do not have any power, give my life to this cow, you are all capable, he is doing all this to test your devotees. As soon as he prayed and touched the cow, the cow came back to life and sat up. The king held Namdev ji’s feet and said, you can ask for anything. Namdev refused, but the king forcibly sent a bed studded with gems for him along with his servants.
Along with the precious bed, soldiers also came to protect it. Namdev ji threw the bed in the river so that his meditation was not disturbed. When the king learned about this, he considered it an insult and called Namdev Ji to meet him again.
Namdev Ji told him the bed would have disturbed his remembrance of God, so he threw it away. The king said I needed the same bed; if you had not thrown it in the river, I could have made a new bed by taking its measurements. Namdev Ji understood that another test had come. He took the king to the river and took out twenty beds like that bed from the river and placed them in front of him. He said that there is no shortage of anything in this creation of our Lord. The king understood that there was definitely some special miracle in these Hindu devotees.
Thakur Ji Turned His Temple Around For Namdev Ji
One day, Namdev ji went to see Thakur ji; the temple had a huge crowd. He got his slippers with a lot of effort (he was poor), so he wrapped them in a cloth and tied them around his waist because he was afraid of losing them. Devotees of God are unique. He did not want anything from the king, but he became attached to his slippers. Only God understands the acts of great men.
He went and started dancing in front of the Lord; the knot of the slippers hanging on his waist became loose, and the slippers fell on the ground. Seeing this, the priests of Thakur Ji asked him to go out, but he was lost in his dance, so he did not listen. On this, the priests slapped him and threw him out of the temple. They also said that from today on, do not come here to see the lord. Namdev ji told Thakur ji I would no longer sit in front of you. I would go behind the temple and sing your holy name peacefully.
Going behind the temple, he said to Thakur Ji, I am not angry that you got me beaten up. But why did you do it so that I cannot come to see you from now on? He was sad. He said again, don’t get me removed from behind the temple; I will not come in front of you. At that time, Kabir Das Ji came there and said that God does not value poor people like us anymore. Thakur Ji has changed, so let’s go from here. God got scared and appeared before them, saying don’t you both leave me and go. Saying this, God turned the temple, the back door turned towards the front, and the front door went to the back.
Fire Broke Out In Namdev Ji’s Hut
Namdev ji was chanting the lord’s name in solitude. His hut caught fire. Some people came there to inform him about this. People took out whatever things they could save from fire to help him. When he reached home, he thought that even in the fire, his Lord was there. He told his neighbours that my lord has come and you are snatching away his food. Saying this, he threw the remaining saved things in the fire. People decided not to help him anymore and let him stay outside on a cold night; we had saved those things with so much difficulty, and he threw them back into the fire. They did not know that nothing is rare for the one whose beloved is the Lord. He lay down in the heat of the same ashes without any worry.
The Lord built Namdev ji a new hut. It was made from the most beautiful and fragrant materials, and Rukmani Ji helped make it herself. The hut had a divine fragrance, and people from the village started coming there.
The villagers started asking Namdev ji how much money it costs to make such a hut; we all would like to get it made. Namdev Ji said it was very expensive. Come out of your house and set everything on fire. Sit outside your burnt house and chant the holy name of the lord. Then my master Himself will come and build your hut for free. The one who has sacrificed his attachments in the fire of renunciation, who has dedicated everything to the feet of the Lord, the Lord takes his responsibility. Hearing this, the villagers stepped back, and everyone bowed down to the feet of Namdev ji.
Namdev Ji Shattered The Pride Of A Wealthy Man
In Pandharpur, a wealthy merchant celebrated Tuladan (donating as much money or gold as one’s own weight) for his welfare. He used to sit on one side of the scale, and on the other, he used to weigh gold and silver and distribute it among the saints. A man told him if you did not serve Namdev ji in your life, you did not do much. The merchant first sent his servant, but Namdev ji said I do not need it. Then the merchant sent his accountant, but Namdev Ji said he should distribute it among other Brahmins. Then he himself went and bowed at his feet and requested to accept the donation. Namdev ji saw that he was very proud of his wealth, so he asked, will you give me as much as I ask? The merchant said, yes, of course!
Namdev Ji took a Tulsi leaf with him. He wrote half the name of “Ram” on the Tulsi leaf. After writing it, he said, just give me gold equal to its weight. On one side of the scale was a Tulsi leaf, on which half the name of Ram was written, and gold was on the other. The merchant asked how much gold would weigh against a leaf, are you making fun of me? Namdev Ji said that’s all I want. The merchant put some gold, but the scale didn’t move. He put in a few more kilograms of gold, but the scale didn’t move. He put all his gold and silver and took everything from his relatives and neighbours, but the scale still didn’t move. Namdev ji said that at least his pride of wealth was gone, but one more pride remained.
He was very proud of his good deeds and many Tuladans (donations) done earlier. Namdev Ji said that whatever charity, good deeds, pilgrimages, etc., you have done, take a resolution and put it on this scale, and maybe it will rise. Nothing happened. Now the merchant fell at Namdev ji’s feet and said what can I, a poor man, give you? You are rich in the name of God! Namdev Ji wanted to hear this. He performed this pastime to destroy his ego. With this teaching of Namdev ji, the impurity of his heart was removed, and he humbly devoted his mind to the devotion of God. The association of a devotee transforms one’s life. The same kind of love Namdev Ji had for God came into the heart of that rich man.
Thakur Ji Tested Namdev Ji’s Loyalty To Ekadashi
Ekadashi has a special significance in Pandharpur. It was Ekadashi day, and Thakur ji came to Namdevji’s village in the guise of a weak Brahmin. Everyone said Namdev Ji is a great devotee, so you should go to his place. The Brahmin reached there and said, I have been hungry for days; please give me some food. Namdev ji said, today is Ekadashi; I can only give you water to drink. The Brahmin said, I am dying of hunger; I need food.
Namdev Ji repeatedly refuses; the Brahmin says you will be guilty of murder. Everyone started convincing Namdev Ji to give food to the Brahmin. Namdev Ji said that I could give food tomorrow but not today. God, who was in the form of a Brahmin, stretched his legs and died. All the people of the village started cursing him for his harshness. Namdev Ji thought that since the Brahmin died at my doorstep, I would have to perform his last rites, too. He made his pyre and sat on it himself because the Brahmin died at his doorstep. God thought that he himself will really die and will also burn me, Thakur Ji got up and sat. Thakur Ji smiled and told Namdev Ji that I am not a Brahmin, I am Vitthal, I was just testing you. Namdev Ji fell at his feet, Thakur Ji smiled and disappeared.
Narrated By: Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj
