[Advaita-l] SAINT NAMDEV FORM MAHARASHTRA

[KAMESWARARAO MULA]

Dear Members,                            Namdev of Maharashtra was a saint of mediaeval India. He was not a servant of Lord Krishna, but His companion. Namdev was an Amsa (part) of Lord Krishna.
This biography is from Swami shri Sivanandaji’s book “Lives of Saints”
Namdev born in 1269AD, from his very childhood; was like Prahlad. At the age of two, when he began to talk, the first correct word he uttered was ‘Vittala’, Just like Saint Goswami Tulasi Das (15th century) uttered the name 'RAM" and since then, he continued with the repetition of that sacred name incessantly, without any help or instruction from others. He found great pleasure when every day his mother Guna Bai took him to the temple of Vithoba for offering worship to the Deity. His next step was, when at the age of about seven, he prepared a pair of cymbals and spent his time in dancing and singing, doing Bhajan, to the neglect of everything–food, studies in school, rest, sleep, etc. His devotion to Vithoba was so innocent and sincere that he used to treat Him sometimes as his dearest brother or as his playmate.


Adopting a Guru:Greatly mortified, Namdev repaired to Vithoba and complained to Him of his humiliation. He said that he saw no necessity for him to have a Guru as he had intimate relationship with Lord Krishna Himself. Lord Krishna said that Namdev did not really know Him. Namdev denied this. Lord Krishna challenged Namdev and asked him to find out His identity that day. Namdev agreed. Lord Krishna took the form of a Pathan horseman and passed before Namdev. Namdev could not recognize the Lord. Namdev agreed to go to a Guru. Lord Vithoba then advised him to adopt Visoba Khechar as his Guru.

Namdev’s maid-servant Janabai:

No account of the life of Namdev would be complete without a mention of Janabai. She was a maid-servant in the household of Namdev. Nothing is known of her life except that she was Namdev’s maid-servant. She herself forgot sometimes that she had an existence apart from being the maid-servant of Namdev. In several poems on devotion which she has left behind, she describes herself as ‘Nam’s maid-servant’ or ‘Namdev’s Jani’. She was one of the closest followers of Namdev and had no ambition other than to serve Namdev and sing the praises of the Lord Vithoba. For instance, in one of her poems she sings:

“Let me undergo as many births in this world as You please, but grant that my desires are fulfilled. They are that I see Pandharpur and serve Namdev in every birth. I do not mind if I am a bird or a swine, a dog or a cat, but my conditions are that in each of these lives, I must see Pandharpur and serve Namdev. This is the ambition of Namdev’s maid.”

In another place, Janabai writes:  “Give me only this girl, O Hari, that I shall always sing Your sacred Name. Fulfil my only desire that You will accept my humble homage and service. This is all that I desire. Have mercy on me and fulfil my desires. I want to concentrate my eyes and mind on You and have Your Name on my lips. For this the maid Jani falls at Your feet.”

That sums up the philosophy of Janabai and how she attained her desired goal. So intense and sincere was her devotion to Vithoba that the Lord Himself used to lighten her household duties, which, as she became old, she found unable to perform. By her service and devotion to God, she completely succeeded in effacing herself and she got completely merged in Him. A great soul–Janabai! And a greater Master–Namdev!


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Lives of Saints – The Divine Life Society


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https://www.dlshq.org/saints/namdev/

Some beautifull liks to Abhangs, Namdev's kirtana's: Linke are given below:Nāmdev is a saint from Maharashtra, whose journey is filled with deep love for the divine. Inspired by his life and his message to people, Madrasana curated a program 'Yatra' focussed on exploring some highlights of Nāmdev's life, through storytelling and music. Sivasri Skandaprasad (vocal) Vinay Varanasi (storytelling) Chandrashekhar (harmonium) and Adamya Ramanand (mridangam) took the audience on a journey, sharing moving instances and ideologies of namdev. The thematic production focussed on including compositions that conveyed sentiments seen and expressed in the stories of Namdev.Credits:Sivasri Skandaprasad - Vocal,Vinay Varanasi - Storyteller,Chandrashekar - Harmonium,Adamya Ramanand - MridangamVideo Recording and Editing - Shaale,Audio Recording and Mixing - Niklish MK Bhat,Venue - Bangalore International Center

https://youtu.be/uW6pd1PSe3g


Sri Guru Padaravindarpana Mastu
Kameswara