‘What is impossible to accomplish for a devotee of God? Everything is possible. Throwing light on the anecdotes of the life of Devotee Janabai, Pujya Bapuji said,
“It is difficult to say when, where and how God protects. His devotees through His Lila (divine play). When we look at the history and read the biographies of devotees, we develop all the more faith in the existence of God. Janabai was born to Damaji, who lived in Gangakhed, a small village on the banks of the river Godavari. In her childhood, Janabai lost her mother. When her father returned home after performing the funeral rites of her mother, little Jana enquired, “Father! Where has mother gone?”
Her father replied, “She has gone to visit Lord Vitthal of Pandharpur.”
One day, two days…………five days………..ten days …………twenty-five days………passed. “Father, why hasn’t mother come back yet? Is she sitting with Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur? Father! Take me to Pandharpur as well,” insisted little Jana.
Her father took his daughter to Pandharpur. After taking a bath in the river Chandrabhaga, they went to Lord Vitthal’s temple. Little Jana began to ask Vitthal, “Where has my mother gone, Vitthal? Please call my mother?”
Calling out ‘Vitthal, Vitthal…………’, she started crying uncontrollably. Her father tried his best to console her, but how could such a little girl understand all this? Just then, Dama Seth and his wife Gonaibai, the parents of Bhakta Namdev, entered the temple, Seeing Jana sobbing their hearts were filled with parental love. They told her father, “Now Jana will not leave Pandharpur. Leave her here. We will look after her as our own daughter. This way, she will continue to have darshan of Lord Vitthal. And she will keep calling ‘Vitthal, Vitthal….’ To bring her mother back. In the process, if this kindles devotion in her heart, it is well and good.”
Jana’s father agreed and left Janabai at that place. Thus Janabai had the company. While staying there, Jana would have darshan of Vitthal and also help in the household chores. Gradually, her devotion to the Lord continued to increase. With the passage of time, Namdev got married. Yet, Janabai continued to do her household chores and visit the temple everyday to have darshan of Vitthal.
Once, due to an excessive workload she went to temple very late at night. Everyone had left by then. Jana returned home after praying to Lord Vitthal, but the next day morning people noticed that the gold necklace adorning Lord Vitthal was missing!
The temple priest said, “The last person to visit the temple was Janabai.”
Janabai was arrested. She pleaded, “I do not take even a needle that belongs to someone else, and then how could I steal the Lord’s necklace?” But, it seemed that the Lord wanted to increase the spiritual power and spread the glory of his devotee by testing her. The king issued a royal edict, “Jana is lying. Take her through the market place, caning her all the way, to the place where criminals are impaled on the stake, and impale her on the stake.” The soldiers came to take Janabai. Janabai was praying to Lord Vitthal, “My Lord Vitthal! What should I do? You know everything……”
Just as gold is heated and melted to be moulded into ornaments, God tests devotees. True devotees pass the test, whereas others go astray.
When the soldiers were taking Janabai, by standers commented, “See the great devotee! Her devotion was a pretence. Now her true colours have come to light.” Good people, however, were painted to see all this.
The procession finally reached the place of impalement. The executioner then asked her, “You are going to be executed. What is your last wish?” Janabai replied, ”Wait for just a little while; so that I may sing some Abhangas (couplets in the honor and praise of the Almighty) before I die.”
Abhanga is a metrical composition in praise of God, in Marathi prose, similar to Doha, Chaupai or Sakhi in Hindi prose. Some 300 Abhangas of Janabai are available even today, Janabai, immersing herself in divine remembrance and with a heart full of devotion and faith, began to pray to Lord Vitthal through the Abhangas. “Be kind to me, O Lord! Be kind to me. How does this deceptive maya (illusion) beguile us? Have mercy on me, O Lord! Have mercy on me.”
A prayer rendered with a heart full of devotion and faith most certainly reaches God. Tears were streaming down from Janabai’s eyes as she prayed, and the stake on which she was to be impaled got transformed into water. Devotion from a pure heart can even cause the Nature to change its laws. Seeing this, the people were dumbfounded. The king also begged her pardon. Janabai was hailed. No matter how much opponents may try, a true devotee always remains firm in his devotion. It is rightly said.
“When have chain (obstacles) been able to hold back those determined to progress? When have difficulties been able to halt those who are resolved to march ahead?”
O divine women of India! Remember the great women of our ancient past. You were born on this same land India where great women like Sulabha, Gargi, Madalsa, Shabari, Meera and Janabai were born. Even the numerous obstacles that came in their way did not shake their faith and devotion.
O Women of India! How wrong it is to forget the glory of our own culture, being wrongly influenced by the glitter and glamour of the Western culture? Rather than adopting a culture that will lead to your downfall, follow your own culture so that you make overall progress in your life, your children will also do likewise, and you will enable India to enthrone herself once again on the seat of Vishwaguru (Guru of the world).
“It is difficult to say when, where and how God protects. His devotees through His Lila (divine play). When we look at the history and read the biographies of devotees, we develop all the more faith in the existence of God. Janabai was born to Damaji, who lived in Gangakhed, a small village on the banks of the river Godavari. In her childhood, Janabai lost her mother. When her father returned home after performing the funeral rites of her mother, little Jana enquired, “Father! Where has mother gone?”
Her father replied, “She has gone to visit Lord Vitthal of Pandharpur.”
One day, two days…………five days………..ten days …………twenty-five days………passed. “Father, why hasn’t mother come back yet? Is she sitting with Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur? Father! Take me to Pandharpur as well,” insisted little Jana.
Her father took his daughter to Pandharpur. After taking a bath in the river Chandrabhaga, they went to Lord Vitthal’s temple. Little Jana began to ask Vitthal, “Where has my mother gone, Vitthal? Please call my mother?”
Calling out ‘Vitthal, Vitthal…………’, she started crying uncontrollably. Her father tried his best to console her, but how could such a little girl understand all this? Just then, Dama Seth and his wife Gonaibai, the parents of Bhakta Namdev, entered the temple, Seeing Jana sobbing their hearts were filled with parental love. They told her father, “Now Jana will not leave Pandharpur. Leave her here. We will look after her as our own daughter. This way, she will continue to have darshan of Lord Vitthal. And she will keep calling ‘Vitthal, Vitthal….’ To bring her mother back. In the process, if this kindles devotion in her heart, it is well and good.”
Jana’s father agreed and left Janabai at that place. Thus Janabai had the company. While staying there, Jana would have darshan of Vitthal and also help in the household chores. Gradually, her devotion to the Lord continued to increase. With the passage of time, Namdev got married. Yet, Janabai continued to do her household chores and visit the temple everyday to have darshan of Vitthal.
Once, due to an excessive workload she went to temple very late at night. Everyone had left by then. Jana returned home after praying to Lord Vitthal, but the next day morning people noticed that the gold necklace adorning Lord Vitthal was missing!
The temple priest said, “The last person to visit the temple was Janabai.”
Janabai was arrested. She pleaded, “I do not take even a needle that belongs to someone else, and then how could I steal the Lord’s necklace?” But, it seemed that the Lord wanted to increase the spiritual power and spread the glory of his devotee by testing her. The king issued a royal edict, “Jana is lying. Take her through the market place, caning her all the way, to the place where criminals are impaled on the stake, and impale her on the stake.” The soldiers came to take Janabai. Janabai was praying to Lord Vitthal, “My Lord Vitthal! What should I do? You know everything……”
Just as gold is heated and melted to be moulded into ornaments, God tests devotees. True devotees pass the test, whereas others go astray.
When the soldiers were taking Janabai, by standers commented, “See the great devotee! Her devotion was a pretence. Now her true colours have come to light.” Good people, however, were painted to see all this.
The procession finally reached the place of impalement. The executioner then asked her, “You are going to be executed. What is your last wish?” Janabai replied, ”Wait for just a little while; so that I may sing some Abhangas (couplets in the honor and praise of the Almighty) before I die.”
Abhanga is a metrical composition in praise of God, in Marathi prose, similar to Doha, Chaupai or Sakhi in Hindi prose. Some 300 Abhangas of Janabai are available even today, Janabai, immersing herself in divine remembrance and with a heart full of devotion and faith, began to pray to Lord Vitthal through the Abhangas. “Be kind to me, O Lord! Be kind to me. How does this deceptive maya (illusion) beguile us? Have mercy on me, O Lord! Have mercy on me.”
A prayer rendered with a heart full of devotion and faith most certainly reaches God. Tears were streaming down from Janabai’s eyes as she prayed, and the stake on which she was to be impaled got transformed into water. Devotion from a pure heart can even cause the Nature to change its laws. Seeing this, the people were dumbfounded. The king also begged her pardon. Janabai was hailed. No matter how much opponents may try, a true devotee always remains firm in his devotion. It is rightly said.
“When have chain (obstacles) been able to hold back those determined to progress? When have difficulties been able to halt those who are resolved to march ahead?”
O divine women of India! Remember the great women of our ancient past. You were born on this same land India where great women like Sulabha, Gargi, Madalsa, Shabari, Meera and Janabai were born. Even the numerous obstacles that came in their way did not shake their faith and devotion.
O Women of India! How wrong it is to forget the glory of our own culture, being wrongly influenced by the glitter and glamour of the Western culture? Rather than adopting a culture that will lead to your downfall, follow your own culture so that you make overall progress in your life, your children will also do likewise, and you will enable India to enthrone herself once again on the seat of Vishwaguru (Guru of the world).
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