Post by Amritha Varshini on Aug 3, 2013 10:19:17 GMT 5.5
Dear Children
VITOBA, THE NECTAR ( translation: Mrs Uma Gururajan)
2. REMEDY
In the previous story, we mentioned God's name as Vittal and Vitoba. In today's story, we are going to address him as Pandurangan. Who is this Pandurangan? Well. Just as Ganeshji has different names like Ganapathy, Vinayaka, Ekadhanthan etc, Vittal also has many names of which Pandurangan is one.
Now let us welcome the hero of today's story, Eknath. Eknath was a staunch devotee of Pandurangan and He has brought many miracles in Eknath's life. We shall see one such miracle in this story.
One night, Eknath was reading and singing the Bhagavatham with the help of oil lamp. He was so immersed in the beauty of the Bhagavatham that he forgot the time. Suddenly there was a knock on the front door. He went and opened the door. There he saw a young boy of around 11 to 12 years old wearing the sacred thread (Poonal or Yagnopaveetham) across his chest. The boy was wearing a very old torn towel which showed clearly that he came from a poor family.
Eknath asked him "who are you? What do you want?".
The boy asked "Are you Eknath Swami?"
When Eknath said yes, the boy prostrated and said "Swami! I have heard a lot about you. I have come from a far place and my parents are no more. I would like to be your disciple. Can you please accept me as your disciple and teach me Vedas?" Ekanath further enquired "where are you coming from? What about your parents?". The boy answered "Swami! My name is Kandeeya Krishnan. I am coming from Dwaraka. At the moment, I have no one and you are everything to me. Please take me as your disciple". Eknath was moved by the boy's appearance and accepted his request. Since that day Kandeeya Krishnan not only became his disciple but also a pet son to both Eknath and his wife as they did not have any children. He did all the household chores like going to shop for buying groceries, vegetables, cleaning the house etc. He also helped Eknath's wife in preparing the garlands for the day to day prayers. Soon Kandeeya Krishnan became an important member in the family.
Once, Eknath's father's annual ceremony day came. Eknath was getting ready to perform the Sradhdham for his father. Do you know what is sradhdham? Sradhdham (performed with sradhdha = utmost sincerety and care) is a special prayer that is performed for the ancestors. Special food - especially the food which is most liked by the dead soul is prepared and a Priest comes to perform special prayers. Brahmins are invited to eat the food. It is believed that the ancestors themselves come in the form of Brahmins to eat and bless the family.
As Eknath's wife was preparing the food, some poor people were crossing their house. They could smell the food and talked among themselves "the food smells really good. Will we ever get an opportunity to eat such meals". Eknath heard them and felt very sorry for them. Touched by their words, Eknath invited them all into his house and gave them a feast whole heartedly. They ate the food happily, blessed and left the house.
Seeing the people leaving, the Brahmins who came for the Sradhdham left the house immediately. They went into the town and told other Brahmins about Eknath. All the other Brahmins got very angry and rushed to Eknath's house. They questioned Eknath "how can you feed these poor people before the sradhdham? Don't you know it is against the Shastras to feed others before performing the sradhdham? " Eknath replied "they were all hungry and there is no discrimination of race, caste or creed when it comes to annadhanam. I see Vittal in everyone. So I gave them food". The Brahmins were not satisfied with his reply and decided to punish Eknath by banishing him from the community. Thus they declared "from now on, no one will go to Eknath's house to eat and no one will communicate with them". Having said, the Brahmins left.
Eknath was very upset as he could not perform the Sradhdham and feed Brahmins. Seeing Eknath's helpless state, Kandeeya Krishnan came up with an idea. He said "Swamiji! Sastras say that koorcham (it is made of Dharbai grass which is used in all the rituals) can be used as replacement for Brahmins. So why not place three koorchams and request your ancestors to come and eat?" Taking the boy's words as gospel, Eknath placed one koorcham in front of one leaf and prayed sincerely and whole-heartedly. Lo and behold! Vittal himself came and ate the food offered to Eknath's father. When Eknath placed two more koorchams, two Devas came as his other ancestors, ate the food and blessed him whole-heartedly and disappeared.
Eknath's neighbours heard the mantras chanted by Vittal and the Devas and thought Eknath had brought Brahmins from the nearby town. They all waited outside to confront them but no one came out. Puzzled, they asked Kandeeya Krishnan "did anyone come to perform the Srardham! we heard some voices". When Kandeeya Krishnan replied "no", the neighbours thought only Eknath and Kandeeya Krishnan have been chanting the mantras and left the place.
After a few months, the brahmins in the town told Eknath that they would accept him into the community if he performs the remedy prescribed by them. Eknath was happy and asked them about the remedy. Each one came up with a list. Guess what was in the list? A small cow statue made of gold, land, house, money, jewels etc. Seeing the list, Eknath got shocked. Where could he go for so much money? He decided to give up his house. Kandeeya Krishnan advised him against the idea and told Eknath that the Brahmins were taking advantage of his situation. He did not listen to Krishnan and got ready to do the remedial prayers. Krishnan felt helpless.
At that time, a leper approached them and asked "who is Eknath? I have come to meet him and have a remedy done by him?" The Brahmins laughed and said "Eknath himself is doing the remedy here. Why not you allow us to do the remedy for you". The leper said "No. I want to have the remedy done only by Eknath. This is an order from the Lord Triyambakeshwar."
Kandeeya Krishnan asked the leper in a loud voice "what sort of remedy are you supposed to do?". The leper replied "I have to wash Eknath's feet and drink a handful of that water and also sprinkle some on my head". Hearing this Eknath said "No. I myself am a sinner. I cannot allow you to do this". But the leper insisted "Swamiji! This is Lord Triyambakeshwar's order. Please allow me to do my remedy and get myself cured". The Brahmins present there said "When we are here, we will not allow Eknath to do the remedy for you". The leper warned "Alright! If you all refuse, I will drown myself in Godhavari river. All of you will be responsible not only for my death but also for going against Lord Triyambakeshwar's orders".
Upon hearing this, the Brahmins decided to watch Eknath. Then Kandeeya Krishnan helped the leper by pouring water on Eknath's feet. As soon as the leper washed Eknath's feet and drank the water, his disease disappeared and turned out to be a handsome young man. All the Brahmins were astonished and stunned at the turn of events.
Kandeeya Krishnan spoke to the Brahmins "Listen! God himself has accepted the annadhanam done by my Guru Eknath. Think for a minute whether you are all qualified for the remedy done by Eknath!. Think once or twice and then proceed. Otherwise you all have to face the consequences". At last, the Brahmins realized the sincere devotion of Eknath, prostrated at his feet and begged him to forgive them.
Kandeeya Krishnan felt that he completed the task he had undertaken successfully and went back to Pandaripuram.
Dear Children! Being smart, I am sure you all would have realized who Kandeeya Krishnan was. Yes. You are right. He was none other than the Vittal himself. He came in the form of Kandeeya Krishnan to show the world Eknath's divine qualities.
Sincere devotion makes God to become a servant of his bhakthas.
VITOBA, THE NECTAR ( translation: Mrs Uma Gururajan)
2. REMEDY
In the previous story, we mentioned God's name as Vittal and Vitoba. In today's story, we are going to address him as Pandurangan. Who is this Pandurangan? Well. Just as Ganeshji has different names like Ganapathy, Vinayaka, Ekadhanthan etc, Vittal also has many names of which Pandurangan is one.
Now let us welcome the hero of today's story, Eknath. Eknath was a staunch devotee of Pandurangan and He has brought many miracles in Eknath's life. We shall see one such miracle in this story.
One night, Eknath was reading and singing the Bhagavatham with the help of oil lamp. He was so immersed in the beauty of the Bhagavatham that he forgot the time. Suddenly there was a knock on the front door. He went and opened the door. There he saw a young boy of around 11 to 12 years old wearing the sacred thread (Poonal or Yagnopaveetham) across his chest. The boy was wearing a very old torn towel which showed clearly that he came from a poor family.
Eknath asked him "who are you? What do you want?".
The boy asked "Are you Eknath Swami?"
When Eknath said yes, the boy prostrated and said "Swami! I have heard a lot about you. I have come from a far place and my parents are no more. I would like to be your disciple. Can you please accept me as your disciple and teach me Vedas?" Ekanath further enquired "where are you coming from? What about your parents?". The boy answered "Swami! My name is Kandeeya Krishnan. I am coming from Dwaraka. At the moment, I have no one and you are everything to me. Please take me as your disciple". Eknath was moved by the boy's appearance and accepted his request. Since that day Kandeeya Krishnan not only became his disciple but also a pet son to both Eknath and his wife as they did not have any children. He did all the household chores like going to shop for buying groceries, vegetables, cleaning the house etc. He also helped Eknath's wife in preparing the garlands for the day to day prayers. Soon Kandeeya Krishnan became an important member in the family.
Once, Eknath's father's annual ceremony day came. Eknath was getting ready to perform the Sradhdham for his father. Do you know what is sradhdham? Sradhdham (performed with sradhdha = utmost sincerety and care) is a special prayer that is performed for the ancestors. Special food - especially the food which is most liked by the dead soul is prepared and a Priest comes to perform special prayers. Brahmins are invited to eat the food. It is believed that the ancestors themselves come in the form of Brahmins to eat and bless the family.
As Eknath's wife was preparing the food, some poor people were crossing their house. They could smell the food and talked among themselves "the food smells really good. Will we ever get an opportunity to eat such meals". Eknath heard them and felt very sorry for them. Touched by their words, Eknath invited them all into his house and gave them a feast whole heartedly. They ate the food happily, blessed and left the house.
Seeing the people leaving, the Brahmins who came for the Sradhdham left the house immediately. They went into the town and told other Brahmins about Eknath. All the other Brahmins got very angry and rushed to Eknath's house. They questioned Eknath "how can you feed these poor people before the sradhdham? Don't you know it is against the Shastras to feed others before performing the sradhdham? " Eknath replied "they were all hungry and there is no discrimination of race, caste or creed when it comes to annadhanam. I see Vittal in everyone. So I gave them food". The Brahmins were not satisfied with his reply and decided to punish Eknath by banishing him from the community. Thus they declared "from now on, no one will go to Eknath's house to eat and no one will communicate with them". Having said, the Brahmins left.
Eknath was very upset as he could not perform the Sradhdham and feed Brahmins. Seeing Eknath's helpless state, Kandeeya Krishnan came up with an idea. He said "Swamiji! Sastras say that koorcham (it is made of Dharbai grass which is used in all the rituals) can be used as replacement for Brahmins. So why not place three koorchams and request your ancestors to come and eat?" Taking the boy's words as gospel, Eknath placed one koorcham in front of one leaf and prayed sincerely and whole-heartedly. Lo and behold! Vittal himself came and ate the food offered to Eknath's father. When Eknath placed two more koorchams, two Devas came as his other ancestors, ate the food and blessed him whole-heartedly and disappeared.
Eknath's neighbours heard the mantras chanted by Vittal and the Devas and thought Eknath had brought Brahmins from the nearby town. They all waited outside to confront them but no one came out. Puzzled, they asked Kandeeya Krishnan "did anyone come to perform the Srardham! we heard some voices". When Kandeeya Krishnan replied "no", the neighbours thought only Eknath and Kandeeya Krishnan have been chanting the mantras and left the place.
After a few months, the brahmins in the town told Eknath that they would accept him into the community if he performs the remedy prescribed by them. Eknath was happy and asked them about the remedy. Each one came up with a list. Guess what was in the list? A small cow statue made of gold, land, house, money, jewels etc. Seeing the list, Eknath got shocked. Where could he go for so much money? He decided to give up his house. Kandeeya Krishnan advised him against the idea and told Eknath that the Brahmins were taking advantage of his situation. He did not listen to Krishnan and got ready to do the remedial prayers. Krishnan felt helpless.
At that time, a leper approached them and asked "who is Eknath? I have come to meet him and have a remedy done by him?" The Brahmins laughed and said "Eknath himself is doing the remedy here. Why not you allow us to do the remedy for you". The leper said "No. I want to have the remedy done only by Eknath. This is an order from the Lord Triyambakeshwar."
Kandeeya Krishnan asked the leper in a loud voice "what sort of remedy are you supposed to do?". The leper replied "I have to wash Eknath's feet and drink a handful of that water and also sprinkle some on my head". Hearing this Eknath said "No. I myself am a sinner. I cannot allow you to do this". But the leper insisted "Swamiji! This is Lord Triyambakeshwar's order. Please allow me to do my remedy and get myself cured". The Brahmins present there said "When we are here, we will not allow Eknath to do the remedy for you". The leper warned "Alright! If you all refuse, I will drown myself in Godhavari river. All of you will be responsible not only for my death but also for going against Lord Triyambakeshwar's orders".
Upon hearing this, the Brahmins decided to watch Eknath. Then Kandeeya Krishnan helped the leper by pouring water on Eknath's feet. As soon as the leper washed Eknath's feet and drank the water, his disease disappeared and turned out to be a handsome young man. All the Brahmins were astonished and stunned at the turn of events.
Kandeeya Krishnan spoke to the Brahmins "Listen! God himself has accepted the annadhanam done by my Guru Eknath. Think for a minute whether you are all qualified for the remedy done by Eknath!. Think once or twice and then proceed. Otherwise you all have to face the consequences". At last, the Brahmins realized the sincere devotion of Eknath, prostrated at his feet and begged him to forgive them.
Kandeeya Krishnan felt that he completed the task he had undertaken successfully and went back to Pandaripuram.
Dear Children! Being smart, I am sure you all would have realized who Kandeeya Krishnan was. Yes. You are right. He was none other than the Vittal himself. He came in the form of Kandeeya Krishnan to show the world Eknath's divine qualities.
Sincere devotion makes God to become a servant of his bhakthas.