Sant Sri Namdev
Pranams at the lotus feet
of Sri Namdev Maharaj!
Chapter - 6
One day Namadeva entered
in the shrine of Lord Shiva, he found a stranger in ragged clothes
sleeping close to the Linga keeping his two legs on top of the Linga.
Namadeva was shocked to see this, he was furious and asked the stranger to
remove his legs from the idol. The
stranger asked his whereabouts, Namadeva introduced himself as an ardent devotee
of Lord Panduranga, the stranger said even the beggars utter the name of Lord for
receiving alms, so there is nothing superior in this. Namdev was angrily told the man to keep his legs
down from the Linga, he refused to do so, instead, he revealed his pitiful state and has no strength to move his leg an
inch, he asked Namadeva to remove his leg from the Linga. Namdev removed his
leg from the Linga and prepared to keep on the floor, soon there appeared
another Linga, in this way wherever he placed his leg there appeared Linga,
Namdev was mystified. Soon the stranger assumed the form of Vishoba
Khecchar who was his preceptor. Namdev
reverentially prostrated before him. He
advised Namdeva that his Abangs are most powerful, he is beloved of Panduranga
who consume offerings from his hand, he has to leave Pandharpur and take a journey all through the sacred lands of India and spread Namasankeerthana. He blessed Namadeva that the people who
intend to get Dharshan of Lord Panduranga would prostrate before him before they proceed
for the Dharshan of the Lord, later it had become true. At the instruction of his
preceptor, Namadeva conducted a journey to Punjab to spread Namasankeerthana and
inspired multitudes of people to engage in the selfless service to Lord and
recite his glories. Namadeva enthused
people with his lectures and glorious verses of Abhang. His nectar-like speeches about the
significance of Namasankeerthana was " The utterance of sacred names of
Lord would provide liberation from worldly existence, ultimately worshiper
would reside in the abode of Sri Vaikundham.
The miseries of worldly existence can be fought with the weapon of
Namasmaran. Therefore, let everyone ride on the ferry of Namasankeerthan and
cross the unfathomable ocean of worldly existence."
In the year 1350, at the
age of eighty Sant Sri Namdev Maharaj attained the lotus feet of
Panduranga. After his demise, he assumed as a stepping stone in the shrine
of Pandharpur so that he would stay in constant touch of the feet of
innumerable saints and devotees of Lord. Sri Namdev Maharaj composed 125
glorious poems praising Lord Vittala, which was known as Abhang and sixty-one
of the verses are included in the holy Guru Granth Sahib as Namdevji Ki
Mukhbani. He lived twenty years in a village called Ghuman in Gurdaspur
district in Punjab, in the early fifties he returned to Pandharpur and
continued spiritual service till his demise.
