king obeyed and performed menial service for the saints of God who were waiting at his gate.1 The fact that the king was performing such services was noised abroad and the thags, among others, heard of it. They assumed the guise of religious men and proceeded to the monarch's gate. This led to an interview with Jaidev. He recognized them, and told the king that they were his brethren and very holy persons. Fortunate was the king in having been favoured with a sight of them, and devoutly ought he to serve and minister unto them. The king took them into his palace, and lavished on them every honour that Oriental politeness and hospitality could suggest.
The thags, however, recognizing Jaidev, were troubled for their safety, and applied for permission to depart. This was finally granted, and Jaidev dismissed them with a large present of money and a convoy of soldiers for their protection. On the way the soldiers fell into conversation with their charge. They remarked that they had never be fore seen visitors to the king so heartily and kindly treated, and they inquired in what relation ship the men they were escorting stood to Jaidev. The thags replied : ' What shall we say ? It is not a fit thing to tell.' The soldiers promised them perfect secrecy. The thags then proceeded to exer cise their inventive faculties developed by long practice. They said that Jaidev and they had been servants of a king. For some offence Jaidev had been condemned to death, and they had been ap pointed his executioners. They merely, however, cut off his hands and thus saved his life. Through gratitude for that favour Jaidev induced the king to pay them such extraordinary attention. It is said that God could no longer endure the fabrica tion of false charges against His saint. The ground
L This service consists in washing the saints' feet, waiting on them at dinner, walking round them in an attitude of adoration, &c., &c.
JAIDEV 13
opened beneath the feet of the thags, and they sank into the pit of hell.
The soldiers in amazement returned to Jaidev and told him what had occurred. He began to tremble with pity for the thags, and made a gesture as if rubbing his hands — the Oriental attitude expressive of grief — whereupon, it is related, new hands sprouted from his body. The soldiers went and informed the king of the two miracles their eyes had beheld. The king proceeded to Jaidev and performed before him the prostration due to saints. He begged Jaidev to explain how the incidents had occurred. The saint for a long time refused, but, when greatly pressed by the king, gave him a detailed account of all the circum stances. The king's faith in Jaidev had now reached its utmost limit, and he knew that the man before him in the guise of a saint was really a divine in carnation. It is the usual custom of saints when they receive evil always to return good, even as bad men return evil for evil, so the king deemed his conclusion warranted by the forgiving conduct of Jaidev.
Jaidev felt a longing for home and told the king of his determination to take his leave. The king put his head on the saint's feet, and represented to him that his country had turned to God and the practice of virtue, since it had been trodden by his holy feet. If the saint were to depart, the king's subjects would turn away from their faith. He therefore implored him to defer his departure. As a further inducement to Jaidev to abide with him, he went himself and brought Padamavati so that the saint's happiness might be complete, and his distant home forgotten. Padamavati was in stalled in the royal palace, and the queen received stringent orders to perform all menial offices for her.
While Padamavati resided at the court the queen's brother died, and his wife was burned with him on
the funeral pyre. One day when the queen was boasting of the wonderful devotion of her sister- in-law, Padamavati smiled. When asked the reason she replied, ' To burn oneself alive with one's husband's corpse is far from being the acme of affection. True affection and love require a woman to sacrifice herself directly she even heareth of her husband's death.' ' In the present age,' replied the queen, ' thou alone art such a Sati,' a word defined by the author of the Bhagat Mai as a ' woman who considereth her husband a god and hath no con cern with any other deity.' Not feeling flattered by the well-nigh unapproachable standard of con jugal devotion which alone Padamavati considered as worthy of admiration, the queen determined to put her to the test at the first opportunity.
One day when Jaidev was absent from home, the queen arranged that one of the royal servants in pretended haste was to come to her when with Padamavati, and inform the latter that Jaidev had been attacked and killed in the forest by a tiger. On the servant coming to where they were seated and repeating this carefully tutored story, Padamavati swooned and fell lifeless to the ground.1
The queen who had brought about this disaster, turned pale and became distracted at the unexpected turn of events. She was severely rebuked by the king when he heard of the occurrence. Life became bitter to her, and she made preparations for death on a funeral pyre which she had constructed. When the circumstances were communicated to Jaidev, he appeared in time to hinder the immolation of the queen, and approaching the dead Padamavati sang his well-known ashtapadis. To the surprise and joy of all, she was restored to life, it is said, and joined her husband in his song.
JAIDEV 15
Jaidev and his wife by this time had had sufficient experience of regal life. They were glad to abandon all state and return to their lowly home at Kenduli, where they enjoyed the society of saints and trans ferred their idolatrous devotion to the love and homage of the one true God.
On the anniversary of Jaidev's birth a religious fair is held at Kenduli, the poet's birthplace, and is attended by thousands of Vaishnavs who cele brate the occasion by assembling round his cenotaph for worship, and singing the most sublime portions of his immortal songs.
The following hymns of Jaidev in far other style and manner, and written in the popular language of his time, are found in the Granth Sahib.
HYMNS OF JAIDEV
GUJARI
God's attributes, moral injunctions, and the in- utility of Hindu forms of worship : —
Before all things was the Being who is unrivalled and endued with permanence and similar attributes ; l
Who is supremely wonderful, distinct from nature, incom prehensible, and pervadeth creation.
Repeat only the beloved God's name,
Which is ambrosia and the essence of all things.
By remembering Him the fear of birth, old age, and death afflicteth us not.
If thou desire the defeat of the god of death and his train, praise and bless God, and do good works.
God is equally in the present, past, and future, im perishable, and supremely happy.
0 man, if thou seek to do good acts, renounce greed and the coveting of another's house,1
Together with all evil deeds and evil inclinations, and seek the protection of God.
Embrace the service of God alone in thought, deed, and word.
What availeth the practice of jog, sacrifice, alms, and penance ?
0 man, utter the name of God, the Bestower of all super natural power.
Jaidev hath come openly into the asylum of Him who is in the present and the past, who is contained in all things.
MARU
The following hymn, which in the original is per haps one of the most difficult of human compositions, is given to illustrate the practice of jog.2
1 drew up my breath by the left nostril, I fixed it between both nostrils 3 and I drew it down by the right repeating oam sixteen times at each process.
But the highest exercise of this practice is drawing the breath up to the brain, which in the language of the Jogis is styled the tenth gate, the other gates or apertures of the body being the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, &c. To assist in keeping the breath in the brain, the tongue is bent backwards so as to close the air passage. The operator also exerts himself to allow no breath to issue by the mouth or nostrils. A state of suspended animation then ensues. The brain is heated, and is said to distil nectar which falls on the tongue, and then a state of ecstasy supervenes. Skill in this practice, which is said to greatly weaken the body, is nowadays obtained by very few persons.
HYMNS OF JAIDEV 17
My strength I broke, and I have become weak ; my unstable mind I fixed and made stable ; my unfashioned mind I fashioned, and then I quaffed nectar.
In that state I sang of Him who preceded the soul 1 and the three qualities.2
The idea that Thou and I are distinct hath been removed.
What was worthy of worship I worshipped, what was worthy of trust I trusted ; and I have become blended with God as water with water.
Saith Jaidev, I have repeated God's name,3 and becoming absorbed in His love have obtained Him who liveth undis turbed.
NAMDEV4
NAMDEV was the son of Damasheti, a tailor, who resided at Narsi Bamani, a village near Karhad in the Satara district of the Bombay Presidency. Namdev's mother was Gonabai, daughter of a tailor at Kalyan, in the same district. Both Namdev's
The author is indebted to Messrs. A. F. Maconochie and L. J. Mountford, governors of the Sholapur District, and to Messrs. N. G. Chandorkar and S. B. Sardesai, officials in the same district, for inquiries made regarding the lives of Namdev and other saints of the Dakhan.
father and mother, and probably their ancestors for some generations, possessed great devotional enthu siasm.
Outside the village of Narsi Bamani stood the temple of Keshiraj (Shiv), of whom Damasheti was a devout worshipper. He never omitted to pay a daily visit to the temple and make an offering to his god. Namdev's mother when pregnant used to request everybody she met to repeat the name of her favourite god. Namdev was born on Sunday the eleventh day of the light half of the month of Kartik in the Shaka year 1192, A.D. 1270. At the age of three years the young saint used to ejaculate the name of the local god of his devotion. At the age of five years he was sent to school, but he made no progress in learning. Whenever he found an opportunity, either in the absence of his teachers or otherwise, he set his schoolfellows singing songs to his favourite god, in which he joined both with voice and cymbal accompaniment. It is said that he loved God even from the day of his birth, and his divine love and devotion increased with his years.
At the age of eight years Namdev was betrothed to Rajabai, daughter of Govind Sheti. By her he ultimately had four sons, Narayan, Mahadev, Govind, and Vithal, and one daughter named Limba Bai.
His father finding that he made no progress in learning apprenticed him to his own trade. It very soon became manifest that Namdev paid no attention to practical business, but spent his time consorting with religious mendicants, visiting the temple of his god, and performing the devotions usual in such cases. It was then decided to put him to commerce. To this he consented, but represented that he possessed no capital. This was procured from a friendly banker. When Namdev found himself in the possession of funds, he gave a great feast to Brahmans, which exhausted all his money. At this both his parents and the money-lender were greatly
NAMDEV 19
distressed. His mother bitterly reproached him for his recklessness and extravagance —
' Was it for this I carried thee about for nine months ? Was this misery kept in store for my old age ? O why did I not rather remain a barren woman than give birth to such a son ? Art thou not ashamed of thyself ? People laugh at thee for thy madness. Have some respect for thy mother. Look at my grey hairs. Think of the miseries of thine aged father. What wilt thou gain by this madness ? There are also other worshippers of Keshiraj. Why canst thou not act like them ? What merits wilt thou obtain from this god ? All who cared for him were ruined.'
Namdev's mother, finding her remonstrances and objurgations useless, appealed to the priests of the temple to remonstrate with her son and lead him to a right understanding of his worldly position. From them, too, no hope was received of the youth's amendment. They urged in reply to her repre sentations that she was a fortunate mother, and that the good deeds of her previous births had ripened, and she had obtained a saint for a son.
One day when Namdev's father was absent, the son took the daily offering of the family to the temple. It consisted of milk, which the youth had just milked from his cow. He thought that the god would freely partake of the offering on which he had lavished so much care. The stony idol, however, would not vouchsafe to do so. Upon this Namdev began to cry, threw himself down at the god's feet and uttered passionate supplications. In due time the god relented and accepted the boy's offering. He celebrated the event in the following hymn in the Bhairo measure : —
Nama having milked his brown cow took
A cup of milk and a jug of water for the idol.
Otherwise my father will be angry.'
C 2
A golden cup filled with milk Nama took and placed before the idol — The saints alone abide in my heart — On seeing Nama the god smiled ;
On giving milk to the idol the worshipper Nama went home,
And God appeared unto him.
With reference to this miracle the author of the Bhagat Mai, in a paroxysm of devotion, remarks, * Congratulations to God who loveth His saints, and is pleased with their devotion. Thou whom the Veds call Endless, and to attain whom Shiv and the other demigods performed every form of pen ance, art so much in the power of the saints and their love, that Thou performest everything accord ing to their desires.'
It appears that Namdev, on arriving at man's estate, for a time grew weary of saintship. He records of himself that through evil destiny he began to associate with dakaits or Indian highwaymen, and plunder travellers. He and his gang killed several Brahmans, pilgrims, and innocent men. His father and other elderly persons remonstrated with him, but he heeded not their censures. At last the Emperor dispatched a squadron of cavalry to arrest the offenders. They refused to submit, and in the skirmish which ensued eighty-four of the troopers were slain, whereupon the remainder decamped.
Namdev possessed a large and excellent mare on which he used to scour the country and visit distant places. Whether as the result of habit or repen tance, he made a vow, which he religiously kept, to behold daily the idol of Nagnath in the village of Aundhi, about sixteen miles to the east of Pan- dharpur.
There is another temple of Nagnath in the village of Vadval and thither went Namdev to behold the great saint Vishoba Khechar. Vishoba, in order
NAMDEV 21
to make a trial of Namdev, resolved to assume the appearance of a leper. He thought that in this way if Namdev' s faith were not strong, he would incontinently run away. Namdev in his search for Vishoba went into the neighbouring temple. There he saw a leper lying on the ground resting his shod- den feet on a lingam, the emblem of Shiv. On beholding the insult to the idol, Namdev chid the leper and asked him to leave the sacred edifice. Vishoba replied that he was an old man who could not attend to nice formalities of worship, but Namdev might turn his feet in whatever direction he pleased. Upon this Namdev raised the old man's feet and turned them in a different direction. There, too, it is said, Namdev again saw a lingam under Vishoba's feet. He was astonished, as well he might be, on beholding this extraordinary circumstance, and asked the leper where Vishoba was. The leper replied, ' I am Vishoba/ Namdev then asked how a man reputed to be a saint could be guilty of placing his feet on a lingam and thus outraging the god. Vishoba replied that he found no place which was not filled with God. Namdev bowed to him, and expressed a desire to become his disciple. Vishoba then proposed to Namdev to take him outside the temple. When Vishoba was deposited there, he said he would accept Namdev as a disciple, and bade him close his eyes. Namdev did so, and on opening them saw no longer a leper, but a priest in vigorous health and manly beauty.
Namdev abode for several months with Vishoba Khechar and received instruction from him as re corded in a work called Namdev Gatha, principally in the Marathi language, but containing also one hun dred and ten Hindi stanzas from which Namdev' s hymns in the Granth Sahib have been selected.
On one occasion when Namdev went to behold his god in the temple he was not allowed to enter because a Brahman, who had brought cooked food to offer to
the god, would not suffer persons of Namdev's degraded caste to stand under the same roof with him. Namdev while detained outside the temple saw approach a very needy low-caste woman with a child on her hip. The child was crying piti fully for a morsel of the food brought by wealth}^ persons as offerings to the god. The mother tried to restrain the child's cries and longings. The child refused to be comforted and only cried and coveted the more. The woman then began to beat the child. Namdev's heart melted at the sight, and he remonstrated with the mother for her behaviour. She replied, ' The child is very hungry and wishes me to give her the god's food, which is impossible. I have nothing myself, I am totally without means. My husband was one of the eighty-four horsemen recently cut down by the inhuman dak aits. Being thus helpless myself, what can I give the child ? I only possess the bones in my body. Dost thou, by thy chiding and harsh words, desire me to feed her with them ? '
Her words pierced Namdev's heart, and he began to reflect how many families had been ruined through his reckless and lawless career. On leaving the temple precincts, he bestowed his mare and whatever clothes he could dispense with on the Brahmans, and, to use his own words, made a friend of repentance. He took up a knife, entered the temple in anguish, and began to pray to his god. ' O Shiv, O Mahadev, I have committed many crimes and shall have to suffer the torments of hell. How shall I find salva tion ? ' In his agony of remorse, he thrust the knife into his head, upon which blood spurted from it and fell on the idol. The ministrants of the temple ran up, snatched the knife from his hand, tied him hand and foot, and threw him outside the edifice. A crowd gathered round him and began to revile and spurn him, not for his attempt at suicide, but for having defiled the god.
NAMDEV 23
When left alone, he thought he saw Nagnath in a vision, who thus addressed him : ' Namdev, thou hadst better proceed to Pandharpur at once. Its patron god, Vitthal, will purge thee of thy sins, and thou shalt not only obtain salvation, but renown, as one of God's saints in the world/ Namdev tied up the wound in his head and started for Pandharpur, in the company of pilgrims who were proceeding thither. On the way he was tormented physically by flies which sought to settle on his wound, and mentally by the curses and reproaches of his companions.
• Pundarik, who lived in the present district of Sholapur, was a saint celebrated for his devotion to his parents. It is said the god Krishan went with his cows and herdsmen all the way from Dwaraka on the margin of the Arabian Sea to behold the pos sessor of such filial piety. Krishan left his belong ings at Gopalpur on the margin of the Bhima river, and proceeded to the dwelling of Pundarik. Pun darik by way of hospitality threw him a brick to stand on. The god accepted the offer in the hope of friendly converse with the saint, but the latter was so much engaged in the service of his parents that he had not leisure to speak to him. Krishan, dis daining to return to Dwaraka without effecting his object, remained standing on the brick, and was named Vitthal.1