There are innumerable instances extolling the virtue and indispensable worth of the greatness of The Master and The Saints.
The Saint says, “In the company of The Master, attachment vanishes; and with attachment, illusion or Maaya also disappears. Freed from illusion, we are in position to attain stability and thence Liberation while yet alive. Therefore, seek the company of The Master.”
The Saints further elucidate, “Not by listening to preachers, nor by study of books, not by meritorious deeds nor by any other means can one attain that Supreme State, which is attainable only through the association with The Master and the clear quest to find The Lord and know Who am I.”
The Master was explaining the above concepts of The Saints, to the Disciples, through an incident in Sant Namdev's life.
“Vitthal [Lord Krishna] found His devotee Namdev had not realized the Supreme Truth and wanted to teach him. The Lord sent Namdev alongwith a group of Saints on a pilgrimage. They returned to Pandarpur after 6 weeks.
Gora, the potter was amongst many who invited The Saints to his residence and offered a feast. At the feast, Saint Jnaneshwar, told Gora publicly, “You are a potter, daily engaged in making pots and testing them to see which are properly baked and which are not. These pots before you ( i.e., the Saints) are the pots of Brahma. See which of these are sound and which are not.”
Thereupon, Gora said, ‘Yes Swami, I shall do so,’ and took up the stick with which he used to tap his pots to test their soundness; and holding it aloft in his hand, he went to each of his guest and tapped each on the head as he usually did to his pots. Each guest humbly submitted to such tapping.
As soon as Gora reached Namdev ji, the latter indignantly called out : ‘You are just a potter,
what do you mean by coming to tap me with that stick?’
Gora thereupon told Sant Jnaneshwar, 'Swami, all the other pots have been properly baked. This one, ( i.e., Namdev) is not yet properly baked’.
Namdev felt greatly humiliated and ran up to the temple to Vitthal with whom he was on the most intimate terms -- playing with him, eating with him, sleeping with him and so on. Namdev complained to Vitthal of the humiliation he had been subjected to -- one who is the closest friend and companion of The Lord Himself. Vitthal pretended to sympathise with him, asked for all the details of the happenings at Gora’s house. After hearing everything, Vitthal said, ‘Why should you not have kept quiet and submitted to the tapping, as all others did ? That is why all this trouble has come.’ Thereupon Namdev cried all the more and said, ‘You also want to join the others and humiliate me. Why should I have submitted like the others? Am I not your closest friend, your child?’
Vitthal said, ‘You have not properly understood the Truth. And, you won’t understand if I tell you. But, go to The Saint, who lives in the ruined temple in the forest. He will Enlighten to you.’
“Namdev accordingly went there and found an old, unassuming man sleeping in a corner of the temple with his feet on a Shiva Linga. Namdev could hardly believe this was the man from whom he – the companion of The Lord Vitthal – was to gain Enlightenment. However, as there was none else there, Namdev went near the old man and clapped his hands. The old man woke up with a start and seeing Namdev, said, ‘Oh, you are Namdev whom Vitthal has sent here. Come, come!’
Namdev was dumb-founded and began to think, ‘This must be a great man’. Still, he thought it was revolting that any man, however great, should be resting his feet on a Shiva Linga. He asked the old man, ‘You seem to be a great personage. But, is it proper for you to have your feet on a Shiva Linga?’
The old man replied, ‘Oh, are my feet on a Shiva Linga?
Where is it? Please remove my feet elsewhere.’
Namdev removed the feet and put them in various places. Wherever he put the old man's legs, there was a Shiva Linga. Finally, he took them on his lap and he himself became a Shiva Linga. Then, he realized the Truth.
The Saint said, 'Now, you can go back.’”
The Master said, “It is only when Namdev surrendered himself, and touched the feet of his Guru, Enlightenment came to him. He became Sant Namdev.”
After his final Enlightenment, Namdev returned to his house and for some days did not go to Vitthal’s temple, though it had been his habit to visit Vitthal at the temple every day, and spend most of his time with The Lord. After a few days, Vitthal himself went to Namdev’s house and like a guileless soul enquired how it was that Namdev has forgotten The Lord and never visited Him. Namdev replied, ‘No more of your fooling me, Oh, Lord! I know now. Where is the place you are not? You are there where Ego is there.'
Then, Vitthal said, ‘You now understand the Truth. That is why you had to be sent for the final lesson from The Master!’
Thus it is very clear, even if one is a friend of God, one can get enlightenment in the sat sangh of The Master only. So, Let us live in The Master's Will, Live in The Remembrance of The Lord, and do as much Meditation as possible. The Master will Enlighten us, when He feels his pot is ready.
Authored by K. Giri
