Thama Chetti ran a tailor’s shop in Pandaripur. He had unswerving devotion towards Lord Vittal, the Lord of Pandaripur. Every day he would go to Vittal’s temple and offer the deity the sacred food prepared by his wife Kone. After that he would take the meal.

Once Thama Chetty had to go to another village. So he entrusted the work of carrying the offering to his son Namdev. Next day, Namdev carried the offering to the Lord. He arranged rice, curries etc. on the leaf. He called on the Lord Vittala to come and take the offering. Nothing happened.

He called him again and again. Still nothing happened. Namdev started weeping. He wept wondering how he would tell his father that the Lord did not accept the offering. He drew the screen and stood outside. After a while, he drew the screen aside and looked into the shrine. Still his offerings remained untouched. Crying piteously he ran out of the shrine and climbed on the top of the compound wall. He was about to jump down from the compound wall and end his life. He heard a voice stopping him and asking him to come into the shrine.He came down the wall and ran inside. He saw that the leaves were empty. He went back home happily.

He returned empty handed to his house. He told his mother that the Lord ate up all the offerings and so there was nothing left. His mother was wonderstruck. She decided to follow the boy the next day.

She followed Namadev and noticed the boy arranging all the offerings on a leaf and then pull the screen and stand outside. When he drew back the curtain the leaves were empty. Seeing this miracle her hair stood on end.

The next day the father returned. Namadev’s mother told him all that had taken place. He also followed Namadev to watch what happened. He saw with his own eyes that the Lord consumed all the offerings. They rejoiced at their good fortune to have such a son.

In this context we shall remember what Sri Ramakrishna was telling once to one of his desciples in Dakshineswar: "One attains God when one feels yearning for Him. An intense restlessness is needed. Through it the whole mind goes to God. ... One must have childlike faith - and the intense yearning that a child feels to see its mother. That yearning is like the red sky in the east at dawn. After such a sky the sun must rise. Immediately after that yearning one sees God."

On the ninth day of Mahabharata war, Duryodhana approached Bhisma in his camp. He was suspicious of the grandsire’s dedication to the fight. Duryodana felt that Bhishma was not doing his best as he was carried away by his affection to the Pandavas. Duryodhana felt anxious of the result if Bhishma continued to fight half heartedly. So Duryodhana wanted to rouse Bhishma to his full fury even if it meant hurting the old man.

Approaching Bhishma, Duryodhana remarked that Bhishma was waging a half hearted fight. Stung by these remarks Bhishma gave word that he would rout the Pandava army and kill all the Pandavas.

When Draupadi heared this, she was afraid. She prayed to her Lord Krishna.

As soon as she thought of Krishna he appeared before her. Krishna asked her to follow him. He took her through the battlefield. The battlefield was an awful sight with bodies scattered everywhere. They finally reached a tent.

Suddenly, Krishna told Draupadi, “Sister, please remove your sandals. They are making a lot of noise”.

Draupadi removed her sandals.

Just at the entrance to the camp, Krishna whispered to Draupadi, “Please go in and fall at the feet of the old man whom you can hear pacing up and down inside.

She did so accordingly. Bhishma was surprised to see a lady fall at his feet and he blessed her, “May you live long with your husband. Who are you? What can I do for you? Why are you here at this hour?”

Druapadi got up asking Bhishma to promise protection to her husbands.

When she got up, Bhishma recognized her. He was stunned, “Druapadi, Is it you? How did you come here?”

Draupadi replied, “Krishna brought me here. I came here to seek your blessings”. Bhishma recognized Krishna at the door. “Krishna, please come in. What is it that is hanging on your shoulders? It looks like Sandals”

Krishna replied quietly, “Oh yes, they are Panchali’s foot wear. They were making lot of noise. So I took them with me.”

Draupadi was mortified to see this. She said, “Oh Lord! Great calamity will fall on me by this act of yours”

Krishna replied matter-of-factly, “What is wrong with brother carrying his sister’s sandals? By the way, did you take his blessings?”

Bhishma replied, “She did not ask for it. I gave it on my own. Krishna, what concern you have for your devotees, you did not mind even carrying their footwear. Who can equal you in protecting the devotees? When you are with the Pandavas what do they have to fear?”

Druapadi replied, “Grandpa, we were terrified to hear your promise.”

Bhishma said, “What can the oath of this insignificant person do before Krishna, the God incarnate. He is on your side. No harm can befall on you.

Thus succeeding in their mission, Krishna and Druapadi took leave of Bhishma.

Krishnappa Naicker was a pawn broker. He was very rich but very miserly.

Once a brahmin came to him and waited for him. Kishnappa pretended not to notice him. The brahmin waited patiently.

Later he drew Krishnappa’s attention, and explained that he had come to Krishnappa in the hope of getting some help to perform his son’ s sacred thread ceremony. He asked him to come the next day. The next day he pretended not to notice him. When he noticed he asked him to come again the next day. Like this 4 days passed.

One night, Krishnappa’s wife told him, “The poor brahmin has been visiting you the past 4 days. If you are not inclined to give him anything please say so. Why do you dishearten him like this?”

The next day also the brahmin appeared. Perhaps prompted by his wife’s words Krishnappa gave him a few coins. The brahmin was puzzled.

He wondered and then again went to their house. He met the pawn broker’s wife and told her, “He made me come for 4 days and then gave me just some coins. My son’s upanayanam is in another 2 days and I do not know how I will be able to raise the money”.

Krishnappa’s wife Saraswathi felt very sad. She removed her diamond nose ring and gave it to the brahmin.

The brahmin took it happily and went to the same pawn broker Krishnappa. Krishnappa told the brahmin to come the next day. He lied to the brahmin that it was a cheap nose ring. Krishnappa also wanted to make sure that the brahmin would believe his word and not spread rumours about his bad dealings. He sent a boy to follow the brahmin to see what the brahmin was up to. The boy returned and said that the brahmin had entered the Pandarinatha temple and vanished.

That night when Krishnappa was eating his meals he noticed that his wife’s nose ring was missing. He rushed back to the shop and looked at the nose ring in his box. He recognised that as his wife’s nose ring. He felt that he had been cheated. He returned and insisted that his wife wear the nose ring immediately. She tried giving him some reasons but Krishnappa insisted that she wear the ring immediately.

Left with no choice she put her hand into her box and appeared to search for it and Lo! The ring was there. Krishnappa now rushed again to the shop and opened the box. The ring was not there.

On his return, his wife explained everything to him.

Now Krishnappa realized that it was the Lord Pandarinatha who had come in the form of the brahmin and waited on him for days ignoring his foul behaviour. He was overcome by remorse.

He distributed all his property and went out as a penniless man. He begged from door to door. The songs he sang while begging are still sung by devotees. He came to be called as Purandaradasa.

Jayadeva was a great saint who hailed form Orissa. He was a great lover of Sri Krishna and wrote a number of hymns of which the ‘Gita Govinda’ has become an immortal piece of devotional literature.

Once Jayadeva was sitting and meditating on the bank of a holy river. A wealthy merchant happened to pass by that side. The merchant was highly captivated by the saintly appearance of Jayadeva. Then and there he decided to get Mantradiksha form Jayadeva. He ordered for a chariot and waited for the saint to complete his meditation. When Jayadeva came down to the normal plane, the merchant fell flat at his feet and requested him humbly to come to his house and initiate him with mantra. Jayadeva agreed and both started towards the merchant’s house in the chariot. His house was far away and was situated on the other side of a thick forest. Initiation over, the merchant presented one thousand gold coins and very costly clothes and sent back Jayadeva to his house in the chariot.

When the chariot was passing half way through the forest, there was a sudden commotion. The breading of twigs from huge trees could be clearly heard. The two horses drawing the chariot began to run hither and thither. Suddenly there appeared four dacoits with weapons and stopped the chariot. The charioteer ran away in fear, Jayadeva was caught alone unawares. He was completely absorbed in the repetition of the sweet name of Sri Krishna. The dacoits approached Jayadeva and asked him to handover the gold coins and the clothes. Unhesitatlngly he gave away everything and started walking towards his village with the Lord’s name on his lips.

But one of the dacoits became suspicious. He thought Jayadeva might reach the village fast and bring some people to attack the dacoits. So he ran towards Jayadeva, cut off his hands and legs and threw him into a nearby well.

The well was dry without a single drop of water. Jayadeva was absorbed in the joyous meditation of Sri Krishna, oblivious of his physical condition. At that time, the King of the State came to the forest for hunting wild animals. After many hours of hunting he became very thirsty and started searching for water. He saw this well and approached it with the hope of getting some drinking water. But as he neared the well, he heard beautiful singing of Bhajan from inside it. He leapt forward and saw a man singing praises of Sri Krishna. The man’s hands and legs had been cut off and blood was oozing from his body.

The king was stunned. Who could this great man be? Who has done harm to such a great man? How can such a thing happen in his regime?

The king asked his servants to get down the well and bring the saint out. Jayadeva was then taken to the palace and given treatment. When asked by the King who the culprits were, Jayadeva simply said that everything happens by God’s will. There is no point in finding fault with any one in the world.

The King was much impressed. He was a great devotee of Lord Siva. He thought Jayadeva could be his guide and guru and help him in his path of God-realisation. He seated Jayadeva in the palace on par with him and took his advice on all matters relating to the administration of the state.

Days passed. The dacoits heard that the King was very pious and gives away lot of riches to anyone who chants the name of God. So they hit upon an idea. They dressed like holy men and entered the palace chanting the glories of God. The King welcomed them with the honour due to holy men. He directed his servants to give gold and silver as much as they wished.

In the meantime, the dacoits noticed Jayadeva sitting by the side of the King with his hands and legs cut off. They were afraid that Jayadeva might expose them and give them severe punishment. They started shivering in their shoes. The King noticed this and made a sign to Jayadeva. But Jayadeva behaved as if he did not observe anything. He asked the servants to escort them and leave them safely upto their State boundary.

The dacoits heaved a sigh of relief. They walked fast to reach their house before anything unforeseen happened. Noticing their fear while in the court and now, the servants of the palace asked them why they were so much afraid of Jayadeva. The dacoits replied: “That fellow Jayadeva was a thief. We were the inhabitants of the neighboring kingdom. Our king once ordered us to kill him of his thefts. But we took sympathy on him, cut off his legs and hands and threw him into a well. He is now posing as a wise man in your king’s court. Since he is afraid we may tell the truth, he has given us lot of gold and silver and servants to escort us. Your Jayadeva is alive only because of your mercy. That is why we felt uneasy in his presence.

As soon as they spoke thus, Sri Krishna could not bear the words. The earth broke into two and all the four dacoits fell into a deep abyss in between the earth. The servants returned to the palace and narrated what had happened. The king was happy that the liars were rightly punished by the merciful Lord. But Jayadeva was miserable. Was it not because of him that the dacoits fell into the Patala? He must go and save them. He promptly started to go. The King was worried as to what would happen to Jayadeva. So he also accompanied him. Both of them reached the place, Jayadeva chanting the praises of Sri Krishna and the King singing the glories of Lord Siva.

Reaching the spot, Jayadeva became overwhelmed with sorrow. Because of him, the dacoits have died. This was wrong. The only way to atonement was to immolate by himself falling into the Patala. He was prepared for this last act of sacrifice.

The king was annoyed and afraid. How can he live without his Guru? He decided that if Jayadeva died, he would also follow the suit. He expressed his wishes clearly to his Guru Jayadeva.

Jayadeva was confused. If the king dies, who will look after the kingdom? Unable to take any decision, Jayadeva fell down unconscious. The king thought that Jayadeva had given up his body. Not knowing what to do, he started imploring to the Lord Siva in pathetic tone in various ways for a long time.

The Lord was merciful to the king. Siva appeared there with Parvathi and a trident in hand. At his wish, Jayadeva regained his consciousness. Both the King and the Saint were ecstatic at the vision of the Lord.

Siva asked Jayadeva for any boon that he may choose. He replied without the least hesitation, “May the four dacoits who harmed me be liberated. May they suffer no more in their future lives.”

What example of mercy! Jayadeva did not think of asking the Lord for restoration of his own hands and legs. He did not think of acquiring any riches, material or spiritual, for his own comfort or spiritual progress. All the same, he was thinking only of the happiness and welfare of the dacoits who were his sworn enemies. Can there be a better example than this for us to emulate?

Needless to say, the merciful Lord granted the boon and also restored hands and legs to Jayadeva. From then on the saint lived a long and happy life praising the glories of the Lord.

Among the renowned seven sages Gautama was one. He was a great Tapasvin. He had ten thousand disciples to whom he provided food and shelter. But he used to get into a rage even over minor faults. Once unknowingly his wife Ahalya committed a small mistake, which made him furious.

He called his son Chirakari and ordered him to kill her.

Giving this command he went deep into the forests.

Ahalya was the most beautiful lady Brahma had created. Indra wanted to marry her and he approached Brahma.

Brahma wanted her to complete her scriptural studies and then decide on her marriage. Accordingly Brahma sent her away to the sage Gautama. Gautama taught her all the scriptures and by then she attained marriageable age.

Brahma appreciated the Sage Gautama’s purity as he maintained complete self-control as he taught her. So he agreed to give Ahalya in marriage to him. In due course Ahalya gave birth to sons. The first son Sadananda later mastered all scriptures and was the guru of King Janaka. The second son Sarathvanda was the father of Kripacharyaa of Mahabhaarata fame. The third son Chirakari was great thinker. He would ponder deeply on any issue before acting on it.

He was in 2 minds and so could not come to a decision for many days. After sometime Gautama’s anger subsided. He started to regret his rash action. He wondered whether Chirakari would have already carried out his action.

Much worried, Gautama returned hurriedly to the Ashrama. He noticed Chirakari still brooding over what to do. As Chirakari begged forgiveness Gautama replied, “The question of forgiveness does not arise. I am glad that you did not kill her immediately. If you had, I too would have surely died now. You get the merit of saving both our lives.”

Gautama also praised Ahalya to have such a son as Chirakari.