Lila Vinodha! (Conjurer of Divine Plays)
Part III

Part I    Part II    Part III

In the first Part we saw the similarity in the Charitra of Ekanãth and the Charitra of Sridharayyãvãl. In the last issue (Part-II) we saw the Charitra of Neelakanta Nãyanãr who had lived in Chidambara Kshetra. Devotees of Pãnduranga who is in Pandaripura were found in all castes. Of these Gora Kumbha belonged to the ‘kulãla jãti’ (potter caste). That is, just as Tiruneelakanta Nãyanãr, he also belonged to the class who made their living through making pots. He had a wife by name Tulasi bai and a little son by name Hari. He had made a beautiful image of Lord Pãnduranga and His consort Rukmini with his own hands and worshipped them in his home through incessant Kirtan.

He did not have the habit of saving for the morrow. He never had anything beyond his needs. He lived as per the Will of Pãnduranga. He left everything to His Will. At the same time he did not like to seek help from anyone under the guise of a Bhakta. Satisfaction is the highest wealth. This wealth is found naturally in Bhaktas. Everyday he made and sold mud pots to the extent needed for making the day and thus led his life happily. In the dictionary of Gora Kumbha, happy life meant performing kirtan of Pãnduranga without any other concern.

Once, at dusk, he was mixing clay with his feet in front of his house. Though the feet were involved in mixing the clay his thoughts were totally engrossed in Pãnduranga.
The tongue was involved in Hari Nãmasankirtan. At this time, his wife left their little Hari in his care and went out of the house on some work. Suddenly dark clouds covered the sky and with thunder it began to rain heavily. The dark clouds reminded Gora Kumbha, who was already performing Kirtan, of the Divine body of Vittala (Lord Hari/Vishnu)! The cool breeze reminded him of the cool Feet of the Lord! Lightening reminded him of the Lord’s lustrous form and the heavy rains reminded him of the impartial compassion of the Lord!

These thoughts pushed him into deeper ecstasy and he forgot himself and performed Nãmasankirtan in deep ‘Bhãva’. The little Hari frightened by the lightening and the sound of thunders hugged his father’s legs. Gork Kumbha had lost sense of the world.
He, therefore, did not know that the child was hugging his legs.

After a little while the rain stopped. Tulasi bai returned home. She looked at her husband lost in the performance of Nãmasankirtan. She searched for her child Hari. As she could not find the child she shook her husband to bring him back to the sense of the world. She enquired him of Hari. He said that he had not seen him and along with Tulasi bai searched for little Hari. Having lost sense of the world, he had not known that the child had held on to his legs and had stamped the child also into the earth along with the mud (that was being mixed for making pot). He found the child dead, buried deep in the mud.
Seeing this, Tulasi bai cried out in agony.

Gora Kumbha said, “God blessed us with a child named Hari. The child born also performed Kirtan of Bhagavãn with his babbling tongue. Now, the Lord has taken him unto Himself. Why grieve at this?” But, Tulasi bai who did not possess such ‘viveka’ (discrimination), ‘vairãgya’ (dispassion), ‘drida vishwãs’ (staunch faith) was unable to console herself. She spoke unintelligible words. She lost her mental balance due to sorrow. She thought that it was only due to the worship of Pãnduranga that this bereavement had occurred. In anger, she picked up an axe and rushed to break down the Pãnduraga idol in the house. But, Gora Kumbha, picking up another axe, rushed to her shouting even more angrily, “If you touch Pãnduranga I will cut you down.” Seeing the angry Gora Kumbha, Tulasi bai was frightened to her wits. She tried to find a way out of this situation.

The one to whom Pãnduranga was everything she said, “I swear by the Name of Pãnduranga. Do not touch me.” Performing several Lilas in his (Gora Kumbha) Charitra
Bhagavãn brought the couple together just as He had done in the case of
Tiruneelakanta Nãyanãr.

Bhagavãn’s Lilãs’ are not new!

Part I    Part II    Part III

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