Kanhopatra - The Devotee Who Belonged To Lord Vitthala

Finding Grace: The Divine Surrender of Sant Kanhopatra

Today, we are exploring a deeply moving story of devotion from Maharashtra, that reminds us how pure love for the Divine can transcend any earthly circumstances. We are looking into the life of Sant Kanhopatra (Kanupatra in some descriptions), a beautiful soul whose journey to the feet of Pandharinath (Lord Vithoba) is a testament to the power of unwavering faith. Let’s dive into her remarkable story together.

A Mother’s Quiet Guidance

    

Kanhopatra was born to a courtesan, but from the very beginning, her mother Shyama wanted a different life for her. Shyama desperately wished to protect her daughter from the stigma and struggles of her own profession. As a young girl, Kanhopatra naturally picked up the singing and dancing of her surroundings, but her mother lovingly intervened. When she saw her dancing with her courtesan friends, she gently pulled her away. She explained that you dance very well, but you should dance the divine dance for Lord Vitthala alone. You should sing for Him alone. There is no audience which will fulfil your soul, you are built to surrender yourself and all your talents to Him alone.

When Shyama would go out at nights for her worldly duties, sometimes Kanupatra would ask her to take her along. But of course Shyama could not do that. She would tel her sweet Kanu that I am going to chase away monsters, and you will get scared. So Kanu would stay home.

     

Instead of worldly songs, Shyama would sit with her daughter in the quiet of the night and share the devotional abhangs (Marathi hymns) of great saints like Sant Tukaram, Sant Janabai, and Sant Namdev. Through these sweet songs, a deep, pure devotion for Thakurji (the Lord) began to awaken in Kanhopatra's heart. She yearned for the holy darshana of Lord Vithoba. Even though they were told that they were not from a "pure" enough background to enter the temple, her mother planted the seed of divine love within her. She would always be immersed in her bhakti of Vithoba. 

     

The Gaze of the World vs. Divine Belonging

As Kanhopatra grew, her extraordinary beauty began to attract unwanted attention from the townspeople, and eventually, the local king. When the king made up his mind to bring her to his palace, there was nothing the common people could do to stop him.

When the king's soldiers arrived to take her away, her mother gave her one final, powerful piece of wisdom: she reminded Kanhopatra that she belonged only to Vitthal (Vithoba), and no one else. Faced with leaving her home to serve the king, Kanhopatra was granted one final wish before departing. She asked only for this: to finally be given entry into the temple to be able to lay her eyes on Lord Vithoba, whom she had only ever heard about but never seen. So the king approved her wish for the Darshana.

           

A Final, Heartfelt Plea

Because the king had ordered it, the temple doors—previously closed to her—were opened. Standing before Vithoba for the first time, with tears filling her eyes, Kanhopatra poured out her heart in a beautifully intimate and innocent way.

She told the Lord that she had considered herself His since childhood. She spoke to Him not with fear, but with the demanding love of a true devotee. She reminded Him that she had declared to the whole world that she belonged to Him. With beautiful simplicity, she warned the Lord that if the king were allowed to take her now, it would not spoil her own reputation, because she was just a normal woman. It would be His reputation that would suffer, not hers! She told Vithoba that if He did not want to accept her, He could go to every single house in Pandharpur to personally tell them she wasn't His.

     

Merging into the Divine

Surrounded by soldiers with swords, wearing chains and shackles, Kanhopatra stood at the door with folded hands, begging the Lord to accept her as His own.

In that moment of absolute surrender, a brilliant, divine light suddenly manifested, so bright that everyone had to close their eyes. When the light faded, the chains and shackles lay empty on the ground. Kanhopatra had disappeared; Lord Vithoba had absorbed her completely into Himself, accepting her eternal devotion.

     

A Closing Reflection

Kanhopatra’s story is a beautiful reminder for us all. It shows us that the Divine does not look at our worldly status, our background, or our family history. When we surrender completely and call out with a pure, demanding love, the Lord is always ready to accept us into His embrace.

Till we meet again with another beautiful story.... Jay Shri Vitthala....

The Lord Vitthal Of Pandharpur and the devotion of Pundalik

Vithoba: The God Who Waited on a Brick

And

Pundalik: The Devotee who made the Lord wait to serve his parents

      

A Brick of Love: Discovering the Divine in Our Everyday Duties

Welcome, friends! Today, I want to share a deeply moving spiritual story with you all. We often think of the Divine as something distant, a presence we have to travel far and wide to find. But recently, while exploring some beautiful texts, I was reminded of a profound truth. Sometimes, God is waiting right outside our door. Let's dive into this heartwarming story together. I am writing as per what I have read on the Internet, so if there are mistakes then readers are welcome to correct me through comments.

According to legends, there was once a noble boy named Pundalik who lived in a forest area with his pious parents. Initially, he was a wonderful son, but after growing up, his heart hardened. Influenced by his company of friends and his wife, he began to deeply mistreat his parents, making them do exhausting household chores while he and his wife lived in comfort. Some other narrations say it was not his wife but the influence of friends which spoilt him, but most stories centre around the wife. When his heartbroken parents decided to walk to the holy city of Kashi to find peace, Pundalik and his wife tagged behind them, unwilling to let go of the free domestic help. They rode comfortably on horseback, while his elderly parents trudged barefoot on the harsh roads. It is said that they would force the tired parents to even groom their horse at every rest stop.

      

Their journey halted at the ashram of a great sage named Kukkuta Rishi (or Kakkut Muni). It was here that Pundalik witnessed a miracle. He woke up to some sounds and went outside to check what was happening. He saw three noble looking extremely beautiful women cleaning the ashram. Though looking like divine devis, they appeared to be covered in filth. But as they cleaned the floors of the ashram with their brooms, they started transforming. By the time they completed their brooming, they were glowing and their garments became spotlessly white.

        

Pundalik was extremely surprised seeing this transformation. The same experience repeated again and then again for three nights, and he could not contain his curiosity. So he approached them to ask what was the reason behind this miracle. When he asked them, they revealed themselves as the presiding deities of India's holiest rivers: the Triveni of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati. They explained that they wash away the sins of pilgrims, which soils them and their clothes, but they are cleansed by serving the great sage, who treats his own parents as the Lord Himself. And then, they told Pundalik a painful truth: His sins could not be washed even after bathing in the Triveni because he was the greatest of sinners for continuously wounding the very parents who gave him life.

      

The Transformative Power of Love: Those words pierced his heart. Overcome with deep remorse, Pundalik sought out the sage and learned that the only way to rid himself of his sins was to serve his parents wholeheartedly. His sins towards his loving parents could be washed only by serving them to his fullest and seeking their blessings. The sage gently reminded him that parents love their children unconditionally, without a shred of hatred, no matter what happens. From that moment on, Pundalik's life completely changed. He transferred his parents to the comfortable room in the ashram, and begged his parents for forgiveness. He then devoted his days and nights to serving them with all his heart, seeing them as manifestations of the divine.

He abandoned the pilgrimage in between and took his parents back to his home. But this time the scene was opposite of what had happened before. The old parents were on the horseback while he and his wife walked respectfully beside them. After reaching home he transformed completely and started serving his parents as if they are incarnations of God Himself.

       

Making the Lord Wait on a Brick: Pundalik's devotion became so pure that it caught the attention of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna told Rukmini Devi that he was going to meet Pundalik, as he was so happy to see him serving his parents so lovingly. The Lord travelled to Pundalik's humble home to bless him. When Krishna called out from the door, Pundalik was deeply engrossed in his daily loving duty: massaging his elderly father's feet as he went to sleep. As the Lord approached, the scent of his divine fragrance and the tinkling of his ornaments attracted Pundalik's attention.

Even after realizing that the Lord of the Universe Shri Krishna was standing outside, Pundalik did something truly extraordinary. He asked the Lord to wait as he felt if he leaves his parents service in between they may wake up. He did not want to disturb their sleep, and wanted to keep serving with his foot massage till their light sleep turned to deep slumber. At the same time, he felt Lord Krishna must be uncomfortable because it was the monsoon season and the ground was wet and muddy. So, while he couldn't abandon his duty to his father, he found the next best solution. He grabbed a brick—known as a 'Vita' in Marathi—and slid it outside for the Lord to stand on to keep His feet dry. He lovingly asked Shri Krishna to wait until his service to his father was completed and his father falls into deep comfortable sleep.

       

And what did the Lord do? Deeply moved by Pundalik's prioritizing of his parents over even Shri Krishna Himself, Shri Krishna smiled, rested His hands on His hips, and patiently stood waiting on the brick. When Pundalik completed his service, and came out to apologize, the Lord told him that his service to his parents was his highest prayer. Pundalik simply asked the Lord to stay there forever to bless all true devotees. The Lord agreed, and turned into a stone statue, remaining there as Vithoba or Vitthal—the one who stands on a vite or brick.

A Legacy of Humility Today, the Vithoba Temple in the sacred city of Pandharpur is a glorious beacon of devotion, resting on the banks of the Chandrabhaga river. Every year thousands of devotees walk there for their pilgrimage, which is called Wari (Warkaris) singing the praises of the Lord - Jay-Jay Rama Krishna Hari.....

       

The legacy of profound, humbling love continues at Vithoba Temple in Pandharpur. For instance, the very first step of the temple's eastern entrance is known as the "Sant Namdev Maharaj Payari". Saint Namdev was so devoted to the Lord that when God answered his prayers, Shri Namdev asked to become the first step of the temple so that he would get touched by the feet of countless devotees who proceed for darshana of Lord Vithoba and thus get bhakta-charan-raj (dust of devotee's feet). It is a beautiful reminder of how spiritual greatness is rooted in utter humility. But we will read saint Namdevs's story in some other post.

      

A Final Thought Friends, isn't it wonderful to think that everyday duties towards parents, when done with a heart full of unconditional love, are celebrated by the Divine Himself? Pundalik's story teaches us that we don't always need to go on grand pilgrimages to find salvation. By simply serving our loved elders with pure devotion and respect, we invite the Lord into our very homes.

May we all find a little bit of that sacred Pandharpur devotion in our own living rooms today.