When the Divine Finished a Devotee's Song
Welcome back!
If you love the divine "Geeta Govindam" prayer verses, then you are in for an absolute treat. Today, we are diving into a few chapters of the incredible, miraculous life of this pure-hearted devotee, Shri Jayadev (Jaidev) ji, who is the poet behind the magic of this divine song. These stories prove just how deeply the Divine loves those who love Him. Grab a cup of tea, and let’s get into the beautiful life of the man who wrote the Gita Govinda.
Gita Govindam is very much loved by Shri Jagannath ji. It is said he embraces it to himself every day and doesn't sleep without it a single day. If anyone sings an ashtapadi of the Divine song, then the Lord definitely, one hundred percent 100%, comes to listen because He loves it so much! The song is even recited in holy places like Badrinath and Dwarka just so the Lord can sleep peacefully. It is said that the Gita Govindam is sung even in other lokas than our own Bhu-loka!
There is a story saying once a gardener's daughter used to sing it while picking flowers and the Lord Jagannatha would run around listening and his clothes and his person would get scratched by thorny bushes. When the king saw the Lord's torn clothes he enquired how this happened and the pujaris informed him about the situation. Then the king ruled that anyone who sings the divine song should sit on an asana to sing it keep another asana in front for Lord Jagannatha to sit and listen!!
Another story is about a royal man who would sit at a particular time on an asana and keep another asana for the Lord and sing. One day he was called on an urgent errand at the same time as his normal recital, so he rode on his horse. But keeping his abhyasa he sang the Gita Govinda as he rode. He saw a 7 year old very good looking boy running in front of his horse facing him to listen (i.e. the Lord was running backward at the same speed as his horse) and when he asked the boy why was he and why was he running, the boy said you keep asana for me everyday but today you didn't so this is the only way I could face you and listen to your singing!
Jaidev ji Childhood - A Heart Pure from the Start:
Shri Jayadeva lost his parents when he was just a young boy. Instead of falling into despair, he simply accepted Lord Jagannath (a form of Lord Krishna) as his true mother and father.
His pure nature was tested early on. One day, a cunning man from his village approached young Jayadeva with fake documents, claiming that Jayadeva’s late father owed him a huge sum of money. The man demanded Jayadeva’s house as payment. Without arguing or fighting, Jayadeva peacefully handed over his home, thinking it was just the Lord’s will and a perfect excuse to finally go to the holy city of Jagannath Puri.
But the Divine protects His own! Shortly after the man took the house, his own house caught fire. No matter how much water was poured on it, the flames wouldn't die down. When Jayadeva heard about this, he ran into the burning house to help. The moment his feet touched the floor, the raging fire instantly extinguished itself! The elements of nature themselves respected Jayadeva’s absolute purity, leaving the cunning man completely stunned and regretful.
The Ultimate Vow of Detachment:
Having given up his home, Jayadeva became a wandering ascetic with a very strict rule: he would sleep under a tree, but not the same tree for two nights in a row. He did this to ensure he never developed a worldly attachment to even a single patch of dirt or a specific tree. But while Jayadeva was trying to detach from the world, Lord Jagannath was incredibly attached to him.
The Divine Matchmaker and the Stubborn Bride
As Jaideva had no house and would sleep under various trees, Lord Jagannath was concerned. He cared about His beloved Jayadeva sleeping out in the dangerous forest every night. The Lord appeared in Jaidevs's dream and asked him to get married and settle down, but Jaideva ji wanted no part of it, he wanted to spend his life as an ascetic, devoted to the service of the Lord. Hence, the Lord came up with a master plan.
Years prior, a Brahmin named Sudev had promised his firstborn child to the Lord. When his daughter, Padmavati, reached marriageable age, Lord Jagannath appeared in Sudev’s dream. The Lord reminded him of the promise and said, "She is my daughter now, and I have found the perfect groom for her. Take her to the forest and marry her to Jayadeva."
Sudev obediently took Padmavati to the forest and proposed the marriage. Jayadeva said, "I am a homeless ascetic. I sleep under a different tree every night. I cannot possibly take care of a wife!" Hearing this, Sudev tried to take his daughter back home. But Padmavati was fierce in her devotion. She said Lord Jagannath has fixed my marriage, so I or you are not authorized to change it! She told her father, "The Lord has given me to him. Whether he accepts me or not, I am his." She sat firmly under a tree right across from Jayadeva and refused to move. For three whole days, she sat wherever Jaidev ji would sleep, without budging, completely unbothered by the snakes, scorpions, and dangers of the wild. Seeing this impossible level of dedication, Jayadeva finally realized that this was the Lord’s direct command. He accepted Padmavati, and they got married. They then moved into a small, safe hut together.
The Miracle of the Pen:
As they lived together, they began working on the Gita Govinda. Jayadeva would dictate the beautiful verses of divine love, and Padmavati would write them down.
One day, Jayadeva was composing a deeply intimate scene where Lord Krishna and Radha are in the forest. Radha is exhausted, and Krishna, completely overcome with divine love, wants to gently take Radha's tired feet and place them upon His own headin a worshipping mode.
As Jayadeva thought of this verse, he froze. He was terrified. How could he write that the Creator of the Universe, the Supreme Lord, would put someone's feet on His head? Fearing he was committing a massive disrespect, he told Padmavati to put the pen down. He asked her to prepare some food while he went to bathe in the Ganges River, hoping the water would clear his conflicted mind.
But the Lord absolutely loved the verse! While Jayadeva was bathing, Lord Jagannath magically took on Jayadeva’s exact physical form and walked right back into the hut. He asked Padmavati for the manuscript and personally wrote down the exact verse Jayadeva had been too scared to write. To top it off, the Lord signed it with Jayadeva's name!
After writing, the Lord happily ate the meal Padmavati had prepared. It was her custom to eat leftovers after her husband completed the meal. As per that, she ate the leftovers. As she took her first bite, she was entirely mesmerized. The food tasted divine, as if the Goddess of Fortune herself had made it.
Moments later, the real Jayadeva returned from the river. When he saw his wife had already eaten and asked her, how come you broke your usual practice and ate before me? She was confused, she said you just had food and went inside to rest, then I had the leftover food, what are you talking about?
Jaidev ji was puzzled! He looked at the completed manuscript, he was utterly shocked. He saw the beautiful verse written in his own handwriting. Realizing that the Lord of the Universe had personally visited their home, finished his poem, and blessed his wife’s food, Jayadeva broke down in tears of overwhelming gratitude.
A Final Journey to Vrindavan Towards the very end of his miraculous life, Jayadeva travelled to the holy land of Vrindavan. As he walked through the sacred forests and looked at Mount Govardhan, his heart was so full of love that he felt a deep, poetic longing. He wept, wishing that instead of being a famous human poet, he had been born as a peacock dancing on Govardhan, a simple forest vine, or even the earrings resting against Lord Krishna's cheeks—just so he could be closer to the Divine at all times.
Immersed in this beautiful state of pure, unconditional love, Jayadeva Mahaprabhu peacefully breathed his last in Vrindavan, merging forever with the Lord he had spent his entire life praising.
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Isn't it absolutely incredible how this story shows that devotion isn't about grand gestures, but about pure, unfiltered love? When you love the Divine that deeply, the Divine will literally step in to finish your sentences!
