100 Love Stories: That Will Touch Your Heart

Dada!

God is Love— In All Languages

When we think of Sant Tulsidas, we are reminded of Sri Rama. Sant Tulsidas was the author of the most popular and well-known version of the great epic which the centuries have revered as Srimad Ramayana. We refer to his composition as the Ramacharitamanas. Gandhiji regarded the Ramacharitamanas as the greatest book among all the spiritual literature of the world. Different versions of the Ramayana have been written. The first Ramayana was composed by Maharishi Valmiki. It was written in Sanskrit. We also have the Anand Ramayana, the Uttara Ramayana, the Surya Ramayana and the Rangrat Ramayana. But Ramacharitamanas is the most popular among the people of India.

The meaning of the word Manas is ‘Mansarovar. Sant Tulsidas felt that this great scripture is a sarovar— a lake from which we can obtain the ripples of Rama’s Charitra or character: this is the lake which is filled with the waters of the character of Sri Rama.

The story of how this immortal scripture came to be written will amaze you! When he first began to write the epic, he found to his astonishment that the slokas which he wrote down in Sanskrit, would simply disappear as soon as he wrote them! He then had a vision of Lord Shiva and Parvati who directed him to write the Ramayana in the vernacular— the language of the people, Hindi, so that it could be accessible to the masses, and easily understood by them.

Tulsidas now started to write the Ramayana in Hindi. It took him seven months and 26 days to complete the work.

The pandits of Banaras were jealous of him. They employed different people and made plots to steal his work. But at every step, Lord Rama protected him.

The pandits were angry with Tulsidas because he had made the great epic available to the common people in their own mother tongue, Hindi. But Tulsidas’ intention was not to dishonour the Sanskrit language— he only wanted the poorest in the land to take a sip of the immortal nectar of Lord Rama’s life— to take a dip in the sacred lake of His Name.

It is said that when Tulsidas gave public recitals of his Ramayana, Lord Hanuman himself came to listen to the beautiful songs, and sat among the audience in the form of an old brahmin.

When Tulsidas went to Brindavan, he found devotees of Sri Rama and Sri Krishna quarrelling with each other. When the poet-saint came to have darshan at Brindavan, Sri Krishna’s statue was miraculously turned into a statue of Sri Rama, with bow and arrow in hand! Thus did Tulsidas prove that God was but One, while his avatars are many.

God was Real to Him

Namdev was one of the great poet-saints of the Bhakti Movement in Maharashtra. A contemporary of Sant Jnaneshwar, Namdev is hailed by his followers not just as a bhakta, but as a friend and companion of Sri Krishna-such was his great love for the Lord, and the intimacy with which he spoke to Him and opened his heart to Him.

From all accounts that are available to us, Namdevs childhood was very similar to that of Prahlada. It is said that the very first word the child uttered was none other than ‘Vitthala’. Since then, he continued with his constant repetition of the Name Divine, which became an ingrained habit with him. His greatest joy as a child was to accompany his mother to the Vitthala Temple, where she often went to offer worship to the deity. When he was about seven years old, Nama, as he was called, made for himself a pair of cymbals; clapping them together, he would happily sing Vitthala bhajans and dance to his own music and song. Everything else in his life had to take a back seat— studies, games, playing, even food, rest and sleep.

It was the custom in their house, to take the food cooked for lunch to the temple every day, and offer it as naivedya to the Lord, before the family could sit down to eat the food as prasad. When the meal was ready, Guna bai would take it in a covered thali (platter) and go to the Vitthala Temple, where she would say a prayer and attend the aarti, and add a tulsi leaf to the food to make it fit for an offering. When the pooja was over, she would return home to feed the family, with each member getting to eat a little of the food that had come back from the temple as prasad.

One day, Guna Bai was a little unwell; unable to make it to the temple, she called Nama and told him to take the naivedya to the temple. She explained to the boy what the offering was all about, and told him how the food was to be ‘shown to the deity. Namdev was happy to carry out the assigned task: after all, it meant visiting his favourite friend and beloved companion, Vitthala!

Promptly, he made his way to the temple and went straight to the sanctum sanctorum. It was a little late, and the temple was quite deserted; with great care and devotion, he placed the thali before the deity, and said to his beloved Vittoba, Please accept the offering, which I have brought for you today, as my mother instructed. He closed his eyes piously and waited patiently for a while; after all, Vitthala had to be given a little time to taste the food and accept it!

In a few minutes, he opened his eyes, and was disappointed to see the food on the plate untouched. What is wrong, he began to wonder. Why hadn’t Vittoba accepted the food? Was He angry or upset? Didn’t He like Nama to bring His food?

The young lad was troubled. Vitthala, he said, please do not scorn this offering because I have brought it to you. I came in all love and devotion to give You this food. Don’t let me down.

He closed his eyes again; but when he opened them, the food was still there, untouched.

Now, Nama began to cry softly. Vittoba does not like me, he thought to himself; He will not accept food from my hands! Does He not know how much I love Him! How can He be so indifferent to a friend and companion? Nama began to sob so sadly, that the kind and loving Lord Vitthala was moved to act. He appeared in human form before the boy, and accepted the plate from his hands; and He did not leave it at that; He ate up all the food on the plate and returned it to Nama, quite empty!

Nama was delighted; he thanked His Lord profoundly and rushed home to tell his mother that he had carried out the special task assigned to him. Guna Bai stared at the empty plate he had brought back. "Where is the prasad?" she questioned suspiciously.

"The prasad? I think He must have been very hungry today, He hasn’t left anything for us, replied Nama innocently. But you have a lot of food left at home, don’t you? He has only eaten the small quantity you put on this plate. It’s not fair to expect Him to send some back out of that small quantity, is it now?"

Guna Bai was taken aback. What was the boy trying to say? What had become of the food she sent on the plate? Had he eaten it up? Then why couldn’t he say so?

"I said, where is the Prasad? she repeated. Did you do as I said? Did you take the food to the deity? Did you put it before Him and close your eyes as I taught you to?"

Yes, of course!

And, when you opened your eyes, what did you see on the plate?

He had eaten it all up, so I brought the empty plate back home. Aren’t you happy that He liked your food? He must have been hungry, so He ate it all up. It is not really kind to offer someone food, and expect Him to leave it all for you.

Guna Bai’s head was beginning to ache now. What had become of her son? Why was he talking so strangely?

Guna Bai had no desire to put her boy through an inquisition to find out what had happened to the food on the plate. Besides, it was well past lunchtime. He was probably hungry. She would sort out the mystery tomorrow.

The following day, she repeated her instruction to Nama; he was to take the food and go to the temple and offer it to the deity.

Nama set off; his mother followed him at a distance. She saw him enter the temple; she watched him walk straight up to the deity; she saw him place the food before Vittoba and close his eyes in devotion; she heard him calling out to his beloved Lord— and, lo and behold! She saw the Lord appear before her son and partake of the food! Lord Vittoba was actually responding to his call, and appearing before him! Guna Bai wept in love and joy! What had she done to deserve such a child! He was a Divine-being!

You have blessed me with a wondeful son, she said to the Lord. All I can do, is care for him and look after him, so that he will always remain Your beloved.

Loving God through Kirtan

In the Prahlada Charitra as narrated in the Srimad Bhagavat, the young prince Prahlada recounts to his father, the nav-vidha bhakti or the nine methods by which one attains to the highest knowledge. One of the modes he talks about is singing/chanting the transcendental Holy Name and qualities of the Lord with heartfelt devotion: this is what we call kirtan, and the most well known exponent of this mode of bhakti was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

In the year 1509, Nimai (as Chaitanya was known in his youth) and his students undertook a pilgrimage to the holy city of Gaya. Here, Nimai met Ishvara Puri, a renowned Vaishnava scholar belonging to the Madhva sect. The meeting marked a turning point in the young man’s life, and he adopted Ishvara Puri as his guru. His pride in his scholarship evaporated, as he realised the value of bhakti, propagated by his guru. Guru and disciple visited the Gadhadar Temple, where Nimai attained ecstatic heights of devotion, when he heard the cries of Hari bol, Hari boll He was born again as a Krishna bhaktal Singing the Name Divine and dancing in ecstasy, Nimai swooned in rapturous devotion. He had tasted the nectar of devotion, and would ever remain athirst for Sri Krishna’s grace.

When Sri Chaitanya went to visit Gaya, he was a Professor of Law. When he returned after visiting Gaya, he was a transformed man; he had lost himself in the devotion for Lord Krishna. He was intoxicated with the words, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna Bol, Hari, Hari, Hari, Bol. He could see nothing else, but the image of Sri Krishna. He had attained the state of enlightenment, of self-realisation. Hari Naam Smaran became a way of life in Nadiya, indeed, all over India, under Sri Chaitanyas influence.

Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani often said to us that every man has some obsession or the other. Some are obsessed with money, some with pleasure, some with name, fame and social status. Blessed is the man who is obsessed with the bhakti for Sri Krishna. Saint Mira in one of her bhajans, sings, ‘‘Main to prem diwani" (I am drenched with the love for Sri Krishna).

We too, can be immersed in that ocean of love, when we take to kirtan yoga! Mira, Namdev and Tukaram walked this way!

She Became the Lord’s Bride

Andal— the very name spells devotion, Divine love, poetry, the perfect blend of bhakti and aspiration and the ecstasy of absolute surrender to the Lord. Andal, believed to be an aspect of the Divine consort of Vishnu Bhudevi, was born on this earth as the adopted daughter of a great Alwar saint of Tamil Nadu. She grew up to be a gopika in kali yuga, and like Radha, she actually attained union with the Paramatma, her chosen Lord. In one of the most beautiful love stories ever scripted by the Lord Himself, she aspired to His Hand, and obtained this boon from Him.

Andal was not of human parentage; she was discovered and raised as the foundling daughter of Vishnuchitta, himself a great Alwar saint. He had no family of his own; he felt that it was God’s grace that gave him this child. He decided to name her Goda, or gift of Mother Earth. Filled with joy, he took her home and raised her as his own child.

Goda grew up to be a charming girl, the very apple of her fathers eyes. She listened to her father uttering slokas and prayers to the Lord day and night. The spirit of devotion entered into her very soul. She saw him engaged all day in the kainkarya (devotional service) of the Lord; she wanted to do the same. He was an Alwar saint, one who ‘drowned’ in devotion for the Lord; she felt she would like nothing better than to lose herself in such utter devotion. She imbued Hari bhakti from the environment in which she was brought up.

Growing up in this atmosphere of love and devotion, singing songs to her Beloved Krishna, listening to His Divine leelas narrated so eloquently by her father, Goda fell passionately in love with Lord Krishna. The love Vishnuchitta had for his Beloved Lord became even more intense in his daughter, and before long Goda made up her mind that she would marry none but the Lord of Brindavan. She refused to think of any human being in similar terms.

Soon Goda reached the age of marriage. She was absolutely beautiful to behold; but she refused to consider any offer of marriage. She told her father that the Lord of Srirangam, Mahavishnu Himself, had agreed to marry her; and that she was not born to marry an ordinary mortal and lead a worldly life. This time, her father believed her, for he knew that she was no ordinary girl.

While she waited for the Lord to send word to her, she did not just spend her time in idleness. She decided that she would make her sleepy little village into another Gokul, awakening everyone to the Lord’s presence among them. It was in this spirit that she composed the Thiruppavai, a collection of thirty poems in which she imagines herself to be a gopi living in the golden age of the Krishna Avatara; she yearns to serve Him and achieve happiness not just in this birth, but for all eternity, and describes the religious vow (paavai nonbu) that she and her fellow gopis will take for this purpose, similar to the Katyayini Pooja described in the Srimad Bhagavat.

Her other great work is the Nachiyar Thirumozhi, or Divine Sayings of the Goddess Consort. This work of 143 verses captures the essence of her devotion in the madhurya bhava or erotic mode. She became known as Andal— she who ruled the Lord by Love!

The impact of these works has been tremendous. Just like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Tamil speaking people are never tired of listening to their Thiruppavai. The poem itself is recited with great religious fervour by women, men, and children of all ages. It is also recited as part of the worship in most Vaishnava temples. We have many excellent translations of these works in several Indian and western languages, and readers have been captivated by the devotion, fervour and Divine love expressed in these immortal poems to God. Beautifully blending classical Tamil poetic conventions with philosophical and narrative strains from the Vedas and Puranas, Andal creates astonishing poetry with unparrelelled visual imagery that is of the highest poetic order in the whole gamut of Indian devotional literature.

Vishnuchitta was a loving father who understood that his daughter was not an ordinary girl; but he was anxious about her future, like any other father. The Lord understood this and did not keep his devotees waiting. One night, Lord Ranganatha appeared in his dream and asked that Andal be sent to Him in all her wedding finery. At the same time, the Lord also appeared before the temple priests at Srirangam and asked them to prepare for the coming of Andal, and His wedding to her. Vishnuchitta was filled with both joy and sadness; joy that his beloved daughter would attain her goal, but sadness at having to give her away in marriage. He made all the wedding preparations and arranged for Andal’s journey in a palanquin to Srirangam.

Andal waited with excited anticipation as the wedding party approached Lord Ranganathas shrine. As they entered the temple, she rushed out of the palanquin, unable to restrain herself any longer. Running into the temple sanctum, she fell at the Lord’s Feet and disappeared in a blaze of glory, having attained union with her Beloved.

Andal is now one of the best loved poet-saints of the Tamils. People adore her as the incarnation of Bhudevi (Mother Earth), who came to this earth in bodily form to show humanity the way to His Lotus Feet. Her deity is worshipped in all Sri Vaishnava temples, in India and elsewhere, close to her Lord.

The Lord Protects His Own

Sant Tukaram was a Krishna bhakta. He had witnessed the Oneness of all beings on the earth. He often went into raptures of ecstasy while singing the Lord’s praise. He would be so absorbed in the kirtan that his whole being would radiate with joy, and his devotees would dance and clap with abandon, as they joined his kirtan.

At that time, Dehu, where he lived, was under the rule of the great Maratha King, Chhatrapati Shivaji. Having heard about the great Pandurang bhakta called Tukaram, the emperor wished to meet him and join him in kirtan. Chhatrapati Shivaji had great reverence for all the saints and sages of his land. A visit to Dehu was fixed for a particular day. This news leaked out and reached Aurangzeb, who was already preparing to have a battle with the warrior king. Aurangzeb decided to grab this opportunity to strike Shivaji Maharaj and kill him. This was far easier than fighting a battle against the mighty and fearless Maratha forces.

Shivaji Maharaj met Tukaram, and bowed to the holy saint with deep reverence. He sat down before the saint and joined the kirtan. The emperor, being a true devotee of the Lord, simply forgot all else once he sat down at the saint’s satsang, immersing himself in singing the Lord’s praise. No sooner did they start the kirtan, than Aurangzeb’s troops marched into Dehu, creating panic among the devotees. The frightened devotees ran helter-skelter. Sant Tukaram remained calm and composed. "The kirtan will continue, even if we all are massacred, said the saint. Some of the devotees returned. Others ran away. Sant Tukaram appealed to Lord Vithal (Lord Vithal in Maharashtra is none other than Lord Krishna), O Lord! You are a witness to this chaotic situation. O Lord! You promised to be our saviour! You promised to help and protect us, O Vithal! Now is the time when we need Your protection. Save us all, save my devotees from the wrath of the Mughals!"

The devotees continued their kirtan and were immersed in the ecstasy of chanting the Name Divine. At that moment a miracle happened. A blue light emanated from the eyes of Lord Vithal’s idol. Simultaneously a figure riding a horse galloped away. The figure was dressed like Shivaji Maharaj. In fact, from a distance, the figure looked exactly like Shivaji Maharaj. Thinking this ‘replica’ to be the emperor himself, Aurangzebs army retreated from Dehu and chased the figure riding a horse. The horse galloped at the