Navaneetham - Guruvayoor / Guruvayur

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Great Bhaktas – Santh Eknath
Veena Nair
[Translated from Shri Pandurang Shastri Athavale's 'Shraadh' in Hindi, a homage to the
great people who have graced our land. I had previously posted the following piece as a
3-part series to the Guruvayoor group in Sept/Oct 2005. Older members, I hope you will
enjoy re-reading this as much as I have. – Veena]
Sant Eknath was born about 600
years ago in Paithan in Maharashtra. His
great-grandfather Bhanudas had always
prayed to God that he should have a
descendant who through faith and
devotion would have the power even to
call God to his side; Bhanudas led a very
pious life, and so did his son Chakrapani
and grandson Suryapani. Their life of
devotion was to be answered with the
birth of Suryapani's son 'Eknath'. But
strange are the ways of Fate; when
Eknath was only 11/2 years old, Eknath's
mother died. Suryapani was devastated;
he thought how is this boy going to be of
any significance? soon after his birth, his
mother has died? But he resigned
himself to God's will and continued with
life.
When Eknath was 6 yrs old, Suryapani
came down with severe fever; little
Eknath was in his grandma's lap
listening to his grandad's story and his
father lying in a cot seriously ill. Soon
grandad's story-telling stopped; Eknath
sat up to see both grandparents crying
and neighbors coming in to the house
and standing around silently. He asked
his grandad why they were crying?
Chakrapani told him that his father was
dead, everyone would have to die one
day and go where his father had gone; so
Eknath replied by saying that if everyone
goes there, then I will also go there when
I die and then I will meet dad; so then
why cry? Both grandparents devoted
their energies in imparting spiritual
education to Eknath; when taught Matrudevo
bhava, Pitru-devo bhava, he would
say but I don't have a mother or father?
So whom should I treat as God? and they
said, God is the all-knowing father of all
of us; look up to Him and bow to Him;
do His work and live a life dedicated to
Him.
Eknath was then assigned to learn at the
feet of a learned Brahmin; but by age 14
he had learnt everything that the learned
teacher could teach him. He absorbed
everything like a blotting paper.
Sometimes the teacher would hear
Eknath's responses and wonder if he is
teaching him the same thing twice?
Sometimes he would be at a loss to
answer Eknath's questions! Then one
day he told Chakrapani that he had
taught the boy everything he knew.
Eknath became worried--his teacher
would not teach him anymore; he
himself was not yet ready to teach. What
should he do? He would go and pray
everyday for guidance in the Shiv temple
near his house. One day he heard a voice
asking him to go to Devgiri and become
a disciple of Shri Janardan Swami.
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