Shri Namdev Ji was a famous saint of Maharashtra. He was a great devotee of Lord Vitthal. His attention was always focused on Lord Vitthal’s darshan, bhajan and kirtan. He was not interested in worldly activities at all. He was completely devoted to Ekadashi fast. He did not even drink water on that day.
He used to do Harinam Sankirtan the entire night of Ekadashi. On Ekadashi, he neither ate food nor fed anyone. One day, on the night of Ekadashi, he was doing Harinam Sankirtan. Many devotees were also doing Sankirtan with him.
Suddenly, an old Brahmin, a mere skeleton, came to his door and said, ‘I am very hungry. Give me food, otherwise I will die of hunger.’ Shri Namdev Ji said, ‘I neither eat food on Ekadashi nor do I feed food to anyone else. So, Brahmin God, wait for sunrise in the morning. I will break my fast and feed you to your heart’s content.’ The Brahmin said, ‘I need food right now. I am a hundred and twenty years old. Ekadashi fast is for people between the ages of eight and eighty. I will die of hunger and you will incur the sin of killing a brahmin.’
Shri Nam Dev Ji said, ‘Brahmin Devta, no matter what happens, I cannot feed you. Please wait till morning.’ Other villagers called Nam Dev Ji cruel for such behavior of Shri Nam Dev Ji and tried to feed the Brahmin, but the Brahmin refused to take food and said, If I take food, ‘I will take it only and only from Nam Dev’. When Shri Nam Dev Ji did not give food to the Brahmin, he died within a short time. All the people present there started abusing Shri Nam Dev Ji and started calling him a murderer.
Shri Nam Dev Ji did not say anything and continued to sing the Bhajans and Kirtans of Vitthal Bhagwan as before. He got up for a moment and covered the dead body and kept on chanting the name of the dead body. In the morning, Shri Nam Dev Ji broke his fast and got a pyre made. He himself sat on the pyre with the dead body of that Brahmin in his lap. The pyre was lit. When the flames of fire were about to reach Shri Namdev Ji, suddenly that Brahmin got up and picked up Shri Nam Dev Ji and jumped out of the pyre. Before Namdev Ji could understand anything, the old man disappeared. Vitthal Bhagwan himself had come to test him. Seeing this incident, everyone was surprised and started hailing Shri Nam Dev Ji. Blessed is Shri Namdev Ji.
Only when the light of wisdom and the lamp of knowledge burns in the heart, then the formless form of Lord Thakur can be seen. Man should try to light the lamp of the heart by listening to Bhagwat. Man should fight ignorance but should not waste his time by criticizing and discussing ignorance.
