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| Chandrabhaga River |
Sant MRITYUJAYA
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| Pundalika Temple on the bank of Chandrabhaga rive |
There was a king by name Shanta Brahmani who was ruling the city of Bedar. One day the king was sitting with his queen and they were eating fruits. The queen threw the peeled banana skin from the balcony. On seeing this, a beggar came and took the peeled skin and started having it. The queen noticed this and showed this to the king and asked him, how the beggar entered the palace with out the knowledge of the guards. The king got very angry and shouted at the guards and beat them. The guards then came to beggar and started hitting him. The beggar then began to laugh and the king wondered why he was laughing. He asked the guards to stop hitting him and asked the beggar why he was laughing. The beggar told him that he laughed at his own karma, and if he was punished for eating the banana peel, what would happen to the person who had the banana. He then said that if he was beaten up for entering the palace for a short while, what would happen to the person living in the palace. He finally told the king that this thought of your pain made me laugh. This changed the king’s mind and feeling repentant he left his kingdom and went to the forest in search of god.
The king was sitting in the forest and thinking that he does not how to worship and attain god. One day a group of pilgrims were on their way to Pandharpur, seeing them the king paid his respects to them and asked if he could join them. They blessed him and asked him to come along with them to Pandharpur. When he came to Pandhari he had a bath in Chandrabhaga, worshiped at Pundalik’s tomb, did a parikrama (walking around the sacred city of Pandhari through a path where a lot of saints have stayed; even today most of the pilgrims who go there do a Praikrama and the houses where these saints lived are still there as Mutts) and then came to Vitthal Rukmani temple. He then paid his respects to the god and asked him to give him a Sadguru as he does not know how to worship god. He then sat in the temple for 3 days with out food and water asking Vitthal to give him a Sadguru. On the third day Vitthal came in his dream gave him a book called Vivekasindhu and asked him to take initiation from Swami Sahajanand of Kalyan. As soon as he woke up he found the book but could not see Vitthal. Shanta Brahmani was astonished on seeing this miracle. He then started reading the book. One day he remembered that Vitthal had asked him to meet Swami Sahajanand and took leave from Vitthal to go to Kalyan to meet his Sadguru. Swami Sahajanand was not in Kalyan then; he waited for a few months and then came back to Pandhari. While he was at Pandhari, Swami Sahajanand also came on a pilgrimage to Pandhari and appeared before him. Shanta Brahmani then prostrated to him and told about his dream. Swami Sahajanand then initiated him and also gave him the name of Mrityunjaya. He then listened to the teachings of his Sadguru and also understood the facts of the soul.
A Jangam (People who follow Shiva and have lingam with them) by name Bhavaraya came as a suppliant to Mrityunjaya and took initiation from him. There was another Jangam by name Samuchchaya, who was considered the guru of all Jangams. He abused Mrityunjaya and also Bhavaraya for this deed and also removed him from his community. Bhavaraya then went to Mrityunjaya and told him what happened. Mrityunjaya then asked him not to worry about that and continue his service to god as ever. There was king there by name Kashipathi who was a devoted Shiva bhaktha. He used to invite ten thousand Jangams every day, offer food to the god and then offer food to the Jangams. One day Samuchchaya was at Kashipathi’s palace for the feast with other Jangams. The feast was served and when the Jangams tried to unroll their cloth to remove their Lingams and offer food, they found the Lingams missing. They felt ashamed that some thing like this had happened and also wondered why god was doing this leela. Kashipathi said that he felt that one of the Jangams would have persecuted a saint and Lord Shiva would have become angry and left us. Then Samuchchaya confessed saying that it was because of him and told the incident that had happened earlier. The king then listening to it asked all the Jangams to go to Mrityunjaya and apologize for what had happened and ask him to help find their Lingams. All the Jangams then went to Mrityunjaya’s hermitage and told him what had happened and also apologized for Samuchchaya’s words on him and Bhavaraya. Hearing this Mrityunjaya asked them to be seated and told them that he has two dogs by name Vedanta and Siddhanta, and they would have stolen your Lingams. He then called Vedanta and asked it to throw the Lingams belonging to them immediately. The dog then vomited 5000 Lingams and then called Siddhanta and it vomited another 5000 Lingams. The Jangams were amazed seeing this. How ever no one was able to recognize their respective Lingams and they asked Mrityunjaya to help them again. As soon as they said this, their respective Lingams went to them. The Jangams then thanked Mrityunjaya and left to the palace for the feast.
Source : http://indiansaints.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/sant-mrityunjaya/
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