Advent of Guru Nath at Gangapur

Advent of Guru Nath at Gangapur

Now begins the glorious Saga of Gangapur. Namdharak told Siddhamuni that his listening to the Sacred Guru Charitra had very much awakened his spiritual yearning and had illumined many higher and spiritual truths for him. He vociferously expressed his gratitude to Siddhamuni. He said he was thirsting to know about Guru Nath's stay and Leela's at Gangapur. Siddhamuni resumed the narrative. Sri Narasimha Saraswati made Gangapur more or less his permanent abode, after coming from Amrapur. He lived there in his visible form continuously for 24 years. In the beginning, however, he did not allow himself to be seen by many and rather lived more in seclusion. Most of the time he used to remain at the Bhima-Amaraja Sangam. However, as days passed on he chose to allow himself to be seen by more and more people. At Gangapur, there lived a poor Brahmin couple. The Brahmin used to eke out his livelihood by seeking alms in the village. He had one buffalo which was very old and had gone dry long back. He was, however, keeping the buffalo, because some grocers used to hire it for carrying salt bags and thus it used to fetch the Brahmin a little money now and then. One day Guru Nath came to the house of the Brahmin asking for Bhiksha. At that time, the Brahmin was away, having gone out for alms into the town. The Brahmin's wife welcomed Guru Nath and requested to wait for the Bhiksha till her husband returned home with alms. But Guru Nath said, he would not be able to wait that long. He said that a little milk would do for him for Bhiksha, and asked her to give him just a little milk. The woman said she was sorry that there was no milk at all in the house. Guru Nath, then pointing to the buffalo in the yard said, "You have a buffalo there, how then do you say there is no milk in the house?" The woman said the buffalo had been dry since many years now and it was kept by them because they got a little money from it now and then when people took it for hire for carrying salt bags. Guru Nath said, "I cant' believe it. I would like you to milk it and show me whether it is really dry". The woman, as the guest was insisting, took a small tumbler, went near the buffalo and started to milk it. Lo! Milk was flowing out from the udders of the buffalo profusely. The tumbler was to small and she had to fetch bigger vessels from the house to collect the milk. The woman could not believe it at all. She was overjoyed and fell at Guru's Nath's feet, pouring out her gratitude for relieving their poverty by making the buffalo wet. She did the Bhiksha to Guru Nath with the milk. The news of the miracle which Guru Nath performed in the poor Brahmin's house spread among all the people of the town and around, it also reached the ears of the king. Veneration and devotion to Guru Nath started growing in the people's hearts. The Brahmin couple, thereafter, used to frequently go to Amaraja Sangam to offer their prayers and worship to Guru Nath. Thus ends the Twenty Second chapter of Guru Charitra describing "Vandhya mahishi dohanam" Glory to the All merciful, the Omnipresent and the ever responsive Guru Nath. Implicit obedience to the Guru, and unquestioning faith in his word are what are needed. These are needed both in the worldly matters as well as in the Spiritual Sadhana. Then there is nothing that cannot be achieved. "Sraddhaavaan labhate Jnanam" says the Bhagwad Gita.