The Mother Figure in Marathi Bhakti Literature : 8

        The Mother Figure in Marathi Bhakti Literature : 8

It was the height of summer. Paithan, a major seat of Vedic knowledge, was reeling under the usual Marathwada heat. Godavari was almost bone dry. The ass lying in the burning sand was very thirsty. But for a swig of water, it was sure to die soon. People passing by could not are less. In fact, most all were irritated with the sight.

Along came Sant Eknatha. He was carrying water for devabhishekam. He could not suffer the torment of the poor animal. He poured the entire mugful of water in the mouth of the suffering animal. The donkey felt rejuvenated. In no time was it up and away. This pity and mercy, absolutely essential ingredients of motherliness, are oft the living values of Sant Eknatha. That is to say, not only did he preach the motherly kindness, he practised it. His motherliness, moreover, was so inclusive that in a very enviornment friendly way unheard of then, it included even the flora-n-fauna.

Yet another incident could prove my assertion. He used to always bathe in the Godavari. Once a naughty, mean and jealous fellow consciously decided to irritate him. He would throw dirt at Sant Eknath the moment he would finish his bathing rituals.. Without once getting angry, Sant Eknath kept on repeating the holy rituals time and again. This kind of forgiveness and tolerance happens to be the plinth of motherliness as well. As babies, children dirty themselves umpteen times. When they grow up, their tantrums, their callow opinions, their prejudices hurt the parents repeatedly, but they never give up loving their child.

In another incident apparently, Sant Eknath would be ready to face the wrath of the entire town so that he can feed the needy. It is just the same way that often parents, in a very principled way, stand up to the entire clan to support their child's decisions. In other words, the filial feel in a very inclusive and deep way pulsates in the lived life of Sant Eknath.

His writings sure reflect it, too. He, too, would use the mother metaphor to describe the god-devoteee relationship. Often the by then usual tenor-vehicle relationship of bird-fledgling/nestling, cow-calf, et al, and god-devotee are abundantly present in his writings. After Sant Dnyaneshwara, if there is any other saint/poet, who radically interprets the relationship, it is Sant Eknath because, like Sant Dnyaneshwara, he practises what he preaches. No wonder, on the sands of Time, his footprints loom large us for us to follow the mother love path `where mercy, love and pity dwell/there God is dwelling, too'.

pratima@ God made mothers as he cannot be everywhere.