Na dhanam nahvayo vidya na kulam na api rājata!
Karanam Hari toshāya bhaktḥ ēkaiva tadgari!
Wealth, youthfulness, education, caste or royalty do not come of any help when it comes to pleasing Sri Hari. One must possess deep love to make Sri Hari happy. Without such devotion, anything is of no use. Even if we construct temples, we cannot make God happy. Even if one shouts aloud just because one is a great scholar and has the knowledge equivalent to that of the universe, Hari will not become happy. Similarly, he will not be pleased with wealth, caste or treasures. Only devotion can make him happy. Maharashtra is the abode of devotion. Many saints, great devotees and revered ones who are born in such place stand as an inspiration to the entire world. Janabai is one among them. In Maharashtra, in the banks of river Chandrabhaga, there is a temple of Panduranaga Swamy. There, all the devotees can touch the feet of the Lord and offer salutations. This is the speciality of the temple. One day, it was the great day of Ekadasi. Janabai was too young. She came to the temple of Vittala along with her parents. Overwhelming with devotion, she sat steadfastly with crossed legs and chanted the names of Vittala. She not even responded to her parents' call to go home. Finally, they left her and went away. At that time, Namadev, the mahatma came there, looked at her and enquired who she was. Janabai answered, "My father is Vittala and mother is Rukma bai." Namadev was surprised with her answer and accepted her as his disciple. He took her to his home. Janabai used to serve in her possible way and she became like a dear one to Namadev and his mother.
One day, it was raining heavily. As a result, water was pouring down into their house from the roof of the hut. Immediately, Vittala prevented the wind with his discus and stopped the leaves of the hut from blowing away. When the rain receded, he repaired the roof of the hut and left. Janabai said to Namadev "O revered one! Why can't Vittala give us a new house instead of struggling so much? How nice it would be!" Namadev affectionately touched the head of Janabai and said, "If God gives us a new house, our ego will get boosted. Unlike that, now we have love towards him coupled with gratitude." In this manner, Namadev brought her up by instilling the words of wisdom and knowledge in her.
One day, Janabai fought fiercely with a neighborhood lady who took her dung cakes away. Kabir, Namadev and Jnadev called Janabai and asked her, "Where is the proof that those dung cakes belong to you?" She replied, "The cakes that I have prepared say the names of Vittala." When listened with rapt attention, those dung cakes were literally making the sound of Vittala. Such was the devotion of Janabai!
Once, she was pounding the flour. Then, Vittala came there to chat with her. That day, being Vaikunta Ekadasi, many people have come to the temple. In order to give his darshan to the devotees, Vittala forgot his flute and other ornaments at the house of Janabai and wrapped around the cloth that she usually wears and left for the temple. The priests of the temple complained to the king that the ornaments of Lord were lost. After the enquiry, they found all the ornaments at the house of Janabai. The king then ordered for the execution of Janabai. When she was about to be hanged, the death rope got transformed into a garland of flowers. The king understood his mistake and requested her to pardon him. The songs written by Janabai are sang even today at the temple of Pandaripura. Her miracles are discussed even today in Maharashtra. Janabai, Radha Devi, Meerabai are the devotees who have surrendered themselves completely to the Lord. That is why, the Lord used to communicate with them directly and helped them in their house hold chores as well. Talking about those stories brings goosebumps to us. The Lord is not pleased in any other way except with devotion. If we can achieve such devotion, there is nothing that we have to achieve in this Universe.
Jai Guru Datta! Sri Guru Datta!