https://archive.org/stream/NamdevLifeAndPhilosophy/NamdevLifeAndPhilosophy_djvu.txt
"Nothing happens by my doing. Whatever Rama does,
happens. The Badshah was full of pride. He sentenced Nama to
be trampled under a mad elephant's feet. Nama's mother started
weeping: "Why don't you leave Rama and worship Khuda ?"
Nama said, "I am not your son, you are not my mother. Let
my body fall but I would sing Hari's greatness to the last breath 7"
The elephant bowed before him and only touched him with his
trunk. Nama was saved as God (Hari) was behind him. Kazi
and Mulla saluted him : this Hindu has our respects. Iron chains
in his feet, cymbals in hand, Name sang the greatness of Gopal.
the
faculty of realising God is a native faculty, and by that
alone will one be able to realise God" (Abg 135). When
we have once seen God, it matters little to what place we
go. As soon as we remember God, God shall be near us
(Abg 137).
We shall forget our hunger and thirst in the
pleasure of God's Name. God, who is the source of im-
mortality, is in the heart of Namdeva, and Namdeva
therefore enjoys continued beau tificat ion (Abg 139). There
is only one favour that we should ask of God ; that we
should always think of Him in our heart ; that we should
always utter His name by our mouth ; that we should
always see Him in our eyes ; that our hands should
worship only Him ; that our head be placed always at
His ftet ; that our ears should only hear of Gods exploit's ;
that He should show Himself always to our right and to
our left, before and after, and at the end of our life. We
should ask God of no other favour except this Abg 140).
As Namdeva began to see God, he found Him in all
corners and in all directions (Abg 141). God's form can be
seen even by a blind man, and a dumb man can communi-
cate even in a deaf man's ears the knowledge of God.
An ant shall devour the whole universe by its mouth says
Namdev. Only we shall have to verify all these things in
our own experience (Abg 142). When the Unstruck Sound
springs out of the thousands-petalled lotus and when God's
name is uttered, sins shall depart and hide themselves in a
cavern. Keep yourself awake in the meditation on God.
Your sins will depart at the utterance of God's name, and
God will give you a secure lodgment in His abode (Abg
143)
A single utterance of the name
of God creates panic among sins. As soon as God's Name
is uttered, the divine recorder ceases to record. God
Himself comes forth to receive His devotee with materials
of worship. If this were to turn out false, says Namdeva,
then may his head be cut off from his body (Abg 144).
And as such one goes to the sleep of ecstasy, the
twelve and sixteen damsels wave the fans before him. The
devotee keeps awake in self-illumination. Trumpets sound
forth. Untold varieties *of unstruck sound emerge. There
NAMDEV :
is then neither sleep nor dream. The very Sun and the
Moon set before that Illumination (Abg 149).
It is only
God who can know the love of His devotee in this manner.
He always does reside with His devotee. Namdeva tells
us that he was so filled with God-experience, that he
thought that he was God, and that God was himself
(Abg 150).
No. 351 (Majhi kona gati sanga) ■
When will the end of these things be ?
Ah tell me, Lord of Pandhari.
When wilt thou save unhappy me ?
O tell me, tell me true, for I
Cry to thee with a bitter cry.
O God, my cry comes up to thee —
How sad a cry is it !
What is this tragic destiny
That fate for me has write 1
Wherefore, O Hrisikesh dost thou
~ So lightly pass me by ?
62
NAMDEV
To whom to whom but to thee now
Can I lift my cry ?
As chiming anklets sweetly ring
So rings thy name abroad,
To human spirits hungering
Thou givest peace with God
Thou on thy shoulders carrying
All the world's load of care
To thee 'tis such a little thing
My trouble too to bear !
O Mother Pandurang, I cry, .
Drive thou me not away,
At Hari's feet, 1 Name lie ;
He will not say me nay
I am feeling acute restlessness,
I am like the calf feeling lonely without the cow
Just as the fish is without water
Poor Nama is without Rama's Name
Just as the heat of pure fire is unbearable
So poor Nama is without Rama's Name
"As a bee's heart might be set
upon the fragrance of a flower, or as a fly might take re-
sort to honey, similarly does my mind cling to God", says
Namdeva (Abg 11). "I am called lordless, lord less ; but
Thou art called the Lord. I am called fallen fallen; but
Thou art called the reliever of the fallen. Poor, poor, do
they call me ; but they call Thee the reliever of the poor in
heart. They call me afflicted, afflicted ; bat they
call Thee one who wouldst relieve people of their
afflictions. If Thou were not to listen to me,
says Namdeva, would it not be a matter of shame 7
(Abg 13). In this world, there is nobody else except Thee
for whom I care, of who cares for me (Abg 14). The little
Samsara has had the power to conceal Thee, who art all
encompassing. Thou obliged me to cling to Samsara, and
thus bringest to me the treachery my Lord. I have now
come to know Thy wiles, says Namdeva ; I shall take any
measure I will (Abg 16). If the moon were to satisfy the
desire of the Chakora, would her light be diminished for
the obligation ? (Abg 18).
If a cloud were to quench the
thirst of a Chataka bird, would his greatness be thereby
lessened ? (Abg 19)
Thou art my bird, I am Thy young
one, Thou art my deer, I am Thy cub (Abg 20).
If the
mother bird moves out of her nest in the morning, its
young ones keep looking out for her. Similarly, does my
mind look out for Thee, my Lord (Abg 22),
If a child falls
into fire, its mother comes to its succour with an over-
powered heart. If a fire envelopes a forest, the mother
deer is afflicted for its young one. In a similar way, says
Namdeva, Thou must care for me (Abg 23)
When I
NAMDEV
consider that at the end of my life, I shall have to depart
alone ; when I think that my mother who bore me in her
womb for nine months will cruelly stand aside ; when I
find the futility of the affection which sisters and brothers
bear towards me ; when I find that children and wife shall
stay away when my body will be burning upon the funeral
pire J when I contemplate how friends and relatives shall
leave me in the cemetery and walk away ; I then begin to
shed tears. My Throat chokes ; I find that darkness reigns
everywhere ; my only resort is Thy feet, says Namdeva
(Abg 24).
I contemplate an immolation of myself at Thy
feet. The river of desire, however, carries me away. I cannot
be rescued from the river by any other swimmer except
Thee ; hence throw Thyself into the river with Thy apparel
to rescue me. The necklace of the nine jewels of devotion
has been submerged in the river. The grounds of courage
and discrimination have been broken to pieces. Faith, the
rope by which one might swim out, has been sundered in
twain. The great fish plying into the waters, namely Anger
is intent upon carrying me to the bottom of the river.
Thou shouldst swiftly leap into the river to take me out,
says Namdeva (Abg 28)
With tears in the eyes and with
out-stretched hands, Namdeva is looking out for his Lord
(Abg 30).
Shameless as he is, with his life- breath centred
in his throat, he has been thinking about Thee night and
day (Abg 31).
The three fires of the physical, metaphysical
and accidental evils, have been burning fiercely before me.
When wouldst Thou rain from heaven, O Cloud of Mercy ?
I have been caught in the flames of grief and infatuation.
The wild conflagration of anxiety has spread all round. I
am going to the bottom of toe river and coming up again.
Unless Thou, O Cloud of Mercy, run to my succour, my
life-breath will depart from me (Abg 32).
Thou shouldst
not consider my merit. I am an ocean of sin incarnate.
From top to toe, I have committed sins innumerable
(Abg 35).
Do you think that I shall grow weary, and go
away from your presence, feeling that you would not
come ? The rope of my life I shall bind to Thy feet, and
shall bring Thee to me at pleasure. It is best therefore that
POETRY
65
Thou shouldst see me of Thy own accord (Abg 36).
I shall
spread the meshes of my love and catch Thee, alive. I shall
make my heart a prison for Thee, and shall intern
Thee inside. I shall beat Thee with the voice of Self-
identity, and Thou shall surely ask for compassion (Abg
37). Thy generosity has been falsely praised. Thou givest
only when Thou hast taken away (Abg 40).
The great Bali
threw his body at Thy feet and then Thou hadst compas-
sion on him. Thy devotees have sacrificed their lives for
Thy sake. Thou hhouldst not forget that it is these devotees
that have brought name to Thee (Abg 41).
If a king leaves
away his wife does she not rule over the world ? If the
son of an Emperor has committed a fault; is it possible
that any other man might bring him to book ? We may
possess as many faults as we like, and yet our faults are
in the Lord (Abg 44).
We shall speak such words 2 s will
make God nod in joy. Love shall fill every part of our body,
and our mouth will utter the name of God. We shall
dance in the performance of Kirtana, shall light the lamp
of knowledge in this world, and live in a place which is
beyond the highest. All power has come to me, says
Namdeva on account of the gift of my Spiritual Teacher
(Abg 47).
Such spiritual unrest stems from all-dedicating faith. Three
translations frcm Macnicol quoted on the next page will illustrate
Namdev's complete renunciation of all material desires and
unstained and unflinching belief in the Gr.?ce of the Supreme :
No. 333, (Deha javo athava rako)
Whether I live or perish, yet,
On Pandurang my faith is set
Thy feet, Lord, I will ne'er forsake-
To thee this solemn vow I make
Thy holy name my lips shall tell :
Within my heart thy love shall dwell
This, Kesav is thy Nama's vow
O aid me to fulfil it, thou
ONE THING
501 (Heci deva pai magata)
One thing I of my Lord entreat,
That I may ever serve his feet
POETRY
67
That I in Pandhari abide
Always his holy saints beside
Or high or low my birth may be ;
Still, Hari, I would worship thee
Lord of Kamala Nama prays,
, O grant me this through all my days
270 (Tu majhi mauli)
My Mother thou ; thy sucking babe am I :
Feed me with love, my Pandurang, I cry.
I am the calf with thee the mother cow ;
Thy milk, my Pandurang withhold not now.
I am thy fawn, the mother doe thou art ;
Renp the world's snare, my Pandurang, apart.
Thou mother bird and T among thy brood ;
O fly, my Pandurang, and bring me food.
Ah, heart's beloved, hear thy Name say.
On every side thou hedgest up my way.
Namdev has left away all these things, and is approa-
NAMDEV
ching God in utter submission (Abg 83).
Our one goal
should be the vision of God, whatever pursuit we might be
undertaking.
Children send a kite into the sky with a rope
in their hands ; but their attention is upon the kite, and
upon the rope. A woman from Gujerat goes with pitcher
piled upon pitcher, moving her hands freely but her atten-
tion is riveted upon the pitchers. An unchaste woman has her
heart always set upon her lover. A thief set his heart upon
other people's gold. A covetous man has his attention ever
directed towards his treasure. We may carry on any pursuit
says Namdeva, provided we always think of God (Abg 85)
We should always think of death, says Namdeva, in what-
ever pursuit we might be engaged. As when a thief is being
carried to the hanging place, death is approaching him at
every step ; as when a man is plying his axe at the root of
a tree, its life is diminishing every moment ; similarly,
whatever we may be doing, we must suppose that death is
always approaching us (Abg 90).
We should be supremely
indifferent to qualities like good and evil. All objects of
sense should be as indifferent to us as either a serpent or
a beautiful maiden is to a man who has gone to sleep. We
should regard dung and gold, or a jewel or a stone, as of
equal value. Let the sky come and envelop us, or
let cinders
be poured on our head, we should not allow our life in
Atman to be disturbed.
You may praise us or censure us,
says Namdeva, we shall always live in the joy of God
(Abg 91)
Al] these pursuits are
vain, says Namdeva ; the only pursuit of value is the
utterance of Name of God (Abg 95)
No. 10 (Chakravaka pakshi)
The Chakravaka bird pines and calls when separated
So it has happened to me
When the mother is lost the young one cries
So it has happened to me
When the calf is not seen the cow lows
So it has happened to me
Without water the fish are restless
So it has happened to me
NAMDEV
Nama says I feel sore in the heart
I am missing you very much
No. 11 (Kay a Majhe at a)
Why do you see my end Come running
Without thee I cry Come running
Even if you are busy, see me awhile Come running
Come O Come, O God, Nama calls you Come running
Inside the ocean the drop is tested
In the drop the ocean is lost
Namdev has only One
The Unseen cannot be seen
Twinkling shining stars
So shine the three dear worlds
Lines in sky and yet not in sight
If you try to catch it escape the grasp
Lamp burns without oil or wick
The Eternal light burns day and night
Says Namdev I touched the Immoral feet
The soul was freed and the real Essence was see
No. 194 (Madhav kaise kijai Jog)
Madhav how shall I perform yoga ?
There is great difficulty in doing yoga
I could not leave the world attachment
Neither do I know living, nor my doing
I am bound with fine bindings
Neither have I knowledge, nor meditation
Hari is filling everything
I am orphan without virtues
I am separated from you ?
Namdev says let me go to the resort of Hari
Otherwise people would scoff
My guru instilled into me right ideas, and when I awoke
to reason my mind accepted them.
The serpent casteth its slough, but not its poison :
Since thy heart is not pure,
Why perform mock meditation and repetition of
God's name ?
Thou art as the crane watching for fish in the water.
The man who eateth the food of lions,
Is called the god of thieves.
Nama's Lord hath settled the quarrel ;
Drink God's elixir, O double-faced one.
If thou see the Supreme God, thou shalt have no other
desire ;
If thou think of the worship of God, thou shalt keep thy
mind free from care
O my soul, how shalt thou cross over the world's ocean
filled with the water of evil passions ?
O my soul, thou hast been led astray on seeing the deceit-
ful world.
My Carpenter is the Support of the soul.
If any one want such a hut to be built, the Carpenter will
require love for His wages
When man breaketh with his family and all his friends,
then the Carpenter of His own accord cometh to him.
I cannot describe such a Carpenter ; He is contained in
everything and in every place.
As when a dumb man tasteth the great flavpur of nectar,
if thou ask him, he cannot describe it.
Hear the praises of the Carpenter, my sister — He restrai-
ned the ocean and fixed Dhru as the polar star.
The sight of him even for a moment removeth man's
three fevers, and his touch extricateth man from the pit of
family life.
The inscrutable Being invented a play —
God is concealed in every heart,
No one knoweth the nature of the soul's light
What we overselves have done Thou knowest.
As an earthen vessel is produced from clay,
So Vitthal created the world.
The soul 's entanglements depend on its acts;
It is itself responsible for what it hath done,
Namdev represented, the soul obtaineth the result of its
thoughts;
The soul which always remaineth fixed on the Inscrutable
One, becometh immortal.
