- On one occasion, Muktabai wished to cook sweet buns for her brothers. So she set off to the village to get a clay plate from the potter to roast them. A prominent leader of the village, Visoba, who was very cruel to the children, scolded her and ordered the village potters to refuse her request. As she returned home, she was weeping with sadness. Jnanadev asked her to prepare the dough. He then bent down, touching the floor with his hands and heated his back red-hot, asking Muktabai to roast the buns on it. She did so and happily gave them to her brothers. With shock and amazement, secretly watching this miracle through a window, Visoba Chaati, realised the power of these extraordinary children. He rushed inside the hut and picked up the crumbs of the buns, as their prasad. Seeing this, Muktabai exclaimed, "O khechara (mule) turn back!" These words completely transformed his heart. He fell at their feet, crying and begging their forgiveness. When he asked them to accept him as their disciple, Nivritti requested Muktabai to initiate him. After that Visoba left the village in order to spend the rest of his life in deep contemplation and sadhana. He achieved Self-realisation and became the guru of Saint Namdev.
- Muktabai was responsible for removing the film of ego in Saint Namdev’s mind. When they met Namdev in Pandharpur, Nivritti, Jnaneshwar and Sopandev, in humility, prostrated before him. Namdev was filled with pride, because everyone in Pandharpur regarded him as a great saint. Muktabai, with great compassion for this sincere devotee, wished to remove this short-sightedness by giving him the cosmic vision. She did not fall at his feet, as her brothers had done. Instead she requested Gora Kumbhar (the potter saint) to test the pots. Gora Kumbhar understood and with his testing rod, began to hit Nivritti, Jnanadev, Sopandev and other saints who were present, on their heads. All of them remained calm and quiet, upon which Gora Kumbhar proclaimed them fully baked. When he hit Namdev on the head, Namdev began shouting at him, thus Gora Kumbhar proclaimed him half-baked. Namdev was furious at this insult and ran to Lord Vittala in the temple. The Lord told him that they were right because he was seeing God only in Lord Vittala, rather than as the all-pervading Creative Presence. He was asked to go to Visoba Khechar, and through his practical teaching Namdev became fully enlightened.
- Another legend, tells us about Muktabai being the spiritual guide of Changdev Vateshwar, a yogi living on the bank of the river Tapi. Once Muktabai and her brothers were sitting in the Ashram when Changdev happened to pass by. Muktabai was, of course fully clad, but she appeared to Changdev as unclad so he at once turned away. Muktabai then told him that he was not perfect as he still had a complex of sex and shame and did not see God in every being. These words of Muktabai had great effect on him and he eradicated this weakness through intense sadhana. Changdev wished to make Jnanadev his Guru, but Jnanadev said that Muktabai was the right spiritual Guru instead of himself. Changdev has made many references to Muktabai in his Abhangs.
Monday, 1 August 2022
Muktabai
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