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Devout saint

CHENNAI: Realised souls exemplify how ordinary human beings can strive towards salvation. They show how one can be very much in the world and still remain detached. These great saints embody the qualities that lift human beings to higher planes. These qualities stand out from the many happenings in their lives. In a lecture, Sri Muralidhara Sarma said the life of Eknath, a great saint and scholar of the 16th century in Maharashtra, continues to inspire and instil bhakti because of his absolute humility and devotion. Eknath inherited the legacy of spiritual thirst from his ancestors and sought Janardana, a devotee of Dattatreya, as his preceptor. The Gurukula tradition not merely imparted knowledge and scholarship to the young aspirants but also taught them the way of noble living. Involved in personal service to the preceptor, the aspirant got the opportunity to observe him and to imbibe the noble qualities and austere way of life that become meaningful only when one learns through observation and practice.

Eknath lived the life of a devout saint, offering worship to the Lord with love and devotion, even while in the midst of worldly involvement. He worshipped the Lord with love and devotion. It is believed that the Lord in Dwaraka was so drawn by Eknath’s sincere devotion that He chose to serve him as a disciple for 12 years. He called Himself Krishna and made Himself useful in the household chores such as bringing water for puja, running errands, and also attending to Eknath’s personal needs. But when Eknath came to know that this disciple was the Lord Himself through a travelling devotee to whom this truth was revealed when he went to Dwaraka, the Lord disappeared.

The importance of upholding the practice of dharma in one’s life is repeatedly stressed in the scriptures. In His incarnations, the Lord Himself upholds the traditional way of life as ordained in the scriptures, to impress upon the human race its importance. In the Ramayana,Sage Vishwamitra wakes up Lord Rama at daybreak to perform daily duties. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna points this out as the essence of Karma Yoga by which all actions are performed as a dedication to the Lord.

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