II श्रीराम जय राम जय जय राम II

सन्त न छाडै सन्तता, कोटिक मिलै असंत I
मलय भुवंगम बेधिया, शीतलता न तजन्त II

It was said of Sant Eknath that he was a man of patience, always unruffled and serene, a man of equanimity who never lost his temper. There were some in the town who were jealous of his reputation and were eager to prove to the people that Sant Eknath, too, had feet of clay. They hired a man and promised to reward him richly, if only he could make Sant Eknath lose his temper. Everyday, early in the morning, Sant Eknath went to the river Godavari for a dip in the waters before spending some time in worship. One day, as he was on his way home after taking a bath in the sacred waters, the man spat on him. Quietly, Sant Eknath went back to the river and had another dip. Once again, as he was on his way home, the man spat on him. The same thing happened for the third time, the fourth time, the fifth time, but it made not a dent in Sant Eknath's composure. Unperturbed, he went to the river to have another dip. The man was not tired, nor was Sant Eknath. The thought of the rich reward lured the man and he spat on Sant Eknath every time that he passed by him determined to make him lose his temper. This went on for as many as 107 times! After having the 108 dip, as Sant Eknath wended his way home, the man’s heart was touched. Falling at his feet he pleaded, “Forgive me! I implore you to forgive me! I have greatly sinned. I was told by some of the wealthy men of the town that if I could make you lose your temper, they would reward me richly. The temptation of a rich reward made me behave like a beast. Please forgive me!” Sant Eknath smiled and he said, “Forgive you for what? Today is a unique day in my life, when I have had 108 dips in the sacred waters. With one bath, he could clean the spit from his body, but if he had gotten angry, even a hundred baths would be insufficient to clean the impurities generated inside of him.

"Kabir says, poisonous snakes live on the Sandalwood tree, but its purity and the quality of imparting soothing coolness is not affected at all. Sandalwood is thus a beautiful metaphor for Sadhu. The true Sadhu is like Sandalwood, which imparts its fragrance to the axe which cuts it, without doing any harm in return. In other words a Sadhu doesn't leave his righteous path even amidst people with evil inclinations. The evil inclinations such as anger, greed, envy, pride are the snakes. On the contrary, those snakes become so overwhelmed by the Sandalwood that eventually they forget all about their poison. The poison transforms into nectar. In other words, kindness turns evil into good."

II श्रीराम जय राम जय जय राम II

II श्रीसद्गुरूचरणार्पणमस्तु II