संत साहित्य · Guru Charitra · Chapters
Chapter 21 — The Dead Child Became Alive
Literal. Continues from Chapter 20. The mother refuses to give the dead child for funeral, ties his body to her back, and dashes her head on Shri Guru's padukas (sacred footprints) at Audumbar. Brahmins demand the body for cremation; she refuses. After midnight, she falls drowsy. In her dream a figure with vibhuti, rudraksha, trishul, tiger-skin (Shiva-form) appears, applies bhasma to the boy's forehead, opens his mouth and blows air into it. The boy revives. The community is astonished.
Symbolic. Mouth-to-mouth respiration with vibhuti as an explicit narrative element — possibly the earliest depiction in the Datta tradition of CPR-shaped interventional revival.
Verse by verse
श्रीगणेशाय नमः ।
śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ |
Salutations to Śrī Gaṇeśa.
The chapter opens, as is customary, with an invocation to Gaṇeśa (the remover of obstacles), before the tale of a dead child's revival begins.
Begin any important undertaking by first quieting the mind and asking for help beyond your own strength.
सिद्ध म्हणे नामधारका । ब्रह्मचारी कारणिका । उपदेशी ज्ञान निका । तये प्रेतजननीसी ॥१॥
siddha mhaṇe nāmadhārakā | brahmacārī kāraṇikā | upadeśī jñāna nikā | taye pretajananīsī ||1||
Siddha says to Namdharak: the wise brahmacāri gave fine teaching of knowledge to that mother of the dead child.
The narrator resumes: an ascetic brahmacāri (celibate student) steps in to console a grieving mother with spiritual teaching — the chapter's frame is teaching through grief.
When someone near you is in grief, offer wisdom gently rather than mere sympathy.
ब्रह्मचारी म्हणे नारीसी । मूढपणे दुःख करिसी । कोण वाचला धरणीसी । या संसारी सांग मज ॥२॥
brahmacārī mhaṇe nārīsī | mūḍhapaṇe duḥkha karisī | koṇa vācalā dharaṇīsī | yā samsārī sāmga maja ||2||
The brahmacāri says to the woman: you grieve out of delusion; tell me, who upon this earth has ever survived in this world forever?
He opens with the universal truth of mortality — no one born escapes death; her sorrow, though natural, rests on mūḍhapaṇa (delusion) about permanence.
When grief overwhelms you, remember that no one who lives escapes death — let that truth soften, not harden, your heart.
उपजला कोण मेला कोण । उत्पत्ति झाली कोठोन । जळात उपजे जैसा फेण । बुदबुद राहे कोठे स्थिर ॥३॥
upajalā koṇa melā koṇa | utpatti jhālī koṭhona | jaḷāta upaje jaisā pheṇa | budabuda rāhe koṭhe sthira ||3||
Who is born, who dies? From where does creation arise? Like foam born in water, where does a bubble ever stay still?
Life is compared to pheṇa (foam) and budbud (a bubble) on water — arising and vanishing, never fixed; nothing born is permanent.
Hold your plans and relationships loosely, the way you would hold a bubble, knowing it was never meant to last forever.
जैसा देह पंचभूती । मिळोनि होय आकृति । वेगळी होता पंचभूती । अव्यक्त होय देह जाण ॥४॥
jaisā deha pamcabhūtī | miḷoni hoya ākṛti | vegaḷī hotā pamcabhūtī | avyakta hoya deha jāṇa ||4||
As the body is formed by the union of the five elements, so when the five elements separate, know that the body becomes unmanifest again.
The body is explained through pañcabhūta (the five elements — earth, water, fire, air, space) theory: it is a temporary compound, dissolving back into its parts at death.
Care for your body as a borrowed vessel, not a permanent possession.
तया पंचभूतांचे गुण । मायापाशी वेष्टोन । भ्रांति लाविली मी देह म्हणोन । पुत्रमित्रकलत्रमिषे ॥५॥
tayā pamcabhūtāmce guṇa | māyāpāśī veṣṭona | bhrāmti lāvilī mī deha mhaṇona | putramitrakalatramiṣe ||5||
The qualities of those five elements, bound up in the noose of māyā (illusion), create the delusion 'I am this body,' under the guise of son, friend, and wife.
Attachment to family roles — son, friend, spouse — is identified as māyā's trick, making us mistake temporary bonds for the self.
Love your family deeply, but notice when love has quietly become the belief that you own them.
सत्त्व रज तमोगुण । तया भूतांपासोन । वेगळाली केली लक्षण । होती ऐका एकचित्ते ॥६॥
sattva raja tamoguṇa | tayā bhūtāmpāsona | vegaḷālī kelī lakṣaṇa | hotī aikā ekacitte ||6||
The qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas arise from those elements; listen with one-pointed mind to how their distinct marks came to be.
The three guṇas (sattva-purity, rajas-passion, tamas-inertia) are introduced as the forces shaping how beings act and experience the world.
Notice which of the three qualities — clarity, restlessness, or dullness — is driving your mood right now, and choose to lean toward clarity.
देवत्व होय सत्त्वगुण । रजोगुण मनुष्य जाण । दैत्यांसी तमोगुण । गुणानुसारे कर्मे घडती ॥७॥
devatva hoya sattvaguṇa | rajoguṇa manuṣya jāṇa | daityāmsī tamoguṇa | guṇānusāre karme ghaḍatī ||7||
From sattva-guṇa comes divinity, from rajo-guṇa comes humanity, and from tamo-guṇa comes the demonic nature; deeds are shaped according to one's quality.
Beings' natures — divine, human, demonic — correspond to which guṇa dominates, and their actions (karma) follow from that inner quality.
Cultivate the calmer, clearer qualities in yourself, since your actions will naturally follow whichever quality you feed.
जेणे कर्मे आचरती । सुकृत अथवा दुष्कृति । तैशीच होय फळप्राप्ति । आपुले आपण भोगावे ॥८॥
jeṇe karme ācaratī | sukṛta athavā duṣkṛti | taiśīca hoya phaḷaprāpti | āpule āpaṇa bhogāve ||8||
According to the deeds one performs, good or bad, so is the fruit received; each must experience the results of their own actions.
This states the law of karma-phala (fruit of action) plainly: consequences are personal and inescapable, not imposed by another.
Take full ownership of the results of your choices rather than blaming circumstance or others.
जैसी गुणाची वासना । इंदिये तयाधीन जाणा । मायापाशी वेष्टोनि गहना । सुखदुःखे लिप्त करिती ॥९॥
jaisī guṇācī vāsanā | imdiye tayādhīna jāṇā | māyāpāśī veṣṭoni gahanā | sukhaduḥkhe lipta karitī ||9||
As is the desire born of one's quality, the senses become subject to it; bound in the deep noose of māyā, they entangle one in pleasure and pain.
The senses, driven by inner tendencies, pull us into māyā's web of alternating joy and sorrow — the ordinary condition of embodied life.
When pleasure or pain grips you strongly, pause and notice the desire behind it before acting on impulse.
या संसारवर्तमानी । उपजती जंतु कर्मानुगुणी । आपल्या आर्जवापासोनि । सुखदुःखादि भोगिती ॥१०॥
yā samsāravartamānī | upajatī jamtu karmānuguṇī | āpalyā ārjavāpāsoni | sukhaduḥkhādi bhogitī ||10||
In the course of this worldly existence, creatures are born according to their karma; from their own past efforts they experience pleasure, pain, and the rest.
Reiterates that birth itself, and the joys and sorrows that follow, are the fruit of one's own prior karma — nothing is arbitrary.
When hardship comes, look inward for the pattern that produced it rather than only outward for someone to blame.
कल्पकोटी वरुषे ज्यांसी । असती आयुष्ये देवऋषि । न सुटे कर्म तयासी । मनुष्याचा कवण पाड ॥११॥
kalpakoṭī varuṣe jyāmsī | asatī āyuṣye devaṛṣi | na suṭe karma tayāsī | manuṣyācā kavaṇa pāḍa ||11||
Even gods and sages whose lifespans last a hundred million kalpas (eons) cannot escape karma — what then is the worth of a mere human?
Even beings of vast cosmic lifespans remain bound by karma; a short human life is even less exempt — humility before the law of cause and effect.
Do not imagine that status or long life places you above accountability for your actions.
एखादा नर देहाधीन । काळ करी आपुले गुण । कर्म होय अनेक गुण । देहधारी येणेपरी ॥१२॥
ekhādā nara dehādhīna | kāḷa karī āpule guṇa | karma hoya aneka guṇa | dehadhārī yeṇeparī ||12||
A man is subject to his body; time works its own way upon it; karma manifests in many forms for every embodied being.
Time (kāla) acts on every body regardless of will, and karma expresses itself in countless ways through embodied life.
Accept that time will change your body no matter what you do, and spend your energy instead on what you can actually govern — your actions.
जो असे देहधारी । तयासी विकार नानापरी । स्थिर नव्हे तो निर्धारी । आपुले पाप म्हणावया ॥१३॥
jo ase dehadhārī | tayāsī vikāra nānāparī | sthira navhe to nirdhārī | āpule pāpa mhaṇāvayā ||13||
Whoever bears a body suffers changes of many kinds; know for certain that nothing stays stable enough to be called truly 'one's own' fault or possession.
Bodily change and decay are universal, not a personal curse — grief that treats loss as uniquely unjust misses this shared law.
When misfortune strikes, resist the urge to ask 'why me' as though you alone were singled out.
या कारणे ज्ञानवंत । संतोष न करी उपजत । अथवा नरा होय मृत्यु । दुःख आपण करू नये ॥१४॥
yā kāraṇe jñānavamta | samtoṣa na karī upajata | athavā narā hoya mṛtyu | duḥkha āpaṇa karū naye ||14||
For this reason, the wise do not rejoice at a birth, nor, when a person dies, do they give themselves over to grief.
The teaching's practical conclusion: the wise meet both birth and death with equanimity, since both are natural, not causes for elation or despair.
Practice meeting both good news and bad news with the same steady mind, rather than swinging between extremes.
जधी गर्भसंभव होता । काय दिसे आकारता । अव्यक्त दिसे व्यक्तता । सवेचि होय अव्यक्त पै ॥१५॥
jadhī garbhasambhava hotā | kāya dise ākāratā | avyakta dise vyaktatā | saveci hoya avyakta pai ||15||
When conception occurs, what appears as form? The unmanifest appears manifest, and soon becomes unmanifest again.
Even before birth, form arises briefly from formlessness and returns to it — existence is a passing appearance, not a fixed thing.
Treat each stage of life as a passing appearance to be lived fully, not clung to as permanent.
बुदबुद निघती जैसे जळी । सवेचि नष्ट तात्काळी । तैसा देह सर्वकाळी । स्थिर नव्हे सर्वथा ॥१६॥
budabuda nighatī jaise jaḷī | saveci naṣṭa tātkāḷī | taisā deha sarvakāḷī | sthira navhe sarvathā ||16||
As bubbles arise in water and vanish at once, so the body is never, at any time, stable at all.
The bubble image returns to underline impermanence — the body's instability is constant, not an exception reserved for tragedy.
When you catch yourself assuming tomorrow is guaranteed, gently correct the assumption and act with today's urgency.
जधी गर्भप्रसव झाले । विनाशी म्हणोनि जाणिले । कर्मानुबंधे जैसी फळे । तैसे भोगणे देहासी ॥१७॥
jadhī garbhaprasava jhāle | vināśī mhaṇoni jāṇile | karmānubamdhe jaisī phaḷe | taise bhogaṇe dehāsī ||17||
The moment birth occurs, know that it is destined for destruction; as the bonds of karma bear fruit, so the body must undergo its lot.
Birth and death are two ends of one bound thread — the fruits of karma the body must live out.
Accept the life you were given as the working-out of a larger pattern, and meet it with acceptance rather than resistance.
कोणी मरती पूर्ववयेसी । अथवा मरती वृद्धपणेसी । आपुले अर्जिती असती जैशी । तेणेपरी घडे जाण ॥१८॥
koṇī maratī pūrvavayesī | athavā maratī vṛddhapaṇesī | āpule arjitī asatī jaiśī | teṇeparī ghaḍe jāṇa ||18||
Some die in early youth, others die in old age; know that it happens according to what each has earned for themselves.
The timing of death — early or late — is explained as the working out of each soul's own accumulated karma, not chance or injustice.
Resist measuring a life's worth by its length; measure it instead by how it was lived.
मायापाशी वेष्टोनि । म्हणती पिता सुत जननी । कलत्र मित्र तेणे गुणी । आपुले आपुले म्हणती मूढ ॥१९॥
māyāpāśī veṣṭoni | mhaṇatī pitā suta jananī | kalatra mitra teṇe guṇī | āpule āpule mhaṇatī mūḍha ||19||
Bound in the noose of māyā, the deluded call one another father, son, mother, wife, and friend, each saying 'mine, mine.'
The possessive claiming of relationships — 'my son,' 'my wife' — is again named as māyā's illusion, the root of grief's sharpest edge.
Say 'my loved one' with gratitude rather than 'my possession' with entitlement.
निर्मळ देह म्हणो जरी । उत्पत्ति मांसरुधिरी । मळमूत्रांत अघोरी । उद्भव झाला परियेसा ॥२०॥
nirmaḷa deha mhaṇo jarī | utpatti māmsarudhirī | maḷamūtrāmta aghorī | udbhava jhālā pariyesā ||20||
Even if one calls the body pure, know that it arose from flesh and blood, and had its dreadful origin amid filth and urine.
A classic ascetic contemplation on the body's unclean origins is used to loosen pride and attachment to physical form.
Let humility about your own body soften any vanity or excessive self-regard you carry.
कर्मानुसार उपजतांची । ललाटी लिहितो विरंची । सुकृत अथवा दुष्कृतेची । भोग भोगणे म्हणोनि ॥२१॥
karmānusāra upajatāmcī | lalāṭī lihito viramcī | sukṛta athavā duṣkṛtecī | bhoga bhogaṇe mhaṇoni ||21||
According to karma, Viraṃcī (Brahmā, the creator) writes upon the forehead at birth; whether merit or sin, its fruit must be experienced.
The image of fate 'written on the forehead' by Brahmā expresses the certainty that karmic consequence will come due, one way or another.
Act now as if the consequences of today's choices are already being written, because in effect they are.
ऐसे कर्म काळासी । जिंकिले नाही परियेसी । या कारणे देहासी । नित्यत्व नाही परियेसा ॥२२॥
aise karma kāḷāsī | jimkile nāhī pariyesī | yā kāraṇe dehāsī | nityatva nāhī pariyesā ||22||
Such karma has never been conquered even by Time itself; for this reason, know that the body has no permanence.
Not even Time can overturn karma's working — impermanence of the body follows necessarily from this.
Stop bargaining with time for more certainty than life offers, and invest instead in what truly lasts — your character and deeds.
स्वप्नी निधान दिसे जैसे । कोणी धरावे भरवसे । इंद्रजाल गारूड जैसे । स्थिर केवी मानिजे ॥२३॥
svapnī nidhāna dise jaise | koṇī dharāve bharavase | imdrajāla gārūḍa jaise | sthira kevī mānije ||23||
As treasure seen in a dream — who can hold it with confidence? Like a magician's illusion, how can it be considered stable?
Worldly gains, including a child's life, are compared to dream-treasure or magic — vivid but insubstantial, not to be clung to as guaranteed.
Enjoy what you have fully, but hold it the way you'd hold a beautiful dream — gratefully, not desperately.
तुझे तूचि सांग वहिले । कोटी वेळा जन्म झाले । मनुष्य किंवा पशुत्व लाधले । पक्षी अथवा कृमिरूप ॥२४॥
tujhe tūci sāmga vahile | koṭī veḷā janma jhāle | manuṣya kimvā paśutva lādhale | pakṣī athavā kṛmirūpa ||24||
Tell me yourself, quickly: you have been born countless times before — sometimes as a human, sometimes as an animal, a bird, or even a worm.
He invokes the doctrine of countless past births across species, to relativize this one life's single loss against an immense cycle.
Widen your view of a single setback by remembering how much larger and longer your life's story truly is.
जरी होतीस मनुष्ययोनी । कोण कोणाची होतीस जननी । कोण कोणाची होतीस गृहिणी । सांग तुझे त्वा निश्चये ॥२५॥
jarī hotīsa manuṣyayonī | koṇa koṇācī hotīsa jananī | koṇa koṇācī hotīsa gṛhiṇī | sāmga tujhe tvā niścaye ||25||
Even in your human births, whose mother were you, and whose wife were you? Tell me yourself, with certainty.
He presses the point: across countless past lives she has already been mother and wife to countless others now forgotten — proof that these ties are not eternal.
Notice how many relationships you've already outgrown or forgotten in this one life, and let that soften your grip on any single one.
कवण तुझी मातापिता । जन्मांतरींची सांग आता । वाया दुःख करिसी वृथा । पुत्र आपुला म्हणोनि ॥२६॥
kavaṇa tujhī mātāpitā | janmāmtarīmcī sāmga ātā | vāyā duḥkha karisī vṛthā | putra āpulā mhaṇoni ||26||
Who were your parents in your past births? Tell me now — you grieve in vain, uselessly, over calling this child 'your own.'
Calling grief 'vain' is strong medicine — the point is not that love is wrong, but that the possessive claim 'my own' is the delusion causing extra suffering.
Separate the pain of loss from the added suffering of possessiveness, and let go of the second even while honoring the first.
पंचभूतात्मक देह । चर्ममांस-अस्थि-मज्जा -समूह । वेष्टोनिया नव देह । मळबद्ध शरीर नावे ॥२७॥
pamcabhūtātmaka deha | carmamāmsa-asthi-majjā -samūha | veṣṭoniyā nava deha | maḷabaddha śarīra nāve ||27||
The body, made of the five elements, is a mass of skin, flesh, bone, and marrow; wrapped in nine openings, this filth-bound frame is called the body.
A final anatomical reminder of the body's composite, impure nature closes the philosophical discourse before the story resumes.
Use awareness of the body's fragility as motivation to invest more in character and relationships than in appearances.
कैचा पुत्र कोठे मृत्यु । वाया भ्रमोनि का रडत । सांडोनि द्यावे कैचे प्रेत । संस्कारिती लौकिकार्थ ॥२८॥
kaicā putra koṭhe mṛtyu | vāyā bhramoni kā raḍata | sāmḍoni dyāve kaice preta | samskāritī laukikārtha ||28||
What son, what death? Why weep, wandering in delusion for nothing? Let go of the corpse — cremate it, as is the worldly custom.
The brahmacāri's teaching culminates in a call to release attachment entirely and let ordinary funeral rites proceed — pure philosophy offered as the remedy for grief.
When wise counsel is offered to you in grief, give it an honest hearing even if your heart cannot yet fully accept it.
येणेपरी ब्रह्मचारी । सांगे तत्त्व विस्तारी । परिसोनिया विप्रनारी । विनवितसे तयासी ॥२९॥
yeṇeparī brahmacārī | sāmge tattva vistārī | parisoniyā vipranārī | vinavitase tayāsī ||29||
In this way the brahmacāri expounded the teaching at length; hearing it, the brahmin woman entreated him in reply.
The narrative returns from philosophy to story: the mother has listened, but she is about to answer, not yet resigned.
Let a teacher finish speaking fully before you respond, even when your heart is aching to reply.
विप्रवनिता तये वेळी । विनवीतसे करुणा बहाळी । स्वामी निरोपिले धर्म सकळी । परी स्थिर नव्हे अंतःकरण ॥३०॥
vipravanitā taye veḷī | vinavītase karuṇā bahāḷī | svāmī niropile dharma sakaḷī | parī sthira navhe amtaḥkaraṇa ||30||
The brahmin woman at that moment pleaded with great sorrow: 'Master, you have told me all the sacred truth, but my heart is not stilled.'
Her honest reply names the limit of philosophy alone: intellectual truth does not automatically calm a grieving heart — faith and grace are still needed.
Do not shame yourself for understanding a truth intellectually while still feeling its pain emotionally; both can be true at once.
प्रारब्ध प्रमाण म्हणो जरी । तरी का भजावा श्रीहरी । परीस संपर्क लोह जरी । सुवर्ण न होय कोण बोले ॥३१॥
prārabdha pramāṇa mhaṇo jarī | tarī kā bhajāvā śrīharī | parīsa samparka loha jarī | suvarṇa na hoya koṇa bole ||31||
If one says fate alone is the final word, then why worship Śrī Hari (God) at all? If iron touching the philosopher's stone did not turn to gold, who would say so?
She counters pure fatalism with a sharp logical challenge, using the classic parisa (touchstone that turns iron to gold) image: if devotion changes nothing, why would anyone ever be told to worship?
When told to simply 'accept fate,' hold on to the counter-truth that sincere effort and devotion still matter and can transform outcomes.
आम्ही पहिले दैवहीन । म्हणोनि धरिले श्रीगुरुचरण । अभय दिधले नाही मरण । म्हणोनि विश्वासलो आम्ही ॥३२॥
āmhī pahile daivahīna | mhaṇoni dharile śrīgurucaraṇa | abhaya didhale nāhī maraṇa | mhaṇoni viśvāsalo āmhī ||32||
We were formerly without fortune; therefore we took hold of Śrī Guru's feet. He granted us assurance that there would be no death — so we placed our trust in him.
She reveals the deeper context: the couple had already sought refuge at the feet of Śrī Guru (Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī) and received his personal promise — her grief now carries the sting of a broken-seeming vow.
When you have taken refuge in someone or something trustworthy, hold to that trust even through the moment it is most tested.
एखाद्या नरा येता ज्वर । धुंडीत जाय वैद्यघर । औषध घेवोनि प्रतिकार । सवेचि करिती आरोग्यता ॥३३॥
ekhādyā narā yetā jvara | dhumḍīta jāya vaidyaghara | auṣadha ghevoni pratikāra | saveci karitī ārogyatā ||33||
When a man is struck by fever, he searches for the physician's house; taking medicine as the remedy, health is soon restored.
She uses an everyday image — seeking a doctor for fever — to argue that seeking a remedy (through the Guru) is the natural, right response to trouble, not blind resignation.
When trouble strikes, actively seek the right remedy rather than passively accepting it as unchangeable.
एके समयी मनुष्यासी । आश्रय करिती करुणेसी । साह्य होय भरंवसी । आली आपदा परिहारी ॥३४॥
eke samayī manuṣyāsī | āśraya karitī karuṇesī | sāhya hoya bharamvasī | ālī āpadā parihārī ||34||
At such a time, a person takes refuge in compassion; help comes with confidence, and the calamity that has come is removed.
She continues the argument: refuge sought sincerely draws help, and the very disaster at hand can be turned back — she is building her case to return to the Guru.
In crisis, actively seek help from those who have shown you compassion before, trusting that aid will come.
त्रयमूतीचा अवतार । श्रीनृसिंहसरस्वती असे नर । तेणे दिधला असे वर । केवी असत्य होय सांगे ॥३५॥
trayamūtīcā avatāra | śrīnṛsimhasarasvatī ase nara | teṇe didhalā ase vara | kevī asatya hoya sāmge ||35||
Śrī Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī, who walks as a man, is the incarnation of the Trimūrti (Brahmā-Viṣṇu-Śiva); he gave me his boon — tell me, how could it prove false?
She names her Guru explicitly as the incarnate Trimūrti and insists his word cannot be untrue — her faith is not naive but reasoned trust in a specific, known promise.
When your faith is tested, recall the specific evidence and promises that first earned your trust, not abstract doubt.
आराधिले म्या तयासी । वर दिधला गा मजसी । त्याचा भरवसा मानसी । धरोनि होते स्वस्थचित्त ॥३६॥
ārādhile myā tayāsī | vara didhalā gā majasī | tyācā bharavasā mānasī | dharoni hote svasthacitta ||36||
I worshipped him with devotion, and he gave me his boon; holding trust in him in my mind, I had remained at peace.
She recounts her own devoted practice (ārādhana) as the ground of her earlier peace of mind, contrasting it with her present distress.
Return to the practices that once gave you peace when new distress threatens to erase your memory of them.
विश्वासुनी असता आपण । केवी केले निर्माण । कैसे झाले माझे मूर्खपण । म्हणोनि स्वामी निरोपिसी ॥३७॥
viśvāsunī asatā āpaṇa | kevī kele nirmāṇa | kaise jhāle mājhe mūrkhapaṇa | mhaṇoni svāmī niropisī ||37||
While I was trusting him, how did this come to be created? How did my foolishness come about? — tell me this, my lord.
Her honest confusion — was her trust foolish, or has something else happened? — is voiced directly to the brahmacāri, refusing to simply accept a tidy philosophical answer.
Voice your honest confusion to a trusted guide rather than swallowing doubts in silence.
याकारणे आपण आता । प्राण त्यजीन तत्त्वता । देह समर्पीन श्रीगुरुनाथा । वाढो कीर्ति तयाची ॥३८॥
yākāraṇe āpaṇa ātā | prāṇa tyajīna tattvatā | deha samarpīna śrīgurunāthā | vāḍho kīrti tayācī ||38||
For this reason, I shall now truly give up my life; I offer my body to Śrī Gurunātha — may his glory increase.
In her anguish she resolves on the most drastic act — offering her own life at the Guru's feet — showing grief pushed to its extreme edge before the story turns toward resolution.
When despair pushes you toward drastic thoughts, redirect that same intensity of feeling into devoted action instead of self-harm.
ऐकोनि तियेचे वचन । ओळखून भाव मन । सांगे बुद्धि तीस ज्ञान । उपाय यासी करी आता ॥३९॥
aikoni tiyece vacana | oḷakhūna bhāva mana | sāmge buddhi tīsa jñāna | upāya yāsī karī ātā ||39||
Hearing her words and recognizing the feeling in her heart, he gave her wise counsel: 'Now take up the remedy for this.'
Recognizing that philosophy alone cannot answer her devotion, the brahmacāri shifts tack and offers a practical course of action instead.
When words alone cannot console someone, offer them a concrete, doable next step.
विश्वास केला श्रीगुरूसी । पुत्र लाधला पूर्णायुषी । जरी आला मृत्यु त्यासी । घेवोनि जाय गुरुस्थाना ॥४०॥
viśvāsa kelā śrīgurūsī | putra lādhalā pūrṇāyuṣī | jarī ālā mṛtyu tyāsī | ghevoni jāya gurusthānā ||40||
You trusted Śrī Guru, and you obtained a son for a full lifespan; even so, if death has come to him, carry him to the Guru's place.
He reframes her situation: the promise of a 'full life' need not be broken — take the matter directly back to where the promise was given.
When a promise seems unfulfilled, return to its source before concluding it has failed.
जेथे लाधला तुज वर । तेथे ठेवी कलेवर । पंचगंगाकृष्णातीर । औदुंबरवृक्षातळी ॥४१॥
jethe lādhalā tuja vara | tethe ṭhevī kalevara | pamcagamgākṛṣṇātīra | audumbaravṛkṣātaḷī ||41||
Where you received the boon, there place the body — on the bank where the Pañcagaṅgā meets the Kṛṣṇā, beneath the auduṃbara (fig) tree.
He gives the exact remedy: lay the child's body at the sacred auduṃbara tree by the river confluence, the Guru's own dwelling place.
When facing a crisis of faith, go back physically or in spirit to the place where your faith was first confirmed.
ऐसे वचन ऐकोनि । विश्वास झाला तिचे मनी । पाठी शव बांधोनि । घेवोनि गेली औदुंबरा ॥४२॥
aise vacana aikoni | viśvāsa jhālā tice manī | pāṭhī śava bāmdhoni | ghevoni gelī audumbarā ||42||
Hearing these words, faith arose again in her mind; binding the corpse upon her back, she carried it to the auduṃbara tree.
Her trust is rekindled into action — she physically carries her dead child's body to the Guru's shrine, faith made into motion.
Let renewed faith move you into action immediately, rather than staying only a feeling.
जेथे होत्या गुरुपादुका । आफळी शिर ते बालिका । रुधिरे भरल्या त्या पादुका । आक्रोशे रडे ती नारी ॥४३॥
jethe hotyā gurupādukā | āphaḷī śira te bālikā | rudhire bharalyā tyā pādukā | ākrośe raḍe tī nārī ||43||
Where the Guru's sandals were kept, that woman struck her head; the sandals became filled with blood, and she wept aloud in anguish.
Her grief becomes physical and desperate — beating her head at the pādukā (sacred sandals) until they bleed — the rawest image of unresolved sorrow in the chapter.
Let yourself grieve fully and honestly before a source of faith, rather than performing composure you don't feel.
समस्त शोकाहुनी अधिक । साहवेना पुत्रशोक । क्षयरोग तोचि एक । मातापितया मृत्युमूळ ॥४४॥
samasta śokāhunī adhika | sāhavenā putraśoka | kṣayaroga toci eka | mātāpitayā mṛtyumūḷa ||44||
Greater than all other sorrows, the grief for a son cannot be borne; that grief itself, like a wasting disease, becomes the root of death for parents.
The narrator pauses to affirm that a child's death is uniquely unbearable grief, honoring rather than dismissing the parents' anguish.
Recognize that some griefs — especially the loss of a child — deserve full acknowledgment, not quick philosophical dismissal.
ऐसे करिता झाली निशी । विप्र मागती प्रेतासी । म्हणती आक्रोश का हो करिसी । संस्कारोनि जाऊ आता ॥४५॥
aise karitā jhālī niśī | vipra māgatī pretāsī | mhaṇatī ākrośa kā ho karisī | samskāroni jāū ātā ||45||
As this went on, night fell; the brahmins asked for the corpse, saying, 'Why do you cry out so? Let us perform the last rites and go now.'
The community presses for the practical necessity of cremation, showing the tension between social custom and the mother's refusal to give up hope.
Be patient with those whose grief moves slower than social custom expects.
मनुष्य नाही अरण्यात । केवी राहू जाऊ म्हणत । जळू दे वो आता प्रेत । अहो कर्कशा म्हणे ती ज्ञाती ॥४६॥
manuṣya nāhī araṇyāta | kevī rāhū jāū mhaṇata | jaḷū de vo ātā preta | aho karkaśā mhaṇe tī jñātī ||46||
'There is no one about in this wilderness — how can we stay?' they said, wanting to go. 'Let the corpse now be burned,' the community said, calling her a stubborn woman.
The onlookers grow impatient and even harsh, calling her 'obstinate' — the mother stands utterly alone in her insistence on hope.
Do not let the impatience of a crowd talk you out of a conviction you know in your heart to be right.
काही केलिया नेदी प्रेत । आपणासवे जाळा म्हणत । पोटी बांधोनिया प्रेत । लोळतसे पादुकांवरी ॥४७॥
kāhī keliyā nedī preta | āpaṇāsave jāḷā mhaṇata | poṭī bāmdhoniyā preta | loḷatase pādukāmvarī ||47||
No matter what was done, she would not give up the corpse; she said, 'Burn me together with it,' and binding the body to her chest, she rolled about upon the sandals.
Her refusal deepens into total devotion — she would rather die with the child than release her hope, physically clinging at the Guru's feet.
When you truly believe help is still possible, hold your ground even against everyone urging you to give up.
म्हणती विप्र ज्ञाती लोक । राहो नये रानी ऐक । तस्करबाधा होईल देख । जाऊ आता घरासी ॥४८॥
mhaṇatī vipra jñātī loka | rāho naye rānī aika | taskarabādhā hoīla dekha | jāū ātā gharāsī ||48||
The brahmins and the community said, 'Listen — one should not stay in the wilderness; there is danger of thieves; let us go home now.'
Practical fears — safety from thieves in the forest — add further pressure on the grieving mother, but she does not yield.
Weigh legitimate practical concerns fairly, but do not let fear alone override a matter of deep conviction.
जाऊ स्नान करूनि । उपवास होय आजच्या दिनी । प्रातःकाळी येवोनि । दहन करू म्हणताती ॥४९॥
jāū snāna karūni | upavāsa hoya ājacyā dinī | prātaḥkāḷī yevoni | dahana karū mhaṇatātī ||49||
'Let us go and bathe; today let there be a fast; we shall return in the morning and perform the cremation,' they said.
A compromise is proposed — the community leaves for the night, planning to return at dawn to finish the rites, unknowingly leaving room for the miracle to unfold.
Sometimes the wisest move in a standoff is a patient pause rather than forcing an immediate resolution.
आजिचे रात्री प्रेतासी । सुटेल वास दुर्गंधीसी । देईल आपोआप दहनासी । त्रासून जाणा कर्कशा ॥५०॥
ājice rātrī pretāsī | suṭela vāsa durgamdhīsī | deīla āpoāpa dahanāsī | trāsūna jāṇā karkaśā ||50||
'Tonight the corpse will begin to give off a foul odor, and she will be forced by that alone to give it up for cremation — know that the stubborn one will grow weary.'
Even in leaving, the community voices callous certainty that decay itself will break her resolve — heightening the drama before the reversal.
Do not let others' cynical predictions about your endurance become a self-fulfilling prophecy; prove steadier than expected.
म्हणोनि निघती सकळ लोक । राहिले तेथे जननीजनक । प्रेत देखोनि करिती शोक । झाली रात्री परियेसा ॥५१॥
mhaṇoni nighatī sakaḷa loka | rāhile tethe jananījanaka | preta dekhoni karitī śoka | jhālī rātrī pariyesā ||51||
So all the people departed; only the mother and father remained there, mourning as they looked upon the corpse, as night fell.
The couple is left utterly alone with their dead child at nightfall — the scene narrows to their solitary vigil of grief and faith.
In your darkest hour, stay present with what and whom you love rather than fleeing the discomfort.
निद्रा नाही दिवस दोन्ही । शोक करिती जनकजननी । तीन याम होता रजनी । झोप आली तियेसी ॥५२॥
nidrā nāhī divasa donhī | śoka karitī janakajananī | tīna yāma hotā rajanī | jhopa ālī tiyesī ||52||
For two days there was no sleep; the parents grieved continually; when three watches of the night had passed, sleep at last came upon her.
Exhaustion after two sleepless days finally overtakes the mother in the deep night — the threshold moment before the vision begins.
Allow your body its limits even in grief; rest is not betrayal of your love, but its necessary support.
देखतसे सुषुप्तीत । जटाधारी भस्मोध्दूलित । व्याघ्रचर्मे परिधानित । रुद्राक्षमाळा सर्वांगी ॥५३॥
dekhatase suṣuptīta | jaṭādhārī bhasmodhdūlita | vyāghracarme paridhānita | rudrākṣamāḷā sarvāmgī ||53||
In deep sleep she saw a matted-haired figure smeared with ash, clothed in a tiger skin, with rudrākṣa beads covering his whole body.
The Guru appears in her vision in the classic ascetic form of Śiva — matted hair, ash, tiger skin, rudrākṣa (sacred beads) — confirming his identity as the Trimūrti's incarnation she had claimed.
Stay alert to grace appearing in unexpected, humble forms rather than only the forms you expect.
योगदंड त्रिशूळ हाती । आले औदुंबराप्रति । का हो शोक करिसी सती । आक्रोशोनि आम्हांवरी ॥५४॥
yogadamḍa triśūḷa hātī | āle audumbarāprati | kā ho śoka karisī satī | ākrośoni āmhāmvarī ||54||
With a yogic staff and trident in hand, he came to the auduṃbara tree: 'Why, O virtuous woman, do you grieve and cry out against us?'
The Guru arrives and gently questions her lament — not rebuking her devotion, but inviting her to voice her complaint directly to him.
Bring your complaints and anguish honestly to whatever you have faith in, rather than suppressing them.
काय झाले तुझिया कुमारा । करू त्यासी प्रतिकारा । म्हणोनि दे तो अभय करा । भक्तवत्सला श्रीगुरु ॥५५॥
kāya jhāle tujhiyā kumārā | karū tyāsī pratikārā | mhaṇoni de to abhaya karā | bhaktavatsalā śrīguru ||55||
'What has happened to your child? Let us set it right,' he said, and Śrī Guru, ever tender to his devotees, extended his hand in reassurance.
The Guru, called bhaktavatsala (affectionate toward devotees), offers direct help and comfort — the story's turning point toward the miracle.
When someone in your care is suffering, offer both reassurance and concrete help, not one without the other.
भस्म काढोनि प्रेतासी । लावीतसे सर्वांगासी । मुख पसरी म्हणे तिसी । वायुपूर करू म्हणे ॥५६॥
bhasma kāḍhoni pretāsī | lāvītase sarvāmgāsī | mukha pasarī mhaṇe tisī | vāyupūra karū mhaṇe ||56||
Taking out sacred ash, he applied it over the whole body of the corpse; opening its mouth, he said to her, 'Let us fill it with breath.'
The Guru performs the revival with bhasma (sacred ash) and breath — ash, a symbol of transcending death, becomes the medium of restoring life.
Trust that even what looks like an ending can be met with patient, careful, hands-on effort toward renewal.
प्राण म्हणे वायु जाण । बाहेर गेला निघोन । घातला मागुती आणून । पुत्र तुझा जीवंत होय ॥५७॥
prāṇa mhaṇe vāyu jāṇa | bāhera gelā nighona | ghātalā māgutī āṇūna | putra tujhā jīvamta hoya ||57||
'Know that the life-breath had gone out and departed,' he said; 'I have brought it back and restored it — your son now lives.'
The Guru explains the revival simply: the departed breath (prāṇa) is returned — a plain statement of the miracle, not elaborated with theatrics.
When you restore something broken — a relationship, a project — state plainly that it is mended, and let the results speak.
इतुके देखोनि भयचकित । झाली नारी जागृत । म्हणे आपणा कैसी भ्रांत । पडिली असे प्रेतावरी ॥५८॥
ituke dekhoni bhayacakita | jhālī nārī jāgṛta | mhaṇe āpaṇā kaisī bhrāmta | paḍilī ase pretāvarī ||58||
Seeing this, the woman awoke, startled with fear, and said, 'What a strange delusion has come over me regarding the corpse.'
She wakes from the vision and, in the ordinary reflex of doubt, dismisses what she saw as mere delusion — faith's vision meeting the mind's skepticism.
When you receive an unexpected answer to prayer or hope, resist the urge to dismiss it too quickly as 'just your imagination.'
जे का वसे आपुले मनी । तैसेचि दिसे निद्रास्वप्नी । कैचा देव नृसिंहमुनि । भ्रांति आपणा लागलि असे ॥५९॥
je kā vase āpule manī | taiseci dise nidrāsvapnī | kaicā deva nṛsimhamuni | bhrāmti āpaṇā lāgali ase ||59||
'What dwells in one's own mind appears the same in a dream,' she thought. 'How could the god Nṛsiṁha Muni really appear? A delusion has come over me.'
She rationalizes the vision as mere wish-fulfillment born of her own longing — the very moment of doubt just before the truth reveals itself.
Notice how the mind's habit of self-doubt can talk you out of good news even as it is arriving.
आमुचे प्रारब्ध असे उणे । देवावरी बोल काय ठेवणे । अज्ञान आम्ही मूर्खपणे । श्रीगुरूवरी बोल काय ॥६०॥
āmuce prārabdha ase uṇe | devāvarī bola kāya ṭhevaṇe | ajñāna āmhī mūrkhapaṇe | śrīgurūvarī bola kāya ||60||
'Our own fortune is lacking; why place blame on God? We are ignorant and foolish — what fault is there in Śrī Guru?'
In her waking sorrow she takes the blame onto her own fate rather than doubting the Guru — a return to humility even amid unresolved grief.
When faith is tested, examine your own understanding before you conclude that what you trust has failed you.
येणेपरी चिंता करीत । तव प्रेतासी झाले चेत। सर्वांगही उष्ण होत । सर्वसंधी जीव आला ॥६१॥
yeṇeparī cimtā karīta | tava pretāsī jhāle ceta| sarvāmgahī uṣṇa hota | sarvasamdhī jīva ālā ||61||
As she was worrying in this way, the corpse suddenly stirred; its whole body grew warm, and life returned to every joint.
Even as she doubts, the miracle is already real and unfolding in front of her — the child's body visibly warms with returning life.
Keep your eyes open for the good that may already be happening even while your heart is still uncertain.
म्हणे प्रेता काय झाले । किंवा भूत संचारले । मनी भय उपजले । ठेवी काढोनि दूर परते ॥६२॥
mhaṇe pretā kāya jhāle | kimvā bhūta samcārale | manī bhaya upajale | ṭhevī kāḍhoni dūra parate ||62||
'What has happened to the corpse — has a ghost entered it?' she said; fear arose in her mind, and she pulled it away, setting it at a distance.
Her first reaction to the miracle is fear, not joy — a very human touch showing that even grace can initially unsettle before it comforts.
Give yourself permission to feel startled by sudden good fortune before you can fully embrace it.
सर्व संधीसी जीव आला । बाळ उठोनि बैसला । म्हणे क्षुधा लागली मला । अन्न दे की म्हणे माते ॥६३॥
sarva samdhīsī jīva ālā | bāḷa uṭhoni baisalā | mhaṇe kṣudhā lāgalī malā | anna de kī mhaṇe māte ||63||
Life had come into every joint; the child rose and sat up, saying, 'I am hungry — give me food, mother.'
The revival is confirmed beyond doubt by the child's utterly ordinary, human first words — hunger — grounding the miracle in everyday life.
Trust that true restoration shows itself in small, ordinary signs of life, not only in grand gestures.
रुदन करीतसे तये वेळी । आला कुमार मातेजवळी । स्तन घालिता मुखकमळी । क्षीर निघे बत्तीस धारा ॥६४॥
rudana karītase taye veḷī | ālā kumāra mātejavaḷī | stana ghālitā mukhakamaḷī | kṣīra nighe battīsa dhārā ||64||
At that moment the child, crying, came close to his mother; when she put her breast to his lotus-mouth, milk flowed in thirty-two streams.
The overflowing milk — thirty-two streams — is a poetic image of a mother's abundant joy and relief matching the magnitude of her earlier grief.
Let your joy be as wholehearted and generous as your grief was, without holding back.
संतोश भय होऊनि तिसी । संदेह वाटे मानसी । कडे घेऊनि बाळकासी । गेली आपुल्या पतीजवळी ॥६५॥
samtośa bhaya hoūni tisī | samdeha vāṭe mānasī | kaḍe gheūni bāḷakāsī | gelī āpulyā patījavaḷī ||65||
Joy and fear both arose in her, and doubt lingered in her mind; taking the child in her arms, she went to her husband.
Even amid joy, a trace of disbelief remains — she instinctively seeks her husband's confirmation, showing that shared witness steadies wonder.
When something wonderful happens that feels almost unbelievable, share it immediately with someone you trust to help you take it in.
जागृत करूनि पतीसी । सांगे वृत्तान्त तयासी । पति म्हणे तियेसी । ऐसे चरित्र श्रीगुरूचे ॥६६॥
jāgṛta karūni patīsī | sāmge vṛttānta tayāsī | pati mhaṇe tiyesī | aise caritra śrīgurūce ||66||
Waking her husband, she told him the whole account; her husband said to her, 'Such is the way of Śrī Guru's deeds.'
The husband, hearing the account, immediately recognizes it as consistent with the Guru's known character — faith confirmed by faith shared.
Let a trusted partner help you recognize grace when your own mind is still catching up to it.
म्हणोनि दंपत्य दोघे जाणा । करोनि औदुंबरी प्रदक्षिणा । साष्टांग नमुनी चरणा । नानापरी स्तोत्रे करिती ॥६७॥
mhaṇoni dampatya doghe jāṇā | karoni audumbarī pradakṣiṇā | sāṣṭāmga namunī caraṇā | nānāparī stotre karitī ||67||
So the couple, both together, circled the auduṃbara tree and, prostrating fully at its feet, offered praises in many forms.
Their response to the miracle is immediate worship — pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation) and sāṣṭāṅga (full prostration) — gratitude expressed with the whole body.
Express gratitude for a blessing with your whole body and presence, not just a passing thought.
जय जयाजी वरदमूर्ति । ब्रह्मा विष्णु शिवयती । भक्तवत्सला तुझी ख्याति । वासना पहासी भक्तांची ॥६८॥
jaya jayājī varadamūrti | brahmā viṣṇu śivayatī | bhaktavatsalā tujhī khyāti | vāsanā pahāsī bhaktāmcī ||68||
'Victory to you, O boon-giving form, who are Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and the ascetic Śiva! Your fame is that you are tender to devotees, and you see the true longing of your devotees' hearts.'
Their hymn names the Guru explicitly as the united Trimūrti who reads and answers the devotee's deepest desire, not merely their words.
Trust that sincere longing, even unspoken, is understood by those who truly care for you — so let your intentions be honest.
तू तारक विश्वासी । म्हणोनि भूमी अवतरलासी । अशक्य तूते वर्णावयासी क्षमा करणे स्वामिया ॥६९॥
tū tāraka viśvāsī | mhaṇoni bhūmī avataralāsī | aśakya tūte varṇāvayāsī kṣamā karaṇe svāmiyā ||69||
'You are the deliverer of the faithful; for this you have descended upon the earth. It is impossible to describe you fully — forgive us, O Lord.'
They confess the limits of their own praise, acknowledging the Guru's greatness exceeds description — humility even within celebration.
When words fail to capture your gratitude, let humble acknowledgment of that very inadequacy be your praise.
बाळ जैसे कोपेसी । निष्ठुर बोले मातेसी । तैसे अविद्यामायापाशी । तुम्हा निष्ठुर बोलिलो ॥७०॥
bāḷa jaise kopesī | niṣṭhura bole mātesī | taise avidyāmāyāpāśī | tumhā niṣṭhura bolilo ||70||
As a child in anger speaks harshly to its mother, so, bound in the noose of ignorance and māyā, we spoke harshly to you.
She apologizes for her earlier despairing, even accusing words at the pādukā, comparing herself to a child scolding a mother out of pain, not true disrespect.
Forgive yourself for harsh words spoken in the depths of pain, and offer sincere apology once clarity returns.
सर्वस्वी आम्हा क्षमा करणे । म्हणोनि घालिती लोटांगणे । विनवोनिया करुणावचने । गेली स्नानासी गंगेत ॥७१॥
sarvasvī āmhā kṣamā karaṇe | mhaṇoni ghālitī loṭāmgaṇe | vinavoniyā karuṇāvacane | gelī snānāsī gamgeta ||71||
'Forgive us wholly,' they said, and prostrated flat upon the ground; having entreated him with words of compassion, she went to bathe in the Gaṅgā.
Full-body prostration and a plea for total forgiveness precede the practical act of ritual purification — repentance followed by renewal.
After sincere apology, follow through with a concrete act that marks your fresh start.
स्नान करोनि बाळकासहित । धुती झाली पादुकांचे रक्त । औदुंबरा स्नपन करीत । लाविती दीप तये वेळी ॥७२॥
snāna karoni bāḷakāsahita | dhutī jhālī pādukāmce rakta | audumbarā snapana karīta | lāvitī dīpa taye veḷī ||72||
Having bathed together with the child, she washed away the blood from the sandals; she bathed the auduṃbara tree and lit lamps at that time.
She personally cleans the blood her own grief had spilled on the sacred pādukā — a tender act of making amends and restoring sanctity.
Take responsibility for cleaning up the mess your own distress may have caused, as part of healing.
पूजा करिती भक्तीसी । मंत्रपूर्वक विधींसी । शमीपत्र कुसुमेसी । पूजा करिती परियेसा ॥७३॥
pūjā karitī bhaktīsī | mamtrapūrvaka vidhīmsī | śamīpatra kusumesī | pūjā karitī pariyesā ||73||
They performed worship with devotion, according to the rites and mantras, offering śamī leaves and flowers in their worship.
A formal, proper pūjā (ritual worship) follows the earlier raw prostration — devotion is expressed both spontaneously and through structured practice.
Balance spontaneous heartfelt gratitude with consistent, disciplined practice over time.
नीरांजन तये वेळा । करिती गायन परिबळा । अतिसंतोषी ती अबला । भक्तिभावे स्तुति करीत ॥७४॥
nīrāmjana taye veḷā | karitī gāyana paribaḷā | atisamtoṣī tī abalā | bhaktibhāve stuti karīta ||74||
At that time they performed the waving of lamps and sang with full strength; that woman, overjoyed, offered praise with devoted feeling.
Joyful song and lamp-offering (nīrāñjana) mark the couple's transformation from despair to celebration.
Let your relief and joy find expression through song, ritual, or celebration shared with others.
इतुके होय तो गेली निशी । उदय झाला दिनकरासी । संस्कारू म्हणोनि प्रेतासी । आले विप्र ज्ञाती सकळ ॥७५॥
ituke hoya to gelī niśī | udaya jhālā dinakarāsī | samskārū mhaṇoni pretāsī | āle vipra jñātī sakaḷa ||75||
By the time this was finished, the night had passed and the sun had risen; the brahmins and the community all arrived, intending to cremate the corpse.
The community returns at dawn, as planned, unaware that the 'corpse' they've come to burn is now a living child — dramatic irony resolving in joy.
Trust that timing you cannot control can still work out for good, even when others act on outdated assumptions.
तव देखती कुमारासी । विस्मय झाला सकळिकांसी । समाधान करिती हर्षी । महा आनंद वर्तला ॥७६॥
tava dekhatī kumārāsī | vismaya jhālā sakaḷikāmsī | samādhāna karitī harṣī | mahā ānamda vartalā ||76||
But then they saw the boy alive; astonishment seized them all; they rejoiced with contentment, and great joy prevailed.
Communal wonder replaces communal mourning in an instant — the miracle is publicly witnessed, not just privately claimed.
Let good news be witnessed and shared openly, so that others too can be strengthened by it.
ऐसा श्रीगुरुस्थानमहिमा । अखिल लोक लाधले कामा । एकेकाची सांगता महिमा । विस्तार होईल बहु कथा ॥७७॥
aisā śrīgurusthānamahimā | akhila loka lādhale kāmā | ekekācī sāmgatā mahimā | vistāra hoīla bahu kathā ||77||
Such is the glory of Śrī Guru's holy place — all manner of people have obtained their desires there; to tell each one's story in full would take a vast account.
The narrator steps back from this single story to affirm that the site itself (the auduṃbara at the confluence) is a place of proven grace for many, many devotees.
Recognize that your own answered prayer is one story among many — let it strengthen, not just your faith, but your witness to others.
पुत्रप्राप्ति वांझेसी । श्रीप्राप्ति दारिद्र्यासी । आरोग्य होईल रोगियासी । अपमृत्यु न ये जाणा ॥७८॥
putraprāpti vāmjhesī | śrīprāpti dāridryāsī | ārogya hoīla rogiyāsī | apamṛtyu na ye jāṇā ||78||
The childless obtain a child, the poor obtain wealth, the sick obtain health, and untimely death does not come, know this.
The narrator lists the specific boons associated with the site — fertility, prosperity, health, protection from premature death — as a summary of the place's reputed grace.
Approach any source of hope with specific, honest petitions rather than vague wishing.
सिद्ध म्हणे नामधारका । स्थानमहिमा ऐशी ऐका । अपार असे सांगता देखा । साधारण निरोपिले ॥७९॥
siddha mhaṇe nāmadhārakā | sthānamahimā aiśī aikā | apāra ase sāmgatā dekhā | sādhāraṇa niropile ||79||
Siddha says to Namdharak: 'Hear thus the glory of this place; it is boundless to describe fully — I have told you only in general.'
The Siddha, narrating the whole tale to his disciple Namdharak, admits the site's full glory exceeds what any telling could capture.
Accept that some blessings are too large to fully explain in words, and let the partial telling still move you to gratitude.
तया औदुंबरातळी । श्रीगुरु वसे सर्वकाळी । काम्य होत तात्काळी । आराधिता नरहरीसी ॥८०॥
tayā audumbarātaḷī | śrīguru vase sarvakāḷī | kāmya hota tātkāḷī | ārādhitā naraharīsī ||80||
Beneath that auduṃbara tree, Śrī Guru dwells eternally; desires are fulfilled at once for whoever worships Narahari (the Lord) there.
The tree is affirmed as a permanent dwelling place of the divine — devotion offered there is said to bear immediate fruit.
Return regularly to whatever place or practice reliably renews your faith, rather than treating it as a one-time visit.
भाव असावा आपुले मनी । पूजा करावी श्रीगुरुचरणी । जी जी वासना ज्याचे मनी । त्वरित होय परियेसा ॥८१॥
bhāva asāvā āpule manī | pūjā karāvī śrīgurucaraṇī | jī jī vāsanā jyāce manī | tvarita hoya pariyesā ||81||
One should hold sincere feeling in the heart and worship at Śrī Guru's feet; whatever desire is in one's mind is swiftly fulfilled, know this.
The key condition for grace is named plainly: bhāva (sincere inner feeling), not merely outward ritual.
Bring genuine sincerity to your practices, since heartfelt intention matters more than mechanical performance.
ह्रदयशूळ गंडमाळ । अपस्मार रोग सकळ । परिहरती तात्काळ । श्रीगुरुपादुका अर्चिता ॥८२॥
hradayaśūḷa gamḍamāḷa | apasmāra roga sakaḷa | pariharatī tātkāḷa | śrīgurupādukā arcitā ||82||
Heart pain, goiter, epilepsy, and all such diseases are removed at once by worshipping Śrī Guru's sandals.
A list of specific ailments said to be healed by devotion at the pādukā extends the theme of the site's protective, healing power.
Bring even your bodily suffering, not just spiritual longing, honestly into your practice of faith.
जो असेल मंदमति । बधिर मुका चरण नसती । औदुंबरी सेवा करिती । सुदेह होय सत्य माना ॥८३॥
jo asela mamdamati | badhira mukā caraṇa nasatī | audumbarī sevā karitī | sudeha hoya satya mānā ||83||
Whoever is dull-witted, deaf, mute, or lacking legs, if they perform service at the auduṃbara, truly becomes whole in body, believe this.
The list extends further to disability and impairment being healed through devoted sevā (service) at the tree — total restoration, physical and mental.
Serve faithfully at what you believe in even before you see results, trusting that sincere effort itself is transformative.
चतुर्विध पुरुषार्थ । तेथे होय निश्चित । प्रत्यक्ष वसे श्रीगुरुनाथ । औदुंबरी सनातन ॥८४॥
caturvidha puruṣārtha | tethe hoya niścita | pratyakṣa vase śrīgurunātha | audumbarī sanātana ||84||
The four aims of human life are surely attained there; Śrī Gurunātha dwells there in person, eternal, in the auduṃbara.
The site is said to grant the caturvidha puruṣārtha (four classical goals of life: dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa) — complete fulfillment, not just isolated wishes.
Seek a well-rounded life — purpose, means, enjoyment, and liberation — rather than chasing only one goal at the expense of the others.
तया नाव कल्पतरू । प्रत्यक्ष झाणा औदुंबरू । जे जे मनी इच्छिती नरू । साध्य होय परियेसा ॥८५॥
tayā nāva kalpatarū | pratyakṣa jhāṇā audumbarū | je je manī icchitī narū | sādhya hoya pariyesā ||85||
That auduṃbara is truly known as the kalpataru (wish-fulfilling tree); whatever a person desires in the heart is attained, know this.
The tree receives its final honorific: the mythic kalpataru, granter of every heartfelt wish — the story's central symbol of grace made concrete.
Treat the places and relationships that have proven trustworthy to you as precious, and return to them when in need.
किती वर्णू तेथील महिमा । सांगता अशक्य असे आम्हा । श्रीगुरुसरस्वती नामा । प्रख्यात असे परियेसा ॥८६॥
kitī varṇū tethīla mahimā | sāmgatā aśakya ase āmhā | śrīgurusarasvatī nāmā | prakhyāta ase pariyesā ||86||
How much can I describe its glory? It is impossible for me to tell it fully; the name Śrī Gurusarasvatī is renowned, know this.
The narrator again disclaims full capacity to describe the glory, naming the Guru fully as Śrī Gurusarasvatī before closing the tale.
Let your admiration for something great include the humility to admit words will always fall short of it.
गंगाधराचा नंदन । सांगे गुरुचरित्र विस्तारोन । भक्तिपूर्वक ऐकती जे जन । सकलाभीष्टे पावती ॥८७॥
gamgādharācā namdana | sāmge gurucaritra vistārona | bhaktipūrvaka aikatī je jana | sakalābhīṣṭe pāvatī ||87||
The son of Gaṅgādhara tells the Gurucaritra at length; those people who listen to it with devotion obtain all their desired wishes.
The author, Sarasvatī Gaṅgādhar (son of Gaṅgādhar), signs the chapter with a promise: devoted listening to this very text confers blessing on the listener.
Approach sacred stories not just as history but as an invitation — receive them with the same devotion the storyteller offers.
म्हणोनि सरस्वतीगंगाधर । सदा श्रीगुरुचरणी स्थिर । उतरवी पैलपार । इहसौख्य परगति ॥८८॥
mhaṇoni sarasvatīgamgādhara | sadā śrīgurucaraṇī sthira | utaravī pailapāra | ihasaukhya paragati ||88||
Therefore Sarasvatī Gaṅgādhar remains ever steadfast at Śrī Guru's feet, who carries one across to the far shore, granting happiness in this world and the path beyond.
The author's closing dedication affirms his own lifelong steadiness at the Guru's feet, and names the Guru's grace as carrying devotees across both worldly and spiritual life.
Anchor your life in one steady devotion that serves you both in daily happiness and in your ultimate direction.
इति श्रीगुरुचरित्रामृत । गुरुमाहात्म्यपरमामृत । विप्रपुत्रसंजीवनामृत । निरोपिले असे येथे ॥८९॥
iti śrīgurucaritrāmṛta | gurumāhātmyaparamāmṛta | vipraputrasamjīvanāmṛta | niropile ase yethe ||89||
Thus is told here the nectar of the Śrī Gurucaritra, the supreme nectar of the Guru's greatness, the nectar of the revival of the brahmin's son.
The formal closing names the chapter's content as amṛta (nectar) three times over — Guru's story, Guru's greatness, and the child's revival — marking it complete.
Let a resolved crisis become a story you treasure and retell, as a source of ongoing strength.
इति श्रीगुरुचरित्रपरमकथाकल्पतरौ श्रीनृसिंहसरस्वत्युपाख्याने सिद्धनामधारकसंवादे बालसंजीवन नाम एकविंशोऽध्यायः ॥२१॥
iti śrīgurucaritraparamakathākalpatarau śrīnṛsimhasarasvatyupākhyāne siddhanāmadhārakasamvāde bālasamjīvana nāma ekavimśo'dhyāyaḥ ||21||
Thus ends, in the supreme wish-fulfilling story-tree of the Śrī Gurucaritra, in the narrative of Śrī Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī, in the dialogue of Siddha and Namdharak, the twenty-first chapter, named 'The Revival of the Child.'
The traditional colophon formally titles and numbers the chapter, situating it within the whole Gurucaritra and the ongoing Siddha–Namdharak dialogue frame.
Mark the completion of an important passage in your own life with a clear, honoring close, just as this chapter is formally sealed.
श्रीगुरुदत्तात्रेयार्पितमस्तु ॥
śrīgurudattātreyārpitamastu ||
May this be offered to Śrī Guru Dattātreya.
A dedicatory formula offers the entire chapter as a gift to Dattātreya, the divine source from whom the Guru lineage descends.
Dedicate the fruit of your effort to something greater than yourself rather than claiming it purely as your own achievement.
(ओवीसंख्या ८९)
(ovīsamkhyā 89)
(Number of ovīs: 89)
A scribal note recording the traditional verse-count of this chapter for textual accuracy.
Value careful, accurate record-keeping as a quiet form of respect for the tradition you are part of.