संत साहित्य · Guru Charitra · Chapters
Chapter 45 — Poet Narhari Becomes a Disciple of Shri Guru
Literal. Narhari of Hipperge composes daily poems in praise of his town's god Kalleshwar (a Shiva-form). Asked to praise Shri Guru, he refuses: I have sold my tongue to Kalleshwar. He worships Kalleshwar; falls asleep in the temple; sees in dream that Shri Guru is sitting on the Linga and Kalleshwar is worshipping Shri Guru. He goes to Shri Guru, repents for not recognizing him as Kalleshwar himself.
Symbolic. The local deity is a sub-aspect of the larger one — Narhari's exclusive devotion to Kalleshwar is not invalidated; it is recontextualized. The pattern recurs throughout the book (Trivikram in Ch. 24).
Verse by verse
श्रीगणेशाय नमः ॥ श्रीसरस्वत्यै नमः ॥ श्रीगुरुभ्यो नमः ॥
śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ || śrīsarasvatyai namaḥ || śrīgurubhyo namaḥ ||
Salutations to Śrī Gaṇeśa; salutations to Śrī Sarasvatī; salutations to the Śrī Gurus.
The chapter again opens with the triple invocation before the new episode begins.
Begin each new undertaking with a moment of humble acknowledgment before diving in.
नामधारक विनवी सिद्धासी । मागें कथा निरोपिलीसी । नंदीनामा कवि ऐसी । दुसरा आणिक आला म्हणोनि ॥१॥
nāmadhāraka vinavī siddhāsī | māgem kathā niropilīsī | namdīnāmā kavi aisī | dusarā āṇika ālā mhaṇoni ||1||
Namdharak entreats Siddha: earlier you told the story that a poet named Nandinama came to the Guru, and said another poet came too.
The disciple recalls the previous chapter's closing promise and asks for its fulfillment — the narrative's continuity made explicit.
Hold others to the promises they've made to follow up, gently and respectfully.
कवणेंपरी झाला शिष्य । तें सांगावें जी आम्हांस । विस्तार करुनि आदिअंतास । कृपा करुनि दातारा ॥२॥
kavaṇemparī jhālā śiṣya | tem sāmgāvem jī āmhāmsa | vistāra karuni ādiamtāsa | kṛpā karuni dātārā ||2||
How did he become a disciple? Please tell us that, in full detail from beginning to end, with your grace, O giver.
The request for beginning to end signals that the coming story, though shorter, deserves the same complete telling as any other.
Ask for the whole story, not just the summary, when something genuinely interests you.
सिद्ध म्हणे नामधारका । सांगों तुतें कथा ऐका । आश्चर्य झालें कवतुका । श्रीगुरुचरित्र अति गोड ॥३॥
siddha mhaṇe nāmadhārakā | sāmgom tutem kathā aikā | āścarya jhālem kavatukā | śrīgurucaritra ati goḍa ||3||
Siddha says to Namdharak: I will tell you this story, listen; a wonder happened, delightful — the Śrī Guru-charitra is very sweet.
The narrator again frames the coming episode as wonder and sweetness — inviting the listener's delight, not just information.
Approach a familiar subject with fresh anticipation rather than treating it as routine.
गाणगापुरीं असतां गुरु । ख्याती झाली अपरांपरु । लोक येती थोरथोरु । भक्त बहुत जाहले ॥४॥
gāṇagāpurīm asatām guru | khyātī jhālī aparāmparu | loka yetī thorathoru | bhakta bahuta jāhale ||4||
While Śrī Guru was at Gāṇagāpur, his fame spread without limit; great people came, many devotees gathered.
A scene-setting verse establishing the Guru's growing renown as backdrop for the specific story about to unfold.
Recognize that a genuinely good influence naturally draws more people over time, without needing to be forced.
नंदीनामा कवि होता । कवित्व केलें अपरिमिता । समस्त लोक शिकती अमृता । प्रकाश झाला चहूं राष्ट्रीं ॥५॥
namdīnāmā kavi hotā | kavitva kelem aparimitā | samasta loka śikatī amṛtā | prakāśa jhālā cahūm rāṣṭrīm ||5||
Nandinama was a poet; he composed poetry without limit; all the people learned this nectar; his light spread through all four directions.
The previous chapter's poet's fame is confirmed as having spread widely — his transformed gift now serving the wider community.
Let a gift you've developed through hardship become something that benefits others broadly, not just yourself.
ऐसें असतां एके दिवसीं देखा । श्रीगुरुसी नेलें भक्तें एका । आपुले घरीं शोभनदायका । म्हणोनि नेलें आपुले ग्रामा ॥६॥
aisem asatām eke divasīm dekhā | śrīgurusī nelem bhaktem ekā | āpule gharīm śobhanadāyakā | mhaṇoni nelem āpule grāmā ||6||
While it was thus, one day, see, a devotee took Śrī Guru with him; for an auspicious occasion at his own home, he took him to his own village.
A new episode begins as a devotee invites the Guru home — showing how the Guru's presence was sought for ordinary household blessings, not only grand pilgrimages.
Invite wisdom and blessing into your own home and everyday occasions, not only into special, distant places.
हिपरगी म्हणिजे ग्रामासी । नेलें आमुचे श्रीगुरुसी । पूजा केली तेथें बहुवसी । समारंभ थोर जाहला ॥७॥
hiparagī mhaṇije grāmāsī | nelem āmuce śrīgurusī | pūjā kelī tethem bahuvasī | samārambha thora jāhalā ||7||
The village called Hipargi — they took our Śrī Guru there; worship was performed there greatly; a great celebration occurred.
The narrator's affectionate reference to our Śrī Guru marks the intimacy of the telling — this is not distant history but a living relationship.
Celebrate wholeheartedly when someone genuinely good comes into your community.
तया ग्रामीं शिवालय एक । नाम 'कल्लेश्वर' लिंग ऐक । जागृत स्थान प्रख्यात निक । तेथें एक द्विजवर सेवा करी ॥८॥
tayā grāmīm śivālaya eka | nāma 'kalleśvara' limga aika | jāgṛta sthāna prakhyāta nika | tethem eka dvijavara sevā karī ||8||
In that village there was a Śiva temple, named Kalleśvara liṅga, listen — a renowned, awakened place; there one brahmin performed service.
A jāgṛta sthāna (an awakened or spiritually alive place) describes a shrine believed to be especially responsive — setting up the coming test of the resident priest's devotion.
Tend faithfully to whatever sacred responsibility has been entrusted to you, wherever it is.
तया नाम 'नरहरी' । लिंगसेवा बहु करी । आपण असे कवीश्वरी । नित्य करी पांच कवित्वें ॥९॥
tayā nāma 'naraharī' | limgasevā bahu karī | āpaṇa ase kavīśvarī | nitya karī pāmca kavitvem ||9||
His name was Narahari; he did much service to the liṅga; he himself was a poet-lord; daily he composed five poems.
Narahari is introduced as already gifted and devoted — his coming test will be about the object of his devotion, not his sincerity.
Recognize genuine, longstanding devotion in someone even before you know where it will ultimately lead them.
कल्लेश्वरावांचूनि । आणिक नाणी कदा वचनीं । एकचित्तें एकमनीं । शिवसेवा करीतसे ॥१०॥
kalleśvarāvāmcūni | āṇika nāṇī kadā vacanīm | ekacittem ekamanīm | śivasevā karītase ||10||
Apart from Kalleśvara he never brought any other deity into his speech; single-mindedly, with one mind, he performed Śiva-service.
Ekacitta, ekamanī (single-hearted, single-minded) emphasizes the totality, even exclusivity, of his devotion to one form of God.
Give whatever you are devoted to your undivided attention rather than a scattered, half-hearted commitment.
समस्त लोक त्यासी म्हणती । तुझे कवित्वाची असे ख्याति । श्रीगुरुसी कवित्वावरी प्रीति । गुरुस्मरण करीं तूं कांहीं ॥११॥
samasta loka tyāsī mhaṇatī | tujhe kavitvācī ase khyāti | śrīgurusī kavitvāvarī prīti | gurusmaraṇa karīm tūm kāmhīm ||11||
All the people said to him: your poetic fame is well known; Śrī Guru has fondness for poetry — compose some remembrance of the guru.
The community itself proposes the test, urging him to extend his devotion toward the living Guru as well.
Be open when others suggest you widen the circle of what you honor, even if your current devotion feels complete.
त्यांसी म्हणे तो नर । कल्लेश्वरासी विकिलें जिव्हार । अन्यत्र देव अपार । नरस्तुति मी न करीं ॥१२॥
tyāmsī mhaṇe to nara | kalleśvarāsī vikilem jivhāra | anyatra deva apāra | narastuti mī na karīm ||12||
He said to them: I have sold my very heart to Kalleśvara; there are countless other gods elsewhere — I will not praise a mere man.
His refusal, calling the Guru merely a man, sets up the dramatic irony the dream will soon correct — dismissing the divine because it appears in ordinary form.
Question your own quick dismissal of something as merely ordinary before you've actually looked closely.
ऐसें बोलोनियां आपण । गेला देवपूजेकारण । पूजा करितां तत्क्षण । निद्रा आली तया द्विजा ॥१३॥
aisem boloniyām āpaṇa | gelā devapūjekāraṇa | pūjā karitām tatkṣaṇa | nidrā ālī tayā dvijā ||13||
Saying this, he went to perform the deity's worship; while performing the worship, suddenly, at that very moment, sleep came upon that brahmin.
Sleep arrives unbidden right after his refusal — narratively, the moment where correction is about to be delivered through dream.
Stay open to insight that arrives unexpectedly, even interrupting your usual routine.
नित्य पूजा करुनि आपण । कवित्व करी पार्वतीरमणा । ते दिवसीं अपरिमाण । निद्रा आली तया देखा ॥१४॥
nitya pūjā karuni āpaṇa | kavitva karī pārvatīramaṇā | te divasīm aparimāṇa | nidrā ālī tayā dekhā ||14||
Performing his daily worship, he composed poetry to Pārvatī's consort; that day, unusually, an overpowering sleep came upon him, see.
The narrator marks this sleep as unusual, immeasurable — a signal that something beyond ordinary tiredness is at work.
Notice when something in your routine feels unusually different, and pay closer attention rather than dismissing it.
निद्रा केली देवळांत । देखता जाहला स्वप्नांत । लिंगावरी श्रीगुरु बैसत । आपण पूजा करीतसे ॥१५॥
nidrā kelī devaḷāmta | dekhatā jāhalā svapnāmta | limgāvarī śrīguru baisata | āpaṇa pūjā karītase ||15||
He slept in the temple, and in the dream he saw: upon the liṅga sat Śrī Guru; he himself was performing the worship to him.
In the dream, the very form he worships, the liṅga, is revealed as inseparable from the Guru — a vision merging his devotion's object with its true, living form.
Stay open to the possibility that what you already revere and what you've been resisting may be the very same thing.
लिंग न दिसे श्रीगुरु असे । आपणासी पुसती हर्षें । नरावरी तुझी भक्ति नसे । कां गा आमुतें पूजितोसि ॥१६॥
limga na dise śrīguru ase | āpaṇāsī pusatī harṣem | narāvarī tujhī bhakti nase | kām gā āmutem pūjitosi ||16||
The liṅga was not visible — only Śrī Guru was there; he asked him, joyfully: you have no devotion toward this man — why then do you worship me?
The Guru's gentle, teasing question exposes Narahari's earlier refusal as inconsistent with his true underlying devotion.
Let a pointed but kind question from someone wiser reveal an inconsistency in your own stated beliefs.
षोडशोपचारेंसीं आपण । पूजा करी स्थिर मनीं । ऐसें देखोनियां स्वप्न । जागृत झाला तो द्विज ॥१७॥
ṣoḍaśopacāremsīm āpaṇa | pūjā karī sthira manīm | aisem dekhoniyām svapna | jāgṛta jhālā to dvija ||17||
With the sixteen ritual offerings, he performed the worship with a steady mind; having seen such a dream, that brahmin awoke.
Ṣoḍaśopacāra (the traditional sixteen-step worship ritual) is performed even within the dream, showing his devotion carrying through unbroken into sleep.
Let sincere practice become so ingrained that it continues even in your unguarded, unconscious moments.
विस्मय करी आपुले मनीं । म्हणे नरसिंहसरस्वती शिवमुनि । आला असे अवतरोनि । आपण निंदा त्याची केली ॥१८॥
vismaya karī āpule manīm | mhaṇe narasimhasarasvatī śivamuni | ālā ase avataroni | āpaṇa nimdā tyācī kelī ||18||
He wondered in his own mind, saying: Nṛsiṃhasarasvatī, the Śiva-ascetic, has come, having incarnated; I slandered him.
He immediately recognizes his own prior fault, dismissing the Guru as merely a man, now named plainly as slander.
Admit quickly, to yourself, when you realize you've wrongly dismissed someone or something.
हाचि होय सद्गुरु । त्रयमूर्तींचा अवतारु । भेट घ्यावी आतां निर्धारु । म्हणूनि आला श्रीगुरुपाशीं ॥१९॥
hāci hoya sadguru | trayamūrtīmcā avatāru | bheṭa ghyāvī ātām nirdhāru | mhaṇūni ālā śrīgurupāśīm ||19||
This indeed is the true guru, the incarnation of the trimūrti; I should meet him now, resolved — so he came to Śrī Guru.
Recognition leads directly to resolve and action — the dream's insight is not left as a private feeling but acted upon immediately.
Act promptly on a genuine insight rather than letting it fade into mere private reflection.
आला विप्र लोटांगणेंसीं । येऊनि लागला चरणासी । कृपा करीं गा अज्ञानासी । नेणों तुझें स्वरुप आपण ॥२०॥
ālā vipra loṭāmgaṇemsīm | yeūni lāgalā caraṇāsī | kṛpā karīm gā ajñānāsī | neṇom tujhem svarupa āpaṇa ||20||
The brahmin came, fully prostrate, came and clung to his feet: have mercy on my ignorance — I did not know your true form.
His approach mirrors the earlier leprosy-sufferer's prostration in the previous chapter — humility as the consistent gateway to the Guru's grace throughout this text.
Approach correction of your own error with humility rather than defensiveness.
प्रपंचमाया वेष्टोनि । नोळखें आपण अज्ञानी । तूंचि साक्षात् शिवमुनि । निर्धार जाहला आजि मज ॥२१॥
prapamcamāyā veṣṭoni | noḷakhem āpaṇa ajñānī | tūmci sākṣāt śivamuni | nirdhāra jāhalā āji maja ||21||
Wrapped in the illusion of worldly attachment, I in my ignorance did not recognize you; you alone are truly Śiva-muni — this is now certain to me.
His confession names prapañcamāyā (the illusion of worldly entanglement) as what had obscured his recognition — a recurring diagnosis in this literature.
Consider how everyday preoccupation might be obscuring something important right in front of you.
कल्लेश्वर कर्पूरगौरु । तूंचि होसी जगद्गुरु । माझें मन झालें स्थिरु । तुझे चरणीं विनटलों ॥२२॥
kalleśvara karpūragauru | tūmci hosī jagadguru | mājhem mana jhālem sthiru | tujhe caraṇīm vinaṭalom ||22||
Kalleśvara, camphor-white one — you alone are the world-guru; my mind has become steady; I have become devoted at your feet.
He now openly merges his old devotion, to Kalleśvara, with his new recognition of the Guru — the two are declared one, not competing.
Look for how a new insight can deepen an existing devotion rather than requiring you to abandon it.
तूंचि विश्वाचा आधारु । शरणागता वज्रपंजरु । चरणकमळ वास भ्रमर । ठाकोनि आलों अमृत घ्यावया ॥२३॥
tūmci viśvācā ādhāru | śaraṇāgatā vajrapamjaru | caraṇakamaḷa vāsa bhramara | ṭhākoni ālom amṛta ghyāvayā ||23||
You alone are the support of the universe, a diamond fortress for those who take refuge; like a bee dwelling at the lotus-feet, I have come to drink the nectar.
The bee-and-lotus image is a classic devotional figure for single-minded, delighted attachment to the guru's presence.
Return again and again, like the bee to the flower, to the source of genuine nourishment in your life.
जवळी असतां निधानु । कां हिंडावें रानोरानु । घरा आलिया कामधेनु । दैन्य काय आम्हांसी ॥२४॥
javaḷī asatām nidhānu | kām himḍāvem rānorānu | gharā āliyā kāmadhenu | dainya kāya āmhāmsī ||24||
With the treasure so near, why should one wander from forest to forest? When the wish-cow has come home, what poverty remains for us?
He echoes the previous chapter's language of the wish-cow arriving unbidden — grace found close at hand rather than through distant searching.
Look close to home for the help or answer you may have been seeking far afield.
पूर्वीं समस्त ऋषि देखा । तप करिती सहस्त्र वर्षें निका । तूं न पवसी एकएका । अनेक कष्ट करिताति ॥२५॥
pūrvīm samasta ṛṣi dekhā | tapa karitī sahastra varṣem nikā | tūm na pavasī ekaekā | aneka kaṣṭa karitāti ||25||
Formerly all the sages, see, performed austerities for a thousand years, precisely; yet you did not come to even one of them, though they made great effort.
He contrasts the ancient sages' immense, unrewarded austerity with his own effortless meeting — highlighting grace as unearned rather than strictly transactional.
Recognize when you've been given something valuable that you did not strictly earn, and receive it with gratitude rather than false pride.
न करितां तपानुष्ठान । आम्हां भेटलासि तूं निधान । झाली आमुची मनकामना । कल्लेश्वर लिंग प्रसन्न झालें ॥२६॥
na karitām tapānuṣṭhāna | āmhām bheṭalāsi tūm nidhāna | jhālī āmucī manakāmanā | kalleśvara limga prasanna jhālem ||26||
Without performing any austerity, you came to meet me, O treasure; my heart's wish has been fulfilled; the Kalleśvara liṅga has become gracious.
He affirms that grace exceeded effort in his own case — the story does not claim this diminishes the sages, only that grace works on its own terms.
Accept good fortune graciously even when it arrives more easily than you expected it should.
तूंचि संत्य कल्लेश्वरु । ऐसा माझे मनीं निर्धारु । कृपा करीं गा जगद्गुरु । म्हणोनि चरणीं लागला ॥२७॥
tūmci samtya kalleśvaru | aisā mājhe manīm nirdhāru | kṛpā karīm gā jagadguru | mhaṇoni caraṇīm lāgalā ||27||
You alone are truly Kalleśvara — such is the certainty in my mind; have mercy, O world-guru, saying this he clung to his feet.
His declaration of certainty closes the arc of doubt that began with his flat refusal earlier in the chapter.
Let a resolved doubt become firm conviction, rather than lapsing back into hesitation.
श्रीगुरु म्हणती तयासी । नित्य आमुची निंदा करिसी । आजि कैसें तुझे मानसीं । आलासी भक्ति उपजोनि ॥२८॥
śrīguru mhaṇatī tayāsī | nitya āmucī nimdā karisī | āji kaisem tujhe mānasīm | ālāsī bhakti upajoni ||28||
Śrī Guru said to him: you slander us daily — how then has devotion arisen in your mind today?
The Guru, gently teasing, invites Narahari to account for his own change of heart — testing the sincerity of the new devotion.
Be ready to explain honestly what has changed your mind, when asked.
विप्र म्हणे स्वामियासी । अज्ञान अंधकार आम्हांसी । कैसे भेटाल परियेसीं । ज्योतिर्मय न होतां ॥२९॥
vipra mhaṇe svāmiyāsī | ajñāna amdhakāra āmhāmsī | kaise bheṭāla pariyesīm | jyotirmaya na hotām ||29||
The brahmin said to the master: we are wrapped in the darkness of ignorance — how would we meet you unless you became luminous, manifest to us?
He reframes his earlier fault not as malice but as unavoidable ignorance until grace itself made recognition possible — humility without excessive self-blame.
Forgive yourself for past blindness once genuine insight has arrived, rather than dwelling in guilt.
म्यां कल्लेश्वराची पूजा केली । तेणें पुण्यें आम्हां भेटी लाधली । आजि आम्ही पूजेसी गेलों ते काळीं । लिंगस्थानीं तुम्हांसि देखिलें ॥३०॥
myām kalleśvarācī pūjā kelī | teṇem puṇyem āmhām bheṭī lādhalī | āji āmhī pūjesī gelom te kāḷīm | limgasthānīm tumhāmsi dekhilem ||30||
I worshipped Kalleśvara; by that merit I attained this meeting; today when I went to worship, at that very time I saw you at the liṅga's place.
He traces a direct causal line from his sincere, if narrowly focused, devotion to the wider recognition granted him.
Trust that sincere devotion in one form can lead, in time, to a wider recognition you did not originally seek.
स्वप्नावस्थेंत देखिलें आपण । प्रत्यक्ष भेटले तुझे चरण । स्थिर जाहलें अंतःकरण । मिळवावें शिष्यवर्गांत ॥३१॥
svapnāvasthemta dekhilem āpaṇa | pratyakṣa bheṭale tujhe caraṇa | sthira jāhalem amtaḥkaraṇa | miḷavāvem śiṣyavargāmta ||31||
I saw it in the dream-state; in reality your feet met me; my heart has become steady — please include me among your disciples.
He asks directly to be formally received as a disciple, the dream vision now translated into a concrete request for a real relationship.
Turn a moment of private insight into a concrete request or commitment, not just a passing feeling.
ऐसें विनवोनि द्विजवर । स्तोत्र करीतसे अपार । स्वप्नीं पूजा षोडशोपचार । तैसें कवित्व केलें देखा ॥३२॥
aisem vinavoni dvijavara | stotra karītase apāra | svapnīm pūjā ṣoḍaśopacāra | taisem kavitva kelem dekhā ||32||
Thus entreating, that best of brahmins offered unlimited hymns of praise; in the dream, the sixteen-fold worship, and likewise the poetry he had composed, see.
The narrator recaps what happened in the dream-worship, preparing for the Guru's remarkable clarification in the next verse.
Take stock of what you offered sincerely, even in private or unnoticed moments.
मानसपूजेचें विधान । पूजा व्यक्त केली त्याणें । श्रीगुरु म्हणती तत्क्षण । आम्ही स्वप्नरुप लोकांसी ॥३३॥
mānasapūjecem vidhāna | pūjā vyakta kelī tyāṇem | śrīguru mhaṇatī tatkṣaṇa | āmhī svapnarupa lokāmsī ||33||
That was the ritual of mental worship which he had performed outwardly; Śrī Guru immediately said: we appear to people in dream-form.
The Guru reveals that dream-appearances are a real, ordinary mode of his presence to devotees — not a lesser substitute for physical meeting but another genuine channel.
Take insight or comfort that comes through dreams, intuition, or reflection as seriously as insight that comes through direct encounter.
प्रत्यक्ष आम्ही असतां देखा । स्वप्नावस्थीं कवित्व ऐका । येणें भक्तें केलें निका । स्वप्नीं भेदूनि समस्त ॥३४॥
pratyakṣa āmhī asatām dekhā | svapnāvasthīm kavitva aikā | yeṇem bhaktem kelem nikā | svapnīm bhedūni samasta ||34||
While we were actually present, see, you did poetry in the dream-state, listen; this devotee has done well, having perceived everything within the dream.
The Guru praises Narahari's dream-perception as a genuine spiritual accomplishment, having seen clearly, not mere fantasy.
Value your own moments of inner clarity as real accomplishments worth trusting.
ऐसें म्हणोनि शिष्यांसी । वस्त्रें देती त्या कवीसी । लागला तो श्रीगुरुचरणासी । म्हणे आपण शिष्य होईन ॥३५॥
aisem mhaṇoni śiṣyāmsī | vastrem detī tyā kavīsī | lāgalā to śrīgurucaraṇāsī | mhaṇe āpaṇa śiṣya hoīna ||35||
Saying this to the disciples, he gave garments to that poet; he clung to Śrī Guru's feet, saying, I shall become a disciple.
The gift of garments formally marks his acceptance into the community of disciples, echoing the clothing given the healed leper in the previous chapter.
Mark a genuine commitment with some visible, deliberate act, not only a private resolve.
श्रीगुरु म्हणती तयासी । कल्लेश्वर श्रेष्ठ आम्हांसी । पूजा करीं गा नित्य त्यासी । आम्ही तेथें सदा वसों ॥३६॥
śrīguru mhaṇatī tayāsī | kalleśvara śreṣṭha āmhāmsī | pūjā karīm gā nitya tyāsī | āmhī tethem sadā vasom ||36||
Śrī Guru said to him: Kalleśvara is supreme to us; worship him daily — we ourselves dwell there always.
The Guru affirms rather than displaces Narahari's original devotion — instructing him to continue serving Kalleśvara, since the two are one.
Continue honoring an existing commitment even after a larger truth has been revealed to you, rather than discarding it.
विप्र म्हणे स्वामियासी । प्रत्यक्ष सांडोनि चरणासी । काय पूजा कल्लेश्वरासी । तेथेंही तुम्हांसी म्यां देखिलें ॥३७॥
vipra mhaṇe svāmiyāsī | pratyakṣa sāmḍoni caraṇāsī | kāya pūjā kalleśvarāsī | tethemhī tumhāmsī myām dekhilem ||37||
The brahmin said to the master: having set aside your actual feet before me, what worship of Kalleśvara should I do? There too I saw you myself.
He gently pushes back, insisting the Guru's direct presence now outweighs any instruction to return to the shrine alone — devotion arguing with its own teacher.
Feel free to respectfully voice your own conviction, even to someone you deeply revere.
तूंचि स्वामी कल्लेश्वरु । त्रयमूर्तीचा अवतारु । हाचि माझा सत्य निर्धारु । न सोडीं आतां तुझे चरण ॥३८॥
tūmci svāmī kalleśvaru | trayamūrtīcā avatāru | hāci mājhā satya nirdhāru | na soḍīm ātām tujhe caraṇa ||38||
You alone, master, are Kalleśvara, the incarnation of the trimūrti; this is my true, certain resolve — I will not now leave your feet.
He resolves the apparent tension himself — since the two are one, staying near the Guru is itself continued worship of Kalleśvara.
Find the deeper unity behind two commitments that seem to compete, rather than being forced to choose between them.
ऐसें विनवोनि स्वामियासी । आला सवें गाणगापुरासी । कवित्वें केलीं बहुवसी । सेवा करीत राहिला ॥३९॥
aisem vinavoni svāmiyāsī | ālā savem gāṇagāpurāsī | kavitvem kelīm bahuvasī | sevā karīta rāhilā ||39||
Thus entreating the master, he came along to Gāṇagāpur; he composed many poems, remained there in service.
The episode closes with his full integration into the Guru's community, poetry now placed fully in service of devotion.
Let a talent you already have find its fullest expression in service to something larger than yourself.
सिद्ध म्हणे नामधारकासी । कवीश्वर दोघे श्रीगुरुपाशीं । आले येणें रीतीसीं । भक्ति करिती बहुवस ॥४०॥
siddha mhaṇe nāmadhārakāsī | kavīśvara doghe śrīgurupāśīm | āle yeṇem rītīsīm | bhakti karitī bahuvasa ||40||
Siddha says to Namdharak: the two poet-lords came to Śrī Guru in this manner; they perform great devotion.
The narrator links this chapter back to the previous one, showing the two poets, Basavarasa and Narahari, as parallel cases of the same underlying grace.
Notice the common pattern across different people's stories of change, and take encouragement from it.
म्हणे सरस्वती-गंगाधरु । ज्यासी प्रसन्न होय श्रीगुरु । त्याचे घरीं कल्पतरु । चिंतिलें फळ पाविजे ॥४१॥
mhaṇe sarasvatī-gamgādharu | jyāsī prasanna hoya śrīguru | tyāce gharīm kalpataru | cimtilem phaḷa pāvije ||41||
Says Sarasvatī-Gaṅgādhar: to whomever Śrī Guru becomes pleased, in his house is a wish-fulfilling tree; whatever is wished for, that fruit is obtained.
The author's own closing reflection uses the kalpataru (wish-fulfilling tree) image to summarize the chapter's lesson about grace's abundance.
Treat a source of genuine goodwill in your life as something to be cultivated, since its benefits tend to multiply.
कथा कवीश्वराची ऐसी । सिद्ध सांगे नामधारकासी । पुढील कथा विस्तारेंसीं । सांगेल सिद्ध नामधारका ॥४२॥
kathā kavīśvarācī aisī | siddha sāmge nāmadhārakāsī | puḍhīla kathā vistāremsīm | sāmgela siddha nāmadhārakā ||42||
Such is the story of the poet-lord, as Siddha tells Namdharak; the following story, in detail, Siddha will tell Namdharak.
A transitional close, signaling more episodes still to come in the larger cycle of teaching.
End a completed lesson by looking ahead with anticipation to what comes next.
इति श्रीगुरुचरित्रामृते परमकथाकल्पतरौ श्रीनृसिंहसरस्वत्युपाख्याने सिद्धनामधारकसंवादे नरहरिकवीश्वर-वरप्राप्ति नाम पंचचत्वारिंशोऽध्यायः ॥४५॥
iti śrīgurucaritrāmṛte paramakathākalpatarau śrīnṛsimhasarasvatyupākhyāne siddhanāmadhārakasamvāde naraharikavīśvara-varaprāpti nāma pamcacatvārimśo'dhyāyaḥ ||45||
Thus, in the nectar of the Śrī Guru-charitra, in the supreme wish-tree of stories, in the tale of Śrī Nṛsiṃha Sarasvatī, in the dialogue of Siddha and Namdharak — this chapter is named Poet Narahari's Attainment of the Boon — the forty-fifth chapter.
The formal colophon names and numbers the chapter, standard practice marking each episode's completion.
Give clear closure and a name to a meaningful chapter of your own experience once it is complete.
श्रीगुरुदत्तात्रेयार्पणमस्तु ॥ श्रीगुरुदेवदत्त ॥
śrīgurudattātreyārpaṇamastu || śrīgurudevadatta ||
May this be offered to Śrī Guru Dattātreya; Śrī Guru is the giver of divinity.
The closing dedication offers the whole telling back to the Guru-deity, as in the previous chapter.
Dedicate your completed efforts to something beyond your own credit or gain.
( ओंवीसंख्या ४२ )
( omvīsamkhyā 42 )
The ovī count for this chapter is 42.
A scribal note recording the chapter's traditional verse-count for transmission and verification.
Keep a simple, honest record of what you have completed.