|| Shri Swami Samarth ||
Once an old oil presser (Teli) was attending the Jagannath Yatra with his wife. It is a popular celebration and there were great crowds of devotees. In a throng of people, Teli's wife was separated from him.
He searched for eight days for her, and not having found her, with great disappointment and grief, he came to Shri and said, " Maharaj, it has been eight days since my wife went missing. All efforts to locate her have been in vain. Please take mercy on me and tell me where I can find her. I am drowning in sorrow without her." He then suddenly hugged Shri's feet.
Maharaj, with compassion, said, " You are eighty years old, but you still crave for sex? Death is near, your body is tired, illness has gripped you, even then."
"Are you not ashamed to say that you are drowning in sorrow without her? Do you know who you are? Do you know where you've come from and where you are headed? Have you thought of these things? Do not get ensared by deires! You are an old devotee of mine. You've forgotten."
Maharaj then instructed the attendants," Being bhasma to apply to his forehead!"
They promptly complied and he suddenly recollected the events of his previous life.
He fell at Shri's feet and holding them tightly said, "Maharaj, I pray that you release me from the material bondage of samsara and allow me into the service of your lotus feet!"
Just as he uttered these words, his wife came there searching for him. She was relieved and joyous on finding her husband and she placed her head at Shri's lotus feet.
Then, after receiving Shri's instruction and blessings, both, the Teli and his wife went to their village and continued to serve Shri Swami Samarth to the end of their days.
|| Shri Swami Samarth ||
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