During 14th century AD, there lived a famous saint and a Krishna Devotee at a village in Gujarat, and his name was Rishidas. He was born in a pious Brahmin family and his father was served as a priest in the popular Shree Dwarkadhish Temple situated at Dwaraka in Gujarat. Due to his father’s divine profession, Rishidas has also got interested in worshipping the Lord from his childhood itself. Similar to the child devotee Prahalada, daily he used to chant the Narayana Mantra for several thousands of times, and also he used to insist his classmates to do like that.
After the passage of time, Rishidas has become a teenager, and due to his father’s request, he has also joined in the Krishna Temple as a priest, and helped his father in his puja related activities. Apart from doing puja to Lord Krishna, Rishidas also learned music and began to sing wonderful songs in praise of Lord Krishna in the temple.
Due to his sincerity, purity and generosity, his name and fame spread throughout Gujarat, and lot of people began to visit the temple for the purpose of watching his mesmerising divine songs on Lord Krishna. He was also offered lot of money for his selfless divine service by the people, but the great Rishidas neglected it, and asked it to give it to the temple authorities. Due to his good nature, lot of people become his disciples, and spend most of their time in the temple by listening to his divine songs, and by hearing the divine discourses delivered by him. Rishidas was also specialised in performing divine discourses from Srimad Bhagavatham apart from singing bhakti songs on Lord Krishna.
Unable to bear the name and fame of Rishidas, some local rich people decided to punish him. Once while Rishidas was in deep meditation in the temple shrine after the completion of the puja, the cruel minded rich people took an ornament from the shrine of Lord Krishna and placed it in the neck of Rishidas, and after doing that, they have alerted the temple management, by saying that the jewel was stolen by Rishidas and it was worn by him.
At that time, Rishidas had completed his meditation, and when he was questioned about the jewel theft, he was unable to answer before the public gathering at the temple premises. Soon Rishidas was taken before the King of the then Gujarat, and without making proper enquiry, the king had ordered his soldiers to chop off the head of Rishidas. Rishidas didn’t get upset with the punishment, but with a smiling face, he began to chant the Narayana Mantra, “OM NAMO NARAYANA”, and when the soldiers were approached Rishidas to severe his head, by raising their swords, suddenly they heard a divine voice from the sky, which was reflected in the palace also.
The divine voice told the names of the real culprits and asked them not to punish the innocent Rishidas. Immediately the soldiers dropped their swords, and fled away from that place. The king felt ashamed for his act, he asked apology to Rishidas, and when he decided to punish the real culprits, the noble Rishidas has asked the king to forgive the culprits for the mistakes committed by them. Realising the kind nature of Rishidas, the culprit’s behaviour were changed, they fell at his feet and became his sincere devotees and disciples.
“OM NAMO NARAYANAYA NAMAHA”
WRITTEN BY
R.HARISHANKAR