Seth Samaldas146;s hundi

Saint Narsi Mehta8217;s name has appeared frequently in print over the last many months and but perhaps many of us know him mainly through ...

Saint Narsi Mehta8217;s name has appeared frequently in print over the last many months and but perhaps many of us know him mainly through Amar Chitra Katha, or as Bapu8217;s inspiration. It was Narsi who coined the term 8216;Harijana8217; to describe all human beings, whatever caste or creed, as 8217;children of Hari8217;.

8216;Vaishnava janato8217;, Bapu8217;s favourite, was just one of more than a hundred padas or songs ascribed to him. Narsi8217;s padas to his beloved 8216;Nandakumar8217; made him the foremost saint-poet of Gujarat. They are a pillar of early Bhakti literature, vividly descriptive of Gopi-Gopal loveplay, and the Divine Baby8217;s early childhood. Besides which, he was an ardent social reformer, who flouted the conventions of his Nagar Brahmin community to strongly critique the evils of the caste system.

Narsi Mehta 1414-1481 was a contemporary of that other great rebel, Mira Bai, in neighbouring Rajputana. He himself was born in a Junagadh family. Married off by custom to Manekba, Narsi was not a householder by temperament. He much preferred singing by the seashore, calling Krishna to come to him across the waves and grant him darshan. His impractical ways got him into big trouble at home with his elder brother8217;s wife. Though she scolded the younger couple all the time, they bore it quietly. But they left home when she served them unsalted food as 8216;8216;all they deserved8217;8217;.

Narsi however was so God-drunk that he went on singing, and even declared that it was thanks to his sister-in-law that he obtained darshan of his Nandakumar. Moved, his elder brother asked him to come home, but by now Narsi was off and away, exploring cosmic dimensions, cutting a glorious swathe through caste barriers, endearing himself to the populace with his gentle message of brotherly love and tolerance. Annoyed, the Nagar Brahmins complained to the ruler of Junagadh. Narsi was called to trial at the royal temple, where a miracle happened. Everybody, including the king, saw the temple doors fly open on their own, A mala came sailing out and fell on Narsi8217;s neck! Narsi however saw Krishna himself bringing the garland and fainted away.

Narsi needed money to marry off his daughter. Following a dream message from Krishna at Dwaraka, he wrote a hundi promissory note for Rs 1500 and asked a cowherd to take it to one Seth Samaldas at Dwaraka. Some merchants gave him the money right then, and took the hundi themselves to collect the money from Seth Samaldas. But there was nobody of that name in all Dwarakapuri. Furious, they thought Narsi had deceived them. Just then, a man came up and identified himself as the seth. He gave them Rs 500 extra as a tip, 8216;8216;for helping Narsi8217;8217;. The belief is that it was none other than Krishna himself who bailed Narsi out, typically through such a lila!