The Devotion of Pundalik: Lord Vithoba’s Blessing

Once, a devoted man named Pundalik embarked on a journey to Kashi and arrived at the Ashram of Saint Kukkut. He inquired about the route to Kashi from the sage. Kukkut Rishi replied that he was unaware of the way to Kashi as he had never been there.

Pundalik mocked Kukkut Rishi for his lack of knowledge about the way to Kashi and remarked that a saintly person like him should have already visited the holy city. Kukkut Rishi remained silent and did not bother to respond to Pundalik.

During the night, Pundalik heard the voices of women in the ashram. Curious, he went outside to investigate and discovered three women sprinkling water on the ashram and cleaning it.

Upon inquiry, Pundalik learned that the three women were Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati, who had come to purify Kukkut Rishi’s ashram. Pundalik wondered how a saint like Kukkut, who had not visited Kashi, possessed such holiness and power that the three sacred rivers descended to cleanse his ashram.

The three women explained to Pundalik that piety, spirituality, and devotion do not depend on visiting sacred places or performing expensive rituals, but on fulfilling one’s duties.

They told him that Sage Kukkut had dutifully served and cared for his parents, devoting his entire life to that noble purpose. As a result, he had accumulated enough merits to attain liberation and bring them down to earth to serve him.

Pundalik had left his elderly parents at home while he journeyed to Kashi in search of liberation and blessings. He had ignored their pleas to accompany him to Kashi.

Now, Pundalik understood his mistake and hurried back home to take his parents to Kashi. Upon their return, he began caring for them. From that moment onward, the well-being of his aged parents became his top priority.

Lord Krishna was deeply moved by Pundalik’s sincere devotion towards his parents. He decided to visit Pundalik’s home.

When Lord Krishna arrived at Pundalik’s home, Pundalik was serving food to his elderly parents.

Pundalik spotted the Lord at his doorstep, but his devotion to his parents was so profound that he wished to complete his duties before attending to his guest. Pundalik had reached a state where it no longer mattered to him whether the guest was a mere mortal or God. The only thing that mattered was serving his parents.

Pundalik gave Lord Krishna a brick to stand on and requested him to wait until he finished his responsibilities. Lord Krishna was touched by Pundalik’s devotion to his parents and patiently waited for him.

Later, when Pundalik emerged, he sought forgiveness from the Lord for making him wait. Lord Krishna blessed him and offered to fulfill a wish.

Pundalik replied, “What more can I ask for when the Lord himself waits for me?”

Despite Lord Krishna’s insistence, Pundalik simply asked that the Lord remain on Earth, bless his devotees, and take care of them.

Lord Krishna agreed to stay and is known as Vithoba, the Lord who stands on a brick. This form of Lord Vithoba, known as swayambhu, indicates that his idol was not carved or created by human hands, but rather manifested on its own.