Story of Posala Bhava

Posala Bhava was one of the great devotees of Lord Panduranga who lived in a village near Phandarpur. His wife was called Mamthabhai and they had a son namely Emaji. Their village was a fertile one and so did their lands and he was rich and philanthropic by nature.

He was a devote Vaishavite and observed Ekadasi vrtha and used to feed many during Dwadasi after worshipping Lord Vittal. Time passed peacefully, but it is natural that ups and downs in life affect the pious too. The region was gripped by a severe famine, monsoon failed and land became dry and crops withered and the cattle perished.

All the men and women became impoverished. They had no food to eat. For devotees like Posala Bhava, it became all the more difficult to perform his austerities. His greatest predicament was task of feeding hundreds of devotees at Phandarpur on the Dwadasi day!

Mamtha bhai advised her husband and her son to proceed to the forest nearby that had dried up now, and using the axe cut dry wood and bring it back home and that can be sold in the town and collect the money to feed the devotees.

The idea pleased Posala Bhava and he immediately left along with his son to the nearby forest to collect wood. By noon in the hot sun they returned with a small load of dry wood, they hurriedly proceeded towards Phandarpur to worship the Lord and complete their vow.

On the way they tried to sell the wood, and after a long time they succeeded in selling it but only for a few coins!

What could they probably buy for that little money they collected? They managed to get two hands full corn flour for that money! Crest fallen Posala bhava, was almost driven to despair and with teary eyes he handed over the flour to his wife and requested her to make some offering to the Lord and said whatever that she could make out of it could be offered to the devotees and while he was to observe the Dwadasi parana!

She dutifully accepted the flour. She told her husband that it was so little that she could hardly make a roti with it.

Posala bhava looked around for some Adithi, but to his eyes he could see many such devotees from other towns offering sumptuous food to the assembled devotees, and felt sad that no one would come to him, and if at all someone comes it is sure that he would not go happily after partaking this paltry food.

Tears started rolling down his cheeks, his wife too could not bear this misfortune and cried towards the Lord aloud lamenting what had been their sins?

At that time there came an old couple with ragged clothing and they looked very tired and they came straight to Posala Bhava and smiled and said that they knew him much before, and also mentioned about his food offerings before the famine struck the town.

They felt sad that he had to undergo these travails, and added that he could offer whatever he had and they would gladly take it as they were already very tired due their long journey. Hesitatingly Posala Bhava that little flour, and requested them to pardon him for offering them so little.

But the old man smiled and took it gladly and gave that his wife and said that she would make rotis with it and both will eat with satisfaction. Saying this he moved a little father and lit a small fire and his wife went about making rotis with that flour.

Posala Bhava was observing this with tears in his eyes as he knew that she could not make even two rotis with that.

But to his surprise she had made two for themselves and had some more in their vessel, after putting a few pieces into the mouth, the old man exclaimed that he had never tasted such delicious rotis in his life time and saying so he invited a few devotees standing nearby to come and partake that roti, as they came the old man’s wife gave rotis to all of them and they were seen eating and exclaiming about the quality and taste was so nice and demanded that they be give few more pieces!

The old man called out Bhava and gave him a few rotis and told him to share them with his wife and son and complete his Parana.

Dumbfounded by what he was observing, silently took them and walked towards his wife and son. They too took that food, and were wonderstruck that they had never tasted such a delicious food.

Posala Bhava knew that the old couple were not ordinary human beings, and turned to thank them and pay his respects, but to his utter surprise the couple could not be found anywhere! They have simply disappeared!

Thinking about these wonders they returned home, and soon it rained and all the villagers had a good crop so did Posala Bhava but he could not afford to safeguard his crop and lost them to many birds and animals and thieves.

He had only few bags of grains that would last for a week or two. Bhava approached a wealthy old women in the village for a loan, but the villagers discouraged her from helping Bhava saying he had been reckless in protecting the crops and incurred the loss and will have no intension to repay.

That women too declined to help Bhava.One day the village revenue collection agent was sighted along with an announcer with his drum approaching his house beating his drum.

Posala bhava knew that he had nothing with him and his failure to pay the tax would fetch him punishment. So he hid himself inside his house not knowing what to do.

But the collector came up to his door and shouted his name and asked Bhava to come out, trembling with fear of punishment and shame, he came and to his amazement, the man at the door offered a receipt for the full tax amount and said that an old man sent by him had paid the tax in full and had told that the receipt be handed over to Bhava as he had an urgent task to complete.

Bhava asked the man about the looks of the old man who had paid the tax and with what information he gave , Bhava askedhis son to go out and fetch that old man. After a little while Emaji came with an old man matching the description, but he stoutly denied any knowledge of money or taxes.

People of the village came to know about these and their opinion was divided, some said that Posala Bhava was some kind of tantric, and some said he was an accomplished bhakth of Panduranga!

Days passed, and one day when Posala bhava was going along with a troupe of singers singing in praise of the Lord, one of them was bitten by a snake, but the members who were with him, took him and laid him on the fore court of a house and proceeded along with Posala Bhava to sing with a firm belief that Bhava would bring him back to life.

The bajan came to the end and Lord’s rasa kreeda verses were remaining to be sung. When Bhava began to sing them he noticed that one person was missing, and called out aloud for him to join him in singing the great verses.

To everyone’s surprise that man who wa bitten by the snake, just got up as if he was raising from the bed and came towards Bhava and began singing the veres.

On another occasion Bhava rescued a women from being auctioned, and yet another time he prepared food from just planted grains!

People enjoyed his bajans with devotion and many became ardent devotees of the Lord following the footsteps of Posala bhava.

In the due course Bhava attained the lotus feet of the Lord.