Passage 3

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॥ ॥

In plain words

Satya and forbearance come under our control. In Paṇḍharpur Sakkubāī, longing day and night and calling, “Raṅgā! Raṅgā!”, set her aim and her resolve on Raṅga, and had to bear many hardships. From daybreak until she lay down at night, she suffered many torments at the hands of her mother-in-law and her husband. But this very forbearance kept giving her strength. This very quality of forbearance gave her Śānti and patience. To torment her, they kept giving her many hard tasks. Whatever she did, she kept doing with the feeling of offering it to God. She went on regarding everything as for the Lord's pleasure.

A life with no shade to stand in I bear for You, Raṅgā; my mind will not stay still when Your glances are far from me; will You not appear to my eyes, if only in a dream, Kṛṣṇa! Without You I cannot stay; will You not come into sight! Drawing out the whole essence of the Vedas and turning it into Nāda-Brahman, pouring it back through the flute and turning it into the form of song. (Sing a song) Sing a song, Kṛṣṇa, so that Your words drip with honey; speak, Mukunda, until my heart is content.

Singing, she ground a whole sackful of rice, grinding and grinding, until she was worn out. As the feeling is, so it becomes. As the feeling, so the fruit; as the feeling, so the quality. As the karma, so the fruit. In the things of God there is no room for fear. With courage of this kind we must develop forbearance. At last, to make Sakkubāī happy, the Lord, who is in the power of His devotees, Raṅga Himself, put on Sakkubāī's guise, did the work of the house in her home, and sent Sakkubāī to Paṇḍharpur. Once she sang.

How long the torments, Raṅgā? What are the tales of woe for? Is there no justice? Is there a quarrel in me? Will no compassion come to You for me? Am I Your servant or not? Is it fitting to humble me so!

If I am truly Your servant, why do these torments come to me? There is some fault in me. There is some offence in me. That is why You delay so long. Tell me my fault and root out my fault. At once Pāṇḍuraṅga appeared, and Pāṇḍuraṅga Himself entered into Sakkubāī. The whole world is filled with Brahman. All are embodiments of Brahman.