The Worship That Is Worthy

How do you like to connect with the Divine?
Some of us close our eyes and sit in silence.
Some offer flowers at the altar.
Some feed the hungry.

Bhagat Namdev too sought to offer his devotion — and what he discovered was a life-changing truth.

A Seeker’s Offering

Sant Namdev, a renowned saint of the Bhakti tradition, was born in Maharashtra and was a devoted worshipper of Vithal — the beloved form of Vishnu also known as Vithoba or Panduranga. His devotional songs, or abhangs, overflow with love for the Divine. In many images, he is depicted singing joyfully, chipli and ektara in hand, eyes filled with longing for the Divine.

One day, Bhagat Namdev decided to offer abhishek — the sacred bathing of the deity with fresh water, drawn from a nearby well. This is a daily ritual in many temples, and purity is considered essential. But just as he’s about to pour the water, something makes him pause.

He notices tiny organisms wriggling inside.

Scriptures say there are countless life forms in water — ancient texts even speak of 4.2 million species in aquatic realms. If life already dwells in the water, how can it be “pure?” 

Namdev puts the water aside.

The Second Attempt

The devotee wants to make an offering to the Divine, so he looks for another way. Fresh flowers have blossomed in the nursery. “Let me string a garland of these flowers to offer to Vithal,” he thinks.

“No one has touched these.”
He gently picks them, ready to weave them into an offering for Vithal. But then, another thought arises.

The bees have already taken their share of nectar and enjoyed the fragrance. The flowers have already been touched.

So, can they still be offered to the Divine?

The Third Attempt

The devotee is firm in his resolve. With love welling up in his heart, he decides to make an offering of naivedyam — freshly prepared food offered to the Divine before anyone else eats it. He draws fresh milk and prepares a sweet pudding with great care. But as he begins to pour it into a bowl, he remembers: the calf had already suckled before he came. The milk was not untouched.

Again, the question returns — what is truly worthy of being offered?

A Revelation

Namdev gazes at the water again. Suddenly, a deeper vision opens.

Vithal ‘is’ the organisms living in that water. Vithal is already enjoying the ablutions in water. What is the ablution I can offer? 

He looks closer at the flowers. Vithal is the bee that hovers around the flowers and takes the fragrance before any hands can pluck them for making a garland. 

Vithal is the calf enjoying the sweet milk of its mother. He has already received the naivedyam. 

At this moment, the devotee’s heart overflows. He sings:

ईभै बीठलु ऊभै बीठलु बीठल बिनु संसारु नही ॥
Vithal is here, Vithal is there; without Vithal, the world cannot be.
थान थनंतरि नामा प्रणवै पूरि रहिओ तूँ सरब मही ॥
Namdev bows to the Divine in all spaces — seen and unseen, for You dwell in everything.

This is how Sant Namdev spent his life — playing the cymbals, bowing in reverence, and serving with love — his Beloved, whom he could see in every being, in everything, and in every corner. According to the sacred traditions, that is the true purpose of the human journey. Every living creature tries to feed itself, produce offspring, and build a dwelling. But the unique opportunity of the human form is to behold the Divine presence throbbing in every form — blooming in every flower, and shining through every face.

References

• Prof. Sahib Singh, Guru Granth Darpan
• Image credit: © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.

Reflection question 

What helps you stay connected to the Divine through your day?