Janabai and the Name Ram

Namdev was a great saint who was always repeating the name of God. He lived in Maharashtra, but he was so famous that Kabir, who lived in Varanasi, got to hear about him.

Some devotee went to Kabir and said, “I met this great saint called Namdev while I was in the South. He is such a great man, even the servant who works in his house is a saint. She is a woman called Janabai.”

Kabir felt a desire to go south and meet this saintly woman who was working in Namdev’s house. So, he went there and asked Namdev if he would introduce him to his servant Janabai.

“She’s not here right now,” said Namdev. “She comes in the morning, sweeps my floor and washes my clothes, but she doesn’t live here permanently. She only comes when there is some work to do.”

“Where will she be now?’”asked Kabir. “I came here especially to meet her.”

Namdev said, “She has another job. In the evening she sells cow-dung cakes in the market. You can probably find her there.”

Here in India people use cow dung as a fuel. Women collect it from the streets, shape it into round flat cakes, and then put it out to dry in the sun. Usually, the women who do this use it themselves, but some do it professionally and sell the dung cakes that they make.

Kabir went to the town square and found that there were about twenty-five women there, all selling dung cakes. He asked which one was Janabai.

One of the women sellers pointed to a fight that was going on in another part of the square and said, “That’s Janabai over there. The one fighting with the other woman about the cow dung.”

Kabir still didn’t know which one it was, but at least he had narrowed it down to two women.

He approached the two women and asked, “Which one of you is Janabai?” One of the two replied, very angrily, “She is Janabai, and she is a thief!”

Kabir was amazed. He had heard that Janabai was a great saint, but this woman was accusing her of being a thief.

“What are you accusing her of?” asked Kabir. “What has she stolen from you?”

The woman replied, “I went off to get a drink of water and while I was away Janabai stole ten of my dung cakes. She has put them in her basket. Look! There they are.”

Janabai retorted, “No, it’s the other way round. She has stolen my cakes. My cakes are in her basket.”

How to settle this dispute? All cow-dung cakes look the same, and each woman was accusing the other of being a thief.

Janabai came up with a solution. “My cakes are different from hers,’ she said. ‘If you sit down and listen to them, you will hear what I am talking about.”

Kabir put his ear close to the cakes that Janabai had identified as hers and found that the cow dung was giving off the name of Ram. Each cow-dung cake was subtly chanting the name of Ram. Then Kabir knew that she was telling the truth.

If your whole being is permeated with the name of Ram, then the things you make will also be filled with the vibration of Ram.Namdev was a great saint who was always repeating the name of God. He lived in Maharashtra, but he was so famous that Kabir, who lived in Varanasi, got to hear about him.

Some devotee went to Kabir and said, “I met this great saint called Namdev while I was in the South. He is such a great man, even the servant who works in his house is a saint. She is a woman called Janabai.”

Kabir felt a desire to go south and meet this saintly woman who was working in Namdev’s house. So, he went there and asked Namdev if he would introduce him to his servant Janabai.

“She’s not here right now,” said Namdev. “She comes in the morning, sweeps my floor and washes my clothes, but she doesn’t live here permanently. She only comes when there is some work to do.”

“Where will she be now?’”asked Kabir. “I came here especially to meet her.”

Namdev said, “She has another job. In the evening she sells cow-dung cakes in the market. You can probably find her there.”

Here in India people use cow dung as a fuel. Women collect it from the streets, shape it into round flat cakes, and then put it out to dry in the sun. Usually, the women who do this use it themselves, but some do it professionally and sell the dung cakes that they make.

Kabir went to the town square and found that there were about twenty-five women there, all selling dung cakes. He asked which one was Janabai.

One of the women sellers pointed to a fight that was going on in another part of the square and said, “That’s Janabai over there. The one fighting with the other woman about the cow dung.”

Kabir still didn’t know which one it was, but at least he had narrowed it down to two women.

He approached the two women and asked, “Which one of you is Janabai?” One of the two replied, very angrily, “She is Janabai, and she is a thief!”

Kabir was amazed. He had heard that Janabai was a great saint, but this woman was accusing her of being a thief.

“What are you accusing her of?” asked Kabir. “What has she stolen from you?”

The woman replied, “I went off to get a drink of water and while I was away Janabai stole ten of my dung cakes. She has put them in her basket. Look! There they are.”

Janabai retorted, “No, it’s the other way round. She has stolen my cakes. My cakes are in her basket.”

How to settle this dispute? All cow-dung cakes look the same, and each woman was accusing the other of being a thief.

Janabai came up with a solution. “My cakes are different from hers,’ she said. ‘If you sit down and listen to them, you will hear what I am talking about.”

Kabir put his ear close to the cakes that Janabai had identified as hers and found that the cow dung was giving off the name of Ram. Each cow-dung cake was subtly chanting the name of Ram. Then Kabir knew that she was telling the truth.

If your whole being is permeated with the name of Ram, then the things you make will also be filled with the vibration of Ram.Namdev was a great saint who was always repeating the name of God. He lived in Maharashtra, but he was so famous that Kabir, who lived in Varanasi, got to hear about him.

Some devotee went to Kabir and said, “I met this great saint called Namdev while I was in the South. He is such a great man, even the servant who works in his house is a saint. She is a woman called Janabai.”

Kabir felt a desire to go south and meet this saintly woman who was working in Namdev’s house. So, he went there and asked Namdev if he would introduce him to his servant Janabai.

“She’s not here right now,” said Namdev. “She comes in the morning, sweeps my floor and washes my clothes, but she doesn’t live here permanently. She only comes when there is some work to do.”

“Where will she be now?’”asked Kabir. “I came here especially to meet her.”

Namdev said, “She has another job. In the evening she sells cow-dung cakes in the market. You can probably find her there.”

Here in India people use cow dung as a fuel. Women collect it from the streets, shape it into round flat cakes, and then put it out to dry in the sun. Usually, the women who do this use it themselves, but some do it professionally and sell the dung cakes that they make.

Kabir went to the town square and found that there were about twenty-five women there, all selling dung cakes. He asked which one was Janabai.

One of the women sellers pointed to a fight that was going on in another part of the square and said, “That’s Janabai over there. The one fighting with the other woman about the cow dung.”

Kabir still didn’t know which one it was, but at least he had narrowed it down to two women.

He approached the two women and asked, “Which one of you is Janabai?” One of the two replied, very angrily, “She is Janabai, and she is a thief!”

Kabir was amazed. He had heard that Janabai was a great saint, but this woman was accusing her of being a thief.

“What are you accusing her of?” asked Kabir. “What has she stolen from you?”

The woman replied, “I went off to get a drink of water and while I was away Janabai stole ten of my dung cakes. She has put them in her basket. Look! There they are.”

Janabai retorted, “No, it’s the other way round. She has stolen my cakes. My cakes are in her basket.”

How to settle this dispute? All cow-dung cakes look the same, and each woman was accusing the other of being a thief.

Janabai came up with a solution. “My cakes are different from hers,’ she said. ‘If you sit down and listen to them, you will hear what I am talking about.”

Kabir put his ear close to the cakes that Janabai had identified as hers and found that the cow dung was giving off the name of Ram. Each cow-dung cake was subtly chanting the name of Ram. Then Kabir knew that she was telling the truth.

If your whole being is permeated with the name of Ram, then the things you make will also be filled with the vibration of Ram.