Chimatai
There was a rich lady in Pune, named Umabai Saheb. Her niece Chimatai Raste lost her eyesight after marriage. For nearly six years she underwent different types of treatments but all in vain. Ultimately they took Chimatai to Sri Swami Samarth at Akkalkot. Sri Swamiji asked Chimatai “What do you want? ”. She was very young and fearless. She said “What else? I want my eyesight”. Sri Swamiji said, “Why is it so difficult? Put the milk of a she-cat in your eyes for seven days and also drink that milk”. After returning to Pune, she was treated by she-cat milk and she regained her eyesight.
Nagoo Anna Lawyer
In Moregaon village of the then Hyderbad State there was a lawyer named Nagoo Anna Kulkarni. At the age of forty he lost his eyesight. He spent lots of money taking all types of treatments but in vain. Finally he came to a holy place Tulzapur in Osmanabad District, Maharashtra, to render service – circumambulating [1] the temple of Goddess Bhawani [2]. He rendered this service for nearly six months. One day a middle-aged lady wearing white saree came to him and said, “Don’t continue here. Go to Akkalkot”. Nagoo Anna was confused. However, the lady again appeared in his dream and ordered him to go.
Ultimately, he completed all the formalities of worshipping Goddess Bhavani and went to Akkalkot to render service to Sri Swamiji. When he reached Akkalkot Sri Swamiji was resting on a cot. Sri Swamiji said, “Why is this calamity sent to me? If one keeps silent such calamities will continue to come here”. Then Sri Swamiji spoke to Nagoo Anna “Why have you come here? Go to Pandharpur [3]. Hearing this Nagoo Anna became angry and said “Six months I rendered service at Tulzapur. Goddess Bhavani directed me here for treatment. Now Sri Swamiji has directed me to go to Pandharpur. Saints and ascetics advise people in difficulties to approach Gods or Goddess for relief. So I went to Tulazapur and rendered my service to Goddess Bhavani. Had the Goddess told me that my eyesight would not be restored, then why should I undergo so much pain? ”. He would continue to say more things but Sri Swamiji rebuked him “Now go to Pandharpur You talk big things and act as though you have come here bringing an order with you. Now leave this place and go away”.
Devotees present there convinced him to go to Pandharpur so that his desire would certainly be fulfilled. When he reached Pandharpur he learnt that a well-known eye-surgeon has come there. Then Nagoo Anna got his eye operation done through the surgeon. His eyesight was restored but some dimness in his sight still remained. There was some pain too in his eyes. So he again returned to Sri Swamiji and prayed “I am unable to bear this acute eye pain. Have kind mercy on me and give me relief. Then Sri Swamiji spoke “Treat your eyes with horse urine”. Nagoo Anna treated his eyes accordingly and within two days his eyesight was completely cured and the pain disappeared. Nagoo Anna continued rendering devotional service to Sri Swamiji and happily returned home.
Buffalo Urine Put In The Eyes
A lady was suffering from severe eye-pain. One day she prayed and told Sri Swamiji about her eye ache. Swamiji said “Put the buffalo urine in your eyes and it will get cured”. She tried this remedy for three days, which cleaned all the dirt in her eyes and improved her eyesight and got rid of her eye ache.
Diwan Dinkarrao
In the then Akkalkot State Dinkarrao Anand was the Prime Minister. He started suffering from a peculiar eye problem. He would get burning sensation in his eyes day and night. So he was very bothered due to this pain. He tried allopathic treatment and Ayurvedic as well, but there was no use. Finally he told Shripad Bhat “Pray to Sri Swamiji and ask for some remedial treatment”. Therefore, Sripad Bhat went and prayed to Sri Swamiji. Sri Swamiji gave him the remedy “Put elephant urine for three days in the eyes and the eyes will get cured”. The Prime Minister tried this remedy and within three days his eyes got completely cured.
Blind Pandit
A Brahmin named Pandit was blind. He had been to Jagannath Puri. There, he came to know that Sri Swami Samarth had greatly favoured Alavani Buva and his companions. Sri Swamiji had cured them from blindness. During his wanderings Pandit came to Akkalkot. At Akkalkot he prostrated at the lotus feet of Sri Swamiji and prayed “Maharaj, you are the incarnation of Lord Dattatrey. You have absolute power to destroy this universe and recreate it. I wish to take your ‘Darshan’ with my own eyes and get blessed. If you do not fulfil my wish and bless me, then I shall give up my life at your lotus feet”.
Pandit started crying and tightly embraced the lotus feet of Sri Swamiji. Hearing his cry filled Sri Swamiji with compassion. He took out the garland of flowers from around his neck and threw it towards the blind Pandit. Pandit took the garland and with great devotion touched his eyes softly with it. The very touch of that garland restored his eyesight. With this miracle, Pandit got so much overcome by vehement emotion that he spoke “Maharaj I was blind by birth. By your kind grace I regained my eyesight. Kindly allow me to render devotional service at your lotus feet”. He returned home with great happiness and continued rendering devotional service to Sri Swamiji.
Janaki
There was a lady named Janaki from Pune. She suffered from some eye-illness and she lost her eyesight. She tried all types of treatment but there was no use. Then she came to Sri Swamiji at Akkalkot. While she was taking ‘Darshan’, Sri Swamiji spoke to her “Treat your eyes with elephant urine and you will regain your eyesight”. She did accordingly and her eyesight was restored. Then she worshipped Sri Swamiji and offered food as Naivedya. After this she returned home happily.
Soordas
Before his manifestation, while wandering, Sri Swami Samarth went to Dwaraka 145 in Gujarath State. At Dwaraka, there was a blind saint who was known as Soordas. Sri Swamiji touched the eyes of Soordas with his hand. Soordas regained his eyesight and when he opened his eyes he was stunned to see Lord Krishna Himself, standing in front of him holding a conch, a chakra (A holy sharp circular weapon) and a mace. He became fully content by the ‘Darshan’ of his tutelary deity. Sri Swamiji, seeing his true devotion, blessed Soordas with a boon saying “You will get freed from threefold botheration and attain Divine Knowledge”.
[1] Circumambulating: Walking around the temple from left to right.
[2] Godess Bhavani: Goddess Parvati. Lord Shiva’s consort.
[3] Pandharpur: Holy place of Lord Vithoba the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Pandharpur is a town in state of Maharashtra in Western India. Pandharpur is one of the most respected pilgrimage sites in Maharashtra. It is located on the banks of the Bhima river, which is also known as Chandrabhaga. Pandharpur hosts the famous Vithoba temple, on the banks of the river. Vithoba is considered to be Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu; Vitthala is said to have been derived from the word Vishnu in Kannada. Vithoba’s consort is Rakhumai or Rukmini.
The worship of Vishnu – Vitthala at Pandharpur is derived mainly from the puranas and has been augmented by the contribution of the great Vaishnava saints of Maharashtra from the 13th through the 17th centuries (Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, , Sant Eknath, Tukaram).
This temple, covering a vast area, has a total of six gates. The eastern entrance to this temple is known as the Namdev gate. The sanctum enshrines a standing image of Vithoba also known as Panduranga, Pandhari or Vitthala.
Pandharpur hosts 4 “Yatras” in a year – of which “Aashadhi Yatra” is the one which attracts most (around 0.4
million) piligrims to Pandharpur. Piligrims take holy bath in river Bhima and usually stand in queues 3km long in order to take “Darshana” of lord Vitthala.