Sants and Bhaktas

Prajapati Bhagat Shree Kubaji

Translated in English by Mohanlal Virjibhai Fatania
From "Sant Sarita"Published during 7th Amrit Mohatsav, 1970, Nakuru, Kenya

Kubaji
The great Bhagat Shree Kubaji became a Sant in a small village of Rajasthan. He was a potter; he performed devotional service daily, and fed the Sadhu and Santo.

One day, a group of about 200 Sadhus, came into the village, and asked one of the business owner's whether he could provide prashadam for the whole group. The businessmen or anybody else were not prepared to feed such a large group. Quite a large number of people were sitting in the Bazaar. Out of them, one person jestingly told the group of Sadhus, "If you want prashadam, go to Bhakta Kubaji's house"! The group of the Sadhus went to the hut of Bhakta Kubaji, and asked for Bhojan. Bhakta Kubaji was not such a Bhakta that he could forget to perform his duty to feed the guests at his home.

He asked the group to wait there, and went to the town. He went to one of the business owners, and asked if he could buy or have them donate such a large quantity of food items. The businessman told him, "I will give enough alms to feed the 200 Sadhus, but only on one condition, that you will dig a well for me".

Bhakta Kubaji accepted this willingly, and went home. He prepared prashadam, and fed all 200 Sadhus. On the following day, he started to work on the well. While digging the well, a large lump of clay fell on top of him, and Bhakta Kubaji was buried alive. It was very difficult to remove the clay from there. Bhakta Kubaji remained buried for over one year.

One day, some pilgrims came near the well, and stayed overnight. At night, all of a sudden, they heard a noise. The noise of Kirtan, and also the sound of "Hari-bhajan". The sound was coming from under the ground. The pilgrims were surprised, and tried to find the source of the Kirtan. They told the people of the town, and heard the story of Bhakta Kubaji.

All the people gathered with the pilgrims, and started to dig. When they were digging, the found a small cave, and what they saw inside was "Shree Hari-Bhagwan" himself. Bhagwan was sitting on a pedestal with four hands, and Bhakta Kubaji was chanting and singing Kirtan in front of fourhanded Bhagwan. Immediately, and just in a few moments, the deity of Bhagwan disappeared, and the people started praising, and bowed down, and gave obeisance. At last, Bhakta Kubaji came out of the cave and started his God worship and Bhajan, Kirtan. It was only due to his faith in God, that he survived buried for one year.

So this was Prajapati Bhakta Shree Khubaji.