Magical Powers
India/Hindu
The famous mystic and religious reformer Kabir (1440-1518) was found by his Muslim foster-parents as a baby abandoned beside a river. As he grew up, although a Muslim, he would put the tilak, the vermilion mark, upon his forehead and chant the name of the Hindu god Rama. He begged the saint Ramanand to take him as a disciple, which Ramanand finally did. He gave away all his wealth and preached that it was caste and creed which kept men apart, to the consternation of orthodox Hindus and Muslims alike. Finally, Kabir was arrested and brought before the ruler of Delhi, Sikandar Lodi, who sentenced him to death by drowning. Kabir emerged safely from the river. Next, he was to be burned alive in a hut, but he emerged safely from the flames. Finally, an elephant was to trample him to death, but the animal fled in terror, imagining that Kabir was a herb of lions.
Other saints and teachers were credited with magical powers. Madhvacharya, a philosopher of the twelfth century, was once by the sea near Udipi. He saw a ship sinking and by waving his saffron robe he caused the ship to be drawn safely ashore. The ship had sailed from Dvaraka in Gujarat, carrying as ballast the yellow earth of that holy place. Madhvacharya begged for this earth as his reward and took it to the Krishna temple at Udipi, where he immersed it in the tank. A beautiful statue of Krishna floated to the surface upon yellow mud.
Even as a boy, the blind saint Surdas could divine the whereabouts of straying animals. His songs brought Akbar himself to his hut. His descriptions of Krishna were so vivid that sceptics decided to test him. The image of the god was left unadorned one day, but the blind Surdas began to sing of the Lord as being without clothing or ornaments. The critics were silenced.
Legends Of The World
Edited by
Richard Cavendish
ISBN 1-56619-462-8
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