Kumbhandas (1468-1583) was a famous poet of Ashtachhap . He was a contemporary of Parmanandadas ji. The biography of Kumbhandas is compiled according to “Chaurasi Vaishnavan Ki Varta”.
Kumbhandas used to live in a village named “Jamunavatau” some distance away from Govardhan mountain in Braj . Farming was done in his house. From his village, he used to go to Parsoli Chandrasarovar and perform kirtan in the temple of Shrinathji. He was born in the Gaurav Kshatriya clan. Kumbhandas had seven sons, out of which all except Chaturbhujdas were engaged in agricultural work. He took initiation from Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya in 1492 AD.
He was completely detached from worldly pleasures and was far away from the desire for wealth, honour and dignity. Once, on the call of Emperor Akbar , he had to go to Fatehpur Sikri where he was honoured a lot. But he always regretted it, as is expressed by this verse of his-
Where does Saintan have to work with Sikri?While coming and going, the shoes broke and the name of Hari was forgotten.Those whose face causes pain when I see it, I salute them.Without Kubhandas Lal Giridhar everything else is useless.
Introduction
It is estimated that Kumbhandas Ji was born on Chaitra Krishna Ekadashi in Samvat 1525 Vikrami (1468 AD) in a village named Jamunavat near Govardhan, Mathura. He was a Gorwa Kshatriya. His father was a common man. He used to earn his livelihood by farming. Kumbhandas also believed in his ancestral profession and he liked the life of a farmer. Farming was especially done in Parsoli. He was troubled by the lack of money throughout his life but he never begged before anyone. Devotion to God was his only wealth. His family was very big, he supported it with the income from farming. Apart from his wife, he had seven sons, seven daughters-in-law and a widowed niece in the family.
Initiation
Kumbhandas was a great devotee of God, an ideal householder and a great ascetic. He was a selfless, renunciant and a very contented person. The unique and extraordinary quality of his character was that God himself appeared before him and used to play with him like a friend. Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya was his initiation guru. He took Brahmasambandh during the Acharya’s Govardhan Yatra in Samvat 1550 Vikrami (1493 AD). Fifteen years before his initiation, the idol of Shrinathji had appeared, and with the permission of the Acharya, he started serving Shrinathji. Even after being initiated in ‘ Pushti Marg ‘ and being appointed to the post of Kirtankar in Shrinathji’s temple, he did not give up his profession and continued to support his family in poverty till the end.
Service and singing of Shrinathji
Kumbhandas started singing new verses every day in Shrinathji’s temple. On joining the ‘Pushti sect’, he was given the duty of kirtan. Kumbhandas considered God’s grace to be supreme, and even in the biggest domestic crisis, he never deviated from his path of faith. He had a special interest in composing verses related to Shrinathji’s Shringar. Once, Vallabhacharya ji was pleased with his verse related to Yugal Leela and said – “You have experienced the essence of Nikunj Leela.” Kumbhandas was overwhelmed with the grace of Mahaprabhu and said – “I absolutely need this essence.”
After the entry of Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya, Kumbhandas started singing the leela of God under the protection of Gosain Vitthalnath . Vitthalnath Maharaj was very kind to him. He used to silently appreciate his selfless life. In the year 1602 Vikrami, he was counted among the ‘poets of Ashtachhap’. Big kings and emperors considered it their good fortune to see Kumbhandas. Big connoisseurs and saints of Vrindavan used to desire his company. He always kept the fame of Bhagwad Bhakti intact, never let it get tarnished by financial crisis and poverty.
Affection towards Lord Shrinath
Once Shri Vitthal Nath Ji wanted to take him along on his Dwarka Yatra, he thought that his financial condition would improve with the gift of Vaishnavas. Kumbhandas could not bear the separation from Shrinath Ji even for a moment, but he did not oppose the order of Gosain Ji. He had gone with Gosain Ji till Apsara Kund when every part of his body started trembling with the memory of Shrinath Ji’s beauty, the light of God’s sweet, gentle smile started dancing in the darkness of separation, his heart got wounded with the pain of separation from the emperor of sweetness Nandanandan. He sang a pada in the separation of Shrinath Ji-How many days have passed without seeing me.Young boy, lover of love, Nandanand, some one raises his face and looks at him.That beauty, that radiance of the body, millions of people can see it.That glance, that charming smile, that Natwar Bapu is looking at me.I expect the opportunity to play together with Siyam Sundar.‘Kumbhandas’ Lal Giridhar, without him life is unwritten.
This song of separation had a great impact on Shri Gosain ji’s heart. He did not want Kumbhandas to be separated from Shrinath ji even for a moment. He sent Kumbhandas back. Kumbhandas recovered after seeing Shrinath ji.
Singing before Akbar
Once a singer sang Kumbhandas’s song in Mughal emperor Akbar’s court. The emperor was attracted by that song and called Kumbhandas to Fatehpur Sikri. At first Kumbhandas did not want to go, but on seeing the insistence of the soldiers and messengers, he went on foot. Akbar’s magnificence seemed worthless to the members of Shrinathji’s court. Kumbhandas’s turban was torn, his turban was dirty, he was drowning in self-reproach as to what sin had led him to appear before him. The emperor welcomed him warmly, but Kumbhandas felt as if someone had brought him to hell. He started thinking that Braj is far better than the royal court, where Shrinathji himself keeps playing, keeps doing many sports. Akbar requested him to sing a song. Kumbhandas was a poet of the magnificence and sweetness of Lord Krishna, he sang the song-Santan was asked to do Sikri work.While coming and going, the clothes got broken and Hari’s name was forgotten.Go and see the face, you will feel sad, so do my love.‘Kumbhandas’ without Lal Giridhar everything else is useless.
The king was kind-hearted and he respectfully sent him home.
Appreciation by Mansingh
Maharaj Mansingh came to Braj in the year 1620 Vikrami. After visiting Vrindavan, he visited Govardhan. He visited Shrinathji. At that time Kumbhandas ji was doing kirtan with Mridang and Veena. King Mansingh was very impressed with his style of singing. He went to Jamunavat to meet him. He was surprised to see Kumbhandas’s miserable condition. Kumbhandas was engrossed in meditation thinking about the form of God. On opening his eyes, he asked his niece for a seat and a mirror, the answer he got was that ‘the seat (grass) was eaten by the cow and the mirror (water) was also drunk.’ The meaning was that he used to apply tilak by looking at his face in the water. Maharaj Mansingh came to know about his poverty. He wanted to give a gold mirror, but the devotee of God refused, he wanted to give a bag of coins, but the servant of Vishwapati ignored it. While leaving, Mansingh wanted to name the Jamnuvato village after Kumbhandas, but he said, “My work is done with the Karil tree and the Ber tree.” Raja Mansingh praised his selflessness and sacrifice, he said, “I have seen many devotees of Maya, but you are the real devotee of God.”
Sacrifice of the body
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Even in his old age, Kumbhandas used to come to Govardhan from Jamunavat to have darshan of Shrinathji. One day he stopped near Anyoder on Sankarshan Kundi. Chaturbhujdas ji, the famous poet of ‘Ashtachhap’, and his younger son were with him. They told Chaturbhujdas, “What is the use of going home now? The body is going to leave after some time.” Gosain Vitthalnath ji was present at the time of his death. Gosain ji asked, “In which leela is the mind engaged at this time?” Kumbhandas said- Lal teri chitvan chitahi churave and after this he sang the verse in meditation of the image of the couple-The connoisseur remains immersed in the love.Golden vine Brihaspati Nandini Shyam Tamal climbed.While walking with Shri Giridharan Lal, I read a corner lesson.‘Kumbhandas’ Lord Gobardhandhar’s love play increased.”
He left his body. Gosain ji paid tribute with a sad voice that such a devotee of God has disappeared. Now the disappearance of true devotees of God on earth, in reality Kumbhandas ji was a symbol of selflessness, was an ideal of sacrifice and penance, was a great devotee of God and a simple householder. He lived till the age of one hundred and thirteen years in Samvat 1639 Vikrami.
