Saint Eknath was a great devotee born in Maharashtra. He wrote Bhagavatam in the Marathi language. He was foremost in teaching the Bhagavatam to all, right from a child to an elderly person in such a way that the devotion and surrender contained in the stories of the sacred epic are imprinted in their hearts,. He was so tolerant that he did not hate even his worst enemy and brought about a transformation in their hearts with kind words. One day while Eknath was returning after taking bath in a holy river, a Mohammaden spat on him and abused him in a foul language. Instead of violently reacting to that unforeseen incident, Ekanath took out his upper cloth, wiped the spit and returned to his house smiling, after blessing that person. He took a young boy belonging to the Harijan community into adoption and brought him up as his own son. One day a thief broke into his house to steal something. But he could not find any. Eknath felt sorry that the thief could not get any article worth stealing in his house to satisfy him. Eknath was so tolerant that he used to exhort people to pardon even those who harm others. (Beacons of Divine Wisdom Part 2, p. 185)

Ishvara Sarvabhutanam

One day, Eknath went to Kasi to have the darshan of Lord Visweswara. After darshan, he filled two vessels with the water from river Ganges, placed them on either side of a yoke and started for Rameshwaram, another great pilgrim centre. It was an tradition to bring water from the river Ganges in Kasi and mix it in the sea in Rameshwaram. Eknath was travelling along with his disciples. On the way, he saw an ass lying on the roadside with its mouth wide open and struggling to keep up its life. That was the summer season and there was severe heat. The animal was very thirsty. Immediately, Eknath put the yoke on the ground, took out a vessel and poured the entire quantity of water in the mouth of the ass and sprinkled a few drops on its face. After sometime, the ass recovered and left the place happily, waging its tail. His disciples who were observing all this enquired, ‘Swami! Why did you pour this sacred water of Ganga in the mouth of an ass, when it was actually meant to be taken to the holy town of ‘Rameshwaram and mixed in the sea?’ Eknath replied, ‘Dear Sons! Did you forget the Upanishadic aphorism ‘Ishvara Sarvabhutanam’ (God is present in every being) Don’t you know that God resides in living being? Does God distinguish between Kasi jal (water from Kasi) and Rameshwar jal (water from Rameshwaram)? All is one only! It may be an ass according to your perception. But, I am able to visualize Lord Ramalinga in that being. He requested me to quench His thirst, What I did is a most sacred act.’ Eknath thus explained the highest truth enshrined in the Vedas and Upanishads to the disciples by his own example. (Beacons of Divine Wisdom Part 2, p. 186)