Sant Janabai (1949) hindi movie
 | Jana, a little girl whose mother before dying told her to go to Pandharpur where she will be protected by Lord Vitthal, A merchant who is the father of Sant Namdev accidentally steps on Jana's hand and asks for her forgiveness. He asks what she was doing in the temple alone, she tells him her story, being a good devotee of Vitthal he adopts her. Little Namdev likes her from the instant he sees her and accepts her as his elder sister with joy. But the mother of Namdev wasn't too happy with another person being in the family, but later she too melts to the love and simplicity of the little girl who would become a great saint as we know today |
Jana gives water to the outcastes
Jana was assigned the work of washing the clothes by Namdev's mother. Jana and Namdev hear a group of pilgrims singing in praise of Lord Vitthal and they start singing and dancing. Children in the group who are very thirsty run to Janabai to beg for water from her. "There are many wells in the village, go get your own water" says Namdev. "But we are outcastes, nobody gives us water" says the one of the pilgrims.
Janabai pours them water from her pot, the satisfied devotees bless her for giving them water to drink. She gets scolded and beaten by Namdev's mother for her act of charity towards the outcastes, which was considered a terrible thing during those times.
Jana and Namdev feed a blind beggar
Jana and Namdev are sent to the temple to worship Lord Vitthal. They see an old beggar outside the temple. "Let's give some food to the beggar" says Jana. "But the Lord hasn't eaten yet, I will bring some back for the old man" says Namdev and enters the temple. When Lord Vitthal doesn't start eating the offerings Namdev starts banging his head to the stone.
Lord Vitthal appears as a child and starts eating the food, but only to be stopped by Namdev, "There is an old beggar outside, I need some food for him" says Namdev and takes the platter back to the old man, Jana feeds the old man, soon after that Namdev's mother appears on the scene to thrash Jana for her act.
Jana takes care of Namdev's family
Namdev being a very devotional man, always sings and dances and forgets the duties of an householder. Janabai works hard for the food of Namdev's family (wife and two children). Janabai preys to Vitthal for the food, when Vitthal gives her food she only takes what she needed for a day or two.
Namdev distributes clothes to poor
Janabai suggests Namdev to take some money as loan from a wealthy man and sell clothes. Namdev agrees, Namdev goes from village to village selling clothes. In one of the villages he sees villagers crying, he asks them what the reason for their pain is . They tell him that the village has been looted by the bandits, that their food, money and even clothes have been looted.
Seeing their miserable condition Namdev distributes his clothes for free. He comes back home empty handed, seeing that his wife leaves him and goes to her father's house. Janabai prays to Krishna and weeps in pain as Namdev is separated from his wife and children.
Sant Jnaneshwar who was visiting Namdev to take him along on a North India trip sees Janabai weeping and asks her "What is it Janabai?". "Oh brother, does it make Lord happy to see his children suffer?" asks Jana
"Is it you talking?" asks Jnaneshwar
"Don't you see how mercilessly Lord has treated Namdev?" says Jana
"You forget sister, It is only a dream, he is the only one who gives. Jana, all is maya of Vitthal, He who looted is Vitthal, He who is looted is Vitthal, Namdev who helped them is Vitthal, You who is weeping is Vitthal, Whole world is Vitthal, when you realize this, you won't be troubled after"
Lord Vitthal helps Janabai in her work
Namdev had a big debt to be settled, but he was on a pilgrimage to North India. the wealthy man who had lent him money decides to take Namdev's property into possession. Jana pleads with him and agrees that she would pay all the money back. Jana works night and day to gather the money she needed.
One night she was very tired and falls asleep while working, but when she wakes up she sees a blanket on her and also sees that the work has been finished. Next night she pretends to be sleeping so that she could catch the person who did it. As soon as she sleeps she sees Lord Vitthal appear and do her work for her.
She catches him while working, from then on Lord Vitthal helps her in her work, he sings for her. He fetches water for her and does many things around
One day Lord Vitthal feels very tired, seeing that Jana puts him to sleep. In the morning when he wakes up, he walks back to the temple with the blanket around his body, his ornament falls from his neck and falls on the floor of Janabai's house.
In the morning when priests see the statue of Lord Vitthal they come to the conclusion that somebody must have stolen the ornament of Lord. They see a blanket nearby and assume it must belong to the thief. They start questioning everyone to find out to whom that belonged.
Janabai tells them that it belonged to her, priests search her house and when they find the ornament they accuse her of the theft, she tells them that the Lord was sleeping in her house yesterday and he must have left the ornament. People laugh at her, and thinking of her to be a liar, they decide to hang her to death.
They march her on streets, and just before the time to kill her, she prays to Lord Vitthal and he appears.