When the kirtana reached its peak, Shri Kanhar would rise from his seat, remove the ornaments from Prabhu's murti with his own hands, and place them upon the singers. That was who he was. The gold that adorned Bhagavan he gave away to whoever sang His yasha with true feeling, and in that giving he trembled with ananda.
In all of Mathurapuri, no one could hold a mangala-mahotsava like his. From the raja to the poorest beggar, from every varna and every ashrama, all were seated together and served bhojana with equal adara. Bhagavad-bhaktas received the highest honor. Not a single person left displeased. Chandana, mala, bida, meva, and vastra flowed freely through the sabha. Then the accomplished ones would pour forth Krishna-kirtana, and the air itself seemed to thicken with devotion.
His generosity had no equal in the jagat. Let everyone give freely, he would say, for no one can know the fruit of giving without first opening the hand.
Shri Kanhar was the supremely pure son of Shri Vitthal. He would roam joyfully in every direction with one single longing: to find the santas and press the raja of their charana upon his own shisha.
The Festival That Leaves No One Empty-Handed
Kanhar's great festivals in Mathura were open to everyone: all four varnas, all four ashramas, the raja in silk and the beggar in rags. Not a single guest departed vimukhata, that condition of turning away discouraged and unseen. This is the teaching embedded in his life: genuine hospitality does not filter by worthiness. It simply opens the door. The tradition says that bhagavad-bhaktas received atisamman, exceptional honor, because a true devotee carries the Lord within. But the ordinary guest also received adara, warm and attentive care. When we make space for others in this spirit, without calculating their status first, we participate in the oldest form of sacred practice.
Bhaktamal, verse 152 (Nabhadas); Tilaka commentary
The Kirtankar Is as Sacred as the Murti
At the peak of his festivals, when the kirtan singers poured out Krishna's glories with full feeling, Kanhar would rise from his seat, walk to the sacred murti, remove the ornaments from the image, and with trembling hands place them on the singers. This single gesture carries a complete theology. The voice that calls Krishna's name with genuine bhava, with sincere emotional resonance, becomes a vessel of the divine presence. The Lord moves where He is summoned by love. Kanhar recognized this and honored it directly. He did not wait for a formal occasion to acknowledge the sacred. He saw it arising right in front of him and responded immediately, trembling with ananda as he gave.
Bhaktamal, verse 152; Tilaka and Tika commentary
What You Release, You Keep
Kanhar's philosophy of giving is preserved in a single couplet from the tilaka: 'Diya jagat anup hai, diya karo sab koy. Ghar ko dharo na paiye jo kar diya na hoy.' The act of giving is the rarest and most beautiful thing in the entire world. Let everyone give freely. A home that has never been given away cannot truly be held. There is a paradox here worth sitting with. The thing clutched most tightly is the thing never truly possessed. The thing released becomes the substance of your character, the record of what you did with what passed through your hands. Kanhar gave sandalwood paste, garlands, betel, sweetmeats, fine cloth, and ultimately the Lord's own ornaments. He ended each festival having given everything away. He left each time more fully himself.
Bhaktamal Tilaka verse, attributed in Tika commentary
Go Toward the Holy Ones with Joy
The Bhaktamal tells us that Kanhar moved in all directions, pramudita, joyfully, seeking out the santas and touching his head to the dust of their feet. Charan-raja, the dust of a sant's feet, holds a specific place in Vaishnava understanding. It is the acknowledgment that another person has traveled further on the path than you have, and that humble proximity to their realization is itself a form of grace. What is notable about Kanhar is the word pramudita: not dutifully, not formally, but with genuine eagerness. He did not wait for the saints to arrive at his famous festival hall. He went to them. The seeker who moves toward the holy with this quality of joy is already practicing something essential.
Bhaktamal, verse 152; Tika commentary
Radiance as Inheritance
Kanhar is described in the Bhaktamal as paramam vimala, supremely pure, a son of Vitthal whose inner life had been rendered transparent. The commentary does not describe this purity as the result of asceticism or renunciation. It emerges through a life of seva, kirtan, and open-hearted giving. This is worth noting for anyone on the path. The purification the tradition points to is not achieved by withdrawing from the world. It is achieved by engaging with the world in a particular way: generously, attentively, with genuine care for every person who arrives at your door. The light that Kanhar carried was not separate from his hospitality. It was made of it.
Bhaktamal, verse 152; Tika commentary
Hindi text from OCR scan (Khemraj Shrikrishnadas Prakashan, CC0). May contain errors.