Bhanudasa was a devotee of God Vitthal of Pandharpur in
Maharashtra. There was a brahmin scholar in Baidanipur who was a great devotee
of Surya (the Sun God). He used to chant Aditya Hrudayam (a hymn in praise of
sun) each morning with great devotion. He had a son called Bhanu (Bhanu means the
sun).
The boy was not interested in his studies and would be repeatedly
pulled up by his parents and teachers. Deeply troubled, one day the young boy
left home without informing anyone.
He soon reached a forest where he saw a temple, which to his
surprise was dedicated to Surya. He muttered a few broken lines of the hymn
which this father used to recite everyday at home and wept bitterly.
When he opened his eyes, he saw an old man; the boy narrated
his plight. The old man consoled him, offered him some milk and asked him to
stay there for seven days, so that he could acquire all knowledge. Bhanu was
happy. He realized soon that the old man was none other than Surya himself.
Meanwhile, his parents traced him and were surprised to see
the body in meditation at the sun temple. Bhanu obtained brahma jnana (Supreme
Knowledge) by the grace of Surya. Bhanu returned to his town and settled into a
family life.
Bhanu, now known as Bhanudas, spent all this wealth in
feeding the poor. With the help of the villagers, he ran a small shop to sell
cloth. Once, when he was returning from a village fair along with other
merchants, he happened to see some devotees who were attending a discourse
given by a person called Haridasa. Forgetting everything, he listened to the
discourse but when he returned, he could not find his friends, his baggage and his
horse. His friends had deserted him, however, the Bhagavan of Pandharpur, Bhagavan
Vitthal, got his belongings back and blessed him.
Once he visited Vidyanagaram where he found the living
presence of Bhagavan Vithal. Bhanudasa was a little upset and prayed that
Bhagavan should once again give him darshan at Pandharpur. Bhagavan Vitthal was
pleased and presented him with a necklace. The next morning, Bhanudasa was
arrested as he was in possession of the property of the royal temple. The king
soon realized his mistake and apologized to Bhanudasa. Since the king committed
a mistake, Bhagavan Vitthal left Vidyanagaram and returned to his original
abode, Pandharpur. Bhanudasa worshipped Bhagavan Vitthal at Pandharpur throughout
his life and attained eternal bliss.