Once upon a time, there was a follower of Lord Vishnu, named Pundalik. He was living with his wife and parents Janudev and Satyavati, in a forest called Dindirvan.
Pundalik was a devoted son but soon after his marriage, he began to ill-treat his parents. To escape from this misery, the parents decided to go on a pilgrimage to Kashi. When Pundalik’s wife learnt about this, she also decided to go. She and her husband joined the same group of pilgrims on horseback. While the son and his wife site on the horseback, his parents walked. Every evening when they camped for the night halt, the son forced his parents to look after horses and do other work.
The poor parents cursed the day they decided to go on a pilgrimage.
After travelling for some days, these people reached the ashrama of the great sage Kukkutswami and decided to spend a couple of nights. They were all tired and soon fell asleep except Pundalik who could not sleep.
In the evening, Pundalik saw a group of women dressed in dirty clothes enter the ashrama, clean the floor, fetch water and wash the Kukkutswami’s clothes. Then they entered the inner room of the ashrama and came out in beautifully clean clothes and passing near Pundalik, they vanished.
Next night he saw the same sight again. Pundalik threw himself at their feet and begged them to tell who they were. They said they were Ganga, Yamuna and other holy rivers of India in which the Pilgrims bathed and washed off sins. Their clothes became dirty by the sins of the bathing pilgrims. “And because of your ill-treatment of your parents,” they said, “You are the greatest sinner.”
This brought a complete change in Pundalik and he became the most devoted son. Now the parents’ rode the horses while the son and his wife walked by their side.
One day it so happened that Lord Krishna, while feeling lonely, was reminded of his early days in Mathura. He particularly remembered his sports with the cowherd boys and his love, Radha. Though she was dead, he longed to see her again. By his divine powers, he brought her back to life and seated her by her side. Just then his wife, Rukmini, entered the room. When Radha did not rise to pay her respect, Rukmini left Dwarka in anger and hide in Dindirvan forest.
Later, Lord Krishna set off in search of Rukmini with cowherd boys, after searching at Mathura, then to Gokul and Mount Govardhan, at last, they reached the banks of the river Bhima (now it is called as Chandrabhaga in Pandharpur). At last, he found her and managed to calm her. Krishna and Rukmini came to Pundalik’s ashrama.
But at that time Pundalik was busy taking care of his parents. Pundalik refused to pay his respect to the god before completing his duty towards his parents. However, he threw a brick for Lord Krishna to stand upon till he completes his duty with his parents. Impressed by Pundalik’s devotion to his parents, Lord Krishna did not mind the delay. Standing on the brick he waited for Pundalik.
Since then Lord Krishna is present as Vithoba, Vitthal or Pandurang who stood upon a brick in Pandharpur.
