Once upon a time, there lived a ganika (a prostitute), who, due to her profession, lived a life influenced by sin and bad deeds. Her parents had passed away when she was very young, and her relatives, instead of caring for her, handed her over to the trade of prostitution.
One day, a group of great saints from South India visited a village and asked the locals if there was any space where they could sit and sing keertans to praise God. Some locals, with evil thoughts and hidden intentions, cleverly directed the group of sages to a beautiful garden a few steps away.
The saints asked, “Who owns that garden?”
The locals lied, saying, “It belongs to the village. People will come and attend your congregation
there.”
The saints, trusting their words, felt satisfied and moved to the garden to get some rest and later began singing keertans—songs in praise of God.
Dhanna Ji asked,
That garden, in truth, belonged to the ganika. Just a few steps away stood her grand house where she
lived. As the saints began their devotional singing, the sound of their voices reached the ganika, who
was still sleeping after her late-night work. The divine words of the keertan stirred her soul, and she
woke up.
She came downstairs and saw a group of saints singing God’s praise. The other people in her household urged her to drive the saints away. But the ganika strictly refused. Instead, she told them to prepare water for her bath, as she wanted to go and meet the saints to seek their blessings.
After bathing, she dressed in simple, traditional clothes and prepared a plate filled with fruits and coins as offerings. With a respectful heart, she approached the saints. Standing at a distance, she began to listen to the keertan.
One of the saints noticed her standing aside and called out, “Daughter, come here. Why are you standing so far? Come, sit and sing praises to God with us.”
The saint gently said again, “Yes, daughter, please come and sit with us.”
Ganika replied, “I cannot sit in this spiritual congregation. I am impure.”
The saint asked, “Tell me, daughter, who on this earth is pure except God?”
She replied, “I am a prostitute. I have never met anyone who called me daughter. The words you were singing touched my heart so deeply—I couldn't stop myself from coming here.”
The story of Ganika teaches that even those who’ve lived in darkness can find light through divine love, compassion, and the power of true devotion
Ganika responded softly, “Yes, in a way. But it’s for everyone.”
Some of the saints, upon hearing that they were sitting in the garden of a prostitute, stepped back in discomfort. But one wise and spiritually enlightened saint said to her, “Daughter, we are all sinners. Not just you. Only God is pure. This world belongs to Him—the earth, the mortal world, everything is His.
Ganika then humbly asked for permission to sit and listen to the keertan. The saints agreed. As she listened, tears flowed from her eyes. A powerful inspiration awakened within her, and she made a strong decision to leave her sinful life behind and start anew.
She asked the saint, “Can I be forgiven for the sins I’ve committed in the past?”
The saint replied, “Yes, daughter. If you have truly decided to leave this life and walk a new path, forgiveness is possible. As for the offerings you’ve brought—since we are saints, we will accept the food, but we don’t need gold or coins.”
He continued, “Take all the gold, diamonds, and wealth you’ve earned so far and go to a jeweler. Ask them to make a mukut (a crown) for the Lord Rangnath in the South Indian temple.”
Ganika followed the saint’s advice. She had a beautiful mukut made from her entire life’s earnings and planned to go with the saints to offer it at the temple. But on the day of departure, she began her menstruation. Saddened, she went to the saint and said, “I cannot come with you all to the temple.”
The saint replied, “Daughter, God created us. All these natural processes are part of His blessings. You need not worry—come along with us.”
Filled with excitement and devotion, Ganika joined the saints and walked with them to the temple, hoping for forgiveness and a new life.
News quickly spread across the town—that a group of saints were bringing a prostitute to the Rangnath temple to offer a mukut. People flocked to witness how such a woman could be allowed into the temple, as at that time, it was strictly forbidden for women from such professions to enter spiritual places.
When the saints reached the temple, the temple authorities told them, “We won’t stop you, respected saints, but we cannot allow this woman to enter.”
The leading saint calmly replied, “She is here to offer her sins at the feet of the Lord and begin a new life. If you can accept her sins, stop her. If not, let her enter.”
The temple authorities and locals were shocked. “Now we definitely cannot allow her inside,” they said.
The saint responded firmly, “Let me say one thing—if she enters the temple and offers the mukut, and if the idol of Lord Rangnath bows its head to accept her offering, then let that be the sign of God’s will. But if it does not happen, we, the entire group of saints, pledge to give up our lives right here in front of this temple.”
This bold declaration spread like wildfire. Even the head of the village arrived to witness what would unfold.
The saint told Ganika to wait while the other saints sat and began singing keertans.
After about an hour of singing, the saint received an inner message—divine permission from Lord
Rangnath Himself.
He said to Ganika, “Daughter, go inside and offer the mukut.”
Ganika, with deep humility and surrender, approached the inner sanctum of the temple. Her heart was heavy with remorse but full of hope. She placed the mukut before the idol of Lord Rangnath, and in that sacred moment, the miracle happened—the idol of Rangnath ji bowed His head to accept her offering.
Tears streamed down her face. It was a moment of divine grace, a sign from God that no one is beyond forgiveness.
The day a soul truly pledges to correct its past mistakes is the day God accepts that soul at His feet, wiping away all sins, and giving it a new beginning.