Raka Kumbhar was a potter by profession. His wife was Baka Bai. They were both pious and were always thinking about god and singing the praise of god. One day he made a lot of pots and started baking them. After some time, Raka noticed that a cat was going around the furnace in which he was baking the pots. The cat was sitting there and showed signs if distress. Raka then realized that the cat would have had some kittens and that they would be in one of the pots. Understanding the pain of the mother cat, Raka immediately prayed to Pandurang and said that he had committed a great sin by doing wrong to a cat and that too a mother cat. The fire had already started in the furnace and so there was no way he could even remove those pots to check in which pot the kittens were there and take them out. He then cried to Vitthal as to why he dint caution him earlier about the kittens. Raka felt that he has become a big sinner now. Raka then thought that if god could save Prahalad when he was put in fire by his father, and when god could save Sita when she entered in to fire, why can’t he save these kittens. He then prayed to god and said that if the kittens are alive when the baking is over, he would leave everything in this materialistic world and go the forest and spend his time meditating, chanting and in the service of god. After a week when the baking was over and the furnace had cooled down he started removing the pots from the furnace one by one. Raka with great confidence was looking for the kittens in every pot he took from the furnace. Suddenly two kittens came out from the furnace and ran towards the mother cat. Looking at this Raka was very happy and felt that his bhakthi was true and also realized how kind benevolent Vitthal was. So as promised by him earlier, he left everything and decided to go to the forest. His wife wanted to accompany him and told him that like how Pandurangan is Raka’s god, Raka is Baka’s god and insisted that she will go with him to the forest. Raka finally agreed and both started their journey. They both were forever chanting and singing the praise of god. They would not even go to the villages to ask for food. They would live on fruits and leaves that they could get in the forest and get immersed in their bhajans and chantings.
One day Vitthal and Rukmani were speaking to each other. Rukmani said that there was no bhaktha of Vitthal who has given up these worldly affairs like how Namdev has done. Hearing this Vitthal told Rakumai that she likes Namdev and that is why she was saying this. He also said that there is another person by name Raka Kumbhar, who is better than Nama. Rukmani did not agree to this and they were arguing on this. Namdev was then coming to the temple and heard them talking about him. He came to Vitthal and Rukmani and enquired what they were talking about. Vitthal then said that he was telling Rukmani that there was a bhaktha bigger than Namdev who has given up worldly affairs but Rukmani refused to accept the same. Nama then said that there definitely could be some one better than him. Rukmani still did not agree and all the three of them set out to test Raka.
Raka and Baka were walking in the forest; Rukmani, Vitthal and Namdev came there to test them. Rukmani then took her diamond nose ring and put on the way Raka and Baka were walking. Raka noticed this glittering nose ring on their way. Though he was not interested in money or jewels, he thought that his wife being a lady may get interested in the jewel and try to take it. So he took some mud and covered the stone. Baka was looking at this and was wondering why her husband was covering something with mud. Baka then went there and tried to uncover what Raka had covered in the mud. She then found the glittering nose ring and threw it in a pond nearby. She then asked her husband why he had covered a stone under the mud. Seeing this Vitthal, Rukmani and Namdev appeared before them. Even now Rukmani was saying that she knew some one who was better than Raka. Vitthal was surprised and asked who that was. Rukmani then replied that Raka at least knew that it was a diamond and covered it under the mud, but when Baka looked at it, she thought that it as an ordinary stone and threw it in the water and so Baka was better than Raka. Raka then thanked Vitthal, Rukmani and Namdev for having blessed them with presence and also said that that Nama was a great prema bhaktha and that he was in no way comparable to him. Vitthal, Rukmani and Namdev then left after blessing Raka and Baka.
