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Newasa - Encountering an unique form of Vishnu, and Sant Jnaneshwar

The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...

This one is for Samhith.....

This one is for those of who who have been wondering what Samhith has been up to during this vacation, and why there are no pics of him in the last post on our Pagoda trip. Well, I took so many pics of him during the trip, I decided they were worth another post!!! So, let me start with the best one..... Samhith skipping along happily on the path to the Pagoda.... ..and then, here are his many moods as he played happily in the green grass while we waited for the ferry.... He was fascinated by the exhibits of EsselWorld, and with his chitti (my sister) happily posed for the camera.... He then picked up the camera and tried to click pictures... Here are the ones that came out well.... While we waited for our taxi driver, we came across this flock of geese............... .......and you can see for yourself the fun Samhith derived from them!!!! Finally, this part is solely for him.... published on his insistence...his efforts ...

Global Pagoda in Mumbai

When I posted my uncle’s travelogue on Kushinagar with its photo of the Pagoda, I had no idea I would be seeing one soon…. No, I did not suddenly travel anywhere east, but the pagoda I visited is right in Bombay ! The Global Pagoda , more popularly known as the ‘Golden Pagoda’ has been built by the Vipassana Foundation at Gorai, on 11 acres of land donated by a devotee. While you can find directions to the pagoda here , it would suffice to say that it is located right next to EsselWorld. That’s all you need to know if you want to visit the place. EsselWorld is probably the most popular destination for visitors to Bombay , and practically anyone can guide you there. While it is possible to drive right up to the pagoda, we opted to go via the ferry, since it would provide some entertainment for Samhith, who was sure to be bored by any place where it was necessary to be quiet! We drove to Borivli via Thane, picking up my sister, and then proceeded to the jetty at Gorai. On the wa...