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...
November brought us the Diwali vacation, and the most memorable trip so far this year. We set out for Nanded, starting with a visit to Aundha Nagnath and Parali Vaidyanath, two Jyotirling Shrines in the vicinity....
We spent Diwali at the Gajanan Maharaj Sansthan at Shegaon, where it was a calm and quiet Diwali, celebrated with beautiful Rangolis...
and people lighting lamps all over the complex... even the rooftops...
We wrapped up our tour with a visit to the Lonar Crater Lake..... I have still not been able to pen down my experiences, but this is one post you can look forward to reading soon in the new year!
And, as you read this post, I am on my final trip of the year.... a winter vacation at Shimla! I will be in the train when the new year dawns, and am hoping that the new year is full of travels too! Usually, I do not make new year resolutions, but this year I do have one - to catch up with my writing. To try and write as many posts as I can and share all my experiences with you!
Great info to have. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Leonid!
DeleteHappy New Year too!!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://dith-plukeenogenblikvandedag.blogspot.nl/2012/12/jouw-beschermengel-your-guardian-angel.html
Thanks Dietmut! and wish you a great year ahead too!!
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