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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...
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Skywatch Friday - Reflections




For skywatch today is this photo which I clicked from the salt pans which line the Eastern Express Highway, near Mulund. The Reflection of the tall buildings in the water accumulated in the salt pans was a sight I could not resist.


These salt pans don't just provide a change from the monotony of the tall buildings, but also attract a huge variety of birds to this concrete jungle. The Bhandup Pumping Station, which is on a lane leading towards the creek from these salt pans, is a favourite birding spot, especially for water birds. To see the variety of birds even an amateur like me spotted, and managed to photograph, click here.


For more beautiful skies from around the world, visit the Skywatch Page.
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Location: Bhandup Pumping Station, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400081, India

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