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...
At most temples, we only see vendors selling items for the Lord. At the Govind Dev ji Temple in Jaipur, this lone man sat by a pillar, adding a touch of fragrance...
He happily obliged with his wares to whoever wanted to try them out, neither calling out nor encouraging them, selling to only those who asked him for some. Most people regarded him as just one of the other priests, and his perfume, another blessing of the Lord, so maybe it was so. In a time when even priests are pushy and adept salesmen, this man stood out for his silence, which is what made me click him.
The perfume bottles are unique.
ReplyDeleteNot really, PNS. These are the local perfumes, or attar. I have seen them often. They look pretty, but unfortunately, didnt get a better pic of them.
DeleteInteresting! Never heard or seen something like this before!
ReplyDeleteI wonder what was he thinking? He looks so serious and lost!
ReplyDelete