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...
Situated in the deep interior of Andhra Pradesh, in the Anantapur district, is a small village by the name of Puttaparthi. It would have remained in oblivion for ever, had it not been for Sri Sathya Sai Baba , who was born in this little known village, and decided to make it his home for ever, notwithstanding all his popularity and his far reaching activities. Today , Prashanti Nilayam , his ashram is truly an abode of supreme peace, embodying the ideals he propagates, and attracts millions of people from every remote corner of the world. While once, years back, swami sat on the sands and spoke to his friends and the few who followed him about life and how to make it worthwhile, today, as he sits on his wheelchair and discourses in the beautifully decorated Kulwant Hall, we have to crane our necks to get a better glimpse of him. While I am a comparatively new entrant into the fold, my genes did show the way, for my grandfather had a deep respect for Baba. My in-laws, however, hav...