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Swami Samarth Aarti, sung by Anuradha Paudwal, Vaishali Samwat, and Suchitra Bhagwat. Original audio file on Raaga.com.
हरौ प्रसन्ने ऽपि च वैष्णवा जना: संप्रार्थयंते गुरुभक्तिमव्ययाम् । गरौ प्रसन्ने जगतामधीश्वरः जनार्दनस्तुष्यति सर्वसिद्धिदः ।। २.१३८ ।। गुरुचरित्र (संकृत श्लोक)
[Sanskrit śloka] Even when Hari is pleased, those who worship Viṣṇu ask for unending devotion to the guru. When the guru is pleased, so is the lord of the worlds, the destroyer of men, the giver of all supernatural powers. ~ Gurucaritra 2.138
29 verses down, 4 hrs. Marathi with a few Sanskrit thrown in for good measure. Off to discuss them.
Map of Pune neighborhoods, c. 1885, from an engaging article on neighborhood shrines in Pune by L.W. Preston (2002).
Preston, Laurence W. “Shrines and Neighbourhood in Early Nineteenth-Century Pune, India.” Journal of Historical Geography 28, no. 2 (2002): 203-15.
“All the gods are subject to the one who has the grace of the guru, even though he may appear wretched. Such a man overcomes strife and death.”
गुरुकृपा होय ज्यास । दैन्य दिसे कैचें त्यास । समस्त देव त्यासी वश्य । कळिकाळासी जिंके नर ।। २.२१ ।।
Chapter 2, Verse 21, Gurucaritra of Sarasvatī Gaṅgādhara, c. 1550 C.E.
We found a bit of Datta activity in Shirdi.
Shirdi Sai Baba is said to be an incarnation of Datta, but the Datta temple inside the Sai temple complex seems to be almost an afterthought.
The Datta mandir at Upasani Baba’s ashram was more interesting. It is an ekmukhi Datta, one-faced, and was explained in an intriguing way—his face is Godavari Mataji, body is Sai Baba, and feet of Upasani Baba, connecting two of the most popular figures of the area to Datta.
Headed back to Pune tomorrow on a bus. Will be happy to get home!
kāryakram. it was quite a program! lots of international delegates at a peace conference put on by the World Peace Center at MIT, Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Pune.
