Hi Friends,How U doin? Must be GR8....

Sometimes V get some awesome opportunities...n V being lazy bones, miss

them...

But sometimes V r not in that lazy-mode....n then simply V encash them!

On 1st of December 2009, i exactly did d same...No don't under-estimate me,

i did not miss it,though i agree that am very lazy like a Garfield, my

favourite cartoon charecter!

For once i can tighten my collar n with polite modesty, take d credit of

jumping to d golden opportunity..... of visiting Dehu n Alandi, near Pune!

They R great holy places which r full of spirituality due to d "Presence"

of positive energy in form of GR8 vibrations.....Both these places were touched by d pure souls in d form of Sant Tukaram n Sant

Dnyaneshwar,respectively.

I was craving to go there(Alandi),since d completion of reading quality literature by Sant Dnyaneshwar......

Today let us re-visit Dehu, which was d first place V visited on d tour...

Friends,Let me be frank to U all that i was not very keen about Dehu n Sant Tukaram then.....But now after d visit, am a different person with a different opinion,totally contrary to d previous one!

D experience was unique in many ways....as usual, i bought some books n calender from Dehu as souvenier...Calender is full of spiritual events n other useful data.On 1st of Jan 2010,d wall of my house got promptly decorated with it! But unfortunately same loyalty was not shown to d books...Every day, i could read only few pages.At last exactly after one full month from buying it, i made up my mind to finish it, n true to my promise to myself, i could complete reading it at 2am!! when i actually did that,my eyes were flowing, my mind was overwhelmed due to d highest n

purest real-life experiences of Sant Tukaram n his simple but meaningful n "young-for-ever" poetry...called "Abhang" from " Sant Tukaram's Gatha"....

By d way they r Not that simple,as at present,they r included in d syllabus of PHd-Lit(literature)!!

Young tukaram was happy-go-lucky kind of a person...born into a rich family of money-lenders from Dehu, near Pune....

His fortunes changed slightly after his 2nd marriage to a quarrelsome, stubborn female named "Aawdi". Due to d natural calamities like drought, d Family's business of money-lending,met with losses.All this led to a very poor, hand-to-mouth existance for Tukaram.Such contrast fortunes did not change his basic quiet,composed nature!This very fact shows d greatness of

a "Saint in making"!

Tukaram was born in a caste of "kunabi", who were meant to do farming as a means to earn their living. As he was not a Brahmin, who were supposed to be priests,initially by birth n later by profession!That was d era of 16th century,when caste-system was strictly followed by d society.Professions were mainly based on d castes,one was born with!

Unaware to this fact,Tukaram was very happy n busy giving speeches on Vedas,singing poetry-praising-God, to whom he called,"Pandurang",performing one-man-act called 'Kirtan' in temples,gladly guiding poor locals on simple way to spiritual  life....

In 16th century,d Shastries n Pandits observed Tukaram's activities as a 'Rebelling/Rebel' n hence asked Tukaram to stop them with immediate effect n instead was asked to do farming etc for a living,as he was supposed to do bcoz of his caste!

Tukaram was a soft-spoken,god-loving n kind person.

Due to this harsh order by Authorities, his condition was like a

fish,thrown out of water n strugling to breathe.....Bcoz Tukaram was

breathing "Pandurang Pandurang" all d time...His life was dependent only on it...Perhaps he could hav survived without food, water, or even air but without serving/praising Pandurang,he didn't even know how to survive!!

Helplessness due to his low(?) caste n restrictions on his spiritual acts was like suffocation to his noble n gentle soul.....

On one hand, this helplessness n on d other hand, his wife-Aawdi was forcing him to go out n earn for F'ly ...

Simple hearted Tukaram thought that his Pandurang is testing d courage of his devotee n making him appear for d toughest test of life!Following d order he stopped his activities in temple etc n instead,started trading of salt n chillies, while chanting "Pandurang" all d time-...as if it was 'Mantra' to breathe in or breathe out....but cunning people of this wicked world, saw an opportunity to deceive this naive man by buying d goods with Only a promise to pay him later...

After returning home, Tukaram had to face Aawdi n her harsh words...His kind heart n self-respect was completely shattered!

This bad patch of fate did not stop only at this but d Shastries n Pundits along with Govt-Authorities, gave an order to drown all d poetry books called 'Tukaram-Gatha',in d river-Indrayani as a "declared punishment" for him, being non-brahmin n still trying to enlighten common people through his Abhang-Vani!

Tears rolling from his eyes, Tukaram handed over his 'Gatha' which was d only so-called-property of his own....he had "invested" all his life n soul into it!

The Shastries-Pandits delightedly tied a big,heavy stone to d 'Gatha' n drowned it in Indrayani,in d presence of hundreds of people from

Dehu,Pune,n many neighbouring villages...There were different reactions from different people..

Some were very happy that Tukaram was severely punished...

Some were very sad about d entire episode...

Some were neutral about d event...

D women were very sad n crying n blaming d authorities for such evil

punishment....

Afterwards all gathered people left....n there was Only water...

Everywhere....in d river n in d eyes of Tukaram in d form of tears!

With open eyes,Tukaram was "witnessing" d event, standing under a tree. He had decided to fight 'silently' in his own way...

He refused to move from that place,under d tree....

He refused to eat a single morcel of food,which Aawdi brought out of love...

He refused to drink even a single drop of water.....

D f'ly members tried continuously to persuade him but without success....

One day passed

Two,three,four,five... days kept on passing....

Initially Tukaram was chanting loudly then uttering slowly n then only

mumbling,"Pandurang....Pandurang"...

Unaware of gathered people,their requests, pleadings,hunger, thirst, pain

in legs, pain in d entire body...all this had ZERO-Effect on Tukaram....He was Unaware of Everything but Pandurang!

As if he was not present in Dehu...or as if he had Transcended!!

As d days passed,physically he became very weak but mentally he was very alert!This way 12 full days n nights passed....On 13th day,he became unconscious....

People surrounding him thought that Tukaram had gone crazy, he had lost it...

True to her nature,Aawdi cried loudly,then shouted....Abusing entire system....

Even d God-Pandurang himself was not spared...for his callous nature n not showing pity to his devotee i.e.her huband, Tukaram!

On d 14th day,some people saw something floating on d surface of

Indrayani's waters....Some curious onlooker jumped in d river n took out d floating object.....It was nothing else but d "Gatha of Tukaram" which was drowned by d Authorities, some 13 days ago!!!

D 'Miracle' happened as d "Gatha" was totally dry....as if waters of

Indrayani had not even touched it!!

Gathered people started dancing n singing d poetry of Gatha in d form of 'Abhang'.....Everybody was ecstatic...they touched d feet of Tukaram,who was bathing in d pure, white light....There was illumination of sheer purity.....

But for Tukaram,this-miracle n d past-torture were Equal....He thanked d god-Pandurang from bottom of his heart n also expressed guilt for bothering'Pandurang' so much,to do this miracle.....

N thus Tuka of Dehu became "Sant Tukaram"....

Even Authorities n so-called Shastries & Pandits also touched his

feet....feeling'D Presence' of God-himself in Sant Tukaram! N surely this was No Less than a MIRACLE!!!

D moral of this long styory is quite short....

"There is a Light at d end of Every Tunnel.....

ONLY a person with Determination n Patience can complete d task N SEE D Light!"

Friends,Sant Tukaram's Birth Anniversary is on 20th of Jan.Let us face 'd Ups n Downs', 'Highs n Lows' of our lives with a firm, steady mind n let us Be Winners at d end!

Vithoba-Rakhumai||

Jayjay Ram-Krishna-Hari||

|| HARIOM. Tat Twam Asi||