Thursday, June 12, 2014

The Lords Glories

She sang The Lords glories with so much passion. She sat at the corner of the temple street. She was very frail and ancient. She had arrived there about a year ago. 
Not that she left her household by force but she was tired of listening to jibes every single day from her son and his wife. Without informing anyone she just took her basic belongings and walked out of the house. She searched for a suitable place for two whole years, going from shelters to ashrams but everywhere she encountered terrible conditions. Ultimately, she found herself a tiny niche under the awnings at the end of the temple road. No doubt, the municipal administration person knew about her unauthorized squatting, he allowed her to stay put. That part of the land belonged to the rich landlord who lived abroad. Anyway, he believed she was not capable of causing damage or nuisance to the property. 
Some people brought her food and some others put a tenner in her hands. She never spread her hands in front of anyone. She sat there singing songs of The Lord the whole day in her melodious voice. After all she was a teacher of classical music in her past life. She had left singing after her husband died. Now she sang only for The Lord. 
Her son and his family used to visit the temple once in a while. He could hear her sing but he never went near her or asked about her. Another year went by. 
One day the landlord returned. He saw her squatting outside his gate. He made full enquiries about her from his staff. He came to know she just occupied a small disused patch outside his palatial house. She never caused nuisance or disturbed anyone so they had let her stay put. 
For a few days he could hear her mellifluous singing filled with so much fervor for The Lord. Then one fine day, he walked outside the gate and invited her inside. 
Then onwards she lived in that big house till she passed away peacefully a few months later. No one missed her except the rich landlord who had looked upon her as his grandmother. She had brought back God in his life. Her recorded voice still echoes sometimes from that rich mans mansion! 

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Story Of Vajreshwari.

The story of Vajreshwari. 
Long ago, in a village called Gunj Kati, Parshuram the avatar of Vishnu was tired of killing the Kshatriyas and wanted to lay down his arms. He propitiated to Goddess Vajreshwari, an avatar of Parvati to take His deadly weapons away. She took them and hid these in the bowels of earth. Then She told Him to do severe penance there itself. 
The Gunj Kati temple! 

This is the myth surrounding Vajreshwari. 
Later Chimaji Appa found the Goddess and after he prayed to Her, she helped him overcome the Portuguese in Bassien Fort near Mumbai. In gratitude, he made a temple for the Goddess atop a nearby hill. He took the statues from Gunj Kati and consecrated these at  the village, now called Vajreshwari. 
The statues of Vajreshwari, Renuka( Parshurams mother), Kalika, Parshuram, etc are seen in that temple even today. 
At Gunj Kati, a replacement statues of these Goddesses are seen too. A nearby temple is the place where Parshuram did His austerities. 
The place where Parshuram did penance 

 The place has over 150 hot springs, heated due to the blood from the killing of the Kshatriyas and subsequent hiding of His weapons in the bowels of the earth.