I took Kif and Leela to Petco today to take a picture with Santa. The picture was horrible, but luckily this video is adorable!

Pictured are some of the children busy writing Christmas cards for sponsors at Leela’s house. We look forward to receiving these from India as it is always great to receive something personally from those we are supporting.

Cult sci-fi animated series ‘Futurama’ is set to return for a new series of 26 episodes. The series was originally thought up by Simpsons creator Matt Groening in the mid-1990s. He later enlisted former Simpsons writer and producer David X. Cohen (now Futurama head writer and Executive producer) to help devlop the idea. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, the premise of the series is a pizza delivery boy, Philip J Fry, who is accidentally (later revealed to be deliberately) cryogenically frozen in 1999 for 1000 years until New Year’s Eve 2999. The series revolves around his adventures adjusting to life in the 31st Century. The best character, in my opinion, is the alcoholic robot Bender. After showing for four seasons from 1999-2003 the series was cancelled and later syndicated for reruns where its fan base grew and it attracted a devoted following.  After reruns the series was revived with four straight-to-DVD films, Bender’s Big Score, The Beast with a Billion Backs, Bender’s Game and Into the Wild Green Yonder. The new series is set to begin airing around mid-2010. Producing studio 20^th Century Fox has announced that the new series will air on Comedy Central. Initially the original voice cast were said to be not reprising their roles. Protests were made at this news, including a ‘Save the Voices of Futurama’ Facebook group. It has now been confirmed that the entire cast are returning. Thanks for reading.

Hoy me he levantado hecho un guiñapo, pero bueno, me encanta esta sensación que hace tanto tiempo que no tengo, la sensación que tienes por la mañana después de pillarte una buena cogorza la noche anterior…

Sí amigos, por fín el valeroso caballero Fonselot ha vuelto a salir por sus dominios, y se ha bebido hasta el agua de los floreros del Punto de Encuentro, acompañado por el Gran Jaime I, su dama y el Lechu, es decir, con los habitantes más distinguidos a este lado del Manzanares.

Y hoy, después de varios meses tengo dos planes entre los que debo escoger, y aunque los dos incluían en un principio ver a “La Roja” contra Argentina,  al final no creo que lo vea, porque puedo volver a salir con los chicos del barrio, pero estoy comprometido a salir con los agentes del NCIS, así que a ver qué pasa, porque se trata más de una visita diplomática que algo que quiera hacer de verdad, pero bueno, hay que ver cómo están las cosas fuera del laboratorio…

Tras el éxito obtenido con Los Simpsons, en 1999, Matt Groening tuvo la genial idea de crear una serie ambientada en el futuro. La historia transcurre en el año 3000, donde el personaje, Philip J. Fry aparece tras haberse quedado criogenizado 1000 años antes.

Philip J. Fry es un joven de 25 años que vivía en 1999 y trabaja como repartidor de pizzas. El día de noche vieja tiene que llevar un pedido a un laboratorio de criogenia, donde, tras un lamentable tropezón cae en una cámara donde queda congelado durante un milenio. Conoce a Leela, una atractiva cíclope encargada de poner los chips de trabajo. Más tarde Fry conoce a Bender, un robot antisocial que fuma, bebe, roba, anda con robopilinguis y más barbaridades…

Estos tres protagonistas acaban trabajando como repartidores en la empresa del tatatatatataranieto de Fry, un científico loco que pasa de los 110 años de edad y apenas puede moverse. Su trabajo consiste en hacer repartos por todo el universo, y a lo largo de cada uno de estos repartos se desarrolla la trama de la serie.

Teniendo en cuenta esto, la serie no tiene desperdicio. Una ciudad del futuro con naves espaciales, alienígenas de todo tipo conviviendo juntos, y miles de cosas por descubrir. 1000 años después podemos ver que la sociedad sigue teniendo los mismo prejuicios y problemas que en el siglo XX.

Durante el transcurso de los episodios van a apareciendo personajes variados, venidos de diferentes planetas, en la que también hay cabida para una generación de robots, y, sin embargo, eso no supone ningún problema para relacionarse entre ellos. Cada uno de ellos con una personalidad propia y encarnando a una figura real de la sociedad futura inventada por el autor.

En Youtube se puede encontrar un video con la música de Futurama. 

There was a Sant called Vitthobha in Maharashtra. He dint want to get married and wanted to be a bramachari all his life. He would always meditate upon god and read the holy book of Srimad Bhagavadam. He would get alms and have his food. He once came to Pandharpur and had the darshan of Lord Vitthal and was sleeping on the banks of river Chandrabhaga. That night Lord Pandurang came in his dream and said that a Brahman would bring to him a girl called Rukmani tomorrow and asked him to get married to her. He got up in the morning and started performing his daily ritual thinking why god had asked him to get married when he wanted to be a bramachari all his life. Pandurang had also told the same to the Brahman in his dream and had asked him to go in search of Vitthobha on the banks of Chandrabhaga the next morning. The Brahman came to Chandrabhaga and on seeing Vitthobha told him about his dream; Vitthobha told him that Pandharinath had also told him the same and agreed to get married to his daughter. He then came back to his village and started living as a family man. Vitthobha was longing for a child so that he could go back to sanyasa ashram leaving his wife with the children, but unfortunately they did not have a child for a long time. One day Vitthobha left home without telling his wife and went to Kasi and met Swami Ramanada. (Swami Ramananda is also the guru of Sant Kabirdas). He then formally took Sanyasa ashram from his guru Ramanda and stayed with him in Kasi. His wife Rukmani was searching for him and months passed by. Some one had told her that her husband would return if she goes around the Pipal tree (Arasa maram in Tamil). She started doing this religiously and years passed by but her husband had not returned.

Swami Ramanada had started on a yatra to Dakshin Bharath with his sishyas. Vitthobha refrained from joining his Guru in the yatra as he dint want to meet his family even accidentally when they pass by his village. Swami Ramananda reached Vitthobha’s village and happened to sit under the Pipal tree. Rukmani after completing her pradakshan prostrated Swami Ramananda as he was sitting there. As she was going around the Pipal tree Swami Ramanada thought that she was praying for a child and blessed her saying “Putravati Bhava”. On hearing this she burst into tears. Swami Ramanada on seeing this asked her why she was crying. She then told him that her husband had abandoned her a few years back. She also said that the blessings of Saints like him don’t go waste. She then said that some people have told her that her husband has become a Sanyasi. He then asked her if she knew where he was and who gave him sanyas. She then replied that people say that he took sanyas from Swami Ramanada in Kasi. Swami Ramanada then told her that it was he who had given him sanyasa diksha and also told her that if Lord Rama had made him bless her as “Putravathi Bhava” he would make it happen. He then sent a letter to Kasi for Vitthobha. On seeing his letter Vitthobha came to meet his Guru. Swami Ramanand then told him; be it Dharm or Adharm you will have to make my words come true. He also said that there is no bigger Dharm than to listen to ones Guru’s words. As it was his Guru’s wish Vitthobha agreed to it and came back to family life. After some time Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma and Goddess Shakthi came to this world as their children. Their first son Nivritidev was the incarnation of Shiva, the second son Gyaneshwar was the incarnation of Vishnu and the third son Sopandev was the incarnation of Brahma, the fourth child Muktha Bai was the incarnation of Shakthi. They had taken this avatar to teach the world the importance of nama sankirtan and prove that it was the only relief for any human being in this Kaliyug. Even though Vittobha had come back to family life as per his Guru’s instructions he was having a feeling that he had committed a sin by coming back to Grihastashram from Sanyasashram. As he was a learned person he also knew that the only way to relive him of this sin was to jump in to the Ganges and reach the god. He told this to his wife and she too wanted to go with him as she felt that she was also a party to this sin that he had committed. They both left the kids praying to Lord Vitthal asking him to take care of them and left for Prayaga (the meeting point of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswathi) and then to the Himalayas and got in to the Ganges to give up their life.

Nivritidev, Gyaneshwar, Sopandev and Muktha Bai were very young and everyone in the village neglected them and teased them. The children would eat if any one offered them food, otherwise they would just starve. They would not go and ask for alms from anyone. Nivriti was 6 years old, Gyaneshwar was 5, and Sopan was 4 years old now. As they were Brahmans they wanted get their Upananyanam (Sacred thread ceremony) done at the right age. They went to the Brahmans in the village and asked them to perform Upanayanam for them. The Brahmans laughed at them and said that as they were born to a Sanyasi they can’t call themselves as Brahmans and so they would not perform the Upanayanam for them. They then said that there is a place called Prathishtanapuram (Now called as Paithan) where there are a lot of learned people and asked them to approach them to check if there was anyway they could perform the ceremony. They also said that they would perform the same if they agree to it and give a letter to them stating the same. The children then came to Paithan and met the Brahmans there. Gyaneshwar then asked them to perform the ceremony for them. The Brahmans then asked them to which gothram do they belong to. Gyaneshwar replied to them saying that if the gothram was not known for someone the guru could use his gothram for performing the ceremony. They were surprised at this answer and thought how such a young kid knew so much about the sastras, but then said that they would not perform the ceremony without knowing if they really were Brahmans. Gyaneshwar then told them the different stages that a man goes through before becoming a Brahman and said that they have all crossed that stage, but still wanted to have the ceremony performed as it was customary. He also said that a Brahman is one who has seen the Brahmam and as they have seen the Brahmam they could perform the ceremony for them. The Brahmans then asked them if they had seen the Brahmam then why they need all these rituals. Gyaneshwar told them that as it is put in the Vedas that one should stick to their dharmas; we wanted to have the ceremony done. The Brahmans then asked them how they got Bhramagyanam. Gyaneshwar told them that god was every where and it was up to the individual to see him. He then showed a buffalo that was roaming on the street and said that god was inside the buffalo too. The Brahmans then got angry and asked if that was true will the buffalo too speak Vedanta like how he speaks. Gyaneshwar then touched the buffalo and said “Panduranga recite the Vedas” The buffalo immediately started reciting the Vedas. The Brahmans on seeing this were stunned and then said that a person like him who has attained jeevan mukthi does not require all these ceremonies. They then left Paithan and started on a yatra with the buffalo.

Sant Gyaneshwar

Gyaneshwar made a composition on Bhagavad Gita called Gyaneshwari. Till date it is the most popular book in Marathi on Bhagavad Gita. They then came back to Paithan and stayed there. There was a person called Changadev who was a Yogi, he was 1000 years old. He would walk on water, fly in the sky, get inside fire and come out without getting burnt. One day he got a new siddhi and started making dead people come alive. The whole village got to know about this and every one in Paithan and nearby villages started bringing everyone who was dead to Changadev and he made them come alive. However Changadev did not like Gyaneshwar and would ask the people in the village what was there with Gyaneshwar and why so many people went to meet him and listened to the abhangs and his discourses. The news reached Gyaneshwar but he dint bother about it. Muktha Bai his kid sister did not like this and she wanted to teach Changadev a lesson. Muktha then went to Chagadev’s ashram and there were a lot of people waiting outside for the Yogi with a dead body next to them. When they saw the 5 year old Muktha they asked her to go away fearing that she would be frightened seeing the dead bodies. Muktha asked them why they were waiting outside and they said that they were waiting for Changadev to come and wake the dead bodies. Hearing this, the little girl said that she could also wake them up. They then told her that she would get frightened on seeing them and asked her to leave. She then ran towards the dead body and said “Vitthala Vitthala” on it ears and then ran away. The dead body immediately woke up and started jumping and chanting “Vitthala Vitthala”. Hearing this noise Changadev came outside. He then enquired what happened and the people who were waiting for him told him what happened. He then asked them if they knew who that kid was and they said that it was Gyaneshwar’s kid sister. Changdev was shocked and surprised listening to this. He then wanted to meet Gyaneshwar and came to meet him sitting on a tiger. Seeing this, the villagers panicked and ran to tell this news to Gyaneshwar. Gyaneshwar was then fixing the compound wall in his house; he sat on the wall and asked the wall to move towards Changadev. The wall immediately started moving and now villagers were surprised. When Changadev saw this he was astonished. He immediately got down prostrated to Gyaneshwar and came to him. Gyaneshwar then told him that these siddhis are not useful to attain god and that they only take one in the wrong direction. Changadev immediately realised what he was saying and asked Gyaneshwar to show him the correct path. Gyaneshwar then asked Muktha to show him the right path. Muktha Bai then told him that listening to the stories of god, singing the praise of god is the only way to attain god. Changadev then prostrated both Muktha and Gyaneshwar and went to Pandharpur to live like true bhaktha. From that day he never used any of the siddhis that he had gained. He stayed in Pandhari along with Sant Namdev and spent the rest of his life singing bhajans and kirthans and listening to pravachans.

Gyaneshwar once came to Pandharpur and met Namdev. Namdev prostrated to Gyaneshwar and they hugged each other. Gyaneshwar then told Namdev that he had come to Pandharpur only to see him. He then told him that he wanted to go on a yatra around the country and wanted Nama to come with him. Nama told him that he was happy in Pandhari and that he could not leave Vitthal and go outside Pandharpur. Gyaneshwar then told Nama that he was going to visit all the places like Ayodhya, Vrindavan etc where god had lived in his earlier avatars and that he should come to see it with him. Nama then told him that Vitthal was still living and playing with his devotees in Pandharpur and said that he would be happy to be with him in Pandhari than go and visit a place where he lived earlier. Gyaneshwar then told him that he greatly desired to have Namdev’s company for the yatra. Namdev then asked him to ask Vitthal and also said that he would go with him if that was Vitthal wish. Gyaneshwar went to Vitthal, told him that he had come to him to ask for something. Vitthal asked him what he wanted and Gyaneshwar told him that he wanted to go on a yatra. Vitthal then told him that it was a good decision and told him that he would be liberating so many lives in this world by doing so. Gyaneshwar then asked Vitthal to send Namdev along with him for the yatra. Hearing this Vitthal was struck by grief and told him that he can’t be without Namdev. Gyanadev however said that he wanted to go with Nama and Vitthal then called Nama with tears and asked him to go with Gyaneshwar.

Gyaneshwar and Namdev started on a yatra with a few others. They would go to every village and perform namasankirtan. When they left the village a few people would join them in their yatra. The yatra that started with 10 people at Pandhari now became as big as 1000 people. They would perform street bhajans in each village and then move on the next village. Every one who saw them singing would get attracted and start singing and dancing with love for god. This way they reached Delhi and by now there were over a lakh yatris coming with Namdev and Gyaneshwar. Delhi was then ruled by a Mohamedian king, unmindful of this they continued going through the streets of Delhi, singing the praise of god with ecstasy. The king on seeing his subjects getting attracted towards them decided to prove that Hinduism was not true. He then sent a person with a cow to the place where they were performing bhajans. The Mohamedian came with the cow and told them that he is going to slaughter the cow and if the god whom they consider as the supreme cowherd is true, he should make the cow come alive. Namdev immediately replied to him that Vitthal would take care of the cow. The Mohamedian then told that he would slaughter the cow and asked him how long he would take to bring back life to the cow. Nama then told him that he would bring it alive in 3 days. On hearing this he slaughtered the cow and left the place with a big smile thinking that in 3 days time the people who have been his followers will understand that he is not a saint and no one would follow him any more. For 3 days Nama was just singing and crying to Lord Vitthal blaming himself as the reason for the cow’s death. Nama almost fainted on the 3^rd day as he refused to have food or water from the time the cow was slaughtered. Vitthal then came and consoled Nama and asked him to see the cow. Nama saw the cow getting up and asked Vitthal why he had made him wait for 3 days, when he could have come immediately. Vitthal then told him that it was Nama who promised the killer that he would make it come alive in 3 days and that he waited for 3 days only to make his words true. After this event a lot of people in Delhi became the followers of Gyaneshwar and Namdev and everyone started performing bhajans and kirthans at their home. They then went to many villages and cities up North and were returning back to Pandhari via Marwar. They got stuck in the desert and lost their way completely. There was no food or water and they could not find any village nearby. Nama fainted and fell down as he could not withstand the heat of the desert. Seeing this Gyaneshwar started crying and pleading Vitthal asking him to come for help. Seeing this Nama told him that whatever was the wish of Vitthal would happen and one can not do anything about it. Vitthal then sent his disc (Chakkaram) to their rescue and the disc went inside the ground and created a spring for them. All the bhakthas then took water from the spring to quench their thirst and continued their journey.

The yatris reached a place called Vaidhyanatham (now it is called Deogarh in Bihar) which is one of the 12 Jyothir Linga places. The day they arrived happened to be Shivarathri and so they went and prayed to Lord Shiva in this temple. They then sat in front of the main deity and started their kirthans. After singing a few songs about Lord Shiva they started singing about Vitthal as usual. Hearing this, the temple priest came to them and said that they should not be sitting in front of the main deity and singing as they would be performing abishekams and poojas for Lord Shiva. They also said that this was a Shiva temple and that they should not perform bhajans about Vishnu in this temple. Gyaneshwar then said that the Lord Shiva wanted them to sing here and that they would leave if he asks them to leave. The temple officials then intervened and showed them another place behind Lord Shiva to perform their bhajans. They all moved to the new place and started singing there.  After some time the temple priests locked the shrine and left after performing all the poojas. Gyaneshwar, Namdev and other bagavathas continued to perform their kirthans through the night and Lord Shiva turned to the side where they were sitting with his shrine. The next morning the priests came to open the temple and were astonished find that the shrine had turned. They then realised that it had happened because they asked the bhakthas and bagavathas to go and sit on the rear side of the temple. They understood that Lord Shiva had done this to show his love towards them. They then came running to see Gyaneshwar and Namdev, prostrated to them and apologised for having misbehaved with them the previous day. Gyaneshwar and Namdev then told them that they being the priest of Lord Shiva, they will not misbehave with any one and that it was Lord Shiva’s leela and continued with their journey.

Gyaneshwar and Namdev had almost reached Pandhari and Nama was now longing to have a darshan of Vitthal and started running towards Pandhari with tears in his eyes. It had been about a year since he went on a yatra with Gyaneshwar. Vitthal also came to the banks of Chandrabhaga to receive them and was happy that they have returned back. The entire village of Pandharpur was in a festive mood when they knew they were returning and came to receive them.

A few days later Vitthal told Nama that a Samaradhanam has to be performed for him as he has completed the yatra. He also said, as Gyaneshwar was a Yogi, it is not necessary for him but as Nama was a family man it has to be performed for him. Nama then told him that it was not required for him, but as Vitthal insisted Nama agreed to it. Vitthal wanted to get the Brahmans from Paithan to perform the same. The real reason behind performing this ritual was that Vitthal wanted the Brahmans of Paithan to realise the greatness of bhajans and kirthans. Vitthal then took the form of a rich man and came to Paithan along with Gyaneshwar, Nama and other bhakthas. Vitthal and the other bhakthas prostrated to the Brahmans. Vitthal then told them that he wanted to perform an udyapan in Pandharpur and wanted them to perform the same. Vitthal then asked them to come to Pandharpur the following Saturday to perform the same and went back to Pandharpur with his bhakthas. The Brahmans came as stated and performed the ceremony. Once the ceremony was completed they were served food. Rukmani, Radha, Sathyabama and others served food for the Brahmans. Vitthal then gave each Brahman their dakshana and asked them to take some rest. Vitthal then asked if he could now go and have food and the Brahmans asked him to go ahead. Vitthal called all his bhakthas to have lunch with him. Vitthal’s bhakthas are from all sects including the harijans. They all came and sat down for lunch. Nama was sitting next to Vitthal. Seeing the people from lower caste sitting next to Vitthal, the Brahmans thought if Vitthal was really a Brahman or if he fooled them saying he was one. The bhakthas were feeding Vitthal from their plate and Vitthal was feeding the bhakthas from his plate. Seeing this, the Brahmans got angry and started to leave. Vitthal and his bhakthas had finished their lunch by then and came towards them. The Brahmans then asked Vitthal if he dint know about the way a Brahman is to conduct himself and asked him why he was eating with people from the lower caste. Vitthal then told them that he was not aware of the same and asked them to perform a prayachitham (doing penance) for the same. The Brahmans then agreed to perform the same for Vitthal and they fixed the next Saturday for the same. They then gave the list of items to be procured and left. The next Saturday the Brahmans came and performed the ceremony religiously. Once the ceremony was over he requested the Brahmans to have lunch. He then asked them to take rest and went to have his lunch. This time too Vitthal had food with all his bhakthas who were from the lower caste. The Brahmans got angry again and asked Vitthal why he had done the same mistake again even after doing penance. Vitthal then told them that he did this again as he now knew he could do a penance for the same. He also said that he can have food only when he eats with them and that he can’t eat alone. They then told Vitthal that being a Brahman he should act like a Brahman. Vitthal then told them that he thinks the people with whom he had food as Brahmans and not them. The Brahmans asked him how he says that. Vitthal then told them that it is only because they don’t have the Gyan they look at these people as belonging to lower caste. He then said that a Brahman is one who sees Brahmam in every living being in this world. The Brahmans said that what he said was true but it is applicable only for people who have really realised the same in their life and not for everyone. They also asked him how he talked like he knew the Vedas, Upanishads etc and asked him to reveal who he really was. Vitthal then said the Brahmans that he will first show who his friends are and gave Gyan to the Brahmans. When the Brahmans saw the bhakthas they realised that Gyaneshwar was Vishnu, Nivriti was Shiva, Sopan was Bhrama and all other bhakthas took the form of other gods and goddess. The Brahmans then realised their mistake and prostrated to all the saints there and asked Vitthal for forgiveness. They then joined with them and started singing the kirthans and bhajans. After spending a few days with these saints they then went back to Paithan.

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We tried to have our cat wear a fake bloody finger around her neck for our Halloween party, but it didn’t really pan out so well.

Om Sathguru Shri Seshadri Swamigal Thiruvadikkae

The physical body of a man depends upon his subtle (energy body) body, his subtle body upon his mind, and his mind, which is the nearest to his soul, is, therefore, the foremost channel through which God pours forth His Divinity. This expression of the Divinity of God through these channels is called Leela.

The Leela of God (Divinity in full play) is primarily concerned with the spread of His purity and love for the benefit of the world as a whole. For the expression and manifestation of His infinite power, bliss, knowledge, light, and love, God needs the purest mental channels. And the purest minds are those of the Masts, who, having drowned themselves in their love for God, have gone beyond lust, anger, greed, and all other weakness that invariably stick round the mind of every man, in greater or lesser amounts, and in one shape or another until man is awakened to his true nature and to his real life.

Once a mind succeeds in directing its energy towards the existence beyond the domain of intellect, and begins to realize and experience the magnitude, the grandeur, and the novelty that are perceived by the mind, directly, without bringing into use its ordinary faculties, and without having recourse to the senses of the body, the person concerned becomes more and more unconcerned with his bodily requirements and surroundings. All his conscious energy is then naturally used in the course of his all absorbing inner life, leaving the body and is sustenance to its own sub-conscious energy, and to the direct support from the very source of all energies – God!

]]> http://climbingupblog.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/futurama-fun/ Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:45:01 +0000 climbingupblog http://climbingupblog.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/futurama-fun/ http://mytzolkin.wordpress.com/2009/10/09/5-chuen-blue-radiant-monkey/ Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:21:06 +0000 earthangel05 http://mytzolkin.wordpress.com/2009/10/09/5-chuen-blue-radiant-monkey/

Chuen, in common Mayan usage, means monkey. Its qualities include playfulness, mischief, innocence, humor, spontaneity, and transparency. Its symbol is the dolphin.

Tone 5 holds the purpose and intent for being centered, building your foundation on your core essence, and empowering yourself from your radiant center.

Blue is the color of the West. Its element is water. Its medicine is for completing things.

So, the message for today is:

Be yourself and have fun.

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Estonian
Meaning: debated
(LAY-lee); (LAY-leeah)

The names could possibly be an Estonian form of the Arabic Leila meaning “night”, the Latin cognomen Laelia which is of uncertain meaning or it could be from the Estonian word leelis meaning “alkali; lye.” Leelia caught on after the publication of the Estonian novel Our Daily Bread (1964) by Raimond Kaugver. Other forms include Leelo and Leela. Its designated name-day is October 2.

Leela Doctor Who

Leela has probably always been my favourite of the Doctor’s companions (except, maybe, Romana, maybe). At the young age I encountered her, there were not many women I saw who were effective wielders of violence, tough and assertive in the way that Leela was. And while she wasn’t educated, she was smart, and she often picked up on trouble before even the Doctor did. She showed us that girls didn’t have to scream and run away at the sight of trouble and that we could face danger boldly. Leela may have been, in part, eye candy for the Dads, but for the little girls watching, she opened our late seventies eyes to another possibility for women.

Doctor, you make me wear strange cloths, you tell me nothing, you are trying to annoy me.

DW/Man from UNCLE/ Sapphire and Steel/Sherlock Holmes/The West Wing:

Title: Search Engine
Author: eponymous_rose
Rating: PG
Word Count: 3894
Characters: Donna Noble, Tenth Doctor, C J Gregg, Joshua Lyman, Illya Kuryakin, Napoleon Solo, Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson, Sapphire, Steel.

A wonderful bit of fun that’s still a great read even if you don’t know half the fandoms (like me).

*

DW/Georgette Heyer/Blake’s 7/ Buffy:

Title: On the Highway
Author: vvj5
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 5849
Characters: Fourth Doctor, Leela, Leonie, Rupert and Justin Alastair, Rupert Giles, Kerr Avon (fleetingly: Jenna Stannis, Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, Anya, Tara McClay)

In which a million to one meeting occurs in the 18th Century. With highwaymen.

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Sant Tukaram

Sant Tukaram was the reincarnation of Sant Namdev. Tukaram was born in a village called Dehu which is about 20kms from Pune. River Indrayani flows through this village. Tukaram was a family man and was running a provision stores which was his hereditary business. He was very pious, he would always chant the name of Vitthal and his heart was always filled with love for Vitthal. He sang all 18 adhyayams (Chapters) of Bhagavad Gita as Abhangs. He would be forever singing the praise of god, having a tambura in his hand. He would open his shop and start singing his abhangs. When ever some one came to the shop and greeted him by saying “Ram Krishna Hari”, he would not take money from them and give them whatever they came to buy for free. He would do this because he felt that who ever chanted “Ram Krishna Hari” was a sadhu and it would not be correct on his part to collect money from them. If some pilgrims passed through his shop singing abhangs, he would leave the shop, start singing and dancing with them and go to Pandhari with them. Thieves and criminals would then get in to his shop and take away all the money and provisions in the store before some neighboring shopkeepers come to the rescue. Tuka was leading his life with full of love and devotion for Vitthal in his heart. Everyone in Dehu knew about him and held him in high esteem.

There was a beautiful lady in Dehu was attracted towards Tukaram. Tuka would usually be singing abhangs with out looking around who is watching him and would sing till dawn. One day, this lady came to the place where Tuka was singing just before dawn and sat down in front of him. When he finished his abhangs, he got up he saw this lady. He looked at her as Rukmani and immediately prostrated to her and asked why she had come without Vitthal. Hearing this, the lady felt ashamed and realized her mistakes. Also just because a saint like Tukaram called her Rakumai, she became a virtuous lady. 

Sant Samartha Ramadass and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj were his contemporaries. Sant Ramdass had also herd about him and had asked Shivaji to meet Tukaram if he happens to visit Dehu. As his guru had asked him to meet Tukaram, Shivaji then decided to met Tukaram. Once he met him he understood the greatness of Tukaram and frequently started visiting Tukaram. Shivaji considered Ramadass and Tukaram as his two eyes and would do every move only after consulting and taking blessing from them. One day Shivaji wanted to give some gifts to Tukaram. He took some gold coins in a plate and went to meet Tukaram. Shivaji kept the plate in front of Tukaram and prostrated to him. Immediately Tukaram started shivering, he then got up and ran away. Shivaji could not understand this reaction of Tukaram and he asked the other sishyas sitting there why Tukaram Maharaj did this. They then told him that all these days he has been coming alone and meeting him but now he had brought some gold for him which he dint like and that is why he ran away. Shivaji then said that he had brought it as there were so many sadhus who eat in Tukaram’s house everyday and was worried how he would be able to feed them without money. The sishyas then asked him to go and console Tukaram and bring him back. Shivaji then went to him and apologized for what he did, but again told him that he knew that Tuka was a sadhu and doesn’t go after money but then he said that he was a family man and there were so many sadhus eating with him every day after the bhajans & kirtans and thought this money would be of help to feed the sadhus. Tuka then told Shivaji that if he was worried about him having known him only for a few months now, wouldn’t Vitthal be worried about him as he knew him from the day he was born and for so many births. Shivaji then requested Tukaram to accept his offerings for his happiness. Tuka replied to him that he would not eat cow’s meat to please someone and said that gold was equivalent to cow’s meat for him.

Tuka used to sing abhangs everyday and a lot of Sadhus and baghavathas would come to listen and participate in this. Whoever came for the kirtans went back with heart filled with love and affection towards Vitthobha. There was a person by name Rameshwara Bhatt in Dehu. He was well versed in the sastras and was preaching about Dharma sastras. No one came to his preaching’s but everyone went to Tukaram’s kirtans. Seeing this he was angry and said that Tuka was a Vysya and that he has not read the sastras and was blabbering something in the local language Marathi and was spoiling all residents in the city with his abhangs. Bhatt also said that he was a Brahman and had read all the sastras and knew more than what Tuka knew about the sastras. He then said that in his discourse he was saying what the rishis had written earlier, but Tuka was writing his own poems and singing that to the public. When Tukaram came to know what Rameshwara Bhatt was feeling about him, he felt that Bhatt may be correct as he is a very learned person. He never even got angry with him but went to him prostrated to him and asked him if he had done some mistakes in his abhangs. Bhatt then asked him who he was to advice others and asked him if he had studied the sastras and puranas and why he was saying something on his own. Bhatt then told him that Tuka was doing a great sin by doing all this and said that he was also making others commit sin by listening to it. Tuka then told Bhatt with tears that he dint know that he was committing a sin by doing all this and told him that he would do whatever Bhatt asks him to do as he was the most learned man in the city. Bhatt then asked him not to compose or sing any more abhangs and also asked him to throw all his compositions. Tuka then came back to his house took all his compositions tied it in a silk cloth and was thinking what mistake he had done in those compositions and his eyes were filled with tears. He then felt that Bhatt who was a scholar would not lie and that he should immediately destroy it. He then took the bundle to river Indrayani and again had a look at his compositions; he saw that he had written only about the beauty of Vitthal, Nama mahima, Guru mahima, Ekadasi mahima, Prahalada, Dhruva and other bhakthas. He then felt that Vitthal was living in every abhang composed by him and how he would throw him in the river Indrayani. He was sitting under a tree near the banks of Indrayani and looking at his compositions with tears. These were his only proud possessions. He then felt that having promised Bhatt that he would destroy it he threw his compositions that were tied in a cloth in to the river. The abhangs which were his only possession had now gone with the flood in the river. He now couldn’t sing any more abhangs as Bhatt had asked him not to sing and he knew nothing other than singing the praise of Pandurang. He was crying and sitting under the tree. His wife and children came in search of him and asked him to come back home. He would only say “Panduranga Panduranga” with his eyes full of tears. He felt like he has lost everything in his life as he now could not sing the praise of Vitthal. The next morning when the priest went to open Vitthobha’s temple in Dehu, he saw a bundle on Vitthal’s head. The priest rushed in to remove it and the bundle was wet. He opened it to see what was inside and it had all the songs that Tuka had thrown in to the river. They took the bag and came running to Tuka to show it to him. Tuka was chanting the name of Vitthal and still sitting in the bank of the river.  They then gave it to him and Tuka asked why they had taken it from the river. The priest then told him that when they opened the temple for suprabatham, they found this in Vitthal’s head. Hearing this Tuka was happy and understood that Vitthal has recognized his poems and that there were no mistakes in it. Rameshwar Bhatt on hearing this leela of Vitthal, came running to Tuka, and asked him to forgive him and also praised him that he was a mahatma. Tuka then said that Bhatt was a Brahman and had also learnt the sastras and that he should not ask him to forgive him. Tuka also said that this was Panduranga’s leela to show to the world that he is happy with my abhangs and that there was no fault with Bhatt. After this incident Tukaram’s abhangs became very famous and many people started singing his songs and his collection of abhangs came to be known a Vaishnava Veda.

One day as usual his shop was looted by miscreants as he had left it open and left with a group of pilgrims to Pandharpur. His wife then gave him some jewels and asked him to mortgage the same to get stocks for his provision stores. He mortgaged the jewels collected the money and was returning home. On the way he saw some group of beggars singing about Vitthal and distributed the money to them and returned home. He would never bother about running his business and family and did not understand this materialistic world. He would forever be chanting, singing and dancing with tears in his eyes and Vitthobha in his heart. His wife knew about his character and knew he would not be able to bring money to run the family. The next day his wife Jijabai left home in the morning as she had agreed to do some household job in her locality. Tuka seeing her going out in morning asked her where she was going. She then told him that there was no money left at home and that she had to feed the children and had agreed to do some household work to feed them. Hearing this Tuka felt bad and asked her to stay at home and said that he would now go for some work and get her money to run the family. He then set out to ask for a job. Whenever he would enter any house the head of the house would prostrate to him, welcome him, ask him to be seated and ask him how they could be of service to him. This was because everyone knew that Tukaram was a great saint and had very high regards for him. When he asked them for a job they would ask him to take whatever he wants for free and not embarrass them by working for them as they considered him as Pandurang himself. This was not agreeable with Tuka and would not take anything from anyone for free. Tuka now understood that it would be difficult for him to get a job in Dehu and decided to go to some other neighboring village in search of a job. He came across an old man who had a big field and asked him for a job. The man on seeing Tuka liked him and asked him what work he would be able to do. Tuka said that he would do any work that he wanted him to do. The old man then asked him to take care of his field for the next two months from birds and other animals from destroying the crops. There was an elevated area in the middle of the field for him to be seated and asked Tuka to sit there and take care of the field. Tuka then said that he had to go home and give some money or grains to his family for them to take care of themselves. The old man then gave him some grains and asked him to give it to his family and return for work. Tuka promptly delivered the same in his house and came back to the field and sat there. Whenever a sparrow or a cow came to destroy the field Tuka would look at it as Pandurangan and not a sparrow or a cow. He did not realize that he had to scare them away and protect the corn field. He would forever be lost in singing abhangs. The old man was happy that he had kept an honest person to take care of his farm and was busy with other work. After two months the old man came to see the farm but was very angry when he found that all his crops have been destroyed. He saw that Tuka was still standing on the elevated floor and dancing and singing the praise of Vitthal not knowing what was happening in the field. The old man asked him why he did this when he was asked to take care of the farm and said that this act of him has resulted in a very big loss for him. Tuka then told him that he dint know what happened and apologized to the old man. The old man told him that he had lost about Rs.2000 because of his carelessness and asked him to repay the same. Tuka then told him that he dint have that kind of money and would not have come for a job if he had the same. The old man then said that if he doesn’t pay this money he would take him to the king for justice. Tuka then begged him not to take him to the king but punish him directly and would agree to whatever punishment the old man gives. This was because the king was Shivaji who was his disciple and Tuka dint want to go there as Shivaji would pay the old man on his behalf. The old man then told him that it is of no use for him to punish him and that he only wants his money back. Tuka dint know what to do and said “Panduranga” with tears filled in his eyes. Hearing this, the old man got wild and asked him why he was saying Panduranga as if he was Tukaram Maharaj. Tuka then told him that he was only Tukaram. Hearing this the old man prostrated to him and apologized to him for scolding him and told him that his farm was now blessed with the dust from his feet and that was enough for him to get a better yield next time. Tuka on hearing this started crying and chanted the name of Vitthal. The old man then gave him a load of sugarcane and asked him to take it with him. He asked him to sell the sugarcane and take home the money. Tuka took the sugarcane and was returning home. Jijabai heard about this and was happy that her husband had finally earned something and is returning home. She then asked him to go to the market directly, sell the same and also gave him a list of provisions to be bought. On the way when he saw the temple he got down to have a darshan of Vitthal. There were some children playing there and every kid in Dehu knew him. When they saw him with a load of sugarcane they went to him and asked him if they could take one. Seeing the kids asking for the sugarcane he distributed all the sugarcane to the kids and started singing and dancing with them. All the children were now chanting “Panduranga Hari, Vasudeva Hari, Rama Krishna Hari” Tuka then went in to the temple had a darshan of Vitthal and then came back to realize that he dint have anything with him now and that Jija would be angry with him now. He then went home empty handed. Jija on seeing him back home asked him if he had sold the sugarcane and got the money. He then told her that he had distributed it to the children near the temple. Jija was very angry and asked him why he dint think about his children and started scolding him. He then said that there was one last sugarcane left in the cart and gave it to her. On hearing this Jija became very angry and took the sugarcane and beat him on his back. The sugarcane broke in to two. Tuka then smiled and told Jija that Vitthal had broken the sugarcane in to two equal halves using her hands and his back so that both get an equal share. Hearing this Jija dint know how to react and stood still for a moment. Jija then thought the whole of Dehu considers him to be a saint, Shivaji Maharaj comes for advice, Pandurang speaks to him directly, but in spite of she being his wife why did I not understand him and think only about worldly affairs. She then apologized to him and prostrated to him.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

One Ekadasi day, Tuka was performing kirtans and Shivaji was listening to it with love. In the meantime Muslim soldiers heard about the whereabouts of Shivaji and a big troop of 2000 soldiers came to arrest him. They surrounded the house in which bhajans were performed and dint let anyone go in or come out of the house. Shivajis informers came and whispered about the situation to him. Hearing this Shivaji was worried and one of his bodyguards asked Tukaram if they could leave now. Tukaram then told him that no one should leave till the kirtan is over. Hearing this Shivaji sat down and continued to listen to the abhangs. He thought to himself that none other than Vitthal can save him now and if he doesn’t, he would be fortunate to die on an ekadasi day listening to abhangs and in the company of sadhus and saints. One of the Muslim spies came into the house to check if Shivaji was there and couldn’t find him. He went back to his commander and told him that he couldn’t recognize which one of them was Shivaji. On hearing this, the commander told him to get in and kill as many people as possible and that way they would definitely kill Shivaji. Vitthal immediately took the form of Shivaji and came out of the house on a horse. He then started riding his horse. The soldiers who saw this started chasing him but no one was able to catch him. The army was chasing him for several hours and finally they had travelled to a jungle about 40 miles trying to catch Vitthal who looked like Shivaji. Vitthal suddenly disappeared and the soldiers blamed one another for not being able to catch Shivaji. The commander just could not understand how an army of 2000 soldiers could not catch one person. Vitthal then came and whispered to Tuka on what had happened and asked him to continue his abhangs without any fear.

There was a village called Chinchwadi near Pune. (It is now called Chinchwad) People from that village would very often invite Tukaram to perform his sankirtans and he would go there and sing his abhangs. Often his bhajans used to go on till dawn. One day when Tukaram was in Chinchwadi a Brahman who gives discourses on Ramayan came to that village seeing if he could have his discourse there. He was doing this to collect money for his daughter’s marriage. When the Brahman entered the village he saw that everyone went to have their bath only by around 8am, he thought that this may not be a good place as they were all very lazy and went to have a bath only by 8am. When he enquired with the villagers they told him that Tukaram was here and that he would perform kirtans till about 4 or 5 in the morning and they would then return home and sleep for some time and then go for their usual work. They also told him that his bhajans have been happening for about a month. Hearing this, the old man knew that no one would be interested in his discourse and left the village. One of the villagers then came and informed about this to Tukaram. Hearing this Tuka went to the Brahman and prostrated to him and said that he should stay in this village and say Ramayan and that he would also sit with the villagers and listen to him. The Brahman was happy and came with Tukaram. Once the villagers knew that Tukaram was going to listen to his discourse all the villagers came for the same. The Brahman agreed to give a detailed discourse of Ramayan for forty five days. There was a miser in that village and he alone would not come for the discourse, he also asked his wife not to go for the discourse but she wouldn’t listen. This was because the miser knew that the villagers would come to him asking contributions for the discourse when it gets completed. Knowing this he left the village a few days before it got over to avoid them. On the last day the organizers started collecting money and went to the miser’s house for collection. When they went there his wife said that he had gone to a nearby village on some work. They then asked her for some contribution and she said that he had locked every thing and gone. As the organizers wouldn’t leave without collecting some thing from them, she gave them an old leaking vessel that was used to wash their legs. That evening there was a big function and all the donations were being given to the Brahman through Tukaram. After giving the entire gifts the organizers who wanted to make fun of the miser, said that the miser had given a golden vessel and handed it over to Tukaram. The miser’s wife who was listening to this felt bad and was thinking that she would definitely have given a golden vessel to the Brahman if her husband had permited her. When Tukaram received it the vessel really turned in to a golden vessel. Tuka knew what was in her heart and made this change. The lady was very happy on seeing this. The Brahman happily collected all the gifts from the villagers and went back to complete his daughters marriage. Tukaram also returned to Dehu. 

One day when Tuka came home Jija was performing Lakshmi Pooja at home. He asked her what she was doing and she replied that she was doing pooja for Rukmani. He then asked her what the occasion today was and why she was suddenly doing this. Jija then told him that some astrologer had told her that if she does this pooja, she would get more wealth. Tuka then told her that whatever wealth is needed for their family, Vitthal would give it to them and she need not do all this for gaining wealth. Jija then told him that he was praying Vitthal and that she was praying Rukmani his wife and there is nothing wrong with it. Tuka then told her that what she was doing was kamyartha bhakthi (praying god and expecting something in return) and that one should not do that. She dint listen to him and continued with her poojas. After a few weeks she suddenly got some money. She bought new clothes for the kids and herself, got back the jewels that were mortgaged. That day when Tuka came for lunch he saw the changes at home and asked her what had happened. She then told him that she had reaped the benefits of doing Lakshmi Pooja and went in to bring food for him. On hearing this Tuka went out without even having his food. Jija thought that he would be angry and return in the night. It was 3 days and he still dint return. She knew that he would go to Pandharpur very often without informing her and thought that he would have gone there. She waited for a few weeks and then it was more than a month now and Jija really started worrying. She then decided to go to Pandhari and started her journey. Pandharpur is almost about 300kms from Dehu. She searched for him there and couldn’t find him. She then asked the other sadhus there if they had seen him. They said that they have not seen him in Pandhari for more than a month now. Jijabai was really worried now and dint know what to do. She then went inside the temple prayed to Vitthal and spend the night in the temple and go back to Dehu the next morning. That night Vitthal came in her dream and told her that Tukaram was in Dehu and also showed her the hill where he was sitting and singing his abhangs. He also told her that he has not been having food from the time he left home. The next day morning Jija left for Dehu, climbed up the hill to the place where Tukaram was seated. (We can even today see this place in Dehu) She found him seated on the stone, and found that he was very weak with beard grown over his face. His voice still had the same energy and was loudly singing the praise of god. She folded her hands and stood in front of him with tears in her eyes. When Tuka finished his abhang, he saw Jija standing there and asked her why she had come there. He also said that he now wanted to be isolated from the world and wanted to sing about Vitthal. Jija asked him how she and her children would live. Tuka then told her that, now that she does Lakshmi Pooja, she has the money to run the family and does not need him any more. Jija then burst in to tears and told him that it was Tuka who was more important for her than the jewels and the money. Tuka then asked her to distribute all the wealth to the poor and asked her to come back to him as earlier. She then went back home did the same and came back to Tuka. Tuka then sang some abhangs to advice her. He then came back with her to their house.

Thuka Vaikundarohan

One day Tukaram called all his disciples and told them that he will be going to vaikuntam on a particular day and asked them to meet him on that day. That day all his disciples had assembled on the banks of Indrayani and were singing bhajans. Vitthal had sent his Garudaviman and Tukaram boarded the same with his body and the whole village saw him going to vaikuntam.

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Hari avatar hetu Govinda Radhey, aganit vamen ek pramukh bata dey.
“There are uncountable reasons for God’s descension, but out of these, which is foremost?”

(Synopsis of a talk given by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on August 20, 2009, in Meerut, India, explaining this new kirtan verse.)

In this world there is a logic – nothing is done without a reason. First there is a cause for action, then action is performed. If you asked someone, “Why did you close your eyes?” His answer would be, “It makes me feel happy.” Why do mice chew on fabric? They don’t eat fabric; this is simply their habit. Why does a snake bite people? Why do bad people hurt others? There is one answer for all these questions – for happiness.

God is an ocean of happiness, and those Saints who attain God realization become permeated with God’s bliss. Nothing remains for them to attain. Then why do they perform actions? They don’t have any selfish motivation nor do they have an unfulfilled aim. So why do they perform action?

Dhruva, Prahlad, Ambarish – these great Saints ruled for millions of years, married, had children, but why? Were they satisfying their selfish desires?

When butter is cooked to make ghee (clarified butter), it makes a sound, “Pat-pat-pat…” When all the water in the butter has boiled away, it becomes silent. If you put raw dough in the ghee, it will make a bubbling sound, but the sound is due to the dough, not to the ghee. It makes the sound as a result of cooking the dough.

But now a question arises. Why does God come as a descension in this world? There are no actions that remain undone by Him, nor is there anything for Him to attain. Veda Vyas answered this and said, “Lokavattu leela kaivalyam.” God descended in this world for His own enjoyment. For example, a king may construct a beautiful park for his own enjoyment. He may go there from time to time to enjoy picnics. But a king is a material personality. He enjoys this natural setting because it helps relieve his mental tension. But what kind of tension could God have? So this reason may seem inadequate.

Another reason for God’s descension was told by Shri Krishna Himself in the Bhagavad Gita,

“Yada yada hi dharmasya glanirbhavati bharat.
Abhyutana hi dharmasya sambhavami yugey yugey. (4/7)

“From age to age I descend to reestablish dharma, to protect the devotees and to destroy the demons.” If God resides in everyone’s heart, what is the necessity of His appearing in this world? He could just as easily protect the devotees while remaining seated in their hearts. He is also seated in the hearts of demons and He could just as easily terminate them from there. All of God’s Saints could also easily reestablish dharma. So this also does not seem like the main reason for His avatar.

In the end, there is a third reason, which is that God appears in this world simply to grace the souls. He performs various kinds of leelas or pastimes so that the souls could remember those pastimes, purify their minds, be liberated from Maya and attain the supreme bliss of divine love. This is the foremost cause of God’s descension in this world.

© Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat and Bhakti Bliss, 2009.

Kurmadas was born around 70kms from Pandharpur. He was born with out limbs. As he had no limbs he only had to roll over and couldn’t walk. One day he was listening to a discourse about Vitthal and understood the greatness of Pandharpur and going there on an ekadasi day. He immediately decided that he would visit Pandhari for the next ashada ekadasi. Hearing about his decision the villagers said that it would be difficult for him to go to Pandhari and that sitting here he could think about Vitthal and do his prayers. He then told them that his love for Vitthal is so much that he will put all efforts to roll over and go there. He also said if Vitthal wishes I may reach Pandhari, else let me die on my way to Pandhari; any way I am not of any use to anyone here. He then said if I am able to reach Pandhari I will have the darshan of Vitthal and stay in Pandhari. Immediately he left for Pandhari with a group of Pilgrims. The pilgrims looking at him crawling left him behind and started moving at their own pace as they felt that Kurmadas would only delay them. However Kurmadas was firm in his decision to go to Pandhari and continued to move towards that direction. As he was rolling over the roads his body was fully wounded. Kurmadas braved all this and continued to cover whatever small distance he could everyday. One day a rich passer by saw him and asked him where he was going. Kurmadas then told him that he was going to Pandharpur for ashada ekadasi. He then told him that Pandharpur was very far and that it would be difficult for him to go there. Kurmadas then told him that he will put all efforts to go there and if god wishes he would reach Pandhari. He then asked him what he will do for his food. Kurma then told him that he can’t go to the place where food is available and that he will have food only if some one gives it to him, else he will starve. Hearing this rich man told him that doing seva for bhakthas is Panduranga seva and as he is also going only to Pandhari he will give food for him every day and they could go together. Every day the rich man would go to a distance that Kurma could cover and prepare food for both of them and wait for Kurma to come. They would then have food, sing the praise of god in the evening, sleep under the tree and then leave again the next day morning. They went for several days and almost came near Pandhari. The rich man who came with Kurma told him that the next day was ashada ekadasi and that he would like to go and visit Vitthal. He also said that if he waited for Kurma, he may miss seeing Vitthal on this auspicious day. Kurma immediately told him that he has done a great favor to him all these days and that he should now go and see Vitthal tomorrow. Kurma then requested him to tell Vitthal that a cripple by name Kurma is coming to meet him. The rich guy then left Kurma and disappeared. This rich man was none other than Vitthal him self but Kurma did not recognize him.

Kurma now sitting there was telling every yathri to think of him when they have the darshan of Vitthal. That day in the temple bhajans started as usual and saints like Namdev, Gyaneshwar were also there. Namdev and Gyaneshwar are great bhakthas who see Vitthal and speak to him. When everyone were singing and dancing Vitthal slowly stepped out of the temple and started going some where. Namdev and Gyaneshwar saw this and followed him thinking when so many sadhus are singing his praise here, where he was going and why. They then caught him near Chandrabhaga and asked him where he was going when so many thousands of bhakthas were singing here. Vitthal then told them that there is one bhaktha of his called Kurmadas and that he individually was equal to all of them in his bhakthi. Hearing this Namdev and Gyaneshwar said that they would also like to have a darshan of such a big bhaktha. Though Vitthal wanted to meet Kurmadas alone, he agreed to their request and asked them to come along with him. On the way there was a big garden, seeing the garden Vitthal said that he was feeling very thirsty and that he would go in have some water and come back. He also asked them to wait there till he comes back. Vitthal’s idea was to give darshan to another great bhaktha of his in that garden. His name was Savanta Mali, he had a huge garden and would give flowers to the temple everyday. He dint come to the temple today as he was in the process of making a huge multi color garland for ashada ekadasi. He would also prepare garlands for all the saints and sadhus who participate in the bhajans. This seva was more important for him than coming to the temple or participating in the bhajans. Vitthal came inside the garden and stood in front of Savanta and gave him his darshan. Seeing this Savanta was excited, he woke up worshiped him and asked him why he had come here when there were so many bhakthas performing kirthans and bhajans in the temple. Vitthal then asked Savanta why he dint come to the temple for the bhajans. Savanta then replied to him that he would be happy only when he sees, Vitthal wearing his garland and that he was about to finish this work and then come to the temple. Vitthal then asked him to put the garland on him. Savanta then happily put it on him. Vitthal then told Savanta that there were two thieves outside and that he wants to hide from them. Savanta then asked him if there was any place in the universe where he was not there. He then said as there is no such place and how would he be able to show him such a place. Vitthal then told Savanta that he doesn’t have time for all these Vedanta and asked him to give him some place where no one would find out. Savanta then told him that his heart would be the right place for him to hide in that case. As Savanta was a yogi he closed his eyes and sat in meditation and Vitthal went in to his heart and stayed there. Namdev and Gyaneshwar who were waiting outside for quiet some time, then came inside the garden in search of Vitthal. Nama was searching for Vitthal all over the garden but Gyaneshwar was just standing in one corner. Nama was a Prema bhaktha and Gyaneshwar was a Gyani, so Gyaneshwar understood where Vitthal was and was looking at Savanta. After searching all over the garden, Nama started crying and asked Gyaneshwar where Vitthal went, but Gyaneshwar was smiling. Nama then asked him why he was smiling. Gyaneshwar then told Nama that the guy sitting in front of him who is acting like doing meditation is the guy who swallowed Vitthal. Hearing this Nama got angry and ran towards Savanta to hit him. Seeing this Vitthal called Nama and appeared in front of him, as Vitthal dint want his bhaktha to be hurt. They then understood the leela of Pandurang, hugged each other and all four of them started going towards the direction where Kurmadas was there.

Kurmadas was sitting in the place where he was left by the rich man earlier and was crying and thinking of Vitthal. Vitthal came to Kurmadas gave him his darshan, hugged him and put him in his lap. He then became an idol there and told him that the place where you are will be like Pandhari and that I will be there with you where ever you are. This village is now called Kurmia in his remembrance.

Another Louise Jameson interview, this time from 1977 when she was still on the show. The interviewer is Noel Edmonds, the show is ‘The Multi-Coloured Swap Shop’.

Q: How’s it going? How’s the involvement with the show going?

A: It’s fine, it’s going very well. It’s very hard work, that’s why I caught glandular fever. I got run down.

Q: We wanted you on the programme a few weeks ago.

A: That’s right. I’ve had a tremendous amount of Get Well Soon cards. Thank you very much to whoever send those.

Q: Do you find it tiring?

A: I find television acting, in a way, more tiring than stage acting, because you’ve got to keep the impetus going that much longer. On the stage, you start at eight o’clock, you go through to eleven, that’s your work. With television, sometimes you come in at eight o’clock in the morning, you don’t leave until eleven o’clock at night.

Q: The stop-go, is that the tiring element?

A: Yes. Two minutes you’ve got to be right there, then a five minute break, then two minutes again.

Q: How did you get involved in the profession in the first place?

A: It’s a very difficult question to answer, that one. There’s a kind of do-or-die element in it, you’ve just got to feel that you’re not capable of doing anything else.

Q: When you were at school was acting always your ambition?

A: Always. Well my original ambition at the age of four was to be a tiller girl, which I never quite got together, but I’ve always wanted to be a performer of some sort.

Q: So what did you do before ‘Doctor Who’?

A: Mostly theatre. I did two and a half years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, toured to America and played in Stratford and down in London. And I did a secretarial course before that, which my parents forced me into, which I’m very grateful for now but at the time it was a bore.

Q: What made you audition for the ‘Doctor Who’ legend?

A: Well I always watched it as a child. It started when I was about eleven, but I never dreamt I’d be on it. Career-wise it was important to do a series, and this part just happened to land at the right time for me.

Q: We had Tom on the programme and he said that wherever he goes people call him Dr. Who, refer to him as Dr. Who. How much has the programme altered your lifestyle?

A: In a way the private life at the weekend’s been mucked up. I’ve been amazed at the amount of publicity I’ve got from it. But I haven’t been recognised in the street.

Q: Well you’ve got clothes on.

A: Speaking of clothes, I got this lovely letter, ‘Please could you start putting clothes on, love from Katherine’ so I have a message, in a couple of weeks’ time we go into Victorian London and I wear so many clothes I can hardly move.

Q: When you joined the programme there was quite a lot of talk about you appealing to the dads. How did you feel about that at the time?

A: Well the producer said he wanted to expand from children to an adult audience. I mean basically the show if for children, it’s an adventure story.

Q: It has a very large adult audience.

A: Yes, I think it’s something like 60-40 it weighs out and I think a lot of the parents say ‘Well the kids like to watch it, so I will’.