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Pundalik - The son who made God wait, and God stayed
BACKGROUND Pundalik (Pundarik) was the son of Janudev and Satyavati, a devout couple, and the person every Varkari credits with bringing Vitthal to Pandharpur. In his early life he was no saint. After marriage, he grew careless and cold toward his aging parents, leaving them to fend for themselves while he lived for himself. Then came the turn. Pundalik became a legend not for fasting in a forest, but for coming home. PLACE OF BIRTH Tradition ties him to the Pandharpur region
Rajangam Jayaprakash
6 days ago2 min read
Krishna: The Divine Friend
Key idea: Krishna is the God who plays: butter thief, cowherd, charioteer, statesman and the voice of the Gita. He teaches that joy and duty are not enemies, and that you can act fully while staying unattached to the results. Symbolism Flute: the soul as a hollow reed, empty of ego, played by the divine Peacock feather: beauty, many colours, humility Makhan (butter): a pure heart, and the sweetness of devotion Cows: care for nature and for all who depend on us (hence Govinda)
Rajangam Jayaprakash
6 days ago1 min read
Murugan: The Warrior-Sage
Key idea: Murugan (Kartikeya, Skanda) is youth, valour and wisdom in one. He is the commander who defeated the demon Surapadman, and the teacher who explained the meaning of Om to his own father. In Tamil culture he is thebeloved deity. Symbolism Vel (spear): knowledge that pierces ignorance Peacock (Mayil): pride conquered and turned into a mount Rooster banner: the dawn call of awakening Six faces (Shanmukha): mastery of the senses, and the six directions of vision Temples
Rajangam Jayaprakash
6 days ago1 min read
Lord Ganesh: The Remover of Obstacle
Key idea: Ganesh clears the path. Nothing begins well without his blessing, and the first prayer in almost every ritual is his. He is intellect with a sense of humour: big head, bigger heart, and a soft spot for sweets. Symbolism Elephant head: wisdom, vast memory and the habit of listening more than speaking Broken tusk: sacrifice, since he broke it to write the Mahabharata Modak: the sweet reward of spiritual effort Mooshika (the mouse): desire and ego tamed and put to work
Rajangam Jayaprakash
6 days ago1 min read
Sant Namdev (c. 1270 – 1350)
The tailor-poet who carried Vitthal's Name across India. BACKGROUND Born to a family of tailors (shimpi), devoted to Vitthal from childhood. He grew close to Dnyaneshwar and travelled with him on pilgrimages. A wandering bhakta, he took the devotion of Pandharpur far beyond Maharashtra. PLACE OF BIRTH Narsi Bamani, Hingoli district, Maharashtra. His family later moved to Pandharpur. KEY CONTRIBUTIONS Hundreds of Marathi abhangs of tender, intimate devotion Hindi padas that tr
Rajangam Jayaprakash
Oct 81 min read
Sant Chokhamela (c ? – 1338)
The voice that made Pandharpur's door open to all. BACKGROUND A Mahar by birth, then considered untouchable, who laboured as a village servant and a wall-builder. He lived with his wife Soyarabai, son Karmamela, sister Nirmala and brother-in-law Banka, all of them poets-saints. Barred from entering the temple, he worshipped from the outside, and Vitthal's love reached him there. PLACE OF BIRTH Mehunaraja, near Deulgaon Raja (Buldhana district), Maharashtra. He later lived at
Rajangam Jayaprakash
Oct 81 min read
Sant Tukaram (c. 1608 – 1650)
The shopkeeper-poet whose abhangs became Maharashtra's heartbeat. BACKGROUND Born in a Vani (trader) family, the Mores. He lost his parents and first wife in the famine of 1630-31, and his business collapsed. He turned wholly to Vitthal, composing abhangs on the hills near Dehu. He faced opposition from orthodox Brahmins yet his songs spread among the people. Contemporary of Shivaji Maharaj, who is said to have revered him. PLACE OF BIRTH Dehu, near Pune, on the Indrayani riv
Rajangam Jayaprakash
Oct 81 min read
Sant Eknath (c. 1533 – 1599)
The householder-saint who made scholarship common property. BACKGROUND Great-grandson of the saint Bhanudas, orphaned young and raised by his grandparents. His guru was Janardan Swami of Devgiri (Daulatabad). He lived as a married householder and showed that grihastha life and sainthood can coexist. He stood against caste discrimination, famously sharing meals and kindness with the so-called untouchables. PLACE OF BIRTH Paithan, on the Godavari, Maharashtra. KEY CONTRIBUTIONS
Rajangam Jayaprakash
Oct 81 min read
Sant Dnyaneshwar (c. 1275 – 1296)
The child-saint who gave Marathi its Gita. BACKGROUND Son of Vitthalpant and Rukmini Bai, a Brahmin couple outcast by society because Vitthalpant had left and later returned from sannyasa. The four children, Nivruttinath, Dnyaneshwar, Sopan and Muktabai, grew up shunned, yet became luminaries of the Nath-Varkari lineage. Nivruttinath was his guru and elder brother. PLACE OF BIRTH Apegaon, on the Godavari near Paithan (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, Maharashtra). The fami
Rajangam Jayaprakash
Oct 81 min read
Lord Vishnu: The Preserver
Key idea: When the world wobbles, Vishnu steadies it. He holds the cosmos together through order (dharma), returning in avatars whenever balance is lost. Symbolism Shankha (conch): the primal sound of creation, Om made audible Sudarshana Chakra: time and dharma, always turning, never late Gada (mace): discipline and the power to protect Padma (lotus): purity that rises above the muddy water Temples East: Jagannath Temple, Puri West: Dwarkadhish Temple, Dwarka North: Badrinath
Rajangam Jayaprakash
Oct 81 min read
Lord Shiva: The Transformer
Key idea: Shiva is destruction in service of renewal: ego dissolved, space cleared, new beginnings made possible. He is the ascetic and the householder, stillness and cosmic dance. Symbolism Third eye: insight that burns through illusion Ganga and crescent moon in the hair: grace and time held lightly Trishula and damaru: the three gunas mastered, and the rhythm of creation Ash and serpent: detachment from the body and fearlessness before death Temples East: Lingaraja Temple,
Rajangam Jayaprakash
Oct 81 min read
Mata Laxmi: The Giver of Abundance
Key idea: Laxmi is prosperity with a conscience. She arrives where there is effort, integrity and generosity, and tends to leave where those are missing. Wealth, in her view, is meant to circulate. Symbolism Lotus: purity and prosperity untouched by greed Four arms: the four human goals: dharma, artha, kama, moksha Gold coins flowing from her hand: wealth meant to be shared Elephants (Gajalakshmi): royal power, rain and fertility Temples East: Laxmi shrine within the Jagannat
Rajangam Jayaprakash
Oct 81 min read
Saraswati: The Source of Wisdom
Key idea: Saraswati is knowledge, speech, music and the arts, the flow of learning itself. Her message: wisdom is not hoarded, it is practised and passed on. Symbolism Veena: harmony of mind and creativity Books (Vedas): knowledge as the highest wealth Mala (rosary): concentration and disciplined practice Swan and white sari: discernment, which separates truth from noise, and purity Temples East: see note below West: Saraswati Temple, Pushkar North: Sharada Peeth (Kashmir, hi
Rajangam Jayaprakash
Oct 81 min read
Parvati: The Divine Mother
Key idea: Parvati is Shakti, the power that animates everything. She is devoted partner, fierce protector and nurturing mother, proof that strength and tenderness are not opposites. Symbolism Lion: courage under control Ardhanarishvara (the half-Shiva, half-Parvati form): masculine and feminine as one whole Tapas (her penance to win Shiva): persistence that moves mountains Ganesha and Kartikeya beside her: motherhood and the nurturing of dharma Temples (Parvati and her Shakti
Rajangam Jayaprakash
Oct 81 min read
Vittal: The Beloved of the Warkaris
Key idea: Vittal (Vithoba) is Vishnu or Krishna as the patient friend, standing on a brick, hands on hips, waiting for devotees to arrive. No rituals required, just love, song and the long walk. Symbolism Standing on a brick: he waited for a devotee, Pundalik, and never left Hands on hips: calm, unhurried welcome Tulsi garland: devotion and his link to Vishnu Wari pilgrimage with abhangs: equality in song, with no caste or rank on the road to Pandharpur Temples West: Vitthal-
Rajangam Jayaprakash
Oct 81 min read
From "I Should Have" to "I Have" - a path towards Nishkama karma
News of a loved one's passing turns into a mirror, and the "I should have" festival begins. But guilt is a cheap receipt for a purchase never made. Nearing fifty, I'm trying to move from "I should have" to "I have," with some help from Gandhi's experiments with truth and the Gita's advice on acting without bargaining for outcomes. Call that person today, before the mirror shows up.
Rajangam Jayaprakash
Oct 23 min read
The Great Liquidity Wall: Tiger Global is only the beginning
Who is going to buy all the shares that venture capital & private equity investors eventually need to sell?
For years, the Indian startup narrative was dominated by capital deployment. Investors competed to discover the next unicorn, founders competed for larger funding rounds, and valuations became the shorthand for success. But the cycle has changed. The next phase is likely to be defined not by the availability of capital, but by the availability of liquidity.
This is the
Rajangam Jayaprakash
Sep 105 min read
The Respect I Know, and the Respect I Have Yet to Learn
For thirty years, I have understood respect as recognising the dignity of another without surrendering my own. Yet the Dharmic ideas of ādara, mariyādai and praṇipāta challenge me to look beyond equality towards humility and reverence. My struggle is not with dignity, but with learning to bow without becoming submissive, question without arrogance, and recognise what is worthy of reverence. Perhaps respect is ultimately a discipline of the self.
Rajangam Jayaprakash
Sep 23 min read
7.8% GDP Growth: Why the GST Numbers Make This One Easy to Believe
Every GDP number gets scrutinized — rightly so, since it's a modelled estimate, not a cash register reading. But this quarter's 7.8% growth has a hard cross-check: GST collections, which cover nearly the entire economy except farm output, grew 14-15% for three straight months. When tax data, state-level activity, and corporate earnings all move together, that's no longer one model's assumption — it's evidence. Here's how the numbers line up.
Rajangam Jayaprakash
Sep 26 min read
The Founder's Personal Checklist #1: Does Your Idea Solve a Problem, or Just a Pain?
"Every startup founder has a good idea — that's never the bottleneck. The real question is whether solving the problem creates enough economic impact to sustain a business. Two founders taught me this last month: one built an 'AI CFO' while seeking advice from human finance pros themselves; another, building a platform for teachers, had the courage to say it wasn't a startup — it was a nonprofit. Here's checklist item #1 for every founder."
Rajangam Jayaprakash
Sep 17 min read
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