So Pranav, you will eventually see Vinoba as fully immersed by the Gita. The Mahabhashya of Shankarcharya, the Gitarasya of Tilak, Aurobindo’s commentary, the Jnaneshwart of Jnandeva were all a staple diet for him. Still, he tackled the Gita in four different ways.
Gita is a veritable treasure-house of distilled wisdom from the Upanisads. It has influenced many lives. Vinoba’s life was one illustrious example of that influence.
With love,
Yours, L.N. Godbole
6th January, 1990 My dear Pranav,
As Vinoba was greatly influenced by the Gita, he used to say that Vinoba as a human body would vanish, but Gitai, perhaps would remain. His humility was remarkable. He does not say that Gita Pravachane or the Gitai Chintanika will remain. They are his commentaries or interpretations. They are his darsanas. The reality is Gita. And Gitai is its translation. Even amongst his Gita books he wants to be remembered for his translation of the Gita. Such small glimpses of a person makes him small or big in the eyes of others.
In his early years Vinoba was a hard-headed thinker. He was like an uncut diamound. He mellowed after his bhoodan padayatra. We used to be very abrasive and curt in his communication with others. In later years, his intellect remained sharp but his expression mellowed. His sutra was : Satya (truth), Prem (love) and Karuna (compassion).
Annual literary conferences of Marathi used to depend on the donations of the rich, and therefore these annual conferences
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