| Paying homage to a Hindu holy man Dallas playwright's work tells the story of a famous saint from India 03/24/2001 By Kristen Holland / The Dallas Morning News Ever heard a buffalo recite verses from the Veda?
Well, according to Hindu tradition, the saint Shri Dnyaneshwar – while still a child – made a buffalo do that, proving that all creatures are united by the soul.
The saint also formatted basic grammar rules for Marathi, a language still spoken in the Indian state of Maharashtra, and wrote several texts in the language.
Local Maharashtrians are staging a play on his life, Om Namoji Aadhya. Written by Deepak Karanjikar of Dallas, the play is particularly important to Hindus from Maharashtra because the saint lived there.
"He was an advocate of the lower people," said Nitin Bengurlekar, a member of the local community. "By the time he was 13, he was known as an ambassador."
Before he was 20, Dnyaneshwar completed a philosophical commentary in Marathi, a language that he developed a few years before his death. The document, known as Dnyaneshwari, is reportedly the first text written in the language.
Mr. Karanjikar said he wrote the four-hour play in Marathi because he felt that the first production should be in the saint's language.
"It's appropriate that we do the first performance in this language and then go for the translations," he said. "It will be a token of our appreciation."
Though the play is mainly for Maharashtrians, a synopsis will be available for guests unfamiliar with the culture or language.
Mr. Karanjikar has written four other plays, but this is the first one based on his Hindu beliefs. He said he decided to focus on the saint because he noticed similarities between the value systems prevalent in the late 13th and early 21st centuries.
"During that time [1200 C.E.], the values of life had gone down. People were just fighting for their own lives, their own family," Mr. Karanjikar said. "History is completing a cycle here."
Throughout his short lifetime, Dnyaneshwar addressed a need that he saw to strengthen human values by promoting the idea that people shouldn't be classified based on their level in society or profession.
The saint died in his mid-20s when he committed samadhi, Hindus' highest state of mental concentration, in which a person permanently leaves his body.
"We want to celebrate his accomplishment and recognize everything he has done," Mr. Bengurlekar said.
DETAILS: The play will be performed at 7 p.m. March 31 at the Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur Road. Assigned seating begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $15. Call 972-252-7558.
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