725 read Dnyaneshwari daily to celebrate 725 years of holy book

To commemorate 725 years of holy book Dnyaneshwari, written by saint Dnyaneshwar, Vithal Rukmini Bhajan mandal, Kalyan, has organised a one-way reading of the book.

Since September 27, the mandal has started a daily three-hour reading session, which will conclude on October 4. "What is more striking is that 725 people are doing this daily reading to celebrate 725 years of Dnyaneshwari," says Kunda Chandrakant Chougule, organiser of the program and a member from the mandal. People from as far as Kalyan, Badlapur, Vasind, Mulund and even Nashik, are participating in this daily reading sessions.

The reading is conducted at Mahajanwadi hall, Shivaji chowk in Kalyan and is followed by bhajan and kirtan (devotional songs) in the evening. The program will conclude on October 4 with a procession of Dnyaneshwari in the city at 7am. "After the procession there will be bhandara from 10am to 12pm, which includes bhajan," she says.

Dnyaneshwari was written by saint Dnyaneshwar in the 13th century and occupies a pride of place among the varkari section. It is a commentary on the Bhagawad Gita and is considered to be a sacred book. Dnyaneshwar expanded on the 700 shlokas of the Gita into 9,999 Marathi verses.