Purandara Dasu

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If a beautiful garden is to be raised, one needs to take proper care of tender flower plants. In the same way in order to create a good society, great care needs to be taken of young children who are going to be future citizens of India. All their intellectual attainments will be futile if they fail to learn of their culture and its greatness. They need to be told of great men and women of this country so that they are inspired by their ideals. The essentials of our culture should be given to them in the form of simple and charming stories. They will cherish these ideals and be guided by them. They will promote good and they will love the society they live in. They make their families proud and bring great prestige to their country when they grow up into good citizens.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams have brought out these booklets for children in Telugu under Srinivasa Bala Bharati Series. Although meant for children, they are useful to the elderly too. They have found place in the book shelves of every family. The stories of legendary men and women are narrated in a simple way. We hope that more and more children will read them and profit by them.

I congratulate Editor-in-Chief, TTD for his efforts in bringing out the English translations of SRINIVASA BALA BHARATI SERIES so well. We have received co-operation of many learned men and women in our efforts to popularize this series. I am thankful to them.

Life is a bubble. Anything may happen the next moment. It is upredictable. Yet people on this earth devote all their attention and hanker after earning wealth and gold. Never do they realize that they are ruining their present life running after the uncertain future. Everything slips away by the time they understand the fact. But great people grasp the truth with the benevolence of god and enter into the glorifying light piercing through all ignorance. Such a miracle happened in the life of a miser.

There was a diamond merchant in possession of massive wealth. Being begged by a poor Brahmin, he gave away alms. The Brahmin came back after a while and proposed to pawn a nose jewel for money. The rich man was stunned on seeing the nose jewel. It was his wife's ornament. He promised to pay money and made the Brahmin wait till his return. He went home and asked his wife about her nose jewel. Fearing the reactions of her husband, she did not tell that she gave it to a Brahmin and went into the room to take poison and die. Surprisingly the nose jewel appeared in the poison cup. The diamond merchant went to his business spot and found that the ornament was missing. He was puzzled. He realized it as the leela of god. All the material earnings, he thought, are of no value in front of god's grace. He gave away all his property, gold, earnings and money to the needy people. He became a strong devotee of God. Do you know who he is? He was Srinivasa Naidu who became popular for his wealth as "Navakoti Narayana". In his later life, he became a devoted disciple of Vyasaraya and composed lakhs of lyrics and got the title "Padakavitha pithamaha" of Karnataka.

The devotion, sacrifice or material refusal of this oldest generation of Dasas should be our guide and model.

**Contents and Sample Pages**