Salutations to Ganesh !
Glory be to You,
Who are the joy congealed.
Glory to be You,
You have no divisions.
I, Dasaganu, salute Thee
knowing Thee to be the only God in the Universe.
Oh Raghava, Oh Raghupati,
Come and bless me.
You are great,
Why are you so harsh with me?
I am calling you piteously
And you are not responding,
Please do not fail me.
There was one Kashinath Khanderao Garde,
He once came to Maharaj.
He noticed the signs of a jeevan mukta in Maharaj
As were narrated to him by his revered father.
Maharaj just pricked at his side
And said, "Go! A telegram is there for you."
Kashinath did not know what Maharaj meant.
He had not come there with any motive.
Any way he returned to Khamgaon.
At home an order of his promotion
Was received and he was
To report to Morshi and to take over as munsuf
Then only could Kashinath know
The meaning of the pleasant prick.
Once Maharaj had been
To Nagpur as a guest of
Gopal Butithe sahukar.
Nagpur was once the capital of the Bhonslas,
But now it was an ordinary city.
The old grandeur on account of elephants and horses
Was gone now and
Motor cars whizzed past along the roads.
Gopal Buti had a bid wada in Sitabuldi
Maharaj was housed there.
Gopal Buti did not want Maharaj
To leave him.
Shegaon was now forlorn,
The people of Shegaon
Approached Hari Patil
And requested him
To bring back Maharaj to Shegaon.
Gopal Buti was a devotee,
But he was proud of his wealth.
Maharaj was not happy to stay with him.
Gopal Buti used to feed the Brahmins
And used to arrange bhajan every day
In the honour of Maharaj.
But he did not allow anyone
From Shegaon to come near Maharaj
Lest Maharaj should think of returning.
When Hari Patil boarded the train
Maharaj clairvoyantly knew it and he told Gopal Buti
To let him go.
Maharaj said to Gopal,
"You, are rich
But Hari Patil is a Jamedar
And a strong man too!
He will take me away by force.
So, let me go before he comes,
I do not want a quarrel
Between you two."
When Hari Patil came,
He was stopped at the gate,
But he forced himself into the house.
The usual feast was going on.
Food was served in silver plates and bowls
And every one had three wooden boards
One as a seat, one for the plate and one
To rest one’s back upon.
The extravagance of Buti
Was displayed everywhere.
When Maharaj saw Hari Patil
In the door way, he darted
Towards him as a cow would
Towards its calf.
Maharaj said to Hari Patil,
"Come on, let us go back to Shegaon,
I am not happy here."
When Gopal saw
That Maharaj would leave
He fell prostrate before him
And prayed to him
To have the food which was already served.
If Maharaj would go
Without taking the food,
Gopal Buti would be blamed by everybody.
So Gopal requested Hari Patil
To prevail upon Maharaj
To take the food.
So Maharaj stayed there
And everyone had his full meal.
Janakabai, wife of Gopal Buti,
Was a devotee of Maharaj,
She prayed that her wished be fulfilled.
Maharaj knew what she desired
And applied kumkum to her forehead
And blessed her saying that a virtuous son
Would be born to her and that
She would not die before her husband
And that after death she would go to vaikuntha.
From thence Maharaj went to Raghuji
Raghuji had lost his kingdom,
But he had a deep devotion of Maharaj.
He was a devotee of Ram,
He maintained the temple of Ram at Ramtek.
Maharaj stayed with Raghuji for a day
And then went to Ramtek.
He had darshan of Ram,
Then Maharaj returned to Shegaon
With Hari Patil.
There was one sadhu by name Ranganath.
He stayed at Dhar Kalyan
In the Nizam’s dominion,
He once came to Shegaon
To see Maharaj.
Both the great men talked
About the deep religious experiences
But their talk was in a language
Which nobody understood.
Once Maharaj told Balabhau
That his brother would be
Coming next day.
Maharaj meant Vasudevananda Saraswati
Born at Mangaon and who
Was staying on the banks of the Krishna.
Maharaj said to Balabhau
To keep the premises clean,
As Vasudevananda insisted on cleanliness.
He was quick-tempered also
And would have gone back
If he would have noticed rags or debris
Anywhere in the math.
Vasudevananda was a karhada Brahmin
And his ritualistic purity
Was his shield to maintain his Brahminhood.
Next day, late in the afternoon
Swami Vasudevananda
Arrived in math.
Both the saints
Exchanged greetings with a smile,
Both were happy to see each other.
One was the master of karma,
The other was the master of yoga,
One was the Rose flower,
The other was the fragrant Mogra flower,
One was Ganga,
The other was Goda,
One was verily Pashupati Shankar
The other was Narayana reclining on Shesha.
When Swami Vasudevananda arrived,
Maharaj was sitting on his bedsted,
Producing often a chit sound with his thumb
And the middle finger.
When the guest arrived,
Maharaj stopped making the sound.
Both looked at each other.
After sometime Vasudevananda
Asked permission to leave,
Maharaj nodded.
Vasudevananda left soon after.
Balabhau said to Maharaj,
"How is it you call him brother?
His way is quiet different from yours."
Maharaj appreciated the question.
Maharaj said, "There are three ways
To reach God. They all lead to the
Same place.
One is Karma margawherein one
Has to perform ritualbathing
And fasting and many other actions,
Which are of the essence of Karma.
A person who performs all these rituals
is a perfect observer of the path of Karma.
A flaw here or there in the rituals
May vitiate all actions.
So, one has to be very careful
In following this path of karma,
One should not speak ill words to others.
The path of Bhakti is
Comparatively easier.
The Bhakta’s mind, however,
Must be pure. The slightest impurity of mind
May act as an impediment
In the realization of knowledge.
He should be kind,
He should be loving,
He should be humble,
He should love worship.
He should love listening to the holy word.
He should always engage himself
In uttering the name of the Lord,
Either overtly or covertly.
The way of Bhakti
Is easier, but it is difficult
To attain the necessary purity of mind.
The sky appears so near
And yet one can’t touch it.
The third path is that Yoga,
One need not have anything external
To follow this path of Yoga
Whatever is in Brahmanda
Is also in the pinda i.e. the body.
A person following this path
Should know asanas, rechaka and kumbhaka.
He should be able to identify
Ida and pingala.
He should know the kriyas of
Dhauti, mudra, trataka etc.
He should know kundalini
And should know sushumna.
Unless one knows all these
One cannot realize God.
It is true that all these paths
Lead to the realization of the Self,
Yet one must not be devoid of love.
Any action without love
Is drab and meaningless,
An action without love
Degrades a man.
Atman is different from
The outer body.
One may be dark or fair,
Tall or short,
Ugly or beautiful,
But the abiding Atman
Is one and the same.
Similarly, these three paths
May look different,
But all of them lead
To the same goal.
A person, who follows
A particular path,
Likes it and says that it is
The only right path.
Such men quarrel among themselves
And forget that all paths lead
To the same goal.
The travellers of all these paths
Come together when they
Reach the destination and become
One with the Reality.
Vasishtha, Vamadeo, Jamadgani
Arti, Parashar followed
The path of Karma.
Shandilya, Vyasa, Narada
Prahladthe son of Kayadhu
Maruti, Shabari, and Akrur
Uddhava, Sudama, Parth and Vidura
All went by the path of Bhakti.
Machchindra, Gorakh and Jalandhara
The Jagadguru Shankaracharya,
Realised the self through the path of Yoga.
The fruit reaped by Vasistha
Was also reaped by Vidura
And by Machchindra.
The tradition was unbroken
And Shripada Vallabha maintained it.
Narasinha Saraswati was in his line
And Ganagapur, Wadi and Audumbar
Are sanctified by him
Nama, Sawanta, Jnyaneshwar,
Sena, Kanhu and Chokha
Damajipantall were the pilgrims
On the path of Bhakti.
Sheikh Mohammed of Sri Gonda.
Ananda Swami of Jalna and
Deonath of Surji Anjangaon
Were the followers of the path of yoga.
Similarly, Vasudevananda is
Following the path of Karma,
And I any many others
Follow the path of Bhakti.
Khalla Ammawho is not conscious
Of her body and Saibaba of Shridi
So also Gulabrao of Madhan,
Are all the piligrims on the path of knowledge.
Adkuji from Varkhed in Chandur Taluq
Of district Amravati
Are followers of this path.
Zingaji of Murha and
Tajjuddin of Nagpur
Are the followers on the path of Bhakti.
All these saints had different ways
But they were all recipients
Of knowledge eternal.
Whatever be the path,
One should worship him
Who reaches the goal.
We are all brothers,
And we visit this earth
To set people on the
Path of Realisation.
One should follow the path one likes,
And must achieve the ultimate goal.
Please, do not ask anything more.
I have told you enough.
Do not go on babbling.
Let me have the outward covering of ignorance.
One who would have faith in me
Will realize the Truth.
I need not care for the faithless.
One who repents
Should be given this knowledge supreme.
One should not speak about it
Before one, who is a sceptic.
Whatever they may say,
One should be calm and meditative.
Then only, one would meet
The Lordthe soul of the Universe."
Balabhau was all ears
And tears of joy rolled down his cheeks.
He was thrilled and tongue-tied,
He bowed with humility
And kept quiet.
One Salubai, a Brahmin woman
Belonging to the Kanva line,
Was a great devotee of Maharaj.
Maharaj asked her one day
To cook for the devotees
She did that job ceaselessly thereafter.
One Atmaram, son of Tulsiram of Jalamb,
Went to Varanasi to learn the Vedas.
He stayed with his guru
And collected madhukari
For his sustenance.
He learnt the Vedas and returned home.
He went to Shegaon
To see Maharaj and to tell him
Of his acquisition.
He recitied the Vedas
In the presence of Maharaj.
Maharaj corrected him
By reciting the Vedas himself.
When the learned Brahmins heard Maharaj
They appreciated by saying,
"Who else can find the worth of a diamond
Except a professional jeweler?"
Atmaram stayed with Maharaj thereafter.
How will a bee
Leave the honey comb
Atmaram continued to stay
In Shegaon even after the
Passing away of Maharaj.
He even donated all his property
To the math. It was a small piece
Of land and a house.
It is not the value of the property
That counts, but the spirit
In which it was dedicated.
Shabari gave berries to Ram,
Were they in anyway worthless?
There were others two
One Swami Dattatreya Kedar
And the other was Narayan Jamkar.
The latter lived on milk and was
Known as Dudhahari Buwa.
All these three were great devotees of Maharaj.
Now listen to the story of Marutipant,
A resident of Morgaon Bhakare.
There was one gardener by name Timaji
Who was employed by Marutipant
To guard his grain-threshing-ground.
One day Timaji was overpowered
With sleep. As he lay sleeping,
About twenty donkeys of the local potter
Entered the threshing-ground
And gulped the newly threshed juar.
Marutipant was a devotee of Maharaj
So Maharaj in his astral body went to Morgaon and
Alerted Timaji who then drove
The donkeys,
They had eaten up
A large quantity of juar.
Timaji was very sorry.
As an honest servant
He felt guilty for causing the
Loss of his master.
Early in the morning
Timaji went to Marutipant
And told him what had happened.
Marutipant was in a hurry
As he wanted to go to Shegaon.
Timaji asked him to
Accompany him to the field to assess the loss.
Marutipant said that
He would go the field later.
Marutipant arrived in Shegaon.
When he bowed before Maharaj,
Maharaj, Maharaj smiled and said,
"Why you keep a careless, sleepy
Servant to guard your grains?
And I have to go there
And wake him up to drive the donkeys."
When Maharaj said so,
Maruti remembered what
Timaji told him.
With folded hands Maruti said,
"You are our protector,
Even as a mother is to her children.
My fields and my crops
Are all at your care
You protect the universe,
What of protecting my small farm!
I shall dismiss Timaji
For his negligence."
Maharaj said to Maruti,
"Please do not do that.
He is a sincere servant
And is feeling very sorry to your loss.
Did he not come of his own to you
To tell you about the incident?"
In this way Maharaj helped both
Maruti and Timaji.
Here is another story in the
Saka year 1816.
Maharaj was at Balapur
Sitting in a room of Sukhalal Bansilal,
The room opened on the market side.
He was all joy and as usual
Had no garments on his body.
Men and women used to come there
For darshan of Maharaj.
A police inspector named
Narayan Asaraji while going by the way
Saw Maharaj. He had no faith in saints
And, seeing Maharaj naked,
Began to call him names.
He said that Maharaj was a hypocrite.
He started beating Maharaj with cane.
He beat Maharaj blue.
One Hundiwala came there
And tried to stop the inspector.
Said Hundiwala to inspector,
"Why are you being so cruel to him?
He is a saint and you are sinning
In thrashing him.
Unless you apologize, ill luck would befall you.
Possibly your end is near
That is why you are acting this way.
Only a desparate patient
Won’t care to avoid food
Which will aggravate the disease.
The police inspector said,
"I won’t apologize, why should I?
He is a fake sadhu.
If a crow curses a man,
What harm can that curse do?
But it so happened
That the inspector and all his near and dear ones
Died one after another.
This event shows that
One should never
Call names to a sadhu
Or harm him physically.
Here is another story
Of Hari Jakhade, a resident of
Sangamner in Ahamadnagar district.
Anant Phandi, a composer of ballads
And folk songs, hailed from this place.
Hari Jakhade was a
Madhuandin Yajurvedi Brahmin.
Once he came to Shegaon
And sat at the feet on Maharaj.
Thousands of men and women
Where coming there for darshan.
Many of them used to
Distribute food to the Brahmins.
Some used to distribute
Sugar candy, in fulfillment of their navas
Hari Jakhade was a poor Brahmin
And a bachelor who longed for
Wife and a home and a large
Family of sons.
When Maharaj came to know
Of his desire, he spat upon Hari.
Maharaj said to himself,
"Men come here to get rid
Of sansar and maya,
And here is one who is
Hankering after sensual pleasures.
There was however, no point
In giving him that which he
Never wanted.
So Maharaj said to Hari,
"Go, you will get what you want.
You will have sons and grandsons
And you will have a handsome fortune.
Go and be a good householder.
Never forget God,
Remember him always."
So saying, Maharaj gave him
Some money so that he may marry.
Hari Jakhade went back to Sangamner
and led a life of a householder happily.
The words of a saint never prove wrong.
There was one Ramchandra Govind Nimonkar
An overseer, accompmained by
Vasudeo Bendre, a surveyor.
They came to a river by name Mukna.
This river is in the Sahyadri
In taluq Igatpuri, in Nasik District.
This is a place known for its scenic beauty.
Wild life is in abundance here.
Off this river, there is a holy place
By name Kapildhara.
Devotees throng there on certain
Auspicious days for a holy bath.
Nimonkar had practisied a little of yoga.
He was in search of a guru
Who would place him ahead
In the path of Yoga.
He saw one person near Kapildhara,
He was a tall fellow with sharp features
And had calm face.
His arms reached his knees.
Nimonkar camt to him
And fell prostrate.
The yogi did not say anything
Shadows of the evening were gathering
And Nimonkar had not taken any food.
In the evening, the yogi filled in his tumba
With the holy water of Kapildhara
And proceeded towards the town.
Nimonkar accosted the yogi
And prayed to him for a favour.
The yogi at last gave him a piece of paper
Whereon was written the sixteen lettered mantra.
The yogi asked Nimonkar
To repeat the mantra constantly.
"The path of yoga", said the yogi,
Is not an easy one.
A snail or a worm in dung
Can’t go round the Himalayas,
Nor an oyster climb the meru.
If a man observes brahmacharya,
He may learn a few asanas
And a few kriyas as dhauti and neti.
But it is not everything.
Anyway, I give you prasada
Take this. " So saying, the yogi
Gave Nimonkar a red stone.
Handing over the red stone,
The yogi vanished.
Later Nimonkar ran towards him
And caught his feet by his both hands
And complained why he left
Him in the wilderness
Without letting him know his whereabouts.
Yogi Maharaj, looked at him angrily
And said, "Did I not give the red stone?
You are a big fool, you don’t know
That Ganapati from Narmada
Is always red. I am Gajanan of Shegaon
Come, follow me.
I am going to Dhumal’s house.
Maharaj was ahead but again
Vanished suddenly.
Nimonkar searched for him
Here and there. But in vain.
At last he came to Dhumal
And found Maharaj sitting in the verandah.
Nimonkar bowed before him silently.
Nimonkar then narrated to Dhumal
All the incidents that took place
While he was in Kapildhara.
Dhumal said no Nimonkar,
You are really fortunate.
Maharaj has given you the red stone.
Worship it daily. And practice
Yoga before the red stone."
Nimonkar did so, and
Eventually was well advanced
On the path of yoga.
Here is another story
Of Tukaram Kokate of Shegaon.
Tukaram was miserable
As his issues died one after another
Soon after they were born.
He, therefore, decided to offer
One son to Maharaj, if they
Would be viable thereafter.
After a few days three sons
Were born and they did live
And attained manhood.
Tukaram had almost forgotten
What he had solemnly decided.
Now the eldest son Narayan
Was struck with a fatal illness,
Medicines were of no avail.
Nayaran’s pulse was languid
And his eyes were losing luster.
His heart beat slowly.
Now Tukaram remembered
His pledge and he remembered Maharaj.
He prayed within himself,
"Maharaj, I am a liar,
I failed in my promise.
But now save Narayan,
I shall offer him to you.
He shall serve you till the end of his life."
Soon a change came over Narayan.
His pulse began to beat rhythmically.
His pallied face became normal
and the ebbing life
Returned to him.
When Narayan recorved,
Tukaram brought him to Maharaj.
He lived for long thereafter
And served Maharaj and the math
Till his death.
This story of Narayan is told
So that people should know
That one should be consistent
In words and deeds.
One year later Maharaj
Went to Pandharpur with Hari Patil.
Maharaj had a holy bath
In Chandrabhaga and then
Went into the holy temple.
As he stood before the shrine,
He said, "Oh Pandharinath,
Oh Rukhminikant, the divine
Diety of the devotees,
You are inconceivable
And all powerful.
Please, listen to me.
I had been on this earth
As per your order,
I moved from place to place
And helped the devotees
In attaining their cherished desires.
I set them on the path of devotion.
You know that I have fulfilled
My life’s mission.
Oh Viththal, the bestower of
Boons on Pundalik,
Allow me to return now.
In the ensuring Bhadrapada
I wish to return to vaikuntha
To stay with you permanently."
So saying Maharaj, with tears in his eyes,
Folded his hands.
Hari Patil said to Maharaj
"Are there tears in your eyes?
Did I fail in my duty?
Why are you sorry?"
Maharaj held Hari Patil by his hand,
And said, "This is a different story.
You won’t understand it.
I am afraid I shall have to
Leave your company soon.
Let us return to Shegaon.
You have done very much for me.
Your prosperity will never decline.
You have my blessings.
Devotion will never die in your line."
Hari Patil returned to Shegaon
And had the mawanda performed.
But Hari Patil was ill at ease.
He told other devotees
What Maharaj told him at Pandharpur.
During Shravana, Maharaj lost weight.
He appeared thin and always serene.
It was now the month Bhadrapada.
Maharaj told all the devotees
On the day of Ganesh Chaturthi
To come to math to see
The immersion ceremony of Ganpati.
It is written in Ganesh Purana
That an image of Ganapati
Should be made out of clay.
It should be worshipped,
And offerings should be given
And then the image should
Be immersed in water.
Maharaj said to the devotees
"The day has come.
Immerse this body
Which is made by clay.
Do this with joy.
I shall always be there
To protect you at all times,
And all in circumstances.
Please, remember what Krishna said to Arjuna,
This body is like a rag,
It must be changed
When torn and no more
Servicecable."
Maharaj was happy
Throughout the day of chaturthi.
He held Balabhau with his hand
And made him sit beside him.
Maharaj told them again
That they would be with them always.
He bade them, not to forget him.
After saying this,
Maharaj forced his life breath
Into the sahasrarachakra
With the words "Jay Gajanan."
The body ceased to move.
It was the shaka year 1832.
The name of the year was sadharana.
It was the fifth day of
The bright fortnight of Bhadrapada.
The word round
That Maharaj had entered samadhi.
People from all quarters
Rushed towards the math;
They were all feeling bereaved.
Maharaj was verily a living God
In flesh and blood.
For so many, he was happiness congealed.
He was a light of knowledge to so many.
Martand Patil, Hari Patil, Vishnusa Bankatlal
And the loving Tarachand,
And Shripatrao Kulkarni
All assembled in the math.
They thought it wise
Not to perform the last rites
On panchami. People were
Coming from far and near.
They would be disappointed
If they would not have the last darshan of Maharaj.
Govindshastri of Dongaon said
"Maharaj would surely give darshan To his devotees. He would keep his body warm
Till then, "They kept a lump of butter
On Maharaj’s head and it melted.
Govindshastri said, "Maharaj is a true yogi,
His body will remain
Flower-fresh even for a year.
But it will be improper
To keep Maharaj so"
All his dear devotees had come.
Maharaj had been in dreams of devotees
Living at distant places.
All of them had come,
Singing bhajan.
With a thousand cymbals
Jingling in the air,
The whole town of Shegaon
Was swept clean.
Rangavali’s were decorating
well-sprinkled courtyards.
Lamps were lighted before every house.
A chariot was decorated
And the body of Maharaj was placed in it.
All types of musical instruments
Were playing devotional music.
Tulsi leaves, bukka and flowers
Were showered on the body.
The body was taken in a big procession,
In a large well decorated chariot.
The procession lasted for the whole night.
In the morning it ended at the math.
The body was placed
On the selected spot.
It was bathed with
Holy water with
The mantra for Rudra-abhisheka.
The last arati was sung,
The body was placed on the seat
Facing the north, as is laid down
In the scriptures.
The cell was filled with
Salt, argaja and abir
And a slab was placed
On the door amidst the shouts,
"Jay Swami Gajanan,
Jay Swami Gajanan."
The last ceremonial festival
Lasted for ten days,
Thousands of men and women came
And had Prasad.
The glory of a saint
Surpasses that of a soverign king.
Let this Gajanan Vijay by Dasaganu
Show the right path to all the devotees!
END OF CHAPTER NINETEEN