Shridhar Swami Nazarekar | |
---|---|
Born | Shridhar Brahmanand Nazarekar 1658 Nazare, Solapur district, Maharashtra |
Died | 1729 Pandharpur, Solapur district, Maharashtra |
Occupation | Poet |
Nationality | Indian |
Notable works | |
Relatives |
|
Shridhar Brahmanand Nazarekar (CE 1658-1729), popularly known as Shridhar Swami Nazarekar or Shridhar Pandit, was a popular Marathi Akhyanaka (narrative) poet and philosopher who wrote several caritra granthas in the 17th and 18th centuries. [1] [2] Shridhara was a puranik, that is one who recite stories from Puranas. Later he began to compose works himself in a simple devotional style, and were not only extremely popular, but were revered and worshipped like sacred texts. [3]
Shridhara was born to a Kulkarni belonging to Deshastha Yajurvedi Brahmin (DYB) family in 1658 CE in Nazare a village in Solapur district, Maharashtra state. His father Brahmananda Kadke, was also his guru with some literary works such as Atma Prakash in 1681, a vedanta. It is in the form of Ovi poetry and is divided in 14 chapters. Shridhara added 32 stanzas as a prologue to it. [4] Shridhara was also called as Nazarekar because his father was a Kulkarni at Nazare in Sholapur district, but they hail from Khadki. Later they shifted to Pandharpur from Nazare in his early days of his life. Shridhara turned to literary composer in the middle age. He first composed Harivijaya in 1702, an abridged version of Shrikrishna charita, based on Bhagavata and Padma Purana. Then followed RamVijaya in 1703, an abridged adaptation of Ramayana. Then after a lapse of ten years or so appeared PandavaPratap in 1712, an abridged version of Mahabharata. The last to appear in his series was Shivlilamrut , based mainly on Skanda Purana. All these compositions are written in a simple, chaste style. [5] He had correctly anticipated common man as his reader, and common man has ever been grateful to him for these writings. They not only read but worshipped these compositions like holy scriptures. Shridhar's popularity is quite a phenomenon in Marathi literature. There were many Marathi poets before and after him, who had worked on mythological themes, Mahanubhava poets like Bhaskarabhatta, Borikar and Narendra, Eknath, Mukteshwara ( from whose version of Mahabharata Shridhara himself had borrowed liberally and literally), Raghunath Pandit, Samraj and Nagesh. Moropant alone among them had condensed all the three epics, Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Bhagavata, but his compositions in Āryā metre addressed pandits well versed in Sanskrit, but could not reach the masses. Shridhara did not belong to the category of saint-poets or pandit-poets. And yet he was the only one among them who could reach out so well to the masses. His simple abridged versions in the popular Ovi meter appealed to their taste. [6]
Shridhar Swami is famous for composing works in a simple devotional style. His popularity cuts across all castes because of his simplicity of style, narrative power and devotional sentiment. He took known stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata and narrated them with moral teaching and Vedantic philosophy. The Harivijaya , RamVijaya , Shivlilamrut , PandavaPratap , and the AmbikaUdaya are his major works. [7] His other works include Vedanta-surya, a philosophical text, Panduranga Mahatmya and Venkatesh Mahatmya. [8]
Bharadvaja was one of the revered Vedic sages (maharishi) in Ancient India. He was a renowned scholar, economist, grammarian and a physician. He is one of the Saptarishis.
Krishna Dvaipayana, better known as Vyasa or Veda Vyasa, is a revered rishi (sage) portrayed in most Hindu traditions. He is traditionally regarded as the author of a number of Hindu texts, including the epic Mahābhārata, where he also plays a prominent role as a character.
Dattatreya, Dattā or Dattaguru, is a paradigmatic Sannyasi (monk) and one of the lords of yoga, venerated as a Hindu god. He is considered to be an avatar and combined form of the three Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who are also collectively known as the Trimurti, and as the manifestation of Parabrahma, the supreme being, in texts such as the Bhagavata Purana, the Markandeya Purana, and the Brahmanda Purana, though stories about his birth and origin vary from text to text. Several Upanishads are dedicated to him, as are texts of the Vedanta-Yoga tradition in Hinduism. One of the most important texts of Hinduism, namely Avadhuta Gita is attributed to Dattatreya. Over time, Dattatreya has inspired many monastic movements in Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism, particularly in the Deccan region of India, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himalayan regions where Shaivism is prevalent. His pursuit of simple life, kindness to all, sharing of his knowledge and the meaning of life during his travels is reverentially mentioned in the poems by Tukaram, a saint-poet of the Bhakti movement.
In Hindu scriptures, Durvasa, also known as Durvasas, is a legendary rishi (sage). He is the son of Anasuya and Atri. According to some Puranas, Durvasa is a partial avatar of Shiva, known for his short temper. Wherever he goes, he is received with great reverence by humans and devas alike.
The Devi Mahatmya or Devi Mahatmyam is a Hindu philosophical text describing the Goddess, known as Mahadevi or Adishakti, as the supreme power and creator of the universe. It is part of the Markandeya Purana.
Mahanubhava refers to Krishnaite Hindu denomination in India that was founded by Sarvadnya Shri Chakradhar Swami, an ascetic and philosopher who is considered as a reincarnation of Krishna by his devotees Some sources list the founders as Chakrapani and Govinda Prabhu with Shree Chakradhara Swami as the first "apostle" and propagator of Mahanubhava Pantha. Mahanubhava Sampradaya was formally formed in modern-day Varhad region of Maharashtra in 1267 CE. It has different names such as Jai Krishni Pantha in Punjab and Achyuta Pantha in Gujarat. Mahanubhava Pantha was also known as Paramarga by its followers in 13th century. Nagadevacharya, also known as Bhatobas, became the head of Sampradaya after Chakradhara.
Swami Tapasyananda (1904-1991) was a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Mission. He was born in the Palat family of Ottapalam in Kerala, in 1904. His pre-monastic name was K. P. Balakrishnan Menon. In 1921, when he was just 17 years old, he met Swami Brahmananda- a direct disciple and spiritual son of Sri Ramakrishna, in Chennai. He received Mantra-Diksha from Swami Shivananda in 1924, and joined the Order in 1926, at 22 years age after completing in post graduation. In 1932, he received Sannyasa from Swami Shivananda. He was a disciple of Swami Shivananda, one of the eminent disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. The Swami was a vice-president of the Ramakrishna Order from 1985-1991, giving Mantra-Diksha to a large number of devotees. He was an erudite scholar in Indian and Western philosophy. He has to his credit many books in English, including the translations of many scriptures. His translation of Bhagavata Purana in four volumes has been highly acclaimed in intellectual and devotional circles. He was the president of Ramakrishna Math, Chennai from 1971-1991. Swamiji was well known for his austere life and intuitive intellect. His deity was Lord Khrishna and he practiced spiritual activity as told by his Guruji. He was a prolific writer. Some of the books authored by him are listed below. He translated many Hindu classics into English from original Sanskrit. He founded Ramakrishna Mission Hospital at Thiruvananthapuram.
Kala is a Sanskrit term that means 'time' or 'death'. As time personified, destroying all things, Kala is a god of death, and often used as one of the epithets of Yama. In Shaivism, Kala is known as the fiery avatar of Shiva, Kala Bhairava or Kalagni Rudra; and in Vaishnavism Kala is also associated with Narasimha and Pralaya. As applied to gods and goddesses, Kālá is not always distinguishable from kāla, meaning 'black'.
Parīkṣit was a Kuru king who reigned during the Middle Vedic period. Along with his son and successor, Janamejaya, he played a decisive role in the consolidation of the Kuru state, the arrangement of Vedic hymns into collections, and the development of the orthodox srauta ritual, transforming the Kuru realm into the dominant political and cultural center of northern Iron Age India. He also appears as a figure in later legends and traditions. According to the legendary accounts in Mahabharata and the Puranas, he succeeded his grand uncle Yudhishthira to the throne of Hastinapur.
The Kekeya kingdom was a kingdom mentioned in the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata among the western kingdoms of then India. The epic Ramayana mentions one of the wives of Dasharatha, the king of Kosala and father of Rama, was from Kekeya kingdom and was known as Kaikeyi. Her son Bharata conquered the neighbouring kingdom of Gandhara and built the city of Takshasila. Later the sons and descendants of Bharata ruled this region from Takshasila.
The Kumaras are four sages (rishis) from the Puranic texts of Hinduism who roam the universe as children, generally named Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, and Sanatkumara. They are described as the first mind-born creations and sons of the creator-god Brahma. Born from Brahma's mind, the four Kumaras undertook lifelong vows of celibacy (brahmacharya) against the wishes of their father. They are said to wander throughout the materialistic and spiritualistic universe without any desire but with the purpose of teaching. All four brothers studied Vedas from their childhood, and always travelled together.
The Devi Bhagavata Purana, also known as the Devi Purana or simply Devi Bhagavatam, is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas as per Shiva Purana of Hinduism. Composed in Sanskrit by Veda Vyasa, the text is considered a major purana for Devi worshippers (Shaktas). It promotes bhakti (devotion) towards Mahadevi, integrating themes from the Shaktadvaitavada tradition. While this is generally regarded as a Shakta Purana, some scholars such as Dowson have also interpreted this Purana as a Shaiva Purana.
Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya is a commentary on the Hindu epic Ramayana, birth of Veda Vyasa and Mahabharata by Sri Madhvacharya, the founder of the Dvaita school of philosophy.
Vidyadhara(s) (Sanskrit Vidyādhara, meaning "wisdom-holders") are a group of supernatural beings in Indian religions who possess magical powers. In Hinduism, they also attend Shiva, who lives in the Himalayas. They are considered Upadevas, or demi-gods.
Krishnadas Shama was a Goan author belonging to the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin community. He was born in the village of Quelossim in Goa and was the author of Krishna Charitrakatha. According to verses (ovis) 245–250 of this work, it was commenced on 25 April 1526, or Vaishakh Shukla of shake 1448 according to the Hindu calendar. The original manuscript of this work was discovered by Mariano Saldanha in the Public Library of Braga in Portugal. The work consists of 19 chapters (ovesvaru) and 3,123 verses (ovis). It is a rendering of the Tenth canto (Adhyaya) of the Bhagavata Purana and may be the first extant prose work by a Goan in the Marathi language.
Eknath (1533–1599), was an Indian Hindu saint, philosopher and poet. He was a devotee of the Hindu deity Vitthal and is a major figure of the Warkari movement. Eknath is often viewed as a spiritual successor to the prominent Marathi saints Dnyaneshwar and Namdev.
Harana is a Sanskrit term literally meaning seizure, commonly used to denote elopement. Elopement is a common theme featured in Hindu literature, with a number of characters choosing to perform elopement before their marriage, or being abducted by others against their will.
Shivlilamrut is a devotional poem composed by the Marathi poet-saint Shridhar Swami Nazarekar.
Shri Ram Vijaya is a popular devotional literature composed by Shridhar Swami Nazarekar (1658-1729) in Marathi. It literally means 'Victory to Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu'.
Sridhar Swami Najarekar's (1658-1729/30) real name was Sridhar Brahmananda Deshapande. He was a famous Akhyanaka (narrative) poet. He wrote several' caritra granthas, for example, Harivijaya Grantha, Ramavijaya Grantha, etc.