Swami Samarth

Last updated

Swami Samarth
श्री स्वामी समर्थ
Shri Swami Samarth.jpg
TitleSwami Samarth of Akkalkot
Personal
Born
Nrusimha Bhan [1]

Resting place Akkalkot, Solapur district, India (present-day Maharashtra, India)
Religion Hinduism
Nationality Indian
Religious career
Based in Akkalkot, Maharashtra, India
Disciples
  • Balappa Maharaj, Cholappa Maharaj, Nrusimha Saraswati Maharaj of Alandi, Anandnath Maharaj of Vengurla, Swamisut Maharaj of Mumbai, Shankar Maharaj of Pune, Ramanand Beedkar Maharaj of Pune [3]
Influenced
  • Shankar Maharaj [3]
Quotation

Do not have fear, I shall always be with you
भिऊ नकोस, मी तुझ्या पाठीशी आहे [2]

Contents

Shri Swami Samarth Maharaj (Marathi: श्री स्वामी समर्थ) also known as Swami of Akkalkot [4] was an Indian-Marathi saint (spiritual master) of the Dattatreya Tradition. He lived during the nineteenth century from 1858 to 1878[ citation needed ] and is a known spiritual figure in various Indian states including Karnataka and Maharashtra. Swami Samarth traveled all across the Indian subcontinent and eventually set his abode at Akkalkot, a village in present-day Maharashtra. He is thought to have arrived at Akkalkot on a Wednesday, during either September or October in 1856. He resided at Akkalkot for close to 22 years.

Swami Samartha took a samadhi in 1878. His teachings continue to be followed by millions of people in Maharashtra, and his ashram in Akkalkot remains a popular place of pilgrimage. [5]

Origin and legend

Swami Samarth Math in Maharashtra. Swami Samarth Math, Kadamwadi.jpg
Swami Samarth Math in Maharashtra.

Swami Samarth's parentage and origins remain obscure. According to a legend, once when a disciple asked Swami a question about his birth, Swami responded that he had originated from a banyan tree (vata-vriksha in Marathi). On another occasion, Swami had said that his earlier name was Nrusimha Bhan.

He is considered to be the fourth (third in physical form) incarnation of Dattatreya, the Lord Almighty. He is also believed to be a reincarnation of Narasimha Saraswati, [6] [7] another earlier spiritual master of the Dattatreya sect.

Life

According to Swami Samarth himself, he had originally appeared in the Kardali forests near Srisailam, a Hindu holy town in present-day Andhra Pradesh. Swami Samarth was from Andhra Pradesh later he migrated to different places. He might have moved through Tibet and Nepal during his travels across the Himalayas and its adjacent regions. He is also believed to have visited various Indian regions such as Puri, Varanasi (also Kashi), Haridwar, Girnar, Kathiawar and Rameswaram. He might have also briefly lived at Mangalvedha, a town near Pandharpur in present-day Solapur district, Maharashtra. He finally settled at Akkalkot. [8] [7]

Swami Samarth is also believed to have visited Maniknagar, Karnataka to meet Manik Prabhu, an Indian saint and mystic considered to be another incarnation of Dattatreya. [9] According to the Shree Manik Prabhu Charitra (biography), Swami resided at Maniknagar for around six months. During this period, Manik Prabhu and Swami Samarth often sat under a cluster fig tree (Audumbar in Marathi) and had conversations on profound spirituality. It is claimed that Swami Samarth regarded Manik Prabhu as a brother. [10]

Swami Samarth probably arrived at Akkalkot in 1856 on receiving an invitation from Chintopant Tol and then stayed on the outskirts of the town for about 22 years. He lived at the residence of his disciple Cholappa, where his shrine is presently located. [11]

A common mantra commemorating Swami Samarth is read as “Aum Abhayadata Shree Swamisamarthaya Namaha”. His biography known as Shree Guruleelamrut was authored by Sant Wamanbhau Maharaj.

See also

Sources

[ verification needed ]

Additional publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dattatreya</span> Hindu deity

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gajanan Maharaj</span> Hindu guru from western Indian state of Maharashtra

Gajanan Maharaj was an Indian Hindu guru, saint and mystic. His origins remain uncertain. He first appeared at Shegaon, a village in Buldhana district, Maharashtra, as a young man aged 30, probably on 23 February 1878. He attained Sanjeevana Samadhi on September 8, 1910, which is thought to be a process of voluntary withdrawal from one's physical body. This date of his Samadhi is commemorated every year as part of the Shree Punyatithi Utsav. The date of his first appearance is considered an auspicious day and is celebrated as Prakat Din Sohla.

Murtijapur is a Municipal council and one of the taluka of district of Akola of the Amravati division of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.

Akkalkot is a city and a municipal council in Solapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is situated 38 km southeast of Solapur and close to the border of Karnataka state.

<i>Dasbodh</i> 17th century Indian Bhakti text

Dāsbodh, loosely meaning "advice to the disciple" in Marathi, is a 17th-century bhakti (devotion) and jnana (insight) spiritual text. It was orally narrated by the saint Samarth Ramdas to his disciple, Kalyan Swami. The Dāsbodh provides readers with spiritual guidance on matters such as devotion and acquiring knowledge. Besides this, it also helps in answering queries related to day-to-day life and how to find solutions to it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sripada Sri Vallabha</span> Medieval Hindu religious leader

Sripada Srivallabha is an Indian guru of the Dattatreya Sampradaya (Lineage) who is regarded as an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya. He is considered as one of the first complete Avatars (incarnations) of the deity Dattatreya in Kali Yuga. Of note, Narasimha Saraswati, Manik Prabhu, Swami Samarth, Sai Baba of Shirdi, are believed to be other incarnations of Lord Dattatreya that followed Sripada Srivallabha.

Saraswati Gangadhar wrote Shri GuruCharitra, a book on the life of Narasimha Saraswati who is considered to be the second avatar of Dattatreya. Nothing much is known about Gangadhar's life other than through the Shri GuruCharitra.

The Shri Guru Charitra is a book based on the life of Shri Nrusimha Saraswati, written by the 15th-16th century poet Shri Saraswati Gangadhar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narasimha Saraswati</span> Hindu theologian of the Dattatreya tradition

Shree Narasimha Saraswati Swami or Shree Nrusimha Saraswati Swami was an Indian guru of Dattatreya tradition(sampradaya). According to the Shri GuruCharitra, he is the second avatar of Dattatreya in Kali Yuga after Sripada Sri Vallabha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vasudevanand Saraswati</span> Hindu saint

Vasudevanand Saraswati, also known as Tembe Swami, is a Hindu saint who is regarded as an incarnation of Dattatreya.

Dindori is a town and taluka in Nashik district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Valsang is a village between Solapur and Akkalkot in western India. It is in the Solapur district of Maharashtra, within the Solapur South block.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gondavalekar Maharaj</span> Indian Hindu saint (1845-1913)

Brahmachaitanya was an Indian Hindu saint and spiritual master. Brahmachaitanya was a devotee of the Hindu deity Rama and signed his name as "Brahmachaitanya Ramdasi". He was a disciple of Tukamai, and advocated for japa meditation with the Trayodaśakṣarī mantra of Rama to attain spiritual progress and liberation. The mantra is "Śrī Rāma Jaya Rāma Jaya Jaya Rāma " which is also known by other names such as Śrī Rāma Jaya mantra and Śrī Rāma Tāraka mantra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ganapatrao Maharaj Kannur</span> Indian guru

Shri Samartha Sadaguru Ganapatrao Maharaj Kannur (1909–2004) was an Indian guru in the Inchegeri Sampradaya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manik Prabhu</span>

Manik Prabhu Maharaj was an Indian Hindu saint, philosopher, poet and guru. He is also regarded as an incarnation of Dattatreya by the people of Datta Sampraday. Prabhu's philosophy, the Sakala mata Siddhanta rests on the principles of Advaita Vedanta as propagated by Adi Sankara. Shri Prabhu strongly advocated the essential oneness of all religions. Prabhu's Muslim devotees revered him as an incarnation of Mehboob Subhani whereas his Lingayat devotees saw him as a form of Basavanna. Shri Prabhu composed numerous bhajans and padas in various languages such as Marathi, Kannada, Hindi, Urdu and Sanskrit. Shri Prabhu was also associated with the First War of Indian Independence in 1857. Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi, Shri Swami Samarth of Akkalkot, Shri Bramhachaitanya of Gondavale and many other contemporary saints are believed to have visited Maniknagar to interact with Prabhu on matters of deep spiritual wisdom. Biographers refer to Shri Prabhu as a saint of great spirituality and mysticism. Shri Prabhu's teachings emphasize the path of Bhakti. He also moralized on the vedantic truths concerning the spiritual unity of beings. Manik Nagar, Humnabad, Bidar District is the place where he took sanjeevani samadhi. Shri Prabhu's samadhi at Maniknagar is the nucleus of Manik Nagar and acts as the spiritual center of the activities of Shri Manik Prabhu Samsthan.

<i>Deool Band</i> 2015 Indian Marathi-language drama film

Deool Band is a 2015 Indian Marathi-language drama film directed by Pravin Tarde and Pranit Kulkarni in their directorial debut. It released on 31 July 2015. It stars Gashmeer Mahajani and Girija Joshi in the lead roles, with Mohan Joshi portraying Swami Samarth–considered to be an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya. It is the story of a scientist who does not believe in god.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panth Maharaj</span>

Pant Maharaj, born Dattatreya Ramchandra Kulkarni, was a Hindu yogi and guru in the Belgavi region of India and is regarded by his devotees as a saint and an incarnation of Dattatreya.

<i>Jai Jai Swami Samarth</i> Indian mythological series

Jai Jai Swami Samarth is an Indian Marathi language TV series which airing on Colors Marathi. It premiered from 28 December 2020 by replacing Swamini. It is directed by Umesh Namjoshi and written by Shirish Latkar under the banner of CamsKlub Studios. Akshay Mudwadkar plays the role of Swami Samarth.

References

  1. Dr. Narendra Sadashiv Kunte (March 2000). नित्यक्रम आणि उपासना[Nityakram aani Upasana] (in Marathi).
  2. 1 2 "About Shri Swami Samarth Maharaj". Swami Samarth Swadhyay, USA. Archived from the original on 20 May 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Shree Swami Samarth Maharaj - Profile". Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  4. "Shree Swami Samarth of Akkalkot". ShreeSwami.org. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  5. "श्री स्वामी समर्थ महाराज यांच्या पादुकांची पालखी" [Śrī Swāmī samarth mahārāj yān̄cyā pādukān̄cī pālkhī]. Lokmat (in Marathi). Nashik. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  6. Karandikar, N. S. (2008). Sri Swami Samarth. Sterling Publishers. p. 22. ISBN   9788120734456.
  7. 1 2 "Shree Swami Samarth".
  8. Hanumante, Mukund M. (1999). A Glimpse of Divinity: Shri Swami Samarth Maharaj of Akkalkot. Kenner, USA: Akkalkot Swami Samarth Foundation ISBN   978-0-9669943-0-8
  9. "Shri Manik Prabhu Maharaj – Shri Manik Prabhu Samsthan". Archived from the original on 15 February 2016.
  10. "Shri Manik Prabhu Maharaj".
  11. पवनीकर, श्रीकांत (30 March 2023). "श्री क्षेत्र अक्कलकोट संपूर्ण माहिती 2023 | Akkalkot A to Z Information". bhramangatha.in (in Marathi). Retrieved 30 March 2023.