| Bhausaheb Maharaj | |
| Religion: | Hinduism |
| Birth Date: | 1843 |
| Birth Place: | Karnataka |
| Birth Name: | Bhausaheb Umadikar |
| Death Date: | 1914 |
| Founder: | Inchegeri Sampradaya |
| Guru: | Nimbargi Maharaj |
| Philosophy: | Jnana yoga |
Bhausaheb Maharaj (- c. 1914) was the founder of the Inchegeri Sampradaya, to which the well-known Indian guru Nisargadatta Maharaj belonged.
Bhausaheb Maharaj was born in 1843 as Venkatesh Khanderao Deshpande. Bhausaheb Maharaj belonged to the Deshastha Brahmin caste.
According to Kotnis, Bhausaheb Maharj was looked upon as the reincarnation of Sant Tukaram (1577–1650), a prominent Varkari Sant and spiritual poet of the Bhakti, who had taken birth again in the Neelwani Lingayat community to finish his work of spreading the knowledge of Self-realisation. He met his guru Sri Nimbargi at the age of fourteen. At the request of Nimbargi, Bhausaheb Maharaj Deshpande (1843 Umdi - 1914 Inchgiri)[1] received mantra initiation from Shri Raghunathpriya Sadhu Maharaj, who was an ardent follower and a devoted disciple of Shri Gurulingajangam Maharaj.[2] Bhausaheb Maharaj became a disciple of Nimbargi Maharaj.
Bhausaheb Maharaj's teachings, and those of his student Gurudeo Ranade, have been called Pipilika Marg ,[3] "the Ant's way", the way of meditation,[4] while the teachings of his student Siddharameshwar Maharaj, and Siddharameshwar Maharaj's disciples Nisargadatta Maharaj and Ranjit Maharaj have been called Vihangam Marg, "the Bird's Way", the direct path to Self-discovery. Ranjit Maharaj comments:
Bhausaheb Maharaj's teachings were collected in a book called Nama-Yoga, a term coined by the compilers and translators of the book, whereas Bhausaheb Maharaj himself called it Jnana Marga, just like Nimbargi Maharaj did. The editors wrote:
After his awakening he was authorized by Nimbargi to carry on the lineage, and established the Inchegeri Sampraday. Sri Bhausaheb Maharaj had many students, among which were: