| Brahmachaitanya Maharaj | |
| Religion: | Hinduism |
| Birth Date: | 19 February 1845 |
| Birth Place: | Gondavale Budruk, Satara district, Maharashtra, India |
| Birth Name: | Ganpati Raoji Ghugardare (Kulkarni) |
| Death Place: | Gondavale Budruk, Satara district, Maharashtra, India |
| Guru: | Tukamai |
| Disciples: | Brahmanand, Anandsagar, Bhausaheb Ketkar, Dr. Kurtakoti, Pandurangabuva, Tatyasaheb Ketkar, Pralhad Maharaj |
| Philosophy: | Bhakti Yoga, Vaishnavism |
Brahmachaitanya (also popularly known as Gondavalekar Maharaj) (19 February 1845[1] – 22 December 1913) 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,[2] and advocated for japa meditation with the of Rama to attain spiritual progress and liberation.[1] The mantra is " " which is also known by other names such as and .
Brahmachaitanya Maharaj was born on 19 February 1845[1] to Raoji and Gitabai Ghugardare (Kulkarni), a Deshastha Brahmin couple from Gondavale Budruk, a village in present-day Satara district, Maharashtra, India. His birth name was Ganpati Raoji Ghugardare (Kulkarni). His family were devotees to Lord Vitthala, a Hindu deity considered an incarnation of Krishna. His grandfather, Lingopant held the title of Kulkarni (rural record-keeper) of Gondavale during the Maratha Empire regime, which later also became the family name.[1]
During childhood, Ganpati was said to have memorized the Hindu text Bhagavad Gita. He was bestowed the title of "Brahmachaitanya" by his master Tukamai. He is believed to have attained enlightenment at a very young age of 5.
He arrived in Yehalegaon, a village near Nanded, and met Tukamai, who was considered a living synthesis of the three paths to self realization i.e., Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Karma Yoga. Ganpati stayed with Tukamai for nine months and would obediently follow the latter's instructions. On the occasion of Ram Navami, Tukamai initiated Ganapati with the mantra "Śrī Rām Jai Rām Jai Jai Rām" ("श्री राम जय राम जय जय राम"), and bestowed upon him the title of "Brahmachaitanya."
Brahmachaitanya later traveled across India to Ujjain, the Himalayan, Ayodhya, Kashi, Calcutta, Indore and Nasik. During March 1866, Brahmachaitanya returned to Gondavale and accepted gṛhasthi or a material lifestyle.[1] His first wife Saraswati and his son passed away prematurely, and he remarried a daughter of the Deshpande (district record-keeper) of Atpadi. His second wife was blind from birth and later became known as Aaisaheb. After given up all their belongings, Brahmachaitanya took his mother, Gitabai, on a pilgrimage to Varanasi and then Ayodhya. Gitabai is believed to have died in Ayodhya
During later years, Brahmachaitanya continued to expound spiritual methods revolving around devotion to Rama. Initially, he had a Rama temple built as an extension to his residence.[1] With time, the number of his disciples and followers increased. To cater to an increasing number of devotees, he arranged for the construction of Rama, Dattatreya, and Shani temples with an accommodation facility at Gondavale. He also had Rama temples built in other rural regions of Maharashtra.
Brahmachaitanya breathed his last on 22 December 1913, in Gondavale.[3]
Brahmachaitanya was a proponent of Bhakti Yoga. His teachings were aligned with that of Samarth Ramdas. The Ram Nam mantra, originally attributed to Ramdas, was adopted by Brahmachaitanya, and was central to his teachings.[4] According to S. G. Tulpule, Brahmachaitanya, like saints Mirabai, Ramdas, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and Tulsidas, was a well-known practitioner of reciting the divine name as an incarnation of God.[5]
Brahmachaitanya frequently used pravachan and bhajan to engage people along the path of devotion. He encouraged cow protection and food donation. He was also one of the key figures in the revival of Vedic ritualism (vaidik anuṣṭhān) in Maharashtra.
Bramhachaitanya advised[1] seekers that one can achieve God through spiritual practices. The two proven ways for the worldly people to be able to attain eternal bliss with the purity of heart are सत्संगती (company of saints) and नाम (chanting the name of God). Brahmachaitanya spent his lifetime teaching the importance of Naam Japa.
He advocated the continued remembrance of God through Naam Japa as a means to happiness, contentment and peace.
Brahmachaitanya's teachings are summarized in his subodh[6] (sound advice), which is recited in Gondavale and by his followers across the world.
Subodh teachings include:
The daily discourses of Bramhachaitanya have been compiled into 'Pravachane' book of discourses.[7]
Shri K. V. Belsare, affectionately known as "Baba" (father), was born in a highly educated family in Hyderabad in 1909. He mastered the scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita, Dasbodh and Dnyaneshwari, at an early age and is believed to have memorized all of the 700 shlokas of the Bhagavad Gita in one week. He later became a professor of philosophy at Siddhartha college in Mumbai. His lectures were so popular that students from other disciplines used to line up and the classrooms were often overflowing due to his extraordinary clarity and ability to teach complex subjects in an easy-to-understand manner. He was initiated by Brahmachaitanya in 1931. On Brahmachaitanya's orders, Baba became the cornerstone of propagating Maharaj's teachings to a vast population over 60 years through many discourses on topics ranging from meditation to lectures on the Dnyaneshwari and Dasbodh. He authored more than 50 books in Marathi. His notable books include the biography of Brahmachaitanya, Upanishdacha Abhyas (studies on Upanishads) and Bhavarthgatha.[8]
D.R. Bendre (1896 – 1981) was a Kannada poet and recipient of the Jnanpith Award. Bendre credited Brahmachaitanya for bestowing on him the gift of poetry.[9]
Brahmachaitanya and his followers built and consecrated many temples around India. There are also temples dedicated to Brahmachaitanya in Maharashtra as well as in other places in India such as Bangalore (Srinivasanagar), and Hebbali in Dharwad district. The Ram Nam Japa ritual is held on a daily basis in these temples.
| Temple | Location | Year | ||
| 1 | Dhakale Rama Mandir | Gondavale | 1895 | |
| 2 | Datta Mandira, Aatapaadi | Aatapaadi | 1892 | |
| 3 | Thorale Rama Mandir | Gondavale | 1892 | |
| 4 | Vitthala Mandir | Gondavale | ||
| 5 | Rama Mandir | Beladadhi | 1896 | |
| 6 | Ananda Rama Mandir | Jalna, Anandavadi | 1896 | |
| 7 | Tilwankar Rama Mandir | Varanasi | 1897/98 | |
| 8 | Pattabhi Rama Mandir | Harda | 1900 | |
| 9 | Rajaadhiraja Rama Mandir | Mandave | 1901 | |
| 10 | Rama Mandir | Giravi | 1901 | |
| 11 | Rama Mandir | Sorati, Ujjain | 1901 | |
| 12 | Rama Mandir | Yavagal | 1901 | |
| 13 | Datta Mandira | Yavagal | 1901 | |
| 14 | Rama Mandir | Kagavada | 1902 | |
| 15 | Rama Mandir | Gomewadi | 1903 | |
| 16 | Rama Mandir | Mhasoorne | 1903 | |
| 17 | Rama Mandir | Vita | 1903 | |
| 18 | Rama Mandir | Manjarde | 1905/6 | |
| 19 | Bhadagavkar Rama Mandir | Pandharpur | 1908 | |
| 20 | Janaki Jeevana Rama Mandir | Morgiri | 1908 | |
| 21 | Datta Mandira | Satara | 1908 | |
| 22 | Vitho Anna Daphthardar Rama Murthi | Patna | 1909 | |
| 23 | Javalgekar Rama Mandir | Solapur | 1909 | |
| 24 | chidambara nayakara Rama Mandira | Hubli | 1909 | |
| 25 | Kurthakoti Rama Mandir | Kurthakoti | 1909 | |
| 26 | Atapadi Rama Mandir | Atapadi | 1909 | |
| 27 | Vitthala Mandir | Khathavala | 1909 | |
| 28 | Vitthala Mandir | Uksaan | 1909 | |
| 29 | Vitthala Mandir | Naragunda | 1909 | |
| 30 | Venkatesha Mandir | Venkatapura | 1909 | |
| 31 | Venugopala Mandir | Bidarahall | 1909 | |
| 32 | Hanuman Mandir | Kaagavaada | 1909 | |
| 33 | Rama Mandir | Kannhad | 1911 | |
| 34 | Datta Mandira | Gondavale | 1911 | |
| 35 | Shani Mandir | Gondavale | 1911 | |
| 36 | Kuravali Rama Mandir. | Siddeshwara | 1913 | |
| 37 | Dahiwadi Rama Mandir | Dahiwadi, Maharashtra | 1912 | |
| 38 | Haradasi Rama Mandir | Sangli | 1912/13 | |
| 39 | Kukkadavada Rama Mandir | Chintamani, Karnataka | 1912/13 | |
| 40 | Likthe Rama Mandir | Pune | 1914 | |
| 41 | Kherdi Rama Mandir | Chiplun, Maharashtra | 1914 | |
| 42 | Ashwathapur Rama Mandir | Badagumijaru, Karnataka | 1915 | |
| 43 | Emmikeri Rama Mandir | Dharwad | 1915/17 | |
| 44 | Line Bazar Rama Mandir | Dharwad | 1915/17 | |
| 45 | Sri Vishwanatha Seetha Rama chandra Mandira | Gajendraghada | 1916 | |
| 46 | Kanchisamudram Rama Mandir | Kanchisamudram, Andhra Pradesh | 1923 | |
| 47 | Sri Shendurani Ghat Rama Mandir | 1923 | ||
| 48 | Sri Shendurani Ghat Rama Mandir | Kurundavada | 1929 | |
| 49 | Rama Mandir | Viduraashwatha | 1930 | |
| 50 | Rama Mandira | Indore | 1931 | |
| 51 | Brahmachaithanya Rama Mandira | Mandaleshwara | 1932 | |
| 52 | Rama Mandira | Gowdigalli, Hubbali | 1945 | |
| 53 | Sri Brahmachaithanya sri Rama Mandira | Chintamani, Karnataka | 1949 | |
| 54 | Rama Mandira | Kudoor, Karnataka | 1969 | |
| 55 | Sri Brahmachaithanya Ashrama & Rama Mandira | Parvathi Payaatha | 1976 | |
| 56 | Rama Mandira | Hadonahalli | 1983 | |
| 57 | Sri Rama Mandira | Samartha Kuti Bedi, Udavah | 1994 | |
| 58 | Rama Mandira | Vudagyav, Pune | 1995 | |
| 59 | Rama Mandira | Maardi | 1997 | |
| 60 | Maharaja's Paduka Mandirs | |||
| 61 | Maharaja's Paduka Mandirs | Kolhapur | 1920 | |
| 62 | Rendaalkar Paduka Mandir | Kolhapur | 1920 | |
| 63 | Brahmachaithanya Mutt | Malad | 1929 | |
| 64 | Brahmachaithanya Mutt & Hanuman Mandir | Mandsaur | 1947 | |
| 65 | Sri Brahmachaithanya Mandir | Bangalore | 1972 | |
| 66 | Paaduka Mandir | Londa | 1982 | |
| 67 | Paaduka Mandir | Hebballi | 1984 | |
| 68 | Paaduka Mandir | Halenagara, Bhadravathi | 1988 | |
| 69 | Gondavale Dhaam | Indore |