Gondavalekar Maharaj Explained

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 .

Biography

Early life

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.

Initiation

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

Return to Gondavale

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.

Final years

Brahmachaitanya breathed his last on 22 December 1913, in Gondavale.[3]

Philosophy

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.

Teachings

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]

Noted disciples and followers

Shri K. V. Belsare

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

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]

Worship

Temples

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.

TempleLocationYear
1Dhakale Rama MandirGondavale1895
2Datta Mandira, AatapaadiAatapaadi1892
3Thorale Rama MandirGondavale1892
4Vitthala MandirGondavale
5Rama MandirBeladadhi1896
6Ananda Rama MandirJalna, Anandavadi1896
7Tilwankar Rama MandirVaranasi1897/98
8Pattabhi Rama MandirHarda1900
9Rajaadhiraja Rama MandirMandave1901
10Rama MandirGiravi1901
11Rama MandirSorati, Ujjain1901
12Rama MandirYavagal1901
13Datta MandiraYavagal1901
14Rama MandirKagavada1902
15Rama MandirGomewadi1903
16Rama MandirMhasoorne1903
17Rama MandirVita1903
18Rama MandirManjarde1905/6
19Bhadagavkar Rama MandirPandharpur1908
20Janaki Jeevana Rama MandirMorgiri1908
21Datta MandiraSatara1908
22Vitho Anna Daphthardar Rama MurthiPatna1909
23Javalgekar Rama MandirSolapur1909
24chidambara nayakara Rama MandiraHubli1909
25Kurthakoti Rama MandirKurthakoti1909
26Atapadi Rama MandirAtapadi1909
27Vitthala MandirKhathavala1909
28Vitthala MandirUksaan1909
29Vitthala MandirNaragunda1909
30Venkatesha MandirVenkatapura1909
31Venugopala MandirBidarahall1909
32Hanuman MandirKaagavaada1909
33Rama MandirKannhad1911
34Datta MandiraGondavale1911
35Shani MandirGondavale1911
36Kuravali Rama Mandir.Siddeshwara1913
37Dahiwadi Rama MandirDahiwadi, Maharashtra1912
38Haradasi Rama MandirSangli1912/13
39Kukkadavada Rama MandirChintamani, Karnataka1912/13
40Likthe Rama MandirPune1914
41Kherdi Rama MandirChiplun, Maharashtra1914
42Ashwathapur Rama MandirBadagumijaru, Karnataka1915
43Emmikeri Rama MandirDharwad1915/17
44Line Bazar Rama MandirDharwad1915/17
45Sri Vishwanatha Seetha Rama chandra MandiraGajendraghada1916
46Kanchisamudram Rama MandirKanchisamudram, Andhra Pradesh1923
47Sri Shendurani Ghat Rama Mandir1923
48Sri Shendurani Ghat Rama MandirKurundavada1929
49Rama MandirViduraashwatha1930
50Rama MandiraIndore1931
51Brahmachaithanya Rama MandiraMandaleshwara1932
52Rama MandiraGowdigalli, Hubbali1945
53Sri Brahmachaithanya sri Rama MandiraChintamani, Karnataka1949
54Rama MandiraKudoor, Karnataka1969
55Sri Brahmachaithanya Ashrama & Rama MandiraParvathi Payaatha1976
56Rama MandiraHadonahalli1983
57Sri Rama MandiraSamartha Kuti Bedi, Udavah1994
58Rama MandiraVudagyav, Pune1995
59Rama MandiraMaardi1997
60Maharaja's Paduka Mandirs
61Maharaja's Paduka MandirsKolhapur1920
62Rendaalkar Paduka MandirKolhapur1920
63Brahmachaithanya MuttMalad1929
64Brahmachaithanya Mutt & Hanuman MandirMandsaur1947
65Sri Brahmachaithanya MandirBangalore1972
66Paaduka MandirLonda1982
67Paaduka MandirHebballi1984
68Paaduka MandirHalenagara, Bhadravathi1988
69Gondavale DhaamIndore

In literature

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: K V Belsare. Shri Ram The Saint Of Gondawali The Life And Sayings Of Shri Brahmachaitanya K. V. Belsare.
  2. Web site: (1). live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160730190006/http://shrigondavalekarmaharaj.org:80/ . 30 July 2016 .
  3. Web site: Shri Brahma Chaitanya Gondavalekar Maharaj. . 4 August 2021.
  4. Book: Borayin Larios. Embodying the Vedas: Traditional Vedic Schools of Contemporary Maharashtra. 10 April 2017. De Gruyter. 978-3-11-051732-3. 198–199.
  5. Laddu . S. D. . Review of THE DIVINE NAME IN THE INDIAN TRADITION (A Comparative Study) . Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute . 1993 . 74 . 1/4 . 335–338 . 43977237 .
  6. Published by Anmol Prakashan, Pune
  7. Book: Belsare, Keshav Vishnu. Shri Ram, the Saint of Goldawali; Or The Life and Sayings of Shri Brahma Chaitanya. 1961. Y.G. Joshi. en.
  8. UPADHYE . P.M. . Saint Literature in Marathi . Indian Literature . 1976 . 19 . 5 . 49–62 . 24157340 .
  9. Book: G. S. Amur. Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre (Ambikatanayadatta). Sahitya Akademi. 1994. 978-81-7201-515-2. 8–9.