Gondavalekar Maharaj

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Brahmachaitanya Maharaj
Bhakti Yoga, Vaishnavism
Religious career
GuruTukamai
Disciples
  • Brahmanand, Anandsagar, Bhausaheb Ketkar, Dr. Kurtakoti, Pandurangabuva, Tatyasaheb Ketkar, Pralhad Maharaj

Brahmachaitanya (also popularly known as Gondavalekar Maharaj) (19 February 1845

Sanskrit: श्री राम जय राम जय जय राम​)" which is also known by other names such as Śrī Rāma Jaya mantra (lit. 'The Rama mantra for victory') and Śrī Rāma Tāraka mantra (lit. 'The Rama mantra for Salvation').[3]

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.[2]

Initiation

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"),[1]
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 Kashi.

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]

Ram Mandir in Gondavale

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.[2][4]

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.[5] 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.[6]

Brahmachaitanya frequently used

Vedic ritualism (vaidik anuṣṭhān) in Maharashtra.[5]

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[7] (sound advice), which is recited in Gondavale and by his followers across the world.

Subodh teachings include:[7]

  • Chant the name of God and share the importance of chanting with everyone you meet.
  • Naam alone is the ultimate truth.
  • Naam is the means and the end.
  • Be soaked in the blissful chanting while enjoying worldly pleasures.
  • Be happy and stay away from laziness, fear, and hate.
  • Always be mindful of the divine presence in life.
  • Be polite and nice to people and perform bhakti with complete devotion.
  • Purity in thought and action is recommended and refrain from hypocrisy.
  • Consider Ram as your friend, guide and master and surrender to him wholeheartedly.
  • Give your 100% to everything you do and leave the results of your effort to Ram, thereby dropping the doer ship entirely.
  • Control your desires and be righteous in your behavior.
  • Ram is the giver of happiness, and one should consider performing worldly duties as a way to serve Him.
  • Sing and chant His name and always be content and at peace even if you lose all the worldly belongings.
  • Pride is the biggest enemy of a seeker, be alert and do not give in to your ego.
  • Ram resides in our hearts. He is the epitome of love and yearns for love from all his followers.

The daily discourses of Bramhachaitanya have been compiled into 'Pravachane' book of discourses.[8]

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.[9]

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.[10]

Worship

Image showing Entrance of Samadhi Mandir of Brahma Chaitanya Gondavlekar Maharaj at Gondavle

Temples

गोंदवलेकर महाराज यांच्या समाधी मंदिराचे मुख्य द्वार
Samadhi Mandir Gondavle

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[1] 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

In literature

  • Sri Brahmachaitanya Gondavalekar Maharaj – biography by K.V. Belsare[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i K V Belsare. Shri Ram The Saint Of Gondawali The Life And Sayings Of Shri Brahmachaitanya K. V. Belsare.
  2. ^ a b c "(1)". Archived from the original on 30 July 2016.
  3. ISBN 9788120805453
  4. ^ "Shri Brahma Chaitanya Gondavalekar Maharaj". Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-3-11-051732-3
    .
  6. JSTOR 43977237
    .
  7. ^ a b Gondavle, Bramhachaitanya - Subodh, retrieved 19 July 2021 Published by Anmol Prakashan, Pune
  8. ^ Belsare, Keshav Vishnu (1961). Shri Ram, the Saint of Goldawali; Or The Life and Sayings of Shri Brahma Chaitanya. Y.G. Joshi.
  9. ^
    JSTOR 24157340
    .
  10. ISBN 978-81-7201-515-2
    .

External links
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