Panth Maharaj
Panth Maharaj | |
---|---|
Avadhut Navnath | |
Religious career | |
Guru | Balmukund |
Literary works | Datta Prem Lahari, Balbodhamrutsaar, Atmajyoti, Bhaktalaap, Paramanubhavaprakash, Sfut Lekh, Bodhanandgutika, Anubhavalli, Bramhopadesh, Prembhet, Bhagvadgeetasaar, Bhaktodgaar, Premtarang[2] |
Born | Dattatreya Ramchandra Kulkarni |
Nationality | Indian |
"Look inwards, Oh Man.
For the Self which is one with the Guru, Shedding the distinction between the rich and the poor, Burn down the ashes of castes and lineages.
What is Knowledge? What is Meditation? And what is Pure Experience?
When you have become one with Balmukund, There is neither happiness nor sorrow." – from the Datta Prem Lahari pada 87
Pant Maharaj (3 September 1855 – 16 October 1905), born Dattatreya Ramchandra Kulkarni,
Biography
Pant Maharaj was born in a Deshastha Brahmin family[4] to Ramachandra Pant and Sitabai (née Godakka) on the 3 September 1855 in Daddi on the auspicious day of Krishna Janmashtami.[5][6] He spent much of his infancy and early years in his father's ancestral village of Balekundri and after his upanayana at the age of eight, moved to his mother's ancestral village of Daddi for primary school, living with his maternal uncle.[7]
Pant Maharaj's life was marked by poverty and struggles to provide for his family members. He lived through the Great Famine of 1876–1878 and was employed as a teacher for 23 years at the London Mission School in Belgavi.[8][9]
He is considered to be great Hindu saint who founded a philosophy in which the nine gurus of the Avadhut sampradaya are attributed to Dattatreya.[10][11] He is considered by some devotees to be an incarnation of Dattatreya.[12][13][14]
On 27 October 1892, Pant Maharaj met with his contemporary, Swami Vivekananda, during the latter's 13 day visit to Belgavi, where they conversed for several hours.[15][16][17]
Legacy
The main ashram and temple dedicated to Pant Maharaj is located in the village of
The temple houses the wooden shoes, or padukas, worn by him. Behind the temple is an Indian fig tree marking the spot where he was cremated and an eternal flame that has been kept burning from his funeral pyre.[6]
Annually thousands devotees of Pant Maharaj from
Literary works
Datta Prem Lahari, meaning waves of love from Pant Maharaj, is considered to be his most seminal work.
Written by Pant Maharaj as a guide for two other disciples, the essay Premtarang, meaning wave of love, discusses existential questions about our life, God, and reincarnation, while the parallel essay, Bodhanand Gutika describes the eight limbs of yoga.[22]
A few years after Balmukund departed for
In 1885 and 1886, Pant Maharaj wrote a series of essays narrating his experiences of self-realization. In the essay Atmajyoti, Pant Maharaj describes the euphoria experienced when he attained self-realization under the guidance of Balmukund. He compares his experience to that of
In 1901, Pant Maharaj authored a story referred to as Prembhet or Bhaktodgar where a devotee approaches Balmukund with the desire to attain moksha through self-realization. Balmukund then proceeds to worship, bless, and enlighten the disciple, ultimately becoming spiritually one with him.[22]
In Balbodhamrutsar, Pant Maharaj authored an entire guidebook based on Balmukund's simple advice that devotees should be of few words and behave as self-realized persons in society.[22]
Bibliography
- Kher, Indira (1994), Avadhuta Yogi Pant Maharaj of Balekundari, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
- Ramakrishnan, S. (2004). "10". Glimpses of the Great. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. ISBN 81-7276-333-6.
References
- ^ Kher (1994), p. 270.
- ^ "Pant Maharaj Balekundrikar Available Literature", pant-balekundrikar.in, retrieved 8 December 2018
- ^ Kher (1994), p. 1.
- ^ a b India. Office of the Registrar General (1969). Census of India, 1961. Volume 11, Issue 6. Part 13. p. 4.
- ^ Kher (1994), p. 3.
- ^ a b c "Panchamukhi Sadguru Shri Pant Maharaj Balekundrikar". All About Belgaum. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- ^ Kher (1994), p. 6-7.
- ^ Dharwardkar, Naresh (1 July 2005). "Shri Pant Maharaj As A Householder, Family Man And A Strict Disciplirian". Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ Dharwadkar, Naresh (1 July 2005). "Shri Pant Maharaj As A Teacher". Shri Sai Leela. July–August 2005. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ a b "श्री पंत महाराज (श्री दत्त संस्थान, बाळेकुंद्री) Biography". pantmaharaj.com. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- ^ Joshi, Dr. P. N. (2000) Shri Dattatreya Dnyankosh. Pune: Shri Dattatreya Dnyankosh Prakashan.
- ISBN 8120721470.
- ^ Mokashi-Punekar, Shankar (1974). Vinayaka Krishna Gokak. Institute of Kannada Studies, University of Mysore. p. 11.
- ^ "Kaliyugi Avatars & Satpurusha". Shree Gurudev Datta Mandir Vakola, Mumbai. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- Times of India. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- ^ "Swami Vivekananda and his Belagavi visit". All About Belgaum. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- ^ Shyamali Chowdhury. Chronological Account of the Events in the Parivrajka Life of Swami Vivekananda (July 1890-May 1893) (PDF). Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- ^ "Thousands attend Balekundri fair". The New Indian Express. 28 October 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- ^ "Pant Maharaj's death centenary from Tuesday". The Hindu. 16 October 2005. Retrieved 11 December 2018.[dead link]
- ^ "Pant Maharaj's anniversary". The Hindu. 28 October 2004. Retrieved 11 December 2018.[dead link]
- OCLC 16932504.
- ^ a b c d e f "Pant Maharaj Literature". Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- ^ Kher (1994), p. 273.