Brahmachaitanya

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Brahmachaitanya Maharaj
Brahmachaitanya Maharaj
Personal
Born	Ganpati Raoji Ghugardare (Kulkarni) 20 February 1844 Gondavale Budruk, Satara district, Maharashtra, India
Died	22 December 1913 Gondavale Budruk, Satara district, Maharashtra, India
Religion	Hinduism
Philosophy	Advaita Vedanta, Vaishnavism
Religious career
Guru	Tukamai
Disciples Brahmanand, Anandsagar, Bhausaheb Ketkar, Dr. Kurtakoti, Pandurangabuva, Tatyasaheb Ketkar, Pralhad Maharaj

Brahmachaitanya or Gondavalekar Maharaj (20 February 1844^[1] - 22 December 1913) was an Indian Hindu saint and spiritual master. His original name was Ganpati Raoji Ghugardare (Kulkarni). Brahmachaitanya was a devotee of the Hindu deity Rama and signed his name 'Brahmachaitanya Ramdasi.' He was a disciple of Tukamai.^[2] Brahmachaitanya advocated for Japa meditation using the 13-character Ram Naam mantra "Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram" to attain enlightenment.^[1]

Biography[]

Early life[]

Brahmachaitanya was born on 20 February 1844^[1] to Raoji and Gitabai Ghugardare (Kulkarni), a Deshastha Brahmin couple from Gondavale Budruk, a village in present-day Satara district, Maharashtra, India. He was the descendant of several generations of pious devotees of Lord Vitthala, an incarnation of Krishna. His grandfather, Lingopant, was bestowed the title of Kulkarni, which became their family name, and he was given several acres of farmland in Gondavale by the government.^[1]

As a young child, Ganpati was a fast learner, memorizing the shlokas from the Bhagavad Gita^[1] based on recitations by his grandfather, Lingpoant. He often meditated and would never miss out on a meeting giving him a chance to talk with various saints and sages at the town temple. A t the age of nine, Ganpati left home in spiritual pursuits, but was tracked down and brought back home from Kolhapur by his father. At eleven, he married a girl by the name of Saraswati.^[1] At age twelve, Ganpati again left home in search of a spiritual guru.^[1] He travelled across India and visited numerous contemporary saints and spiritual masters, including Swami Samarth of Akkalkot, Manik Prabhu, Trailanga Swami, and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.^{[citation needed]}

Initiation[]

He later arrived at Yehalegaon, a village near Nanded, and met Shri Tukamai, considered a living synthesis of Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Karma Yoga. The first meeting was impactful, and Ganpati stayed with Tukamai for nine months and followed Shri Tukamai's instructions. Finally, on Ram Navami, Shri Tukamai initiated Ganapati with the mantra "Śrī Rām Jai Rām Jai Jai Rām" ("श्री राम जय राम जय जय राम").^[1] Shri Tukamai bestowed upon him the title "Brahmachaitanya." He reportedly attained enlightenment at the age of sixteen.^[2]

Family life[]

Brahmachaitanya later travelled across India to Ujjain, the Himalayas, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Calcutta, Indore, and Nashik. After roughly nine years, in March 1866, Brahmachaitanya returned home to Gondavale. Brahmachaitanya accepted family life. During this stage, he performed all his household duties.^[1] Unfortunately, his wife Saraswati and their son died prematurely. To please his mother, he remarried the blind daughter of Deshpande of Atpadi. His second wife was blind from birth and later came to be known as Aaisaheb. Having given up all the belongings, Brahmachaitanya took his mother, Gitabai, on the pilgrimage to Varanasi and then Ayodhya. Gitabai eventually died in Varanasi.

Return to Gondavale[]

In later years, Brahmachaitanya continued to expound spiritual methods revolving around devotion to Rama. Initially, he had a Rama temple built as an extension of his residence.^[1]

Ram Mandir in Gondavale

With time, the number of his disciples and followers continued to increase. To cater increasing number of devotees, he arranged for the construction of Rama, Dattatreya, and Shani temples along with an accommodation facility at Gondavale. He also had Rama temples built in other rural regions of Maharashtra.

Social impact[]

During the famines of 1876 and 1896, Brahmachaitanya opened his granaries for the citizens of Gondavale and the surrounding villages. He donated free food to the weak, the poor, and the elderly. During this period, Brahmachaitanya helped save many people from starvation by making provisions for employment on his farm and offering food to the needy. Brahmachaitanya was known to be an animal lover. He saved hundreds of cows that were intended for the slaughterhouses and even constructed goshalas for them.

Final years[]

From 1890 onwards, he mostly lived in Gondavale. He interpreted the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta in his discourses. He introduced those principles in a plain language that ordinary people could understand.

He died on 22 December 1913, in Gondavale.^[2][3]

Philosophy[]

Brahmachaitanya was a proponent of Bhakti Yoga. His teachings were aligned with that of Samarth Ramdas, a 17th-century sanyasi. The Ram Nam mantra, originally attributed to Samarth Ramdas, was adopted by Brahmachaitanya, and was central to his teachings.^[4] According to S. G. Tulpule, Brahmachaitanya, like Mirabai, Ramdas, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and Tulsidas, was a great practitioner of reciting the divine name as an incarnation of God.^[5][6]

According to him, regular chanting of the mantra in everyday life ensures continuous remembrance of the divine and leads to spiritual progress. He advocated for complete surrender to Rama as a pathway to moksha, but maintained that one need not sacrifice one's material engagements to develop spiritually. He also frequently emphasized the importance of discipline, selflessness, morality, and compassion towards the goal of attaining well-being.

He frequently employed means such as 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.^[4]

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. He made extensive use of 'Pravachans^[7]', 'Bhajans' for encouraging people to follow the path of Bhakti.

He taught people the Mantra 'Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram'. This Mantra has 13 syllables in Devanagari Script. Each syllabic character has its own meaning and Brahmachaitanya has written 13 different 'Abhangas' on each of these characters. This Mantra implies that 'Ram' is in our heart and takes care of all of us.

Brahmachaitanya's teachings are summarized in his Subodh^[8] (sound advice). Subodh is recited in Gondavale and by his followers across the world.

Subodh teachings include:^[8]

• 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.^[9] Compilation of original Marathi Pravachans was done by G.S. Gokhale, and later translated into English^[7] by V.C. Kelkar, N.S. Jamadagni, S.C. Marathe and V.T. Junde.

In his short daily discourses, Brahmachaitanya explains the importance of Naam chanting, the proper posture and procedure during Naam Jap, and how to develop a love for chanting by keeping distractions at bay. He also clarifies the doubts and myths in the minds of seekers. He helps them understand how Naam is the incarnation of the divine and that constant remembrance of the divine not only brings a state of awareness but also helps one sail through the worldly life with ease of mind. He further adds that devotion is the highest means to attain God and that devotion comes with humility.

Readers of this book^[9] also find guidance on a variety of topics:

• Saguna Bhakti (worship of God with form) while being conscious of the nirguna (formless God)
• True object of Sanskaras
• How to stay composed in moments of joy and pain
• How to ascribe doership to God to get rid of unwanted anxiety
• Controlling of our desires
• The purpose of human life
• How to steady the mind

Bramhachaitanya also guides us to understand the difference between Baddha (bonded) and Mukta (liberated). One can learn to be dispassionate in worldly life if not detached and still do his duties while pursuing knowledge and make steady progress on the spiritual path.

"Come what may a true seeker should never abandon Naam - Naam is everlasting and endless, its greatness is unfathomable. Naam, God, and the Devotee is a trinity which is the real symbolic triple confluence. At the end of your proposed Naam, one should refrain from asking something mundane. Instead one should ask for unshakeable contentment, undying love for Naam, and an end to further asking. Further one should pray that O Ram, as lowly as I am, please accept me the way I am and I shall continue to serve you and endlessly chant your name with sincerity and faith until my last breath!"^[10]

Noted disciples and followers[]

Brahmachaitanya's devotees ranged from all walks of life due to Brahmachaitanya's ability to connect with commoners. Brahmachaitanya's disciples span the state of Maharashtra, multiple states in India and across the world.

His most notable disciples included below "param shishyas" (supreme disciples).^[1]

Shri Anand Sagar Maharaj[]

Shri Anand Sagar Maharaj, widely considered the most respected disciple of Brahmachaitanya, was born as 'Govind Anant Kulkarni' in Ambad. His father was a devotee of Shri Samarth Ramdas and used to regularly read 'Dasbodh' and the young Govind also became fascinated by the teachings of Dasbodh. While contemplating on one of the chapters in Dasbodh, he dived deeper in his soul and wondered if he could be fortunate enough to experience the sighting of a realized soul. Suddenly, Brahmachaitanya gave him a darshan (sighting). He was an intensely devotional spiritual follower of Brahmachaitanya. He was pleased with his devotion and started referring to him as 'Anandsagar' (ocean of happiness). Shri Anand Sagar Maharaj's soul left his body in 1907 and his ashes were submerged in the holy rivers along with Brahmachaitanya in 1913, thus eternally uniting this supreme disciple with his Guru.

Shri Brahamandand Maharaj[]

Shri Brahamandand Maharaj was born as "Anant Swami" in a well-educated family in Jalihal district in Karnataka in 1859. In his early years, he mastered most of the foundational sources of knowledge such as Bhagwad Geeta, Vedas, and Puranas. He was considered one of the most educated scholars and experts on topics ranging from logic, literature, and grammar among other streams and was awarded the "Shastri" (Scholar) felicitation at the tender age of 18.

He was a prime example of someone who was a "realized" soul and yet was renowned for his vairagya (detachment). He renounced his worldly knowledge after his initiation by Brahmachaitanya who honored him with his new name "Brahamanand"; which means someone who is 'one with the ultimate and the pure bliss.

In 1913, after Brahmachaitanya's samadhi, he established a very disciplined yet simple daily rituals schedule in Gondavale temple which is followed verbatim till today. His simple rules for living a pure yet fulfilling life are widely followed. He died in 1918 through a rare "Jal samadhi" which means dissolution in water, as water is considered one of the five core elements in much of the matter in this universe.

Dr. Kurtakoti[]

Dr. Kurtakoti was born in 1879 into a wealthy and well-educated family and became a well-renowned scholar in his school and college years. He was known as "Vidyabhushan" (a decorated scholar) by Pandits in Calcutta and was later awarded Ph.D. for his essay "The Heart of Bhagavadgita" from the Oriental University in the US. He was an expert in many languages such as Sanskrit, Marathi, English, Kannada and a scholar on broad topics such as Vedantic Philosophy, Arts, and Neeti (Ethics).  

He was affectionately known as "Mahabhagwat" (meaning a great disciple loved by the God himself) by Brahmachaitanya. He was later appointed as the Shankaracharya (head theologists of the Vedanta teachings) of Karveer peeth by the Maharaja of , Shahu. However, he left the Muth due to differences with Shahu. In the 1920s he tried to mediate between orthodox Hindus and the Dalits on the question of access for the Dalits to Kalaram Temple in Nashik.^[11] In his later years, he devoted himself to social causes such as purification of sinners and absorbing them in the mainstream society. Dr. Kurtakoti has also composed many "bhajan" (devotional songs)s. He has also written "Siddhntasar" – a Sanskrit thesis detailing the Hindu philosophy and contains scholarly discourse about the search for the eternal truth. He died in 1967 at the age of 88 in Nashik. The side picture shows a reference to the thesis by another researcher.

Shri Ramanand Maharaj[]

Shri Ramanand Maharaj was born in 1886 in Chandki in the Varhad region of Maharashtra. From childhood, he showed signs of material detachment and used to find comfort in meditation and bhajan (devotional singing). His uncle left him with Shri Sitarambua who was a senior warkari (Warkari - Wikipedia ) disciple. He was introduced to Brahmachaitanya by Shri Anandsagar and was initiated by Brahmachaitanya who started calling him "Pandurangbua". Brahmachaitanya tested his devotion by asking him to do extremely rigorous sadhana (disciplined service and meditation) over extended periods of time but Shri Pandurang but never failed Brahmachaitanya's expectations who later gave him the privilege of "Giving Anugrah" (authority for initiating) for initiating other devotees. He died in 1930 after a short illness.

Shri Prahlad Maharaj[]

Shri Prahlad Maharaj was born in Sakharkherda in Buldhana district in 1892 in a scholarly family with a deeply devoted heritage.

He chanted Ram Naam 130 million times (130 million is the auspicious number for chanting). He was initiated by Shri Ramanand Maharaj (See above). On one occasion, after attending a discourse on "Dasbodh" by Shri Ramanand Maharaj on the topic of "Vairagya", he left the material world and decided to pursue the spiritual path in earnest. Due to his intense mediation, he was often found in the state of "samadhi" for several days at a time and would survive easily without any food and water during this state. Shri Prahlad Maharaj is credited with fiercely promoting "Naamsmaran'' (Chanting of Naam) to large populations of devotees looking for fulfillment in modern times across much of Maharashtra. He left the material world in 1979.

Shri Bhausaheb Ketkar[]

Shri Bhausaheb Ketkar was the foremost disciple of Brahmachaitanya and is considered especially blessed because he probably spent most of the time in the company of Brahmachaitanya on a regular/daily basis. Moreover, Shri Bhausaheb stands out as the most devoted family man yet devoted his entire life to the teachings of Brahmachaitanya. Even though he was not as scholarly as some of Brahmachaitanya's other disciples, his love and devotion to Brahmachaitanya was absolute and unalloyed and he lived every breath of his life entirely per Brahmachaitanya wishes. A large number of current followers of Brahmachaitanya from common walks of life consider Shri Bhausaheb as their idol and role model.

Shri Tatyasaheb Ketkar[]

Shri Tatyasaheb Ketkar, the son of Shri Bhausaheb Ketkar (see above) was born in 1885 into a highly devout family who worshipped Brahmachaitanya. Shri Tatyasaheb's life was filled with "Vivek" and "Vairagya" (Discernment and detachment of worldly and bodily possessions). Tatyasaheb lived most of his early life in the blessed and blissful company of Brahmachaitanya in Gondavale. His marriage was ordained by Brahmachaitanya. Brahmachaitanya is believed to be speaking through Tatyasaheb for a period of 32 years (1925 through 1967) which is considered a modern-day miracle. His life was highlighted by utmost simplicity and unalloyed devotion to Brahmachaitanya. It is often said that he believed that even in his own home, he would stay as if he was the guest of Brahmachaitanya because, for him, the entire world is owned and consumed by Brahmachaitanya. Much of Brahmachaitanya's current teachings were recited during these 32 years of "vaani" (speech) avatar including his widely popular series of 365 1-pager discourse designed for daily reading. Shri Tatyasaheb died in 1967.

Shri K. V. Belsare[]

Shri K. V. Belsare, affectionately known as "Baba" (father), was born in a highly educated family in Hyderabad in 1909. Since childhood, Baba was the bright child who had lots of questions in his mind on "life" in general and on the phenomena of "death" in particular, consequently on "human existence". He mastered the scriptures such as Bhagavad Gita, Dasbodh and Dnyaneshwari at an early age and is believed to have memorized all of the 700 shlokas (verses) of Bhagwad Geeta 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 (through the manifestation of Maharaj through Tatyasaheb Ketkar - the so-called "vaani avataar") and thereafter lived his long personal and professional life in total surrenderance to Brahmachaitanya. On Brahmachaitanya's orders, Baba became the cornerstone of propagating Maharaj's teachings to a vast population over an extended period of 60 years through thousands of discourses on topics ranging from meditation to lectures on 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.^[12] His teachings to seekers resonated quickly because he was not only the master of "knowledge" but was himself a realized soul thereby combining the three pillars of Vedantic philosophy "bhakti" (devotion), "karma" (action), and "dnyan" (inquiry) in a unique manner in the modern times. Baba died in the year 1999.

D.R. Bendre[]

D.R. Bendre (1896 – 1981) was an eminent poet in Kannada language and recipient of the Jnanpith Award, India's highest literary award. A lifelong devotee, Bendre credited Brahmachaitanya for bestowing on him the gift of poetry.^[13]

Worship[]

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

Temples[]

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.

Meditation centers[]

Brahmachaitanya's devotees are spread around the globe. There are numerous Upasana Kendra (Meditation Centers) in India (for example, Miraj, Pune, Malad (Mumbai), Thane, Ahmadabad, Panvel, Phaltan, Kalyan, Shirur, Dombivali, Karad, Sakharkherda, Indore, Nashik, Nagpur, San Francisco Bay Area)

In literature[]

• Sri Brahmachaitanya Gondavalekar Maharaj - Biography by K.V. Belsare^[14]
• Brahmachaitanya - Novel by Ashok Deshpande
• Sri Brahmachaitanya Gondwalekar Maharaj - Biography by Girija Keer

References[]

External links[]

• Pravachane of Shree Maharaj
• Official website of Gondavalekar Maharaj