The Great Sage of Mangaon- Maharashtra
About Shri Vasudevanand Saraswati (Tembe Swami )Maharaj
Parents of Brahma Rishi Shri Vasudevanand Saraswati Maharaj belonged to a traditional Brahmin Family who was a dedicated devotee of Lord Dattatreya.
It is believed that unless the parents are not spiritually prepared and ready, they are not eligible to give birth to such a great soul who himself is considered to be an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya.
His father used to spend long periods, sometimes years together in the remote Gangapur Temple of Lord Dattatreya in Karnataka. His mother also used to regularly spend time in religious pursuits like Japa, Patha(reading holy books), etc.
Lord Dattatreya once appeared in dreams of his Father promising him that the Lord himself would incarnate as their son. Later Shri Vasudevanand Saraswati Maharaj was born on the 5th Day of the dark fortnight of the month of Shravan of A.D 1854.
Childhood and Marriage of Maharaj
As per the brahmin tradition, Maharaj underwent a thread ceremony at the age of 8 yrs where he was initiated the Gayatri Mantra.
After this ritual, young Vasudeva started the daily rituals instructed by the scriptures which included 1000 recitation of Gayatri Mantra, daily reading of Shri Gurucharitra(holy book of Guru worship of Lord Dattatreya).
Maharaj with his sincerity, sharp intelligence, and memory became a proficient and respected priest of Mangaon and other nearby places which helped him in a contribution to his daily livelihood.
He was also perfect in his astrological calculations. Maharaj's dedicated practices and devotion soon led to his acquiring supernatural powers manifested through Vedic Mantras.
However, Maharaj never employed his powers for either monetary gain or to impress others. He only used it to help the needy and to relieve the suffering of people. Later at the age of 21, Maharaj was married to his wife Bayo.
Maharaj's married life was never a bed of roses. The thought of renouncing it all for a liberated life was growing stronger day by day. Later he started feeling the urge to travel to Narsobachi Wadi, the place where Lord Dattatreya is worshiped in the form of Padukas(footprints)carved in stone.
This is a place where he met his spiritual mentor Shri Govind Swami who later guided Maharaj on his spiritual journey. Maharaj built a Datta Mandir in Mangaon which was constructed with his own hands.
Spiritual Life
After Maharaj's wife's died, he was completely released from all his family bonding and took his vows of spiritual discipline. Swami Maharaj was initiated by Lord Datta Prabhu himself in his dream.
He traveled all over India to preach the ancient Vedic Path. He was guided by the divine himself through visions, dreams, verbal commands, and other signs.
His only possessions included 4 loincloths, a Kamandalu (wooden water vessel), a woolen wrap, a book of Upanishads, two idols of Lord Datta, and rope to draw water occasionally. He always traveled on foot.
Teachings
Maharaj was a living Master of Vedic culture and used to teach a vast subject in Vedas. His knowledge was not merely theoretical but he was a master who could guide a sincere student to the path of self-realization.
Swami Maharaj was a liberated and self-realized soul himself. His only motive was to obey his Master, Lord Dattatreya's will. He guided seekers with his discourse and writings.
According to Maharaj, the primary objective of human birth is to attain liberation from the recurring cycle of birth and death.
He emphasized the seekers on Shravana(reading the holy scriptures like Gurucharitra), Manan (contemplation), and Nidhidhyasan (Meditation) on what the scriptures say.
Meeting with the other Realized Souls ( Spiritual Brothers)
Once Maharaj saw a dream where a tall man appeared asking, "You travel all over and also compose poetry. How come you paid no attention to me?".
On waking up Maharaj enquired with his Lord to which Lord answered, "He is Swami Samartha Maharaj of Akkalkot and he desires you to visit Akkalkot and write his life verse". Maharaj then paid his respect to Swami Samartha Maharaj at Akkalkot.
Swami Samartha of Akkalkot is considered as an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya and has even now-massive followers across the world. Similarly, scriptures talk about Maharaj meeting his spiritual brothers, Shirdi Sai Baba and Shri Gajanan Maharaj of Shegaon.
They too are considered to be an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya. Though Tembe Swami Maharaj and Sai Baba never met each other in person, it definitely showed across their spiritual unity.
Samadhi
Maharaj had scheduled to depart on the dark 8th of Jyeshtha month; however, he did not consider it to be auspicious. He decided to quit the body once the Amavasya was over.
Accordingly, as soon as the Amavasya was over Maharaj sat up facing the Lord to the west, performed Tratak (steady gaze), controlled his breath, and quit the body with a loud chant of "OM".
Disciples of Maharaj
Shri Rang Avadhoot Maharaj
Gandha Maharaj
Vamanrao Gulvani Maharaj
Dixit Swami Maharaj
Nana Maharaj Tornekar
Sitaram Maharaj Tembe
Dada Maharaj Kanade
Maharaj of Mangaon. A saint who is considered as incarnation of Lord Dattatreya himself.){kind=link}
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