Sadguru Shri Brahmachaitanya Gondavalekar Maharaj

A concise biography of Sadguru Shri Brahmachaitanya Maharaj

Shri Brahmachaitanya Gondavalekar Maharaj was born in Gondavale Budruk, a small village in Satara District, Maharashtra, in February 1845. When barely a twelve year old, he left home on a lonesome search for a Sadguru (Spiritual Master) a search which took him across most of the country in a single-minded search for a sadguru. His search finally ended when he found Shri Tukaram Chaitanya (affectionately known as "Tukamai"), a saint living in remote Yehlegaon, in Marathwada. Shri Tukamai put him through unimaginably stringent tests. Finally, finding him deserving in every way, Shri Tukamai initiated him, conferring on him the name Brahmachaitanya, and bidding him to work for the uplift of the common people. To the furtherance of this object, he dedicated his entire life.

The mission of the Shri Maharaj was to help humanity to become fit for divine experience. Therefore, he made an unceasing effort to help men and women in their struggle to achieve spiritual perfection. This helpfulness dominated his life. It was present at all times but was unusually moving and intense when he spoke to a person in suffering. The whole saint in the Master became very alive on such occasions.

He believed that every human being was important in the scheme of things and that he could be converted to spiritual outlook through cool and rational thinking. His optimism regarding the spiritual uplift of humanity did not abandon him to the last moments of his life. Hence he harnessed all his gifts of body, mind and spirit to reform the irrationality and spiritual blindness of the most common men and women. This was his robust idealism. He quit the human form, at Gondavale, late in December, 1913.

The essence of Shri Maharaj's teaching is that, one should never fail in selfless duty in worldly dealings, and maintain the moral code, namely, desist from casting aspersions on others, coveting others' possessions, and looking on another woman evilly. Similarly, one should ascribe all doership to God, and be ever aware of His presence; all these are achieved effortlessly by unremittingly chanting Nama ( that is His Name ). He not only advocated these principles, but himself acted upon them in every deed and word in his own life.

Philosophy of Life :

Shri Maharaj believed that man must use his reason in the right way if he desires to be happy in this world. A rational analysis of our everyday experience was his chief argument. He held that the fundamental need of man is inward comfort which issues from a spiritual outlook on life. Man grows in age, wealth, knowledge and power over nature. But he does not grow in spirit, virtue and wisdom. But man alone among the animals possesses the freedom to rise to higher moral and spiritual planes of existence. He has the freedom to think and to will his progress. Hence man must start his upward march by first knowing himself.
Man is more than his body and mind. He is also spirit. If he lives a life in the forgetting of spirit, he is under the spell of Avidya i. e. Ignorance. Avidya gives rise to selfishness in all forms. This is the condition of sin and suffering. It causes anxiety and insecurity. It is filled with fear of death. If man lives a life in the awareness of spirit, he is in the realm of Vidya i. e. Knowledge. Vidya gives rise to wisdom, virtue and divine Ananda. It is the condition of Freedom i. e. Moksha and Immortality i. e. Amrita. This is divine experience. The reality experienced in Vedas is Satchidananda or God. God is nothing but the Absolute from the human point of view. He creates the world out of Himself. He is immanent in everything that is created. There is nothing in the world so low but God is present in it. Man will remain restless until he installs himself in God. The world of Samsara i. e. change is the opportunity given to man for self-knowledge.

Principles of Shri Maharaj

Shri Maharaj interpreted the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta in his discourses. He introduced those principles in a practical language that ordinary people could understand. Shri Maharaj was a proponent of Bhakti Yoga. According to Him, regular chanting of the mantra in everyday life ensures continuous remembrance of the divine and leads to spiritual progress.

Shri Maharaj advocated and followed these principles:

Namasmarane

(Chanting of the God's Name)

The Sadhaka should practise the Name in order to steady the mind in God and also to deliver it from the bonds of carnal desires. The Name shows quick results if it is practised with this aim.

Sagunopasane

(Worshipping the God)

God is present everywhere; even in matter. A devotee can make the Divine manifest itself into a lifeless stone image, when he fixes his faith firmly on an image.

Anna Dana

(Providing Food or Prasadam)

There is no better puja and ritual in Hindu religion than feeding a hungry living being. Annadana is the greatest donation in Hindu religion. It is only for food that a person says enough. You can never make a living being happy through material wealth but you can make a living being content through food.


Gorakshane

(Protecting the cows)

Shri Maharaj loved cows as much as He loved human beings and protection of cows was one of His important activities. He used to say "Of all animals, the cow is the only one which possess human emotions."

BODHAVACHANE

Spiritual thoughts of Shri Maharaj

ʻʻNama is Synonymous with God.ʼʼ

ʻʻThe Sadhaka has reached the end of his Sadhana when all doubts melt, distractions disappear and his mind is filled to the brim by the Name of God.ʼʼ

ʻʻBhakti means an awareness of the presence of God.ʼʼ

ʻʻBhakti leads to inward intimacy with God which again leads to fearlessness and freedom from carnal desires.ʼʼ

ʻʻSelf-surrender is that state of mind in which God alone is our strength.ʼʼ

ʻʻSurrender of the self to God is the key that unlocks the great treasures of spiritual life.ʼʼ

ʻʻSalvation implies the enjoyment of endless bliss under any circumstances.ʼʼ

ʻʻA man of detachment works hard for success in his project. If he succeeds, well and good. But if he meets with defeat, he welcomes it as a consequence of the will of God.ʼʼ

ʻʻMorality involves two things:
1. Belief in the existence of God.
2. Conduct based on the consciousness of the presence of God.ʼʼ

ʻʻTotal surrender is the password to the kingdom of God.ʼʼ

Disciples of Shri Maharaj

Sadguru Shri Brahmanand Maharaj

Shri Kshetra Beldhadi

Shri Brahmanand was a famous learned Shastri from Karnataka. He did great penance in Venkatapur and prayed to the Lord to give him a Guru. The Lord told him to go to Indore. Accordingly, he travelled to Indore and met Shri Maharaj there. Shri Maharaj asked him to do Sadhana i.e., Namasmaran on the banks of Narmada river where he obtained self-realisation. After returning to Gondavale, Shri Maharaj deputed him to spread the Divine Name in Karnataka.

Shri Anandsagar Maharaj

Ambad

Shri Anandsagar was the eldest disciple of Shri Maharaj. He met Shri Maharaj in Indore. He did a large amount of Namasmaran and prayed to Hanuman to lead him to a Guru as good as himself. One day when he was reading Dasabodha, Shri Maharaj suddenly appeared before him and said, "Come and see me." He met Shri Maharaj two days later and was initiated by Him. Shri Anandsagar then practised Sadhana i.e., Namasmaran at a place near Indore. Shri Maharaj asked him to build a Ram Mandir at Jalna, Near Aurangabad and to spread the Gospel of the Divine Name in those parts.

Shri Bhausaheb Ketkar

Malad, Mumbai

Shri Bhausaheb Ketkar was a disciple who lived a sublime spiritual life in the married state. He joined the PWD Department and retired as an officer in 1904. He came to stay with Shri Maharaj after retirement and enjoyed his company for nine years. He possessed the art of self-surrender to an eminent degree. He gave away everything to Shri Maharaj once for all and became detached from worldly ties. His home was thrown open to all Shri Maharaj's disciples. It became a centre of the Divine Name. He lived a life which was a glorious illustration of the spiritual principles preached by Shri Maharaj.

Shri Tatyasaheb Ketkar

Malad, Mumbai

Shri Tatyasaheb is a son of Shri Bhausaheb Ketkar. He joined the office of the military accounts. The grace of the Master is with him and he voices forth Shri Maharaj's teachings in Shri Maharaj's own words. He ably continued his father's tradition. His home is a centre of Namasmaran and a haven of peace, comfort and cousel for all disciples of Shri Maharaj. His nonassuming behaviour shows his exemplary humility. He deserves to rank as one of the foremost disciples of Shri Maharaj.

Dr Kurtakoti

Kurtakoti

Dr Kurtakoti met Shri Maharaj early in life and served him for about nine years as no other disciple could do. Shri Maharaj loved him the most and has showered his grace upon him. Shri Maharaj called him Mahabhagvat. Later, he graduated from Oriental University in the United States with a Ph.D. degree. On the advice of Lokamanya Tilak, he became the Shankaracharya of Karveer and Sankeshwar Peetha.

Prof. K V Belsare

Malad, Mumbai

Shri K. V. Belsare (Poojya Baba) was born in Secunderabad. After coming to Mumbai for further education, within a few days, he came in contact with Shri Tatyasaheb Ketkar and through him started receiving direct guidance from Shri Maharaj. He was overwhelmed by Shri Maharaj's supernatural knowledge and unconditional love at the very first visit and at that time Shri Maharaj entered his life permanently ! On the behest of Shri Maharaj, Poojya Baba started giving discourses on Jnaneshwari. It also included other Saints' experience of Nama and the events in Shri Maharaj's life. Through his thousands of discourses, books and his own hard work and sadhana, the work of bringing Shri Maharaj and his teachings before the society was done by Poojya Baba.