Shreemad Paramhansa Parivraajak Acharya Shri Vaasudevanand Saraswati – Shri Tembe Maharaj’s SHRI VAASUDEVI SANHITA SHRI DATTAPURANAM ORIGINAL PUBLISHER: THE BLESSING OF BHIKSHU AKHANDANAND SASTU-SAHITYA VARDAHK KARYALAY AHMEDABAD & PRINCESS STREET MUMBAI – 2 PUBLISHER OF ENGLISH VERSION: 2013 SHRI RANG AVADHOOT SANSTHAAN NARESHWAR, TRUSTEE: SHRI DHIRUBHAI JOSHI [TEL.NO.: 0091 265 2487315] 1 Shreemad Paramhansa Parivraajak Acharya Shri Vaasudevanand Saraswati – Shri Tembe Maharaj’s SHRI VAASUDEVI SANHITA SHRI DATTAPURANAM [ORIGINAL VERSION WITH TRANSLATION OF SANSKRIT COMMENTARY] TRANSLATED ORIGINALLY BY: SHASTRI JAYENDRA DAVE, PROFESSOR AND HEAD, EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, SARDAR PATEL UNIVERSITY VALLABH VIDYANAGAR 388120 GUJARAT ENGLISH VERSION INSPIRED BY: AVADHOOT JOSHIJI BARODA TRANSLITERATION: DR. ANURAG GUMASHTA [BARODA – 2012] [Email: [email protected]] PUBLISHER OF ENGLISH VERSION: 2013 SHRI RANG AVADHOOT SANSTHAAN NARESHWAR, TRUSTEE: SHRI DHIRUBHAI JOSHI [TEL.NO.: 0091 265 2487315] Original Publisher: THE BLESSINGS OF BHIKSHU AKHANDANAND – [2002] Shri Anandbhai N Amin, SASTU-SAHITYA VARDAHK KARYALAY AHMEDABAD & PRINCESS STREET MUMBAI – 2 Value: Rs. 300 2 PHOTO OF GOD SHRI DATTATREYA SHRI DATTATREYAAY NAM: // GURUKRUPAHI KEVALAM // // PHOTO OF SHRI P.P. VAASUDEVANAND SARASWATI // This Photo by BIRTH: MAANN-GAANV; SHRAVANN VAD 5, SHAKA YEAR 1776 SAMADHI: SHRI-KSHETRA GARUDESHWAR; ASHAADH SUD 1 SHAKA YEAR 1836 3 PUBLISHER’S NOTE THE SASTU-SAAHITYA KARYALAK FEELS GRATIFIED TO MAKE AVAILABLE THIS TEXT ‘SHRI DATTAPURANAM’ AUTHORED BY SHRI VAASUDEVANAND SARASWATI WITH ORIGIANL SANSKRIT COMMENTARY AND GUJARATI TRANSLATION. THOUGH THE AUTHOR PRIMARILY OF SAAVANTVADI AND CONTINUALLY TRAVELLING YET HE BROUGHT FORTH THIS WORK IN SIDDHPUR – MAATRUGAYA AND HE ATTAINED SAMADHI TO ON THE BANKS OF THE NARMADA RIVER IN GARUDESHWAR IN GUJARAT. I WAS CLOSELY RELATED TO HIM MOREOVER HIS DISCIPLE SHRI RANG AGADHOOTJI OF NARESHWAR TOO HAS ADDED FRAGRANCE TO THIS RELATIONSHIP. SCHOLAR SHAASTRI JAYENDRABHAI DAVE HAS COMPLETED THE TRANSLATION AS AN OFFERING OF INTERNAL JOY AND MR.B.L. JOSHI WEMBLEY, LONDON, U.K. AIDED IN THE PUBLICATION THEREOF FOR WHICH WE ARE HIGHLY THANKFUL. WE HOPE THAT SEEKERS AND THOSE WANTING TO KNOW MORE WILL FIND THIS TEXT TO BE WELCOME DATTA JAYANTI KAARTAK SUD POONAM V.S. YEAR: 2059 DATE: 19/12/2002 ON BEHALF OF THE SASTU-SAAHITYA PUBLISHING TRUST ANANDBHAI N AMIN PRESIDENT 4 AUSPICIOUS BEGINNING VIA THE TRANSLATOR Mangalaacharann Sacchitsukhpradam……Sadgurum // He whose name by constantly remembering Shri Rang Avadhoot merged it in each breath For upliftment of devotees, ever new This nectar of the Divine Name did he recite It is the same Shri Rang who visualized the Guru Essence And drank of it as the Text ‘Shri Guru Leelaamrut’ It is that Essence known via the ‘Twam’ and ‘Tat’ terms That and Thou That the victorious all throughout ascetic Shri Vaasudev is one with When darkness of hope veils and only being free of it pacifies In the sentiments of consciousness that flower of trust blossomed And with the touch of Grace of the best of Ascetics Came to full bloom, such I - offer in your Hands this entire Self-Joyful and with elated mind O My Guru! Yatkaromi…….Twadarpannam // Shaastri Jayendra Dave Vallabh Vidyanagar Birth festivity of Shri Vaasudevanand Saraswati Swami Maharaj Shravann Krushna 5, 2056 Date: 20/8/2000 5 Gujarati Translator’s foreword Paramhansa Parivraajak Acharya Shri Vaasudevanand Saraswati Swami Maharajshri was born on the vernacular Shravann Krushna 5, Shakay year 1776, [in accordance on 13/8/1854] in the Southern India district of Sinhadurga near Saavantvadi in a village called Maanngraam to parents of devotional bent and ordinary circumstances, Shri Ganesh Bhatt and Smt. Ramabai, of the Tembe family. He took up Samadhi on the banks of river Narmada at Garudeshwar near Kewadia on Shaadh Shukla 1 Shaka year 1836 [in accordance 24-6-1914]. In childhood he gained praise of all via his good conduct, took the sacred-thread and listened to the Vedas and other Scriptures as narrated by his Guru, contemplated them and gave profound thought to them repeatedly. In adolescence itself he gained the title ‘Dash-granthi’ master of 10 Scriptures. In that age itself He expressed his mastery over the Scriptures related to Mantras, worship of God, regard for the noble in society and satisfaction of guests, living these conducts himself in his daily life. In that sequence he also accepted the hand of an apt maiden and took up life as a householder seeing into all its conducts as well as studying seriously the Scriptures related to the Yogic path. Soon he gained expertise and after the passing away of his wife at the age of approximately 36 years, he, understanding it to be the instruction of his Sought God Shri Dattatreya accepted the fourth Ashram of monkhood. In this manner Maharaj known fondly as Shaastri Bua now as a monk Tembe Swami in his life of 60 years twice without any footwear performed the pilgrimage of the Aaryavarta and Brahmavarta regions of India. Propounding religion, doing away with sorrows of the suffering, distributing apt counsel about the Self-essence to sincere seekers with grace, and teaching as well as initiating those with trust into the Yogic Path; thus he akin to God and Guru Shri Dattatreya was absorbed in activities that benefitted all. It is the life of such our Swami Maharaj in explicit detail that touches the heart that has been described by Shri Rang Avadhoot Maharaj in 19,000 couplets in an epic poem in the Dohra verse form in his renowned Text ‘Shri Guru Leelaamrut’ in its Upaasna-Kaand portion; it is he who has been the inspiring disciple, initiated in dreams - of our Swami Maharaj. It is God Shri Dattatreya the Divine Son manifested as the combined incarnations of Gods Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh to Sage Atri and Mother Ansuya who pleased with their penance and renowned in the Puranic Lore that was the Sought Deity. It is by keeping this Deity in mind always that all His Leela acts, His Divine Form as the Nirgunn and Sagunn, beyond and with attributes - as well all His incarnations given as below, empowered by Him in the Iron-Age came to earth to assist mankind: ShriPaad ShriVallabh Saraswati of Kuruguddi – Kuravpur in Karnataka - the master of Yoga and Shri Nrusinh Saraswati of Gaanngapur in Karnataka the Ascetic Lord. 6 Their acts in human form have been depicted of in Sanskrit and Marathi languages in poetic form. Of these the Sanskrit Texts are: 1. Dwisaahasri – Guru Sanhita [Published by Avadhoot Saahitya Prakaashan Trust, Nareshwar, original Sanskrit with Gujarati Translation] 2. Samshloki Gurucharitra – This is the Sanskrit poetic translation of the Marathi poetic Text Gurucharitra brought forth by Gangadhar Saraswati 3. Datta Champu – This is a poetic Text in the ‘Champu’ style of verse 4. Trishati Kaavya – 300 poetic couplets 5. Stotra Sangrah – assimilation of Sanskrit and Marathi hymns 6. Shri Dattapuranam – Very well renowned; the full reading and recitation of this Holy Text continue in areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra with full trust and devotion Swamiji and the bliss that he experienced of knowing the Self, realizing it fully via religious conduct and knowledge, with the hope that all beings in this terrifying Iron-Age, however flawed, living miserable lives – that they too may gain the same - brought forth the Shri Datta Purana in 3501 Sanskrit verses with Three portions Gjyaan-Upaasna- Karma Kaands on the banks of the River Ganga in Brahmaavarta region and thereafter wrote a commentary on it in Sanskrit named ‘Vaasudevi Sanhita’ on the banks of the River Saraswati in Gujarat at the Siddhpur region, the pilgrim center Maatrugaya. It is understood that most of his Texts have been brought forth during his journeys on foot and besides He also brought forth during the four months of monsoon, Chaturmaas, in the year 1956 well-known for its famine a commentary on His work ‘Dwisaahasri’ at Prabhas Patan near Somnath in Gujarat. Thus, besides two great commentaries as well as his taking up the Samadhi in Gujarat he has thus been instrumental in sowing the seeds of worship to God Shri Dattatreya here. The same seeds were brought to full fruition via penance and means of the path of seeking into a huge tree via his disciple Shri Rang Avadhoot Maharaj of Nareshwar and this by itself is an event that cannot escape notice. This entire Text has been brought forth by him and yet the depicted subject of God here is not found anywhere else in other Texts of Sage Veda Vyaas however the assimilation thereof from all Historical Epics and Purana, of anything even remotely related to God Shri Dattatreya and thereafter arranging them in sequence and to fill in the missing links via miraculous verses is how this Text has been given the form of a Purana; not per se a brand-new Holy Work. It is this effort of his that has been noted via the publishers who first brought out the Text in V.S. year – 2040 by the Shri Krushnadas Academy, Benaras wherein his name is not put as author or composer but as compiler. The reasons for the same are primarily two: 1. According to the nature of Indian Saints and their unimaginable humility they per se feel that they have not done anything and they themselves acknowledge: It is God Shri Dattatreya that has brought forth this Text making the ascetic Yati Vasudev only an instrument and furthermore the commentary too has been brought forth by Him; via such mention in the works themselves many may believe that it is not their own. 2. The second reason lies in the technicality of the Sanskrit language and the Benaras academy has well used it; for after each section [The last words of a 7 Chapter] it has been mentioned, ‘Thus the first Octad of the Vaasudevi Sanhita….etc.’ This can simply mean that in the Text Shri Datta Purana, and its commentary the Vaasudevi Sanhita the first octad etc…so it could mean him as the doer too; however it is by his own acknowledgement that he is not so; so may be the arrangement of him in that version is put forth as the compiler thereof.