SRI GURUCHARITRA 1 Contents Introduction 1 ...............................................................................................................................................3 Introduction 2 ................................................................................................................................................4 Chapter 1a - Namdharak is blessed with the Vision of Sri Guru Nath.........................................................5 Chapter 1 - Namdharak sees Shri Guru in Dream.........................................................................................7 Chapter 2 - Siddha Muni Guides Namdharak ...............................................................................................7 Chapter 3 - Durwas Curses King Ambarish................................................................................................10 Chapter 4 - Birth of Shri Dattatraya ............................................................................................................11 Chapter 5 - Birth of Shripad Shri Vallabha.................................................................................................12 Chapter 6 - Ravana and Gokarna Mahabaleshwar ......................................................................................13 Chapter 7 - Soumini and Madayanti at Gokarna.........................................................................................15 Chapter 8 - Shripad Shrivallabha Blesses a Brahmani and Her Son...........................................................17 Chapter 9 - A Washerman Blessed to be a King.........................................................................................18 Chapter 10 - Vallabhesh Saved from Thieves.............................................................................................19 Chapter 11 - Birth of Shri Narasimha Saraswati.........................................................................................19 Chapter 12 - Narhari Becomes Shri Narasimha Saraswati..........................................................................21 Chapter 13 - Brahmin's Colic Pain Subsided ..............................................................................................23 Chapter 14 - Muslim King favors Sayamdev..............................................................................................24 Chapter 15 - Principal Holy Places of Bharat .............................................................................................24 Chapter 16 - Greatness of Shri Guru...........................................................................................................25 Chapter 17 - A Dull Brahmin boy Becomes Learned .................................................................................26 Chapter 18 - A Poor Brahmin Gets Wealth.................................................................................................27 Chapter 19 - Greatness of Audumbar : Ganganuj's Poverty wiped off. ......................................................27 Chapter 20 - A Brahmani Relieved from Brahmahatya and gets Issues. ....................................................28 Chapter 21 - The Dead Child Became Alive...............................................................................................29 Chapter 22 - An old, barren buffalo gives milk...........................................................................................30 Chapter 23 - Liberation of Brahma-Rakshas Establishment of a Math at Gangapur ..................................30 Chapter 24 - Trivikram bharati Sees Vishwaroop of Shri Guru..................................................................31 Chapter 25 - Impudent brahmins vanity......................................................................................................31 Chapter 26 - Vedas Analyzed......................................................................................................................32 Chapter 27 - Harijan Becomes A Learned Brahmin ...................................................................................32 Chapter 28 - Advice of Karma Vipak to the Harijan...................................................................................33 Chapter 29 - The Great Power of Bhasma...................................................................................................34 Chapter 30 - The Death of a Young Brahmin Husband ..............................................................................35 Chapter 31 - Code of Woman's Behavior....................................................................................................35 Chapter 32 - Behavior of a Widow: Dead Husband Made Alive................................................................36 Chapter 33 - A Devoted Concubine ............................................................................................................38 Chapter 34 - Rajkumar and Mantrikumar devotees of Shri Shiva ..............................................................39 Chapter 35 - Kach-Devayani.......................................................................................................................39 Chapter 36 - Code of Brahmin's Daily Rituals............................................................................................41 Chapter 37 - Dharma of a Brahmin.............................................................................................................45 Chapter 38 - Four Thousand Fed with Food of 3 Seers only ......................................................................46 Chapter 39 - 60 Year Old Sterile Woman Begets Children ........................................................................46 Chapter 40 - Leper Brahmin Cured.............................................................................................................47 Chapter 41 - Sayamdev Serves Shri Guru : His Kashikhand Mahayatra ....................................................48 Chapter 42 - Significance of Anant Vrat.....................................................................................................49 Chapter 43 - Tantuk's Shri Shailya Yatra on Maha Shivaratri ....................................................................50 Chapter 44 - Nandi Brahmin relieved of Leprosy: He became a Poet ........................................................51 Chapter 45 - Poet Narhari Becomes a Disciple of Shri Guru......................................................................52 Chapter 46 - Shri Guru Visits Eight Places at One Time............................................................................53 Chapter 47 - Parbati had Bumper Crops even in Scarcity...........................................................................53 Chapter 48 - AmarjaSangam and the Greatness of Ganagapur...................................................................55 Chapter 49 - The Gist of Guru Geeta ..........................................................................................................56 Chapter 50 - The Muslim King Comes to See Shri Guru............................................................................58 Chapter 51 - Shri Guru's Journey unto Bliss: Disciples Get Flower-Gift ...................................................60 Chapter 52 - Conclusion: Week-Reading Awatarnika(Contents) ...............................................................60 2 Shri Guru Charitra Introduction 1 Shri Guru-Charitra, a religious book giving a brief life story of "Shri Nrusimha Saraswati Swami Maharaj", was written in the 15 th Century by one of his closest disciples. This book is a treasure house of religious events related to the life of Shri Nrusimha Saraswati. It is read with great reverence by the devotees of Lord Shri Dattatreya. The 'Shri Guru Charitra' is the life of 'Shri Guru Dattatreya' (an incarnation of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara). It was originally written in Ovi form (a Marathi Metre) in Marathi by Shri Saraswati Gangadhar, whose ancestor Sayamdev had personally lived and served with devotion, Guru Narasimha Saraswati, an incarnation of Shri Dattatreya about 600 years ago. It was later translated into Sanskrit by Shri Vasudevananda Saraswati (Tembye Swamy), who is regarded by many as an incarnation of Shri Dattatreya and who lived about a hundred years ago. It has been later translated into several other languages. This volume is regarded as divine, capable of blessing one and all who read it with respect and is placed with images of Gods and adored in almost all devotees' houses of Maharashtra. It is much respected and is very popular like Vedas, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Bhagawat and other puranas in sanskritand Dnyaneshwari, Dasbodh, Eknathi Bhagwat etc. in Marathi. In the last century, it has spread its influence far and wide and legion are the experiences got by those devotees who read it regularly with respect. Shri Dattatreya had taken birth at the Ashram of Atri and Anasuya in very very old times (Krita Yuga) and it is believed that his two incarnations namely Shripada Shri Vallabha and Shri Narasimha Saraswati had taken place in the Deccan in about the 14th and 15th Century(A. D.) respectively. Shri Manikya Prabhu, Shri Akkalkot Maharaj, Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi and Shri Vasudevananda Saraswati are some of the great Saints who are considered as the Avatars (incarnations) or Amsas (taking a part of His powers) of Shri Dattatreya. This is the historical period when the Bahamani Kingdom was split up into five different Kingships,