Shree Sadguru Sahajanand Saraswati Maharaj h| gmañdVmM| JmoS> & Vwåht{M bm{db| Or PmS> Ÿ& Var AmVm§ AdYmZm_¥Vo§ dmS> & qgnmo{Z H$sOo Ÿ&& Born on Mahanirvana Ashwin Shuddha 8, Shaka 1834 Vaishakha Vadya 1, shaka 1911 17th October 1912 21st May 1989 Published by : Shree Sadguru Sahajanand Saraswati Maharaj Seva Samiti 10/2, Everest Society, Dombivali (west) Dist. Thane Printed by: Mudra, 383, Narayan Peth, Pune - 411 030 (020) 24456836 e-mail: [email protected] Translated by: Mrs. Aparna Santosh Rewankar © Shree Sadguru Sahajanand Saraswati Maharaj Seva Samiti Revised third edition: Saturday, 23rd of March 2019 (Shivajayanti) Price: Rs. 70/- Shree Shiva-Samarth Mandir, Shrikshetra Dervan statues of the ‘Mavalas’ (King Shivaji’s soldiers) Distances : Mumbai to Dervan by Road - 275 KM. Mumbai to Dervan by Rail - 268 KM. Pune to Dervan by Road - 260 KM. Introduction Dervan, a small remote village in the Konkan region, renowned as ‘Shree Kshetra Dervan’ (pilgrimage Dervan), has gained a lot of publicity in the past few years for its magnificent, appealing ‘Shiv Samarth Gadh’ and the numerous social upliftment projects undertaken in the region. A pious saint, Shree Sant Sitarambua Walavalkar worked selflessly during his lifetime for the betterment of this village. Shree Sadguru Sahajanand Saraswati (Shree Maharaj), who was inspired by Shree Sant Sitarambua Walavalkar and his works, built a shrine to honour him, after his demise in 1969. Shree Maharaj had a strong vision for the region and with some futuristic strategies in mind, he established a charitable trust called ‘Shree Sitarambua Walavalkar Charitable Trust’ (SSWCT)’ in Dervan. Shree Maharaj also worshiped the Great King Shivaji, and adapted his philosophy in the day-to-day administration of the trust. In 1981, Shree Maharaj initiated the construction of ‘Shiv Shrushti’, including ‘Shiv Samarth Gadh (fort) and museum in Dervan, with an agenda to enlighten future generations with the ideologies of this great King. These initiatives thereon sowed the seeds for various religious and social upliftment projects that were undertaken in the region under the guidance of Shree Maharaj. This tiny seed sowed by Shree Maharaj 40 years ago, has today become a massive undertaking, completely lifting the face of a small remote village of Dervan into a modern hub for religious, cultural, spiritual, educational, health and socialist movement, bustling with enthusiasm and energy to bring positive changes & to create a strong virtuous society. It has not only attracted locals but also triggered curiosity from many international entities. The following pages depict the thoughts/philosophy of Shree Maharaj, his rationale behind establishment of the ‘SSWC Trust’ and the futuristic projects undertaken in Dervan & surrounding regions. - Shree Sadguru Sahajanand Saraswati Maharaj Seva Samiti Shivasamarthgad 5 For the Well-being of Mankind ||Om Tatsath|| ||Shree Sadguru ve Namah: || India is a vast democratic nation and as per our constitution, the basic needs of food, clothing, education, housing, safe drinking water to personal safety must be guaranteed to every citizen of this nation. It is essential that the ruling government ensures supply of these basic necessities to its population. We definitely witness the current Government trying to meet these basic needs by undertaking various projects at different levels of administration in the country. In fact, the democratic-social principles adopted have been neatly structured & embedded from the highest governing body of Central Government to the smallest village council (Gram-panchayat) of our country. For a government that professes socialism and practices these principles, it is then imperative that it accepts prime responsibility to ensure successful completion of these projects to meet the basic needs of its citizens. This is a fact and crucial to be accepted as such! It is also necessary that the government provides good health care besides education & other basic needs; and we do observe that the government is putting efforts on this front as well. But in such a secular nation of ours, it is doubtful that a government that preaches on democratic principles, can in reality provide all the very basic needs to such a massive population; even the common man has doubts in his mind by now. Besides health care, the government should also be able to provide work opportunity for those who are willing to work! It is essential to educate every citizen about the importance of human values and to instil such ethics in its population. These values are preserved in the religious doctrines and are key for the physical and mental development of every human being. However our country is a secular state and unfortunately, it may not be feasible for this secular administration to achieve or adopt such principles. The establishment of the ‘Shree Sitarambua Walavalkar Charitable Trust’ was triggered to deal with this critical drawback 6 Shivasamarthgad in the constitution of our country. Even though the SSWC Trust is established on a religious foundation, the person in whose memory this trust was formed, dedicated himself selflessly for the upliftment of the people and tried relentlessly to preach fundamental eternal values to the common man. We notice that the present government tries to remain unbiased and maintains distance from religion or related principles, thus creating a void where someone could preserve our ancient eternal values and inculcate them into the thoughts & actions of our society. Furthermore, a government of such secular nature is undoubtedly run by individuals who follow the same principles, right from the top central government to the lowest village council; a commonly known universal truth of our country! The government officials who operate such a secular government and will continue to do so in the future, need to be knowledgeable of these ancient, eternal values; and it’s not just enough to know these values, but rather they need to be instilled into their behaviour so they can lead by example in their day-to-day affairs. Law & justice, customs & traditions, religion, selfless service, humility, and knowledge of political science, social studies, or other necessary areas are just a few skills required to run a successful administration of any nation. But in reality, how many such schools or universities can a government establish? Can they teach the required values and soft skills necessary for this job? And that is exactly the reason why social and religious organizations, who strive for betterment of humanity need to step forward, undertake this difficult task of raising awareness, and inculcate these basic human values into the population. The core ethical principles of humanity are eternal and should remain untouched, irrespective of the government in power. With power comes corruption, eventually leading to a polluted political and social environment. Today, the general population tends to be very shallow, inclined towards materialism and superficial pleasures. So we have to strive hard to counter these tendencies, control this erosion of our ancient values and ethics! Shivasamarthgad 7 A number of religions coexist in the world today. Depending on individual circumstances, each one must at least try to follow their own religion. As quoted by Bhagwan Shree Gopal Krishna in the holy Bhagwad Geeta "ñdY_} {ZYZ§ lo`: naY_m} ^`mdh:Ÿ&'' (Better to die following your own faith, than live a confused disastrous life following something you don’t believe in.) This principle needs to be instilled in each and every individual. Only when this is embedded into their minds, they will fulfill their duties with determination, develop a sense of devotion towards their religion, and be able to comprehend that all religions were created by the same God for the betterment of humankind based on the needs of the different places or era. Such a human will recognise that the final goal of all true religions is ‘Self-realization’, and it is the only real means to attain the utmost level of happiness/ satisfaction, one can imagine! Furthermore, this belief will help enhance and confirm faith on the path of spiritualism; help discard the narrow-minded outlook to gain enlightenment on the strong foundation of self-realization, and finally to experience oneness with the universe! The one who understands life through these means, will appreciate and experience the truth behind religion, attain equanimity and will never ever feel indifferent from any other human or religion! There are 4 ways to attain self-realization – Karma Yoga (duty), Jnana Yoga (Knowledge), Bhakti Yoga (devotion) and Hatha Yoga (exercise)! The principal yoga that has been talked about in spiritualism is extremely hard to attain. Even paths such as the ‘Raja Yoga’ (energy), which in turn are a control of the mind, are challenging for a common man leading a simple domestic life. A common man trying to fulfill obligations towards his family, naturally craves for material gains and worldly pleasures. The holy Bhagwad Geeta, depicted by Bhagwan Shree Gopal Krishna himself on the battlefield dissuading his disciple Arjuna from his feeling of emotional attachment and encouraging him to fulfil his duty for the benefit of mankind, prescribes just one path (yoga) in the 18th Chapter, for the advancement of the common man – the Karma yoga! I.e. performing your duty without expecting or focusing on the returns! 8 Shivasamarthgad ñdo ñdo H$_©Ê`{^aV: g§{gqÕ b^Vo Za: Ÿ& ñdH$_©{ZaV: {gqÕ `Wm {dÝX{V VÀN¥>>Uw && (lr_ØJdÒrVm 18 : 45) - One who is engaged in fulfilling all duties in a proper manner, becomes entitled to ‘moksha’ (liberation from the cycle of life and death)! The importance of this verse cannot be undermined and needs to be ingrained into every human. The one who sincerely performs his duty because it ought to be done, without any attachment to the fruit or worrying about the result, will definitely experience the state of renunciation and achieve self-realization & ‘moksha’.