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Sri Gurulilamrtam - A Preface Sri Datta Puranam - Preface
Devlen is a small village of Maharashtra state before some 150 years a learned brahmin named Jayaram was staying there .One of his sons was very learned and talented. He had acquired the title of Dasagranthi. His name was Vithal pant. He had no attachment to this mundane existence. Moreover his wife died so with the permission of his parents, he went to Pandharpur to give lifelong service unto Lord Vithoba. But one day Lord Vithoba commanded him thrice in a dream, "I want to come to your house as a son, go home and marry with Kashi a girl of nearby village. He accepting the command of the Lord went home and did marry with Kashi. Thereafter he come to Godhara, a town in Gujarat state to serve Lord Vithoba in Vithal Mandir as a priest. The couple led a very pious and religious life. They got a son who was incarnation of the Universal lord. This child was born on the ninth day of Kartik month; this day is known as the first day of the beginning of Satya Yuga. He was given the name, Panduranga”. From the very childhood, he was averse to the Mundane world! At the age of three. he asked his father how one can get Mukti from birth and death, His father replied, "Dear son, by muttering the name of Rama" from that moment, he every second started to utter the name of Rama, He was very strong, mentally as well as physically but at the some time he was extremely humane. He decided to spend his whole life in (a) making people religious and God-Loving, (b) making people possessed of humanity, (c) making people having no difference of caste or creed, He has spoken in Dattapuran that "Jata Patani tane na cida." Thus according to him nobody is low or high, All are the human forms of the Almighty. To achieve this goal he had decided to renounce the world and practice severe penance after completing his studies. After completing school studies and Telang High school, Godhara, he Joined Baroda college for further studies, He had very strong faith in the lord. Once he had no money to pay the fees of the college even on the last day announced by the authorities for paying fees. His friends told him to beg by application to some financial institution or who gave such help. But This great person had decided not to beg even a small bread to anybody though he world have to leave his body due to hunger and this he observed till the last breath, so he told his friends." Dear friends. If the lord wants that I should study, He would manage for my fees. " And lo ! One man come and gave him the amount of Rs 150/ which His father had given to this man some years ago as a help!! When Gandhiji in 1919 AD announced the Independence Movement, he was the first student of Baroda college to give up studies and join the movement. Thereafter he joined Gujrat Vidyapeeth and became snataka. He was in search of an extremely solitary place for penance and with the help of Ratanlal Mahatma and Dasakaka, he saw the dense forest of Nareshwar and liked it the most, He started to stay there, and read the Dattapurana for 108 times on the command lf his guru Vasudevananda Sarasvati which he got in a dream. He then performed the circumambulance of River Narmada within 108 days.There after he wrote in Gujarati the literal translation in the same verse form of Marathi Gurucaritum which Swamiji Vasudevananda Saraswati has composed, This he did for his physical and mental purity, There after he started preparing this 'S're Gurulilamrtam for his self Ananda and for the material (preya)and spiritual (s'reya) benefits of people who would read this with complete faith. The Gurulilamrtam is a very voluminous work composed by our Sadguru S're Ranga Avathuta in the Gujrati Doha chhanda. The total no. of the Dohas is 19005 (Ninteen thousand and five ) and there are distributed in big 147 (one hundred forty seven) chapters, it has been divided into three parts viz. (a)Gnana Kanda, (b) Karma Kanda and (c) Upasana Kanda . The first kanda has 55 chapters, chapters 56 to 105,ie total 50 chapters belong to the 2nd kanda and the third is composed of chapter 106 to 147 i.e. Total 42 chapters.
The second kanda gives us the great lives of Sri Pada Sri Vallabha and Narsinha Sarasvati. These two great saints preached the humanity and religion which is to be observed day to day in life. They also showed great grace to their devotees and destroyed many of their calamities and made their life happy.
The third kanda speaks in details of H.H Vasudevananda Sarasvati, (believed
to be the incarnation of Dattatreya ) his life and preaching, He was well
versed in all the vedas and other vedic literature and all other works
of different branches of learning, His details have been alredey given
in the preface of Datta Purana, He has written many works in Sanskrit
and Marathi too. His preachings of yaga and Advaita Philosophy, Bhakti
and many examples of his grace to his desciples. He was great poetics. This work contains all most all Alamkaras all sentiments, etc. Of course in the very first chapter, he has spoken that he does not know poetry, chhandas, poetics etc. but this shows his pridlessness. Moreover he has written that he is a writer only. He has written what lord Datta spoke. Our father has given his introduction in the preface of Datta purana and so it is not necessary to repeat it here. He (our father) is a devotee of H. H. Ranga Ava dhuta and has many a time ennjoyed his grace. He (our father) has written many articles on different subjects of His (Ranga Avadhuta) works and has also written stotras in Sanskrit about him and P.Guru Vasadevananda Sarasvati.
We heartily thank the authorities viz. (a) Siri Jayantilal Acharya, (b)
Siri Dhirubhai Joshi ,The President and the Secretary of Sahitya Prakashan
trust of Nareshwar for this kindness and goodwill to allow the website
to be got done by us.
Mangriva is a small village, abounding in greenery, fragrant flowers and sweet fruits, It is situated in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra state. In 1854 AD a child, great by birth, later on well known as incarnation of the Universal lord, was born. In the very childhood he was well versed in almost all branches of knowledge beginning from Vedas. So he was bestowed up on the title of Dasagranthi. He was well honored and much loved by the natives of his own village. Not only this. He acquired fame and glory as a learned and talented person in all near by towns. After the sad demise of his beloved wife, he took Sannyasa - Diksa, the last stage of life according to Indian culture. He moved on foot (with out putting on the foot wears) in the whole of India to make people religious - minded and god -loving. His main mission of life was to remove the animality imbibed in the man hood and to make a man possessed of humanity. It is because of this that he was known as the incarnation of the universal lord, His Diksa - name was VASUDEVANANDA - SARASVATI. He was extremely profound in Sanskrit, so he was compared with the first Jagad - Guru Shankaracharya. He has given by his own pen many works in Sanskrit and that too in the verse -form. of course the Central idea of these works is the lives and preaching of lord Dattatreya and his two incarnations viz. Shripada Shri Vallabha and Nrusinha Sarasvati.
In the Hindu Culture there are eighteen Puranas. Their authorship is ascribed
to Maharshi Vyasa. But in the last Century, Swamiji composed this Datta
- Purana. So one can not find its name in the list of 18 puranas, it fulfills
all the five characteristics of a Puranam. Viz. Sarga, Pratisarga, Vams’a,
Manvantaras and Vams’anucaritam. The principal deity of this Purana
is lord Dattatreya and so its title is Datta - Puranam. The first two Ashtakas discuss Gnana Kanda, the other four Upasna - Kanda and the last two karma Kanda, The first chapters is Vedapada Stuti. This great work teaches us yoga, Advaita philosophy, Bhakti, Mantras and their procedures, history of great persons, social and religions Dharma and karma etc. The work is in Sanskrit Verse from, which speaks of the mastery of the author in that language. He possesses deepest knowledge of all most all branches of Hindu culture and learning. He can be compared with out the least hesitation with all ancient teachers and talented scholars of language, grammar, poetics, poetry, religion, philosophy, yoga, astrology, medicine etc. It is only the grace of the author that my father Shivprasad Dave’ could prepare its translation along with necessary notes of technical words, in the foot note of every page so that those who don’t know Sanskrit might enjoy it, our father Shivprasad Dave is a Retired professor of Sanskrit of M.S. University of Baroda. He is disciple of lord Ranga, Avadhuta whom he believes to be the incarnation of the universal lord, He has enjoyed and to day enjoys the great grace of this National Saint and Maharshi, His whole family viz. children and grand - children who also enjoy good positions are devotees of this great saint,.
Lastly, we heartily thank the authorities vig (1) Shri Jayantylal Acharya
and Dr Hariprasad (Dhiru bhai ) Joshi, the president and secretary of
Avadhuta Sahitya Prakashan Trust of Nareshwar for their kindness and goodwill
to allow its website to be done by us. |
