The Life Journey of Śrīmat P. P. Vāsudevānandasarasvatī Svāmimahārāja: From Birth to Sannyāsa.
Śrīmat Paramahaṃsa Parivrājakācārya Vāsudevānandasarasvatī Svāmimahārāja (श्रीमत् परमहंस परिव्राजकाचार्य वासुदेवानंदसरस्वती स्वामिमहाराज) (also known as Tembye Swami) is a luminary in the Datta Sampradāya.This article aims to outline his life, from his birth to his renunciation (Sannyāsa).
Sawantwadi was a princely state in the Konkan region during British India, and Mangaon is a nearby village. The Gramadevata (village deity) of Mangaon is Yakshini. This village was the birthplace of Svāmimahārāja. His grandfather, Haribhat Tembye, lived in a border village of the Sawantwadi princely state. He was a Rigvedi Brahmin, and his gotra was Atri. He later moved and settled in Mangaon.
He had four sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Ganesh, was the father of Svāmimahārāja. The mother of Svāmimahārāja was from the Konkar family in Mangaon. Since Sitarambhat Konkar, the maternal grandfather of Svāmimahārāja, had only one daughter, after his demise, the property was transferred to the Tembye family.
Ganeshbhat was extremely dharmic and a staunch devotee of Datta Maharaj, regularly visiting Gangapur. His wife, Ramabai, was also deeply dharmic. Svāmimahārāja was born on 23rd August 1854 (Śrāvaṇa kṛṣṇa pañcamī, Śaka 1776) and was named Vasudev.
When Vasudev turned three years old, he was admitted to a private school. His grandfather taught him basic Sanskrit texts. In 1862 AD, his Upanayana was performed. After that, Vasudev began learning the Vedas from Vishnubhat Ukidave. He adhered to extremely rigorous shastric dictums and exhibited exemplary behaviour. After completing his studies in the Vedas and Yājñikī, he started learning Sanskrit and Jyotisha from Shambhushastri Sadhale.
Soon, Vasudev completed his studies and began practising Paurohitya. At the age of 21, he married Annapurnabai, the daughter of Babajipant Gode. After marriage, he started worshipping Smārtāgni and completed one Gāyatrī Purascaraṇa. He went to Goa to earn money and also learned advanced Jyotisha from Nilambhat Padme. When his father became extremely ill and passed away in 1877, he returned to Mangaon.
Slowly, Vasudevshastri became a well-known figure due to his profound intellect, exemplary behaviour, adherence to dharma, and proficiency in Jyotisha and Mantravidya. He was a staunch devotee of Datta Maharaj, who used to converse with him. When he visited Nrusinhawadi for the first time, Datta Maharaj ordered him to go to Govindswamy. Govindswamy was highly revered and spiritually enlightened, residing in Wadi. He was a guru of Vasudevshastri.
Vasudevshastri used to perform Pañchāyataṇa pūjā. Govindswamy and Datta Maharaj instructed him to perform the puja of Datta Paduka. He returned to Mangaon and undertook the extremely difficult Chandrayana Vrata. He visited Wadi for Dattajayanti, where he resided for three to four months. Govindswamy asked him to start Datta Upāsana. Vasudevshastri replied that, for Brahmins, Agni and Surya Upāsana are established practices, so why should he start a new one? On the same night, Datta Maharaj gave Mantropadeśa to Vasudevshastri.
Vasudevshastri was eager to take Sannyāsa, but Datta Maharaj asked him to return to Mangaon. On his way back, a sculptor gifted him a Dattamūrti, which was then established in Mangaon. Vasudevshastri himself built the Garbhagṛha, and the Dattamandir in Mangaon became extremely famous. He managed all the rituals himself. Every Saturday, a grand festival was held. People came to the temple with their problems, which Vasudevshastri would solve. This practice became a tradition. Annually, Gurudvādaśī and Dattajayanti were celebrated on a grand scale, attracting nearly ten thousand attendees.
Vasudevshastri followed a rigorous daily routine. He would wake up at 4 a.m., perform Yoga and Sandhya, and then conduct Puja, for which he personally gathered the flowers. Each day, he would go to only one house for Bhiksha. After that, he bathed and performed the afternoon Sandhya and Brahmayajna. He cooked his own food and cleaned the utensils himself. In the afternoon, he taught students and solved problems. In the evening, he would bathe again and perform Sandhya, followed by the Arati. At night, he spent time reading books and practising yoga before going to sleep. Such a rigorous, disciplined, and tough routine!
In 1889, Vasudevshastri completed the Sanskrit translation of the Marathi Gurucharitra. He was practising Yoga daily. However, some problems arose. Datta Maharaj instructed him to visit Kapashi village, where a person resolved his issues and gave him a Hindi book. Later, while practising Khechari, Datta Maharaj personally revealed to him the details of a plant that helped him master Khechari. His daily Yoga practice eventually led to the attainment of siddhis.
Life went on, and soon Datta Maharaj ordered Vasudevshastri to begin domestic life. Vasudevshastri’s mother and his wife were bitter enemies. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law quarrelled constantly. Despite this, Vasudevshastri displayed remarkable restraint and chose not to intervene. Soon, Annapurnabai became pregnant, but Ramabai spoke harshly to her. As a result, Vasudevshastri decided to leave Mangaon. He and his wife moved to Wadi, where they stayed for a year. Unfortunately, Annapurnabai gave birth to a stillborn son.
Govindswamy taught the Upanishads to Vasudevshastri, but soon after, he left his body. Vasudevshastri then left Wadi and travelled to Kolhapur and Pandharpur, eventually reaching Gangakhed. At Gangakhed, his wife fell ill, and Vasudevshastri personally cared for her. Despite his efforts, in 1891, Annapurnabai passed away. Vasudevshastri completed her last rites, and on the fourteenth day after her death, he took Sannyāsa.
This concludes the journey of Vasudevshastri from birth to Sannyāsa. In the next article, we will explore his life after taking Sannyāsa.
Reference: Brahmashri Dattamaharaj Kavishwar. (2020). Shri Gurudev Charitra (13th ed.). Shri Vasudev Niwas. (Original work in Marathi).