The Life Journey of Śrīmat P. P. Vāsudevānandasarasvatī Svāmimahārāja: From 1891 to 1896.
In the previous article, the life journey of Śrīmat Paramahaṃsa Parivrājakācārya Vāsudevānandasarasvatī Svāmimahārāja (श्रीमत् परमहंस परिव्राजकाचार्य वासुदेवानंदसरस्वती स्वामिमहाराज), also known as Tembye Swami, was traced from his birth to his renunciation (Sannyāsa). This article aims to explore his life after Sannyāsa.
In 1891, Vasudevshastri took Sannyāsa. Hereafter, in this article, he will be referred to as Svāmimahārāja. Datta Maharaj ordered him to take Danda Sannyāsa from Narayananand Saraswati of Ujjain. Svāmimahārāja travelled to Ujjain and informed Narayananand Saraswati of Datta Maharaj’s order. Narayananand Saraswati sought permission from his Guru, Aniruddhanand Saraswati. After receiving permission, he conferred Danda Sannyāsa on Svāmimahārāja. Svāmimahārāja observed his first Cāturmāsa in Ujjain in 1891 AD.
Narayananand Saraswati was from the lineage of Śrīmat Paramahaṃsa Parivrājakācārya Nṛsiṃhasarasvatī Svāmimahārāja, the second incarnation of Datta Maharaj. He was a Shukla Yajurvedi Madhyandini Brahmin and belonged to the Samartha Sampradaya. His Samadhi is located in Chafal. Hence, Svāmimahārāja started observing Das Navami.
Svāmimahārāja’s daily routine was rigorous. He bathed three times a day and followed all rituals with great strictness. He also taught students regularly. In the afternoon, he would accept Bhiksha. Throughout his life as a Sannyāsi, he only accepted Bhiksha from Deccani Brahmins. Because of this rule, he often endured starvation during his travels but remained steadfast in following his principles. Moreover, he accepted Bhiksha only from Deccani Brahmins who adhered to stringent rituals. He never used any form of transportation and always travelled barefoot, carrying only a minimal amount of paraphernalia. He refrained from accepting any service from others and washed his own clothes. If he accidentally touched someone, he would bathe immediately. This strict, disciplined lifestyle became his hallmark.
Datta Maharaj ordered Svāmimahārāja to travel barefoot across Bharat and reestablish dharma, as there was a decline in Varnashrama dharma. After completing Cāturmāsa in Ujjain, Svāmimahārāja began his journey, travelling to Sarangpur via Mahatpur. One incident from this journey is worth mentioning.
In Sarangpur, a doctor named Keshavrao, originally from Pune, was living there with his wife, an extremely virtuous woman. They had one son, who was very dharmic. When the boy was five years old, a Sadhu visited and asked him how many years he would live in this world. The boy calmly replied that he would depart the next day. True to his word, the very next day, he gathered everyone and urged them to follow dharma, then left his body. Despite this, his mother remained unusually calm and stated that in six months, she too would leave her body in Pandharpur.
After six months, she asked her husband, Keshavrao, to accompany her to Pandharpur. Keshavrao complied, and they both travelled to Pandharpur. On Ekadashi, after taking darshan of Panduranga, she told her husband that she would leave her body that day. She also asked Keshavrao to marry a girl from Moropant’s family, saying he would beget a son with her. After saying this, she left her body. Soon after, Keshavrao married a girl from Moropant’s family and returned to Sarangpur
The irony was that even after witnessing such miraculous events, Keshavrao remained an atheist. When Svāmimahārāja arrived in Sarangpur, many people took his darshan, but Keshavrao would ridicule Svāmimahārāja and his followers. One day, however, he invited Svāmimahārāja for Bhiksha. Svāmimahārāja sternly told him that, since he was not performing Sandhya and not following the Brahminical code of conduct, he would not accept Bhiksha from his household. Angered, Keshavrao went home and told his mother about the incident. His mother scolded him for his behaviour.
Soon, Keshavrao realised his mistake. He returned to Svāmimahārāja, begged for forgiveness, and promised to follow his guidance. His mother pleaded with Svāmimahārāja to teach her son Brahmakarma, inviting him for Bhiksha as well. Svāmimahārāja personally taught Keshavrao Brahmakarma and only accepted Bhiksha from his house after Keshavrao began performing it regularly. In time, Keshavrao became an astika and never drank water before completing his Nityakarma.
The significance of this incident is profound and remarkable. Despite witnessing miracles, Keshavrao remained an atheist and even ridiculed dharmic practices. However, when he encountered Svāmimahārāja and faced his stern stance, he experienced a deep and transformative change. The role of his mother was also instrumental; she scolded him for his behaviour and pleaded with Svāmimahārāja to teach her son Brahmakarma.This implies that she knew what was right and what was wrong. Overall, this incident highlights the possibility of change, even in the most resistant individuals, when guided by a great guru like Svāmimahārāja.
After leaving Sarangpur, Svāmimahārāja travelled to Pichora, where he taught the Upanishads and Puranas. From there, he made his way to Jalvan via Kharera. At Jalvan, on Das Navami, he decided to read Dasbodh. One Shastri objected, stating that it is a Prakrit text and should only be read by those who do not know Sanskrit. In response, that very night, Svāmimahārāja explained the meaning of a Vedic verse and demonstrated a verse with a similar meaning from Dasbodh. Shastri recognized his mistake and apologised. Svāmimahārāja then remarked that, due to the decay of dharma in Kaliyuga, Vedic chanting often does not yield the desired results; during such times, the Prakrit texts by saints are extremely valuable.
From Jalvan, Svāmimahārāja travelled to Brahmavarta, where he resided for eight months in seclusion. Once Cāturmāsa began, he started giving lectures on the Puranas. Experts in Jyotish, Yoga, Vedanta, and other fields came to meet him and seek guidance. Gopalacharya of Gwalior, one of the greatest Pandits of his era, met him, and Svāmimahārāja guided him on certain matters. While in Brahmavarta, Svāmimahārāja composed a Sanskrit text titled Datta Purana, which consists of 3,500 shlokas, 64 chapters, and 8 astakas. The structure of the Rig Samhita and Datta Purana is identical.
Svāmimahārāja left Jalvan and travelled to Gokul, Mathura, and Vrindavan, eventually reaching Haridwar in May 1893. Dwarika Shankaracharya Rajrajeshwarswami was also there and insisted that Svāmimahārāja observe Cāturmāsa in Haridwar, to which he agreed. During Cāturmāsa, he gave lectures on the commentaries of the Upanishads. After Cāturmāsa, he journeyed to Badri, passing through Rishikesh, Devprayag, Rudraprayag, and Guptkashi. While in the Himalayas, the details of his two Cāturmāsas remain unknown.
After concluding his pilgrimage in the Himalayas, Svāmimahārāja returned to Haridwar in May 1896. In the next article, we will explore his life after this period.
Reference: Brahmashri Dattamaharaj Kavishwar. (2020). Shri Gurudev Charitra (13th ed.). Shri Vasudev Niwas. (Original work in Marathi).