Initiated
into the highest Ashram of Vedic religion, Shri Swami Maharaj was ordered by Lord Dattatreya to travel all over India and
to preach the true message of Vedic religion and guide people to follow the path ordained therein. Presented herewith is the
itinerary of his peripatetic life precede by a brief chronology of his earlier life
|
Year |
Place/s |
Events |
Literary works |
Remarks |
1854 |
Mangaon |
Born on Sunday
the dark 5th of Shravana in the year of Ananda (Bliss) |
1862 |
Mangaon |
Upanayan (initiation
to Brahminhood) |
1875 |
Mangaon |
Married at the
age of 21, rather reluctantly at the insistence of his teachers. Performs Gayatri purashcharan and Smartagni
seva |
1877 |
Mangaon |
A brief sojourn to Goa to learn astrology
and the death of his father, Shri Ganesh Bhataji |
1883 |
Mangaon |
Establishment of
Shri Datta Mandir (temple) at the instance of the Lord Himself. Constructed sanctum with his own hands. Age 29 yrs. Composes
"Dwisahasri Gurucharitam". |
1889 |
Narsobawadi |
Leaves Mangaon
with his pregnant wife and arrives at Narasobawadi. His only offspring is stillborn. He spent the next year and more and received
instructions from Govindswami who passes away. |
1891 |
Gangakhed |
Leaves Wadi and
in the summer of 1891, his wife dies of cholera. Age 37 years. After the mandatory period of 14 days, is initiated to Sanyas
(mendicancy) by Lord Dattatreya. |
1891 |
Ujjain |
Receives monastic sceptre from Shri Narananand
Saraswati who bestows the yogapatta (manstic name) of Shri Vasudevanand Saraswti on him. His first Chaturmaas (
prescribed stationary period in monsoon for the Sanyasi. ) |
1892 |
Brahmavarta |
2nd Chaturmaas;
stay of 8 months. |
Shri Dattapuran composed. |
1893 |
Haridwar |
3rd Chaturmaas;
meets the reigning Shankaracharya of Sharada Peetha Shri Rajarajeshwar Swami at whose insistence Swamiji
stays and gives discourses on Upanishads. Travels to Badrikedar and on his way Shri Nar-Narayan appear to him. |
1894-
1895 |
Himalayas |
4th and the fifth
chaturmaas. Spends over 2 years in the Himalayas. His exact whereabouts were never revealed to anyone. It is a matter
of marvel as to how he even survived, given his strict code of diet. |
1896 |
Jalavan |
6th chaturmaas.
Returns to Haridwar and proceeds to Jalavan, After the chaturmaas, travels to Brahmavart and proceeds to Nemawar
on the banks of Narmada. |
1897 |
Petlaad |
7th chaturmaas.
Deepavali; Shri Datta Maharaj is annoyed at austere Deepavali and hides away in the river and is lovingly retrieved by Swamiji
and offered special worship. |
Dattalilamritabdhisar |
1898 |
Tilakwada |
8th chaturmaas.
Transcripts Kurma Purana from Telugu to Devnagari Proceeds via Shinor, Girnar, Prabhas to - |
1899 |
Dwaraka |
9th chaturmaas.
Commentary on "Dwisahasri Gurucharitam" commenced at Prabhas, is completed. Proceeds to Shinor via Dakor and onwards
to.. |
1900 |
Chikhalada |
10th chaturmaas.
Mandaleshwar, Indore and Ujjain to nurse Shri Guruswami Narayananand. |
Magh Mahatmya |
1901 |
Mahatpur |
11th chaturmaas.
6 months stay. Dr. Tatke cured. Shri Gandabuwa and Shri Govind Pandit perfect Khechari under his guidance. |
"Dattamahatmya" and "Trishati" |
1902 |
Brahmavarta |
12th, 13th and
14th chaturmaas. Third visit to Brahmavarta. Longest stay in his Sanyasi life. His brother Sitaram arrives
and stays on, completing the Gayatri purashcharan under the guidance of Swami Maharaj. Shri Shantashram Swami comes
visiting from Benares. The plague epidemic and composition of Gurusamhita (Samashloki Gurucharitra), Laghuvasudevmanan
and Saptashati Gurucharitrasar. |
1903 |
Brahmavarta |
1904 |
Brahmavarta |
1905 |
Narsobawadi |
48 days stay. Shri
Dixit Swami gets monastic sceptre. Vedic school (Pathashala) established with Shri Dhundhiraj Shastri as the instructor.
Proceeds to Ganagapur via Shirol, Miraj, Pandharpur and Akkalkot where he met the famous Swami Samarth. Composition
of Shri Krishnalahari on the way. A devotee namd Tukaram is blessed and Gurustotra composed for him. Proceeds
via Gangakhed, Parali, Aundha, Hingoli to... |
1905 |
Narasi |
15th chaturmaas.
A small village on the banks of Kayadhu. Proceeds to Karanja, Amaravati, Brahmavarta, Kashi, Prayag and back to Narmada
|
Dattachampu |
1906 |
Badhwai |
16th chaturmaas.
On conclusion of chaturmaas, proceeds to Wadi for a stay of two months around Gurudwadashi. Proceeds south via Gurlhosur along
the banks of Ghataprabha, Vishvamitri and Tungabhadra to Hampi and Mt.Sheshachal where he composed a hymn in the praise of
the ruling deity Shadanan and Kumarshiksha. Following the Bahuda and Karatoya rivers, visits Srirangam, Shrishailam
and Tirupati-Tirumal, Kanchi, Pakshitirth. In this summer Pinakini unexpectedly augmented her flow to enable Swami Maharaj
to take a manadatory dip after the monthly tonsur. Visiting Kumbhakonam, Mayavaram etc. he arrived at.. |
1907 |
Sandhyamath |
17th chaturmaas.
On the banks of Venu (Kaveri). Further travels linclude Shringeri where he is felicitated by the Shankaracharya. |
Commentary on
Krishnalahari and Dwisahasri Churnika. |
1908 |
Mukteshwarpur |
18th chaturmaas.
Situated on the banks of Krishna in Andhra. After the stay, proceeds to Peethapuram to rediscover the birthplace of Shripad
Shrivallabh. Accompanies Brahmanand Saraswati to Rajmahendri to install a Trimukhi idol of Lord Dattatreya. |
Yuvashiksha,
Vriddhashiksha
and Strishiksha. |
1909 |
Pavani |
19th chaturmaas.
On the bank of Wainganga, near Nagpur. This chaturmaas was marked by crowds of devotees from all over India performing
numerous ydnyas and festivities. Shri Vamanrao from Kudutri near Kolhapur, to be renowned as Yogiraj Gulavani Maharaj
later, received initiation here in the company of elder brother Shri Shankarrao, mother Umabai and Sister Goda. Proceeds via
Mahur, Ajegaon, Renapur, Barsi to Wadi for a stay of four months. From Wadi travels south to... |
1910 |
Havnur |
20th chaturmaas.
Shri Vamanrao Gulavani is the first to seek out Shri Swami Maharaj and is blessed with his exclusive company for 10-12
days, exposition of Gita and finally a vision of Shri Dattaprabhu clad in tiger-skin. From here Shri Maharaj proceeded
along the banks of Tungabhadra, to Shringeri and then to Gokarna, Galgali and lands in Kurugaddi near Raichur. |
1911 |
Kurugaddi |
21st chaturmaas.
This remote and inaccessible island set in the river Krishna is considered its umbilicus and is blessed by Shripad Shrivallabh
whose temple was renovated by Shri Maharaj. Even here devotees thronged from all over India as soon as the news of Swamiji's
stay spread, braving the monsoon floods and other hardships. Shri Swami Maharaj stayed here upto Gurudwadashi, the day Shripad
Shrivallabh became invisible. He then proceeded north, via Yellora, Chalisgaon, Dharmapuri to. |
1912 |
Chikhalada |
22nd chaturmaas.
After a stay of 6-7 months he crossed the dense forest of Shulpaneeshawar near Katarkheda. He was partly guided by Ashwatthama.
Thus he arrived for his final chaturmaas on the banks of Narmada. |
1913 |
Garudeshwar |
23th chaturmaas.
Shri Swami Maharaj arrived here on the dark 6th of Chaitra and stayed till end. Soon the remote temple, believed to be to
be the site of the penace of Garud (the avian vehicle of Lord Vishnu), was bustling with the devotees of Maharaj. Hundreds
came and left ever day over the next year and a quarter. Thousands used to be there on any typical day. The place became a
place of pilgrimage and continues to be todate. After the summer of 1914, the chronic dysentery afflicting Swamiji since youth,
flared up and his health started rapidly deteriorating. As had been his practice all his life, "through two snakebites, a
plague, leprosy twice, three episodes of cholera and the constant dysentery", he trusted only one healer, his master and Lord
Shri Dattaprabhu! The great Yogi who had been so reluctant to use his powers did employ these to postpone the dissolution
of his body. As soon the dark night of Jyeshtha month gave way to the first day of Ashadha, (Tuesday, Ardra nakshatra,
uttarayan), he sat siddhasana facing the idol of ShriDatta, his eyes in a tratak, a deep and sonorous sound
of "om" in his mouth, he left the physical frame in a final, controlled exhalation!
Shri
Guru Dev Datta. |
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