नाना महाराज

" नाना महाराज प्रसन्ना "

" समर्थ सदगुरु
श्री नाना महाराज तरानेकर"

Extreme earnestness, immense sympathy and mercy for the suffering of mankind under the influence of nescience was an unparalleled and distinct quality of the great enlightened saint Nana Maharaj Taranekar. When he would talk to his devotees they definitely had not listened the affectionate words even from their own parents. If you think you could compare his speaking with the flow of clear water stream, or fall of Parijat flowers during the season, you might not be exactly describing how Nana used to speak. Though clear, the water would change its temperature in summer and winter. Nana’s words never changed the temperature. Parijat could not be as tender as Nana’s words to be compared. Honestly, one who has listened to him would fail to describe the affection, sweetness, emotions, firmness, tenderness, courtesy, sympathy, devotion, elderliness and a dozen more of the qualities which he would have found fully filled in Nana’s each word. There could not be anybody parallel to Nana Maharaj Taranekar in the spiritual walk of like. The Karuna Sindhu word is not proper to describe Nana, because Sindhu has the limitations; but Nana’s kindness knew no bounds. When Nana would talk to his disciple or a devotee his words would just acquire oneness with the inner mind (antahkaran) of the listener, and listener would forget the world. Nana’s each word was very effectively compassionate and equally full of respect for anybody who was fortunate enough to listen to Nana.
Not only the sense of talking, but Nana had acquired that which was beyond any kind of sense in this flimsy world. A completely Brahmavid and Brahmanishta Satguru, Nana advocated and preached Bhakti, Karma and Dnyan with equal masterly skills to people. His one comment cut with a smile really had thrown the three different meanings for three categories of his disciples.
Once Nana supported by his two disciples was being taken walking from his room to his chair in the verandah at the Indore house। (1985) One of the disciples slipped a little and Nana got a little jerk. Nana laughingly uttered looking at the devotees sitting for Karuna Tripadi, “ aho ha deh ghasarnarach” (this body has to slip). There was a mild laughter broken in the hall. The devotees or the emotionally attached persons (Bhakti Nishta) to Nana thought about the health of their beloved Guru and their laughter was sympathetic. There was surely a message for the other devotees who were there for the guidance about their own problems and also the devotion for Guru (Karma Nishta).

Nana’s hint was to them about the “parmartha sadhan” while living, which Nana always emphasized in his advice। The knowledgeable seniors in audience who knew about the nescience-created bodies, (Dnyan Nishta) could follow the Nana’s words to be the reminder for the nididhyasana. (to experience what was learnt). So, the great spiritual master Nana Maharaj Taranekar was kind to everybody according to individual categories of the devotees.

Nana though had reached to the Siddha stage had not given up the Bhakti Marg, (dnyanottar bhakti) which in fact was followed by him only to keep the conventions of the Datta Sampradaya of his Guru Shri Wasudevanand Saraswati. The major reason was that Nana had to put the ideals of Bhakti before his disciples. In fact he had achieved the Jeevan Mukta condition long back. Whatever he was doing was only for the betterment of his devotees, like any other enlightened Guru would do. He was also “wagmi guru” (speaking for guidance of the
followers ), as described in Guru Gita. It is not possible for anybody to write about the qualities of Sadguru like Nana.

Such a great human being was born at the place called Tarane near Indore. ( Nag Panchami 1896), in the family of karmath Brahmin. He was second son to his father Shankar Shastri and was named as Martand. At the very tender age of 6, Martand got the “word of guidance” from siddha guru, Dattawatar Wasudevanand Saraswati. With own studies, Guru’s benedictions and divine help, Martand got the eternal knowledge and he himself was elevated to the position of Guru. He twice had the holy roaming around (both the banks) river Narmada where he encountered miraculous happening.

Shri Nana Maharaj Taranekar made loksangrah to bring people in the right path of devotion and spiritual knowledge and accepted thousands of people as disciples. There were astonishing results of his well wishes expressed for the disciples. The great saint had given up his body of five elements in the year 1992. His disciples and the people who take the course of his teachings are still getting all the good wishes from Nana Maharaj and they are finding relieved of their worldly problems as well as they are making progress on the spiritual way.

संत गजानन महाराज

संत गजानन महाराज

We salute the very dust particles on the Feet of saints. Liberation does not hold any charm to us. Only saints are great. Nothing is greater than them. He is a Bhrahmajnyani, who thinks of saints always. Such a person treats saints as God. He does not think of any other thing.
Saints are gods as it were. Saints are respected all over the world. They are respected in all religions. How do the saints gain this divinity? Saints subdue the inherent enemies viz. lust, anger, greed, ego, hypocrisy and jeal­ousy. They love all the living creatures in the world. They think of the welfare of all the beings. They are those who have achieved the equilibrium of mind. They always merge in meditation and they meditate on God. They spend their lives for the benefit of all. Just as God sustains every living being, the saints also protect and nourish every living being. Saints thus are in no way less than gods. Saints are a repository of virtues. They can be compared with a wish fulfilling cow or a wish fulfilling tree. They can be compared with a parisa stone which can convert iron into gold. Saints perform good actions and men get their desires fulfilled. Saints burn away the dross in the character of men. Saints can inspire the rich to protect the poor. They inspire the wealth and charities are performed. Wells and tanks are dug out and people can get cool drinking water in the summer. The hungry get food and thus can sustain themselves in drought and famine. The rich erect temples and shelters for the poor and also hospitals and schools. Thus saints themselves can cause a spring to well up. They can turn an infertile land into fertile one. Saints will live in huts but can raise palatial buildings.
A body functions as long as a soul inhabits it. Similarly saints are the souls of the society. A society devoid of saints is bound to destroy itself, may it be anywhere in the world. India abounds in sages. Maharashtra has a galaxy of saints.
Shri Gajanan Maharaj, The saint of Shegaon made his first appearance in Shegaon on 23r February 1878. He was quite young then. He was seen picking up rice particles from a thrown away leaf plate. He drank water along with cattle and went away. Thereafter he appear lying under the standing horse of Shri Govind Maharaj Taklikar, who was giving a musical discourse in a Shiva temple. Shri Govind Maharaj could know the wisdom of Gajanan Maharaj, from the words uttered by him. Thereafter, Maharaj became known in and near about Shegaon. Gajanan Maharaj was a siddha and was oblivious of his surroundings. He used to lie anywhere, eat anything, wear any piece of cloth or move naked. Once a woman fed him a ball of half a seer chilies which he ate gladly and drank water. He was unaffected. He used to chant” gani gana ganat botey “. That is why he came to be known as Gajanan Maharaj. People used to offer him rich clothes, ornaments, money and eatables. He used to discard these things and move away elsewhere. Devotees often felt peaceful in his presence. They used to feel elevated in his presence. Gajanan Maharaj entered in maha samadhi on 8th of September 1910 at 8 A.M., when large crowds were chanting God’s name. Late Han Kukaji Patil erected a temple on the spot where Gajanan Maharaj left his body. Gajanan Maharaj Institute has been founded and it is conducting various welfare activities. Shri Ramchandra Krishnaji Patil managed the affairs of the institute from 1913 to 1948. His line continues to manage the affairs of the institute. Shri Dasaganu Maharaj has written the biography of Shri Gajanan Maharaj in an ovi meter.

G.P.K.

Govt Polytechnic, khamgaon is one of the most reputed Polytechnic in Amravati Region. This college was established in 1967, it has it's own culture and method of teaching.