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.
It
has
21
chapters.
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