Swami Samarth Maharaj
Encyclopedia
Swami Samartha of Akkalkot is considered by many to be the very form of Sri Nrusimha Saraswati of Ganagapur. Occasionally, Swamy said that he was Nrusimha Bhan and that he was from kardalivan near Srisailam confirmed that he was Nrusimha Saraswati. Swamy took up numerous names at different places which made it hard to trace his travels. He died in 1878.
His tradition
Shripad Shri Vallabha
Sripada ShriVallabha श्रीपाद श्रीवल्लभ is considered as the first Avatar of the deity Shri Dattatreya in kaliyuga. As per some of the experts he is supposed to have lived from 1320 AD to 1350 AD. He was born in Pithapuram...
, Narasimha Saraswati
Narasimha Saraswati
Narasimha Saraswati नरसिहसरस्वती is the Purna Avatar of Dattatreya.He was born in Karanjapur which is modern Lad-Karanja or karanja in Maharashtra Vidbaraba region....
and Akkalkot
Akkalkot
Akkalkot |ಅಕ್ಕಲಕೋಟೆ is a city and a municipal council in Solapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is situated 40 km southeast of Solapur and very close to the border between Maharashtra and Karnataka states...
Swami Samarth Maharaj.
Shri Swami Smaratha comes from the age-old guru tradition of the Dattatreya
Dattatreya
Dattatreya or Datta is a Hindu deity encompassing the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, collectively known as Trimurti. The name Dattatreya can be divided into two words - "Datta" and "Atreya" referring to the sage Atri, his physical father.Various Hindu sects worship him differently...
sampradaya. The main chanting mantra of this tradition is:
Digambara Digambara shripad vallabh Digambara
Shri Swami Samartha is believed to be the incarnation of Shri Narasimha Saraswati
Narasimha Saraswati
Narasimha Saraswati नरसिहसरस्वती is the Purna Avatar of Dattatreya.He was born in Karanjapur which is modern Lad-Karanja or karanja in Maharashtra Vidbaraba region....
, who in turn is the believed incarnation of Shri Shripad Shrivallabha. Although not much is known about Shri Shripad Shrivallabha, the life story of Shri Narasimha Saraswati
Narasimha Saraswati
Narasimha Saraswati नरसिहसरस्वती is the Purna Avatar of Dattatreya.He was born in Karanjapur which is modern Lad-Karanja or karanja in Maharashtra Vidbaraba region....
is well documented. "Shripad Shrivallabh Charitramrut" (the book describing the life story of Shri Shripad Shrivallabh) has been recently publicised.
- The biography of Shripad Shrivallabh in "Shripad Shrivallabh Charitra".
- The biography of Shrimad Nrusimha Saraswati in "Shreemad Gurucharitra"
Shreemad Gurucharitra gives us the details of his work in guiding the devotees and the various miracles he performed to help the devotees. He stayed at Ganagapur (Karnataka State, Southern India) for a long time and then gave his "Nirguna Padukas" to his disciples and devotees, before leaving for the Kardali forests to perform Tapas [penance].
Early life of Swami Maharaj
The early life of Swami Samarth like that of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba is shrouded with mystery.Shri Narasimha Saraswati
Narasimha Saraswati
Narasimha Saraswati नरसिहसरस्वती is the Purna Avatar of Dattatreya.He was born in Karanjapur which is modern Lad-Karanja or karanja in Maharashtra Vidbaraba region....
, about four centuries before the advent of Swami Samarth is believed to be the earlier incarnation of Shri Dattatreya
Dattatreya
Dattatreya or Datta is a Hindu deity encompassing the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, collectively known as Trimurti. The name Dattatreya can be divided into two words - "Datta" and "Atreya" referring to the sage Atri, his physical father.Various Hindu sects worship him differently...
. The 'Guru Charitra' one of the most famous books gives lot of information about Him. As per the most popular belief, Shri Narasimha Swami, after helping and spiritually uplifting a large number of people over a few decades, went away to the Himalayas for penance and went into Samadhi. In the Samadhi state He remained for about three hundred years. With the passage of time a huge anthill grew over him and he was lost to the outside world. One day accidentally a woodcutter’s axe fell on the bushes grown around the ant hill. He was shocked to find blood stains on the blade of the axe. He cleared the anthill and Lo, he found a Yogi in meditation. The Yogi slowly opened his eyes and consoled the dumbfounded woodcutter saying that it was the Divine Will for Him to re-appear in the world to resume His mission.
This Yogi, in his new role came to be known as Swami Samarth.
Prior to his settlement at Akkalkot, Swami Samarth seems to have visited far and wide. While moving in the Himalayan region he visited places like Puri, Benaras, Hardwar, Girnar, Kathiawad and Rameswaram in the South. He also stayed at Mangalvedha, a town near Pandharpur in Solapur district Maharashtra, which had been inhabited earlier by famous saints like Domojipant and Chokhamela. He came to Akkalkot in 1856 where he continued his physical existence for 22 years.
He came to Akkalkot on the invitation of one Chintopant Tol and stayed at a place on the outskirts of the town.