SwamiOm Books
About this ebook
Swami Samarth traveled all across the Indian subcontinent and eventually set his abode at Akkalkot, a village in present-day Maharashtra. He is thought to have initially arrived at Akkalkot on a Wednesday, during either September or October in 1856 CE. He resided at Akkalkot for close to 22 years. His parentage and origins remain obscure. Some other Indian saints and spiritual figures including Sai Baba of Shirdi and Gajanan Maharaj of Shegaon also have similarly unknown origins. According to legend, once when a disciple asked Swami a question of his birth, Swami responded that he had originated from a banyan tree (vata-vriksha in Marathi). On another occasion, Swami had said that his earlier name was Nrusimha Bhan.
Swami Samarth is widely considered to be the fourth (third in physical form) incarnation of Dattatreya, an Indian monk, mystic and Hindu deity. He is also believed to be a reincarnation of Narasimha Saraswati, another earlier spiritual master of the Dattatreya sect.
According to Swami Samarth himself, he had originally appeared in the Kardali forests near Srisailam, a Hindu holy town in present-day Andhra Pradesh. He might have moved through China, Tibet and Nepal during his travels across the Himalayas and its adjacent regions. He is also believed to have visited various Indian regions such as Puri, Varanasi (also Kashi), Haridwar, Girnar, Kathiawar and Rameswaram. He might have also briefly lived at Mangalvedha, a town near Pandharpur in present-day Solapur district, Maharashtra. He finally settled at Akkalkot.
Swami Samarth is also believed to have visited Maniknagar to meet Manik Prabhu, an Indian saint and mystic considered to be another incarnation of Dattatreya. According to the Shree Manik Prabhu Charitra (biography), Swami resided at Maniknagar for around six months. During this period, Manik Prabhu and Swami Samarth often sat under a cluster fig tree (Audumbar in Marathi) and had conversations on profound spirituality. It is claimed that Swami Samarth regarded Manik Prabhu as a brother.
Swami Samarth arrived at Akkalkot in 1856 CE on receiving an invitation from Chintopant Tol and then stayed on the outskirts of the town for about 22 years. He usually lived at the residence of his disciple Cholappa, where his shrine is presently located.
A common mantra commemorating Swami Samarth is read as “Om Abhayadata Shree Swamisamarthaya Namaha”. His biography known as Shree Guruleelamrut was authored by Sant Wamanbhau Maharaj.
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About the author
Shri Pratap Anant Gogawale, also fondedly called as Kaka (uncle), is life source of Gogawale Swami Mutth (monastery). He started the same in 1974 for upliftment of human soul and rightly called it as "Aatmoddharak Sthaan" (a place for self salvation). He is a disciple of Akkalkot Swami Samarth Maharaj (Supreme Lord) and has devoted his entire life to spread love for Shri Swami Maharaj. He always quotes Shri Tukaram Maharaj stating "धन्याचा हा माल, मी तो हमाल, भारवाही" - Everything that I carry belongs to Supreme Lord, I only carry it in capacity of his coolie or porter. He is firm believer of upasana marg (devotion through worship), promoter of nishkam karmayoga (selfless work) and complete surrender to Supreme Lord Shri Swami Samarth. He always preaches that God is one and God is everywhere and people from all religions and all backgrounds are welcome in Mutth.
He is also an active social reformer and has spearheaded multiple initiatives such as free medical camp, book distribution to school students, donating sewing machines to needy and so on along with regular devotional services. You can witness all these in action in Gogawale Swami Mutth. Important part of his service is the series of discourses on various religious texts. Current one in progess as of this writing in early 2022 is "Shrimad Bhagvad Mahapuran".
He has authored 30+ books all centred around devotion towards Swami Maharaj. All books are available at the cost price so that even the commonest person can afford it. The most important one is Shri Swami Mahatmya pothi which is a daily must read for every individual. Original Marathi pothi/book has already been translated into multiple languages - English, Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Malyalam. All his work is available in Amazon Kindle as well as Google Books at nominal price. Paper books are available in Mutth only. You can find additional info on all books and activities on this website.
Gogawale Swami Mutth (Monastery)
Located at 49 Mangalwar Peth is one of the most important places in Pune. It has become famous landmark due to existence of Shri Swami Samarth in the Mutth. One feels his energy immediately after entering in the building. This is the place where Shri Swami Maharaj has given his Vibhuti (divine ashes) from his photoframe, first time in July 2001 at Ashadh Shuddha Ekadashi. Vibhuti keeps coming intermittently from his photoframe. Blessed by His grace, many devotees have found solace and many of their problems got resolved. Devotees gather in thousands on every Thursday to offer their prayers at feet of Lord Swami Samarth. Daily Swami Pooja, Daily Tulasi Archan (offering of Tulasi leaves), Prasad distribution, Paurnima Palakhi Procession, Paurnima Abhishek, Daily Japa and Aaratee, are regularly done.
Note that Mutth is located inside Shri Pratap Kaka's house. It is a private property. He has made it available for all people and has provided many facilities such as filtered drinking water, large hall for waiting in queue, darshan hall, book stall, etc. All the expenses including utilities, medical camp, book distribution, etc are borne by Pratap Kaka. It is important to note that donations are not accepted in Gogawale Swami Mutth.
"Swami Prasad", Address: 49, Mangalwar Peth, Pune 411011, India.
Visit Website here www.SwamiOm.com for more details
You can follow him on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/
You can visit the YouTube Channel for Swami Pravachan here https://www.youtube.com/c/
Yogesh Kharawalikar sketches / paints amazing pictures of Shree Swami Samartha.
He contributes in almost every book released by Pratap Gogawale. Yogesh is blessed by Swami.
