Gondavalekar Maharaj

Brahmachaitanya
Brahmachaitanya
Personal life
Born	Ganpati Ravji Ghugardare (Kulkarni) February 19, 1845 Gondavale Budruk, Satara district, Maharashtra, India
Died	December 22, 1913 Gondavale Budruk, Satara district, Maharashtra, India
Religious life
Religion	Hinduism
Philosophy	Advaita Vedanta, Vaishnavism
Religious career
Guru	Tukamai
Disciples Brahmanand, Anandsagar, Bhausaheb Ketkar, Dr. Kurtakoti, Pandurangabuva, Tatyasaheb Ketkar, Pralhad Maharaj

Brahmachaitanya or Gondavalekar Maharaj (February 19, 1845 - December 22, 1913) was an Indian Hindu saint, mystic and spiritual master. He was born in Gondavale Budruk, a village in present-day Satara district, Maharashtra, India. His name prior to assuming sainthood was Ganpati. Brahmachaitanya was a devotee of the Hindu deity Rama and signed his name as 'Brahmachaitanya Ramdasi'. He was a disciple of Tukamai.

Life Journey

Family

Brahmachaitanya (birth name, Ganpati Kulkarni, Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin family) was born to Raoji and Gitabai Kulkarni. He descended from several generations of pious devotees of Lord Vitthala, who is an incarnation of the deity, Lord Shri Krishna. His grandfather, Lingopant, was bestowed the title of "Kulkarni," which became their family name, and was given several acres of farmland for his honest service to the government.

Childhood

Ganpati was a swift learner. His grandfather, Lingopant, often recited the ''slokas'' from The Bhagavad Gita. Ganapati knew all the slokas by heart. As a child, he often meditated and would never miss out on meeting and talking to various saints and sages at the town temple. Ganpati left home in spiritual pursuits at the early age of nine. After knowing of his whereabouts, his father tracked him down and brought him back home from Kolhapur. At age eleven, he married a woman by the name of Saraswati. Soon at the age of twelve, he again left home in search of a spiritual guru. He traveled across India and visited numerous contemporary saints and spiritual masters such as Swami Samarth of Akkalkot, Manik Prabhu, Trailanga Swami, and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

Initiation

He later arrived at Yehalegaon, a village near Nanded, and became a disciple of Shri Tukamai. Shri Tukamai was a living synthesis of Yoga, Jnana, Bhakti, and Karma. The very first meeting was very reverential, and Ganpati's eyes welled up. He stayed with Shri Tukamai for nine months and did everything that Shri Tukamai told him to do. Finally, on the auspicious day of Shri Ram Navami, Shri Tukamai initiated Ganapati with the Mantra - "Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram." Shri Tukamai bestowed upon him the title "Brahmachaitanya." He reportedly attained enlightenment at the age of sixteen. Brahmachaitanya was asked to worship Shri Ram, and he gave Ramdasi initiation to Brahmachaitanya and gave him the right to give grace.

Grihasthashram

Brahmachaitanya later traveled across India to Ujjain, the Himalayas, Ayodhya, Banaras, Calcutta, Indore, and Nashik. After roughly nine years, in March of 1866, Brahmachaitanya returned home to Gondavale. Brahmachaitanya accepted Grihasthashram. During the Grihastha stage, he performed all his duties in the world—work and family life. His wife Saraswati and their son passed away prematurely. To please his mother, he remarried the blind daughter of Deshpande of Atpadi.  His second wife was blind from birth and later came to be known as Aaisaheb. Having given up all the belongings, Brahmachaitanya took his mother, Gitabai, on the pilgrimage to Banaras and then Ayodhya. Gitabai eventually passed away in Banaras.

Return to Gondavle

In later years, Brahmachaitanya continued to expound spiritual methods revolving around devotion to Shri Rama. Initially, he had a Rama temple built as an extension of his residence.

With time, the number of his disciples and followers continued to increase. To accommodate the large volumes of visitors, he arranged for the construction of Shri Rama, Dattatreya, and Shani temples along with an accommodation facility at Gondavale. He also had Rama temples built in other rural regions of Maharashtra.

Social Impact

During the famine of 1876 and 1896, Brahmachaitanya opened his granaries for the citizens of Gondavale and the surrounding villages. He donated free food to the weak, the poor, the elderly. During this period, Brahmachaitanya helped save many lives from starvation by making provisions for employment on his farm and offering food to the needy.

Brahmachaitanya also loved animals. He saved hundreds of cows that were intended for the slaughterhouses and even constructed "Goshala" for them.

Final Journey

From 1890 onwards, he mostly lived in Gondavale. He interpreted the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta in his discourses and introduced those principles in a practical language that ordinary people could understand.

He died on Monday, December 22, 1913 at Gondavale.

Philosophy

Brahmachaitanya was a proponent of Bhakti Yoga or the path of devotion.His teachings were mostly aligned with that of Samarth Ramdas, a 17th-century Indian saint and philosopher. The Ram Nam mantra (sri Ram jay Ram jay jay Ram), originally attributed to Samarth Ramdas, was adopted by Brahmachaitanya, and was central to his teachings. According to S. G. Tulpule, Gondavalekar maharaj, like Mirabai, Ramdas, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Tulsidas, was a great practitioner of the divine name being taken as an incarnation of God. According to him, regular recalling of the mantra in everyday life ensures continuous remembrance of the divine and consequently leads to spiritual progress. He advocated for complete surrender to Rama as a pathway to contentment. He maintained that one need not sacrifice his or her material engagements to develop spiritually. He frequently emphasized upon the importance of discipline, selflessness, morality and compassion towards attaining well-being. He frequently employed means such as pravachan (spiritual discourses), and bhajan (hymns) to engage people along the path of devotion. He encouraged cow protection and food donation. He was also one of the key figures in the revival of Vedic ritualism (vaidik anushthaan) in Maharashtra.

Teachings

Bramhachaitanya advised seekers that one can achieve God through our spiritual practices. The two proven ways for the worldly people to be able to attain eternal bliss with purity of heart are सत्संगती (company of saints) and नाम (chanting the name of God). Brahmachaitanya spent his lifetime teaching the importance of Naam Japa.

He advocated the continued remembrance of God through Naam Japa as a means to happiness, contentment and peace. He made extensive use of 'Pravachans', 'Bhajans' for encouraging people to follow the path of Bhakti (devotion). He taught people the Mantra 'Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram'. This Mantra has 13 letters (Alphabets) in Devanagari Script. Each letter has its own meaning and Brahmachaitanya has written 13 different 'Abhangas' on each of these letters. This Mantra implies that 'Ram' is in our heart and takes care of all of us.

Brahmachaitanya's teachings are summarized in his Subodh (sound advice). Subodh is recited in Gondavale and by his followers across the world.

Subodh teachings

• Chant the name of God and share the importance of chanting with everyone you meet.
• Naam alone is the ultimate truth.
• Naam is the means and the end.
• Be soaked in the blissful chanting while enjoying the worldly pleasures
• Be happy and stay away from laziness, fear and hate.
• Always be mindful of the divine presence in life.
• Be polite and nice to people and do bhakti with complete devotion.
• Purity in thought and action is recommended and refrain from hypocrisy.
• Consider Ram as your friend, guide and master and surrender to him wholeheartedly
• Give your 100% to everything you do and leave the results of your effort to Ram, thereby dropping the doership entirely.
• Control your desires and be righteous in your behaviour.
• Ram is the giver of happiness and one should consider performing the worldly duties as a way to serve HIM.
• Sing and chant His name and always be content and at peace even if you lose all the worldly belongings.
• Pride is the biggest enemy of a seeker, be alert and do not give in to your EGO.
• Ram resides in our hearts, he is the epitome of love and yearns for love from all his followers.

The daily discourses of Bramhachaitanya have been compiled into 'Pravachane' book of discourses. Compilation of original Marathi Pravachans was done by G.S. Gokhale, and later translated into English by V.C. Kelkar, N.S. Jamadagni, S.C. Marathe and V.T. Junde.

In his short daily discourses Brahmachaitanya explains the importance of Naam chanting, the proper posture and procedure during Naam Jap, and how to develop love for chanting by keeping distractions at bay. He also clarifies the doubts and myths in the minds of seekers and helps them understand how ‘Naam is the incarnation of the divine’ and that constant remembrance of the divine not only brings a state of awareness but also helps one sail through the worldly life with ease of mind. He further adds that devotion has been considered as the highest means to attain God, and devotion comes with pridelessness. If the obstinacy and love of an addicted person towards his addiction could be transferred to the divine, the result is spiritual uplift. Having single minded devotion with a firm conviction that “I belong to the divine '' and earnestly longing for his grace will bring true progress on the path.

Readers of this book will also find guidance on a variety of topics like Saguna Bhakti(worship of God with form) while being conscious of the nirguna (formless God), true object of Sanskaras, how to be composed in moments of joy and pain, how to ascribe doership to God to get rid of unwanted anxiety, desire control, the purpose of human life, intrinsic purity, how to steady the mind and much more.

Bramhachaitanya also guides us to understand the difference between Baddha (bonded) and Mukta (liberated). One can learn to be dispassionate in worldly life if not detached and still do his duties while pursuing knowledge and make steady progress on the spiritual path.

"Come what may a true seeker should never abandon Naam - Naam is everlasting and endless, its greatness is unfathomable. Naam, God, and the Devotee is a trinity which is the real symbolic triple confluence. At the end of your proposed Naam, one should refrain from asking something mundane instead one should ask for unshakeable contentment, undying love for Naam, and an end to further asking. Further one should pray that O Ram, as lowly as I am, please accept me the way I am and I shall continue to serve you and endlessly chant your name with fervor and faith until my last breath!"

Followers

Brahmachaitanya's devotees ranged from all walks of the populace due to Brahmachaitanya's gifted ability to converse with everyone in their own language to be able to relate to them. Brahmachaitanya's disciples span not only the state of Maharashtra and other states in India but are spread globally. His most notable disciples included below "param shishyas" (supreme disciples).

Shri Anand Sagar Maharaj

Shri Anand Sagar Maharaj widely considered as the most respected disciple of Brahmachaitanya was born "Govind Anant Kulkarni" in Ambad. His father was a devotee of Shri Samarth Ramdas and used to regularly read "Dasbodh" and the young Govind also became fascinated by the teachings of Dasbodh. While contemplating on one of the chapters in Dasbodh, he dived deeper in his soul and wondered if he could be fortunate enough to experience the sighting of a realized soul and suddenly, Brahmachaitanya gave him a darshan (sighting). He was an intensely devotional spiritual follower of Brahmachaitanya who was pleased with his "bhakti" (devotion) and started referring to him as "Anandsagar" ("ocean of happiness"). Shri Anand sagar maharaj's soul left his body in 1907 and his ashes were submerged in the holy rivers along with Brahmachaitanya (in 1913) thus eternally uniting this supreme disciple with his Guru.

Shri Brahamandand Maharaj

Shri Brahamandand Maharaj was born "Anant Swami" in a well-educated family in Jalihal district in Karnataka in the year 1859. In his early years, he mastered most of the foundational sources of knowledge such as "Bhagwad Geeta," Vedas, Puranas and was considered one of the most educated scholars and experts on topics ranging from logic, literature, and grammar among other streams and was awarded the "Shastri" (Scholar) felicitation at the tender age of 18. He was a prime example of someone who was a "realized" soul and yet was renowned for his vairagya (detachment). He renounced all his vidya (worldly knowledge) after his initiation by Brahmachaitanya who honored him with his new name "Brahamanand" (which implies someone who is 'one with the ultimate and the pure bliss'). In 1913, after Brahmachaitanya's samadhi, he established a very disciplined yet simple daily rituals schedule (sadhana) which is followed verbatim till today. His simple rules for living a pure yet fulfilling life are widely followed (see below for an image of his own handwritten copy and a marathi transcript (Reference provided below). His soul departed left this eternal world in 1918 through a rare "jalsamadhi" (dissolution in water - as water is considered one of the five core elements in much of the matter in this universe).

Dr. Kurtakoti

Dr. Kurtakoti who was born in 1879 in a wealthy and well-educated family and became a well-renowned scholar in his school and college years. He was known as "Vidyabhushan" (a decorated scholar) by Pandits in Calcutta and later awarded Ph.D. for his essay "The Heart of Bhagavadgita" from the Oriental University in the US. He was an expert in many languages such as Sanskrit, Marathi, English, Kannada and a scholar on broad topics such as Vedantic Philosophy, Arts, and Neeti (Ethics).  

He was affectionately called as "Mahabhagwat" (meaning a great disciple loved by the God himself) by Brahmachaitanya. He was later appointed as the Shankaracharya (head theolosits of the Vedanta teachings) in Karveer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolhapur_district) and Sankeswar Peeth upon recommendation by Lokmanya Tilak. Bal Gangadhar Tilak - Wikipedia.  In his later years, he devoted himself to social causes such as purification of sinners and absorbing them in the mainstream society. Dr. Kurtakoti has also composed many "bhajan" (devotional songs)s. He has also written "Siddhntasar" – a Sanskrit thesis detailing the Hindu philosophy and contains scholarly discourse about the search for the eternal truth.  He died on 1967 at the age of 88 in Nashik.  Side picture shows a reference to the thesis by another researcher.

Shri Ramanand Maharaj

Shri Ramanand Maharaj was born in 1886 in Chandki in the Varhad region of Maharashtra. Since his childhood, he showed signs of material detachment and used to find comfort in meditation and bhajan (devotional singing). His uncle left him with Shri Sitarambua who was a senior warkari (Warkari - Wikipedia ) disciple. He was introduced to Brahmachaitanya by Shri Anandsagar and was initiated by Brahmachaitanya who started calling him "Pandurangbua". Brahmachaitanya tested his devotion by asking him to do extremely rigorous sadhana (disciplined service and meditation) over extended periods of time but Shri Pandurang bua never failed Brahmachaitanya's expectations who later gave him the privilege of "Giving Anugrah" (authority for initiating) for initiating other devotees. He passed away in 1930 after a short illness.

Shri Prahlad Maharaj

Shri Prahlad Maharaj was born in Sakharkherda in Buldhana district in 1892 in a scholarly family with a deeply devoted heritage.

He chanted Ram Naam 130 million times (130 million is the auspicious number for chanting). He was initiated by Shri Ramanand Maharaj (See above). On one occasion, after attending a discourse on "Dasbodh" by Shri Ramanand Maharaj on the topic of "Vairagya", he left the material world and decided to pursue the spiritual path in earnest. Due to his intense mediation, he was often found in the state of "samadhi" for several days at a time and would survive easily without any food and water during this state. Shri Prahlad Maharaj is credited with fiercely promoting "Naamsmaran '' (Chanting of Naam) to large populations of devotees looking for fulfillment in the modern times across much of Maharashtra. He left the material world in 1979.

Shri Bhausaheb Ketkar

Shri Bhausaheb Ketkar was the foremost disciple of Brahmachaitanya and is considered specially blessed because he probably spent most of the time in the company of Brahmachaitanya on a regular/daily basis. Moreover, Shri Bhausaheb stands out as the most devoted family man yet devoted his entire life to the teachings of Brahmachaitanya. Even though he was not as scholarly as some of Brahmachaitanya's other disciples, his love and devotion to Brahmachaitanya was absolute and unalloyed and he lived every breath of his life entirely per Brahmachaitanya wishes. A large number of current followers of Brahmachaitanya from common walks of life consider Shri Bhausaheb as their idol and role model.

Shri Tatyasaheb Ketkar

Shri Tatyasaheb Ketkar, the son of Shri Bhausaheb Ketkar (see above) was born in 1885 into the highly devout family who worshipped Brahmachaitanya. Shri Tatyasaheb's life was filled with "Vivek" and "Vairagya" (Discernment and detachment of worldly and bodily possessions). Tatyasaheb lived most of his early life in the blessed and blissful company of Brahmachaitanya in Gondavale. His marriage was ordained by Brahmachaitanya. Brahmachaitanya is believed to be speaking through Tatyasaheb for a period of 32 years (1925 through 1967) which is considered a modern-day miracle. His life was highlighted by utmost simplicity and unalloyed devotion to Brahmachaitanya. It is often said that he believed that even in his own home, he would stay as if he was the guest of Brahmachaitanya because for him, the entire world is owned and consumed by Brahmachaitanya. Much of Brahmachaitanya's current teachings were recited during these 32 years of "vaani" (speech) avatar including his widely popular series of 365 1-pager discourse designed for daily reading. Shri Tatyasaheb passed away in 1967.

Shri K. V. Belsare

Shri K. V. Belsare, affectionately known as "Baba" (father), was born in a highly educated family in Hyderabad in 1909. Since childhood, Baba was the bright child who had lots of questions in his mind on "life" in general and on the phenomena of "death" in particular, consequently on "human existence". He mastered the scriptures such as Bhagavad Gita, Dasbodh and Dnyaneshwari at an early age and is believed to have memorized all of the 700 shlokas (verses) of Bhagwad Geeta in one week. He later became a professor of philosophy at Siddhartha college in Mumbai. His lectures were so popular that students from other disciplines used to line up and the classrooms were often overflowing due to his extraordinary clarity and ability to teach complex subjects in an easy-to-understand manner. He was initiated by Brahmachaitanya in 1931 (through the manifestation of Maharaj through Tatyasaheb Ketkar - the so-called "vaani avataar") and thereafter lived his long personal and professional life in total surrenderance to Brahmachaitanya.  On Brahmachaitanya's orders, Baba became the cornerstone of propagating Maharaj's teachings to a vast population over an extended period of 60 years through thousands of discourses on topics ranging from meditation to lectures on Dnyaneshwari and Dasbodh and through more than 50 books that he authored. His teachings to seekers resonated quickly because he was not only the master of "knowledge" but was himself a realized soul thereby combining  the three pillars of vedantic philosophy "bhakti" (devotion), "karma" (action), and "dnyan" (inquiry) in an unique manner in the modern times. Baba died in the year 1999.

D.R. Bendre

D.R. Bendre (1896 – 1981) was an eminent poet in Kannada language and recipient of the Jnanpith Award. A life long devotee, Bendre credited Brahmachaitanya for bestowing on him the gift of poetry.

Worship

Image showing Entrance of Samadhi Mandir of Brahma Chaitanya Gondavlekar Maharaj at Gondavle

Temples

Samadhi Mandir Gondavle

Brahmachaitanya and his followers built and consecrated many temples around India. There are also temples dedicated to Brahmachaitanya in Maharashtra as well as in other places in India such as Bangalore (Srinivasanagar), and Hebbali in Dharwad district.The Ram Nam Japa ritual is held on a daily basis in these temples.

	Temple	Location	Year
1	Dhakale Rama Mandir	Gondavale	1892
2	Datta Mandira, Aatavaadi	Aatavaadi	1892
3	Thorale Rama Mandir	Gondavale	1895
4	Vitthala Mandir	Gondavale
5	Rama Mandir	Beladadhi	1896
6	Ananda Rama Mandir	Jalna, Anandavadi	1896
7	Tilwankar Rama Mandir	Varanasi	1897/98
8	Pattabhi Rama Mandir	Harada	1900
9	Rajaadhiraja Rama Mandir	Maandape	1901
10	Rama Mandir	Giravi	1901
11	Rama Mandir	Sorati, Ujjain	1901
12	Rama Mandir	Yavagal	1901
13	Datta Mandira	Yavagal	1901
14	Rama Mandir	Kagavada	1902
15	Rama Mandir	Gomewadi	1903
16	Rama Mandir	Mhasoorne	1903
17	Rama Mandir	Vita	1903
18	Rama Mandir	Manjarde	1905/6
19	Bhadagavkar Rama Mandir	Pandharpur	1908
20	Janaki Jeevana Rama Mandir	Morgiri	1908
21	Datta Mandira	Satara	1908
22	Vitho Anna Daphthardar Rama Murthi	Patna	1909
23	Javalgekar Rama Mandir	Solapur	1909
24	chidambara nayakara Rama Mandira	Hubli	1909
25	Kurthakoti Rama Mandir	Kurthakoti	1909
26	Atapadi Rama Mandir	Atapadi	1909
27	Vitthala Mandira	Khathavala	1909
28	Vitthala Mandira	Uksaan	1909
29	*Vitthala Mandir	Naragunda	1909
30	*Venkatesha Mandir	Venkatapura	1909
31	*Venugopala Mandir	Bidarahall	1909
32	Hanuman Mandir	Kaagavaada	1909
33	Rama Mandir	Kannhad	1911
34	Datta Mandira,	Gondavale	1911
35	Shani Mandir	Gondavale	1911
36	Kuravali Rama Mandir.	Siddeshwara	1913
37	Dahavadi Rama Mandir		1912
38	Haradasi Rama Mandir	Sangli	1912/13
39	Kukkadavada Rama Mandir		1912/13
40	Likthe Rama Mandir	Pune	1914
41	kherdi Rama Mandir	Konkan	1914
42	Ashwathapur Rama Mandir	Karnataka	1915
43	Emmikeri Rama Mandir	Dharwad	1915/17
44	Line Bazar Rama Mandir	Dharwad	1915/17
45	Sri Vishwanatha Seetha Rama chandra Mandira	Gajendraghada	1916
46	Kaanchi Samudram Rama Mandir	Andhra Pradesh	1923
47	Sri Shendurani Ghat Rama Mandir		1923
48	Sri Shendurani Ghat Rama Mandir	Kurundavada	1929
49	Rama Mandir	Viduraashwatha	1930
50	Rama Mandira	Indore	1931
51	Brahmachaithanya Rama Mandira	Mandaleshwara	1932
52	Rama Mandira	Gowdigalli, Hubbali	1945
53	Sri Brahmachaithanya sri Rama Mandira	Chintamani, Karnataka	1949
54	Rama Mandira	Kudoor, Karnataka	1969
55	Sri Brahmachaithanya Ashrama & Rama Mandira	Parvathi Payaatha	1976
56	Rama Mandira	Hadonahalli	1983
57	Sri Rama Mandira	Samartha Kuti Bedi,Udavah	1994
58	Rama Mandira	Vudagyav, Pune	1995
59	Rama Mandira	Maardi	1997
60	**Maharaja's Paduka Mandirs
61
62	**Maharaja's Paduka Mandirs	Kolhapur	1920
63	Rendaalkar Paduka Mandir	Kolhapur	1920
64	Brahmachaithanya Mutt	Malhad	1929
65	Brahmachaithanya Mutt & Hanuman Mandir	Mandsaur	1947
66	Sri Brahmachaithanya Mandir	# 1692, 5th Cross 16th MainRoad B.S.K. 1st Stage 2nd Block Banglore-50 Hanumantha nagar,Bangalore..........	1972
67	Paaduka Mandir	Londa	1982
68	Paaduka Mandir	Hebballi	1984
69	Paaduka Mandir	Halenagara, Bhadravathi	1988
70	Gondavale Dhaam	Indore

Meditation Centers

Brahmachaitanya's devotees are spread around the globe. There are numerous Upasana Kendra (Meditation Centers) in India (for example, Miraj, Pune, Malad (Mumbai), Thane, Ahmadabad, Panvel, Phaltan, Kalyan, Shirur, Dombivali, Karad, Sakharkherda, Indore, Nashik, Nagpur, San Francisco Bay Area)

In literature

• Sri Brahmachaitanya Gondavalekar Maharaj - Biography by K.V. Belsare
• Brahmachaitanya - Novel by Ashok Deshpande
• Sri Brahmachaitanya Gondwalekar Maharaj- Biography by Girija Keer

Shri Samartha Sansthan Gondavale (Sansthan)

Shri Samartha Sansthan Gondavale (Sansthan) personifies Brahmachaitanya who devoted his entire life toward propagating Naamasmaran ( Ram Naam Mantra - Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram) and upliftment of the society, especially the middle class, as per his Satguru Tukamai's direction.

Over the last 100+ years, after its formation in 1913, the Sansthan has grown like a banyan tree carrying out Brahmachaitanya's mission.  The Sansthan is managed by four elected trustees and Brahmachaitanya as the permanent first trustee. There are hundreds of sevekari sadhaks who carry out several tasks under the guidance of the trustees. The trustees have been ensuring that Brahmachaitanya's teachings are carried out to the letter and that there is warmth among the devotees and the whole ambiance of the Sansthan is one of piety and contentment.

The Sansthan has faced many difficult periods such as food rationing, water shortages, financial issues, and political pressure. However, according to the trustees, " the Sansthan has been able to overcome the hurdles with Brahmachaitanya's krupa".  The two pillars - Ram Naam and Annadan - are the culture and religion of the Sansthan.  It is no wonder that thousands of devotees are attracted to visit the Sansthan every year. According to the trustees, "to a devotee, visiting the Sansthan is like going to Grandpa's home - a delight!!!"

Trust Deed

History

In 1912 - one year prior to his death - Brahmachaitanya created a Will in which he bequeathed all his wealth and estate including land, cattle & livestock to a Trust.  

The Trust is dedicated to spreading Ram Naam, Annadan, Gorakshan, and maintenance of various temples.  Brahmachaitanya appointed four trustees to administer the Trust after his death - Brahmananda, as the head trustee, and Appasaheb Bhadgaokar,  Bapusaheb Sathye and Tatya Chapalgaonkar as the executive trustees.

Accordingly, the trustees took charge after Brahmachaitanya's death in December 1913.  They named Brahmachaitanya as the first and permanent trustee and began their work. Brahmananda named this Trust as "Shri Samartha Sansthan Gondavale".

Ever since its formation in 1913 till date, the Sansthan has been fortunate to receive services from several trustees and sevekari sadhaks. They come from all walks of life - rich / poor, farmers, doctors, engineers, business executives etc. "Generation after generation of devotees have served as trustees / sevekaris and there doesn't seem to be an end to this tradition due to Brahmachaitanya's krupa", according to the trustees.

Shrines And Monuments

Brahmachaitanya's Samadhi

Sampurna Samadhi

A day prior to his death, Brahmachaitanya visited his cattle house and said he wants to live at that site permanently.  Brahmananda,  Dr. Kurtakoti, and other disciples took this as a hint and decided to build his samadhi at that site after Brahmachaitanya's death. Brahmachaitanya's samadhi is modeled after the samadhi of Samaratha Ramdas Swami, Sajjangadh. Accordingly, a GopalKrishna temple is built above the samadhi. The samadhi is decorated with only one ornament - flowers from the Sansthan's nursery.

Brahmananda personally supervised and guided the construction until its completion in 1918.  He also established best practices for sadhana and daily pooja - please refer to the separate section on the topic. Ever since then, the samadhi is the central point of all the activities of the Sansthan. 

According to the trustees, "for a sadhak, Brahmachaitanya's samadhi is a source of spiritual energy; for a casual visitor, it is a place to experience contentment."

Aaisaheb Samadhi

Aairsaheb's samadhi is located toward the north side of Brahmachaitanya's samadhi.  Its construction was completed in 1935.

Kothi

The Kothi, also known as Brahmananda's Kothi, is used for storing food and grocery items for prasad. Brahmananda has blessed the Kothi with an Akshay Pishavi and a silver one rupee coin.  He told the trustees to perform pooja of the Akshay Pishavi before every celebration so that the Sansthan would not run out of food to feed any number of visitors.  According to the trustees, "this blessing has proven itself on a number of occasions."

Battasha Samadhi

"Battasha" was Brahmachaitanya's horse.  He would allow only Brahmachaitanya to ride on him and not anyone else. According to the trustees "a few days after Aaisaheb passed away, Battasha walked in front of Brahmachaitanya's samadhi and breathed his last."  His Samadhi is constructed at that location.

Ramanand Maharaj Samadhi

Ramananda Maharaj was also known Pandurangbua. Please refer to the Disciples section above for more information. His samadhi is located toward the north side of Brahmachaitnya's samadhi.

Naam Mandir

This is one place in the Sansthan where sadhak can seek solitude for Naamasmaran.  This mandir is located near Ramanand Maharaj's samadhi.

Prasad Mandap

Prasad Mandap

Annadan is the culture of the Sansthan . There are five prasad mandaps where "thousands of devotees enjoy the prasad with Brahmachaitanya's krupa every day" according to the trustees. As an example, around 38,000 devotees enjoyed the prasad on the centenary day in 2013.

The kitchen is equipped with facilities such as boilers, cold storage to cook prasad for 3,000 devotees in one shot.

Brahmananda Hall

Brahmananda Hall is a hall where the devotees chant Ram Naam as well as enjoy discourses / kirtans.  A number of kirtankars, musicians, and artists have performed their seva toward Brahmachaitanya in this hall.

Temples in Gondavale

The Sansthan is responsible for the pooja and maintenance of the temples founded by Brahmachaitanya in Gondavale.  In addition to the two Ram temples, the temples include:

Vitthal temple, Datta temple (it also contains Durgadevi and Narasimha temples) and Shani temple.

Museum

Brahmachaitanya's ancestral home is now converted into a museum to display various artifacts, documents, photos, clothing, and furniture that provide insights into Brahmachaitanya's life and teachings.

Sadhak Nivas

Sadhak Nivas is a residential facility, available free of cost, to anyone who wants to stay in Gondavale and perform Ram Naam Sadhana. It is equipped with essential facilities for physically challenged devotees as well.  It can host over 1,000 sadhak families.

Community Projects

Chaitanya Hospital

Sansthan commenced a hospital in the premises of the Samadhi Mandir in the year 1983 under the supervision of Dr. Appa Aathavale. On 1st May 1994 Dr. Ghanekar, who was managing trustee of Sansthan at that time,expanded the facility further.The new hospital is well-equipped with 69 operation theatres and is now known as "Chaitanya Hospital‟.There are multiple facilities offered at the hospital. The medical treatment offered at Chaitanya Hospital is "Free of Cost‟.

Goshala

Brahmachaitanya had great affection for cows and was well known to protect them and take care of them during his time. The tradition is continued till date by Sansthan .Earlier Goshala had  6-7 Cows, but a new modern goshala is built behind the Kurtakoti building and has more than 50 cows.The practice of showing 'Gogras' (feeding first bite of food to cows) by performing Gomata Aarti during Kakad Aarti in the morning and evening was started by Brahmachaitanya continues till today.Next to it is a new state-of-the-art garbage dump, bio-gas plant. It is best used to heat milk over a slow fire.

Water Management

Gondavale has always experienced water scarcity due to its geographical location. Devotees of Brahmachaitanya  have undertaken various projects to see that Gondavale and adjacent areas get enough supply of water throughout the year. Two water reservoirs are built which have a capacity to hold up to 3 Crore liters of water. A very innovative water distribution system is implemented without using a single water pump.

Service During COVID-19 Pandemic

Gondavale Sansthan has been actively contributing to various health and social causes during COVID-19 pandemic situation. These include:

• Donation of 50 Lac Rupees to Prime minister relief  fund.
• Donation 25 Lac Rupees to Sasoon hospital, Pune for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
• Contribution of 25 Lac Rupees to the Chief minister relief fund to help health care workers and first responders.
• During the Lockdown, the sansthan provided food packets worth 50 lac rupees to more than 9000 underprivileged families for 3 months with the help of local government officials.
• When COVID-19 patients started increasing in Satara District, Sansthan along with  local villagers and various local organizations quickly started COVID-19 treatment center with 30 oxygen beds and quarantine facility for 100 patients.Sansthan

External links

• Pravachane of Shree Maharaj
• Official website of Gondavalekar Maharaj