Hindu theologian of the Dattatreya tradition
Shree Nrusimha Saraswati
?????? ???????
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Born
| Narahari
1378 CE
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Religion
| Hinduism
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Parents
| - Madhava (father)
- Ambabhavani (mother)
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Philosophy
| Advaita
, Shri Gurucharitra tradition
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Disappeared
| 28 January 1459 (aged 80?81)
Disappeared in Kardali Vana near
Srisailam
,
Vijayanagara Kingdom
(present-day
Andhra Pradesh
, India)
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Status
| Nijanandagamana
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Shree Narasimha Saraswati Swami
or
Shree Nrusimha Saraswati Swami
(
?????????? ???????
, 1378?1459) was an Indian
guru
of Dattatreya tradition(sampradaya).
[1]
According to the
Shri GuruCharitra
, he is the second avatar of
Dattatreya
in
Kali Yuga
after
Sripada Sri Vallabha
.
[2]
Life
[
edit
]
Shri Narasimha Saraswati
[3]
(birth name - Shaligramadeva or Narhari) lived from 1378 to 1459 (Shaka 1300 to Shaka 1380).
[4]
Saraswati was born into a
Deshastha Brahmin
family in Karanjapura, modern-day
Lad-Karanja (Karanja)
in the
Washim district
, which is a part of
Vidarbha
region of
Maharashtra
,
India
.
[5]
His father (Madhava) and his mother (Amba-Bhavani) initially named him Narahari or Shaligramadeva, with the surname Kale.
Shri Narasimha Sarswati
[6]
is considered to be the second incarnation of
Dattatreya
, the first Incarnation was
Sripada Srivallabha
, as per his blessings to Amba Bhavani, in her previous birth, Sripada Srivallabha had blessed her & he advised her to perform shiva pooja. Later he also told that he would be born to her in her next life as Narasimha Saraswathi to uphold the Sanatha Dharma in
Kali Yuga
. This instance has been well narrated from chapter 5 to Chapter 12 in the holy book
Guru Charithra
[7]
Shri Narasimha Saraswati/ Narhari was a quiet child, only speaks
Aum
(
Om
Hinduism
sacred word) since their birth. This led his parents to worry about his speech ability; however, Narahari showed through hand gestures that after his
upanayana
or
munji
(sacred thread ceremony), he would be able to speak. He started reciting the Vedas after his munja, which so impressed the Brahmins in the village that it was talked about, with senior learned Brahmins coming to him for learning.
Shri Narasimha Saraswati left home in 1386 at a tender age of 7 all alone and went on a pilgrimage to Kashi on foot. He took
Sanyasa
at Kashi from Old Sage Shri Krishna Saraswati. The second part of his name came from this guru, who eventually named him Shri Narasimha Saraswati. (This is a Sanskrit name.)
After becoming a Sanyasi, Narasimha Saraswati visited several holy places (
tirtha
) before returning to Karanja at the age 30 to meet his parents. He visited various places and stayed before settling in
Ganagapura
(Ganagapur)
[8]
(now in the state of
Karnataka
) for the last 20 years of his life.
[9]
Towards the end of his life, Shri Narasimha Saraswati met with the
Muslim
king (Sultan) of
Bidar
, possibly 'Ala-ud-Din Ahmed Shah' of the
Bahmani
Sultanate, who was ruling the area at that time.
[10]
Since his karma for that avatar had completed, thus he decided to take
samadhi
. He left for
the forest of Kardali (Kardali vana near Srisailam). Saraswati took
Nijanandagamana
(??????????) type of
samadhi
in 1459 for 300 years.
[11]
Chronology
[
edit
]
The main events of Sri Narasimha Saraswati's life are given below. Possible years and dates are given according to descriptions of the lunar and stellar events calendar mentioned in the
Shri GuruCharitra
.
[12]
- Sha. 1300 (1378 CE): Birth
Karanja
,
Washim district
,
Vidarbha
region, Maharashtra
- Sha. 1307 (1385 CE):
Upanayan
- Sha. 1308 (1386 CE): Left home
- Sha. 1310 (1388 CE): Took
Sanyas
- Sha. 1338 (1416 CE): Arrived back home at
Karanja
- Sha. 1340 (1418 CE): Travelled along the banks of the river Gautami
- Sha. 1342 (1420 CE): Stayed at
Parali-Vaijanath
,
Beed district
, Maharashtra
- Sha. 1343 (1421 CE): Stayed at
Audumbar
(near
Bhilavadi
),
Sangli district
, Maharashtra
- Sha. 1344-1356 (1422-1434 CE): Stayed at
Narasoba Wadi (Narasimhapur)
,
Kolhapur district
, Maharashtra
- Sha. 1357-1380 (1435-1458 CE): Stayed for 23 years at
Ganagapur
,
Kalaburagi district
, Karnataka
- Sha. 1380 (28 January 1459 CE): Nijanandagamana in Kardali Vana at
Srisailam
,
Nandyal district
, Andhra Pradesh
Teachings
[
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]
Shree Narshimha Saraswati taught that the life of Brahmins was fully covered by the rules given in the old scriptures and the rules were to be strictly followed by the Brahmins in their daily lives in order to achieve happiness and, ultimately,
moksha
. He insisted that his disciples follow these routines.
[13]
Biography
[
edit
]
Many parts of Saraswati's life are told in the
Shri GuruCharitra
, written by
Saraswati Gangadhar
.
[14]
[15]
[16]
Legacy
[
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]
Saraswati's house where he was born is located in
Karanja Lad
. Although the house is no longer in the original shape, some parts remain and have been converted into a temple.
[17]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]