Sree Guru Charitra - Entire Book on Dattatreya - English Version -

I've copy paste different chapters in separate Blog post. Secondly in those attachments there were 10 chapters in English and balance in Hindi. Lastly there were few words, which were coming in English or Marathi, rather then following single trend. So I felt it will not provide full interest in reading the entire book.

Hence Finally I've searched again English entire book in one go. Which can be easily assessable by clicking following links (or copy paste on your web address).

http://nlshirdisai.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/shri-guru-charitra-in-english.pdf

I'm sorry for inconvenience cause to those who already tried to check my various blogs. I've removed 6 blog pages for that.

Datta Sampraday

Datta Upasana has been known since ancient times.  However, Narsinh Saraswati (1378-1458 AD) promoted it in the early part of 15th century. Datta Upasana became popular and grown into a cult form known as Datta Sampraday.  It's presence is mostly seen in Maharashtra and some parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. During Muslim regimes, Datta Sampraday flourished. It was taken as a unifying factor of Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions as well as Hindus and Muslims too. Granths : 'Tripura Rahasya', 'Datta Prabodh' and 'Datta Mahatmya'. The 'Guru-Charitra'  brought out by Saraswati Gangadhar in 1535 is a very popular Granth even till date. Mother-tongue of Saraswati Gangadhar was Kannada but he composed 52 Adhyays with 7491 Ovis in Marathi. Besides praise of Dattatrey Avatar, the Guru Charitra highlights the works of Datta Sampraday founders Shripad Shrivallabh and Narsinh Saraswati. Teaching :  The Guru Charitra especially does not give space to the 'Vedant' and 'Kriya-Shunya' Bhakti.   Rather it advocates to make best use of material life (Aihik Jeevan) to attain Moksha under guidance of a Guru.  It impresses that our body is momentary (a-shashvat), therefore one should attain 'chitta-shuddhi' through 'good karmas' so long the body is healthy and strong.  'Paduka Poojan' is preferred over an idol  worship. Influence of Datta Upasana is seen on Nath Sampraday's adoption of 'Guru Parampara' and 'Yog Sadhana' to attain 'param-pad' and hailing Dattatrey as Avadhoot Yogi.  Mahanubhav Sampraday adopted and popularized 'Ek-Mukhi' and 'Chaturbhuj' Datta.  Varkari Sampraday too extolled Dattatrey Yogis.  Chaitanya Sampraday and Anand Sampraday idolised  Dattatrey as Guru.

Gurus: Shripad Shrivallabh (14 th century AD): Born at Pithur, he is held as Maha Purush and first Avatar of Dattatreya. Narsinh Saraswati (1378-1458) : Born at Lad Karanje in Vidarbha as Shaligam Dev Madhav Kale. Taken Sanyas. Prapogated Datta Upasana. Stayed at Amarapur (Narsobachi Wadi), Audumbar, Gangapur. There is reference in some Granthas about his meeting with the Muslim King of Bedar, Allauddin (Second).  Manik Prabhu (1817-1865) : Born at Ladvanti and then settled down at Humanapur (later known as Manikpur) in 1845. Popularised upasana through 'sangeet maifils'. His following was from Hindus, Muslims, Parsis, Jains, Boudhs and Lingayats and his group was known as 'Sakalmat' Sampraday.  Vasudevanand Saraswati (1854-1914) : Born at Mangaon in Ratnagiri as Vasudev Ganesh Tembe. Known as great Datta upasak and prolific Granth-kar. Akkalkote Swami (Samadhi-1878 AD) : Little known is about his previous life. Came to  Akkolkote (Solapur) in 1857 and started propagating Datta Upasana. Among his disciples are Nrisimha Saraswati of Alandi, Balappa Maharaj, Shankar Mahaarj, Vishnubuva Brahmachari.

Places: Mahur : Has oldest Temple of Ek-Mukhi Datta, built in 1219 AD on a mountain by one Mahant Mukund Bharati. Mahur  is also a Shakti-Peeth of Goddess Renuka and also a major centre of Mahanubhav Sampraday. Pithapur : Birth place of Shripad Shrivallabh. Yatra on Datta Jayanti held. Lad Karanja : Birth place of Narsinh Saraswati.  Audumbar : Narsinh Saraswati had stayed there. Now his Padukas are kept.  Narsinh Wadi (Narsobachi Wadi) : Narsinh Saraswati had stayed there. Considered Jagrit Sthan. Ganagapur : Narsinh Saraswati had stayed there & performed Anushthans on the confluence of Bhima and Amarja rivers. Considered Jagrit Sthan. Nasik : Known for popular Ek-Mukhi Datta Temple. Considered as Prati-Ganagapur. Akkalkote : Akkalkote Swami's Mutt. Now his Padukas are kept in the temple. Chaul : Known for Popular Datta Temple.  Maniknagar : Manik Prabhu Had stayed there.

Granths/ Books:   'Guru-Charitra' , 'Tripura Rahasya', 'Datta Prabodh', 'Datta Mahatmya' etc Entire Book on C=Guru Charitra:

108 Names of Narsinh Bhagwan (with meaning) & story in breif

108 Names of Lord Narasinh Bhagwan

1. Om narasimhaya namah        Obeisances unto the half-man half-lion Lord
2. Om mahasimhaya namah      Obeisances to the great lion
3. Om diyva-simhaya namah     Obeisances to the Divine lion
4. Om mahabalaya namah         Obeisances to the greatly powerful
5. Om ugra-simhaya namah      Obeisances to the angry terrifying lion
6. Om mahadevaya namah        Obeisances to the Lord of lords
7. Om stambha-ja-aya namah    Obeisances to One who appeared from the pillar

8. Om ugra-locanaya namah      Obeisances to one who possesses terrifying eyes
9. Om raudraya namah               Obeisances to the angry one
10. Om sarvadbhutaya namah   Obeisances to one who is wonderful in every way
11. Om srimanaya namah           Obeisances to the most beautiful
12. Om yoganandaya namah      Obeisances to the source of yogic bliss
13. Om trivikramaya namah        Obeisances to Lord Vamana (Who took three great steps)
14. Om harine namah                  Obeisances to Sri Hari Who takes our troubles away
15. Om kolahalaya namah         Obeisances to the roaring (Varahadeva - Varaha-nrisimha)
16. Om cakrine namah               Obeisances to Him Who carries the disk
17. Om vijayaya namah               Obeisances to Him Who is always victorious
18. Om jaya-vardhanaya namah Obeisances unto Him Who has ever increasing glories
19. Om panchananaya namah    Obeisances unto Him Who is five-headed
20. Om param-brahma-aya namah Obeisances unto Supreme Absolute Truth
21. Om aghoraya namah             Obeisances to Him Who for His devotees is not horrible
22. Om ghora-vikramaya namah Obeisances to Him Who has terrifying activities
23. Om jvalan-mukhaya namah   Obeisances to One Who has an effulgent face
24. Om jvala-maline namah          Obeisances to Him with effulgent garland of flames
25. Om mahajvalaya namah          Obeisances to He Who is most effulgent
26. Om maha-prabhuhaya namah Obeisances to the Supreme Master
27. Om niti-laksaya namah    Obeisances to Him Who possesses all good (moral) qualities
28. Om sahasraksaya namah       Obeisances to the thousand-eyed One
29. Om durniriksyaya namah Obeisances to Him Who is difficult to see (difficult to look at)
30. Om pratapanaya namah Obeisances to Him Who oppresses His enemies with great heat
31. Om mahadamstraya namah Obeisances to Him Who possesses huge teeth
32. Om yudha-prajnaya namah  Obeisances to the Supremely intelligent in battle (ready to fight)
33. Om canda-kopine namah   Obeisances to Him Who is likened to an angry moon
34. Om sada-sivaya namah      Obeisances to the All auspicious Lord
35. Om hiranyakasipu-dhvamsine namah Obeisance to Him Who destroys Hiranyakasipu
36. Om daitya-danava-bhanjanaya namah Obeisances to He Who destroys the masses of the race of demons and giants

37. Om guna-bhadraya namah Obeisances unto Narasimha Who is full of wonderful qualities
38. Om mahabhadraya namah Obeisances to Him Who is very auspicious
39. Om bala-bhadraya namah   Obeisances to Him Who is auspiciously powerful
40. Om subhadrakaya namah    Obeisances to the extremely auspicious One
41. Om karalaya namah          Obeisances to He Who possesses a wide open mouth
42. Om vikaralaya namah          Obeisances to Him with very wide open mouth
43. Om vikartaya namah          Obeisances to the Lord Who performs wonderful activities
44. Om sarva-kartrikaya namah Obeisances to the Lord Who performs ALL activities
45. Om sisumaraya namah          Obeisances to Him Who also appears as Matsya
46. Om trilokatmaya namah           Obeisances to the Soul of the three worlds
47. Om isaya namah           Obeisances to the Lord known as the controller
48. Om sarvesvaraya namah          Obeisances to that supreme controller
49. Om vibhuaya namah          Obeisances to Narasimha Who is the BEST
50. Om bhaivaradambaraya namah Obeisances to Him Who causes terror by roaring in the sky
51. Om divyaya namah       Obeisances to That Divine Person Narasimha
52. Om acyutaya namah         Obeisances to our infallible Lord Nara-simha
53. Om kavine namah      Obeisances to the Supreme intelligent (poet)
54. Om madhavaya namah Obeisances to the husband of Srimati Laksmi devi
55. Om adhoksajaya namah Obeisances to Him Who is beyond understanding (or beyond explaining)
56. Om aksaraya namah Obeisances to the infallible One
57. Om sarvaya namah     Obeisances to He Who is the origin of everything
58. Om vanamaline namah Obeisances to Him Who wears garland of forest flowers (or adorned by His loving devotees)

59. Om varapradaya namah Obeisances to the Merciful Lord Who grants boons to the deserving like Prahlada

60. Om visvambaraya namah Obeisances to Narasimha Who maintains the universe
61. Om adbhutaya namah       Obeisances to Him Who is wonderful
62. Om bhavyaya namah Obeisances to He Who determines the future (Who is the future for His devotees)

63. Om sri-visnave namah Obeisances to that Narasimha Who is the all pervading Lord Vishnu
64. Om purusottamaya namah Obeisances to Narasimha Who is the Supreme Enjoyer
65. Om anaghastra namah Obeisances to Him Who can never be wounded by weapons
66. Om nakhastraya namah Obeisances to Him Who has sharp nails for weapons
67. Om surya-jyotine namah Obeisances to Narasimha the source of Suns rays
68. Om suresvaraya namah  Obeisances to Narasimhadev, Lord of devatas
69. Om sahasra-bahu-aya namah Obeisances to Nara-hari the thousand-armed Lord
70. Om sarva-jnaya namah Obeisances to Him Who is the all-knowing
71. Om sarva-siddhi-pradayakaya namah Obeisances to Him Who awards all perfections to the sadhakas (devotees)
72. Om vajra-damstraya namah Obeisances to Narasimha Who has teeth like lightning bolts
73. Om vajra-nakhaya namah Obeisances to Narasimha Who possesses nails like piercing lightning bolts
74. Om mahanandaya namah Obeisances to the source of supreme bliss - Atmananda - Narasimha
75. Om param-tapaya namah Obeisances to the source of All austerities, spiritual energy (and taptah - heat)

76. Om sarva-mantraika-rupa namah Obeisances to that Divine Personality Who although one, he appears as the many mantrika formulas

77. Om sarva-yantra-vidaramaya namah Obeisances to Him Who destroys all machines (demoniac plans/arrangements/vehicles for demoniac works)

78. Om sarva-tantratmakaya namah Obeisances to Narasimha the essence of, and proprioter of all tantras (ritual rites - pujas)

79. Om avyaktaya namah Obeisances to the Lord Who appears unmanifest
80. Om suvyaktaya namah Obeisances unto Nara-simha Who for His devotees becomes wonderfully manifest from the pillar (or when needed)

81. Om bhakta-vatsala namah Obeisances to the Lord Who always has the well-being of His devotee at heart

82. Om vaisakha-sukla-bhototthaya namah Obeisances to That Narasimhadeva Who appeared during waxing moon of the month of Visakha (April-May)

83. Om saranagata-vatsalaya namah Obeisances to the Lord Who is kind to those surrendered to Him (like the mother lioness who is kind to her cubs)

84. Om udara-kirtine namah Obeisances to Nara-simha Who is universally famous
85. Om punyatmaya namah  Obeisances to Him Who is the essence of piety
86. Om mahatmaya namah    Obeisances to That great personality, Nara-simha
87. Om candra-vikramaya namah Obeisances to Him Who is the performer of moonlike or great deeds, or who performs deeds that eclipse all others.

88. Om vedatrayaya namah Obeisances to the Lord of the three original Vedas (Rg, Yajur, Sama)
89. Om prapujyaya namah Obeisances to Narasimha Who is supremely worshipable
90. Om bhagavanaya namah Obeisances to Narasimha the Supreme Personality of Godhead
91. Om paramesvaraya namah Obeisances to He Who is the Supreme Controller (Nara-simha-deva)
92. Om srivatsamkaya namah Obeisances to the Lord Who is just like Krishna, being marked with symbol of Laksmi

93. Om jagat-vyapine namah Obeisances to Narasimha Who pervades the entire universe
94. Om jagan-mayaya namah Obeisances to the Supreme Mystic Who makes the material world seem real

95. Om jagat-palaya namah   Obeisances to the protector of the universe (Nara-simha)
96. Om jagannathaya namah Obeisances to the Lord of Universe
97. Om mahakhagaya namah Obeisances to Him Who moves in the air or with the movement of the air (is everywhere)

98. Om dvi-rupa-bhrtaya namah Obeisances to Him Who has double form (man-lion)
99. Om paramatmaya namah       Obeisances to Him Who is the Supersoul of All beings
100. Om param-jyotine namah Obeisances to Him (Nara-simha) Whose effulgence is the source of Brahman

101. Om nirgunaya namah Obeisances to Narasimha Who possesses transcendental qualities (not those of the material nature)

102. Om nrkesarine namah Obeisances unto Him man-lion (or having a lion's mane while appearing part human)

103. Om para-tattvaya namah Obeisances to the Supreme Absolute Truth (One Who is of the Supreme nature)

104. Om param-dhamaya namah Obeisances to He Who comes from the Supreme Abode
105. Om sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaya namah Obeisances to Narasimha Whose Form is made of eternal knowledge and bliss

106. Om laksmi-nrsimhaya namah Obeisances unto the Man-Lion Form together with the Supreme Goddess of Fortune Srimati Laksmi-devi

107. Om sarvatmaya namah Obeisances unto the universal, primeval soul (the Supreme Personality of Godhead - Narasimhadeva)

108. Om dhiraya namah Obeisances unto Narasimha who is always sober (being never bewildered)

Story in Brief:

Bhagavata Puran describes that in his previous avatar as Varaha, Vishnu killed the raksha Hiranyaksha. The brother of Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, wanted revenge on Vishnu and his followers. He undertook many years of austere penance to Vishnu: Brahma thus offers the demon a boon and Hiranyakashipu asks for immortality. Brahma tells him this is not possible, but that he could bind the death of Hiranyakashipu with conditions. Hiranyakashipu agreed:

O my lord, O best of the givers of benediction, if you will kindly grant me the benediction I desire, please let me not meet death from any of the living entities created by you. Grant me that I not die within any residence or outside any residence, during the daytime or at night, nor on the ground or in the sky. Grant me that my death not be brought about by any weapon, nor by any human being or animal. Grant me that I not meet death from any entity, living or nonliving created by you. Grant me, further, that I not be killed by any demigod or demon or by any great snake from the lower planets. Since no one can kill you in the battlefield, you have no competitor. Therefore, grant me the benediction that I too may have no rival. Give me sole lordship over all the living entities and presiding deities, and give me all the glories obtained by that position. Furthermore, give me all the mystic powers attained by long austerities and the practice of yoga, for these cannot be lost at any time. Brahma said, "Tatha asthu" (be it so) and vanished. Hiranyakashipu was happy thinking that he had won over death.

Narasimha statue

One day while Hiranyakashipu performed austerities at Mandaracala Mountain, his home was attacked by Indra and the other devatas. At this point the divine sage Narad intervenes to protect Kayadu, whom he describes as 'sinless'. Following this event, Narad takes Kayadu into his care and while under the guidance of Narad, her unborn child (Hiranyakashipu's son) Prahlad, becomes affected by the transcendental instructions of the sage even at such a young stage of development. Thus, Prahlad later begins to show symptoms of this earlier training by Narad, gradually becoming recognised as a devoted follower of Vishnu, much to his father's disappointment.

Hiranyakashipu furious at the devotion of his son to Vishnu, as the god had killed his sister. Finally, he decides to commit filicide. but each time he attempts to kill the boy, Prahlad is protected by Vishnu's mystical power. When asked, Prahlad refuses to acknowledge his father as the supreme lord of the universe and claims that Vishnu is all-pervading and omnipresent. Hiranyakashipu points to a nearby pillar and asks if 'his Vishnu' is in it:

"O most unfortunate Prahlad, you have always described a supreme being other than me, a supreme being who is above everything, who is the controller of everyone, and who is all-pervading. But where is He? If He is everywhere, then why is He not present before me in this pillar?"

Narasimha claws Hiranyakasipu at Banteay Srei in Cambodia.

Prahlad then answers, He was, He is and He will be. In an alternate version of the story, Prahlad answers, He is in pillars, and he is in the smallest twig. Hiranyakashipu, unable to control his anger, smashes the pillar with his mace, and following a tumultuous sound, Vishnu in the form of Narasimha appears from it and moves to attack Hiranyakashipu. in defence of Prahlad. In order to kill Hiranyakashipu and not upset the boon given by Brahma, the form of Narasimha is chosen. Hiranyakashipu can not be killed by human, deva or animal. Narasimha is neither one of these as he is a form of Vishnu incarnate as a part-human, part-animal. He comes upon Hiranyakashipu at twilight (when it is neither day nor night) on the threshold of a courtyard (neither indoors nor out), and puts the demon on his thighs (neither earth nor space). Using his sharp fingernails (neither animate nor inanimate) as weapons, he disembowels and kills the demon. Kurma Puran describes the preceding battle between the Purusha and demonic forces in which he escapes a powerful weapon called Pashupata and it describes how Prahlad's brothers headed by Anuhrada and thousands of other demons "were led to the valley of death (yamalayam) by the lion produced from the body of man-lion" avatar. The same episode occurs in the Matshya Purana 179, several chapters after its version of the Narasimha advent.

The Bhagavata Purana further narrates: even after killing Hiranyakashipu, none of the present demigods are able to calm Narasimha's fury, not even Shiva. So all the gods and goddesses call his consort, Lakshmi, but she is also unable to do so. Then, at the request of Brahma, Prahlad is presented to Narasimha, and finally he is calmed by the prayers of his devotee. Before parting, Narasimha rewards the wise Prahlad by crowning him as the king.

Happy Reading. 

Who is True Leader?

Our aspiration should be to serve. Leadership is just a very wonderful opportunity to serve. We shouldn’t be attached to be a leader; we should be attached to the service that we can render. Sometimes people strive to be a leader because they think they can really do great service to the society. And sometimes people don’t have any inclination to be a leader, but because of their selfless service others put them in the position of leadership. Yes, that often happens. Sometimes the most qualified person to be a leader doesn’t want to be a leader.

Whether we are leading a family, whether we are leading in a small circle of friends, whether we are leading a business or whether we are leading an entire nation, we should all cultivate and strive to be leaders by example — by the words we speak and by the example that we live. The real thing is to lead by setting an example of high ideals and high integrity. And whether or not we come to the top of a particular field that we are working in, we can be a great leader if we live with character, integrity and devotion.

What's Marriage?

Across all religions there is a universal concept that when a man and woman marry with proper attitude they become one body. They don’t merge into each other’s existence, but it means that they start living for a common purpose – to serve God together.

They share the same goal at many levels. First – I will do anything to protect you and you will do anything to protect me; this is oneness. We are there for each other and whatever the difficulties we may face, we will be faithful to each other, till death separates us. It means to give up one’s false ego for the sake of the other. It’s a two way street. So this faithfulness, this devotion to each other is the common principle of marriage.

Secondly, we will tolerate any differences between us for the sake of giving the children the best possible upbringing. I may be angry as fire on you and you may be totally disgusted with me, but if the children are there, we will not express our anger. If they see their parents don’t like each other it will affect their consciousness negatively. They will feel insecure and suffer internally. They may not understand intellectually what that suffering is, but it’s going to go deep within their psyche, and it will mold their consciousness for the rest of their lives. Even when they grow to the age of their parents, they will have certain insecurities, within their consciousness because of how their parents behaved. Whether it’s a fight or a cold war, children can feel the vibrations and its affects them within. So in a marriage we have to give up our egos and our preferences because we share one principle – the welfare of our children. And all this becomes transcendental when it is done in the service of God. Because the children are God’s children and our bodies are God’s bodies so we should not misuse them. Marriage is a divine relationship because we are responsible to God on behalf of each other. This is oneness.

One saint explains that when a husband and wife live together congenially with austerities and with God as the center of their lives – with service to God, service to their children, service to the society, and service to each other in connection to devotion to God; God lives in that house, not figuratively but in a very real sense. Between the husband and wife one person is sufficient to execute devotional service because both of them will enjoy the results because of their good relationship. Therefore, if the wife is unable to execute devotional service, the husband should carefully do so and the faithful wife will share the result, or vice versa. The relationship between husband and wife is firmly established when the wife is faithful and the husband is sincere. Then there is oneness because they are sharing their lives with a sense of responsibility. Whatever one person is doing the other is getting the spiritual credit for it.

In a marriage God works through your partner to give you what you lack. And if both parties are sincere, dedicated and understand the above mentioned principle then they will help each other to go back to the kingdom of God, keeping God in the center of their lives.