GajananMaharaj is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Dattatreya and Ganesha.
Profile
GajananMaharaj appeared in Shegaon, Maharashtra on 23rd February 1878 and there is nothing known about the birth of this saint. He came into this village when he was a young man. The story goes that one BankatLala and Damodar saw this young man eating the leftover food chanting ‘Gam GamGanaatBoothe’. They realised that this was not an ordinary personand Bankat took him home and asked him to stay with him. It is from those first words that were heard that the name ‘Gajanan’ stuck to him and with his glory growing he became GajananMaharaj. There are no concrete details of his life but some believe that GajananMaharajconsideredSai Baba, Narasingji and VasudevanSaraswathi as his brothers. To some devotees he appeared as Lord Vittal himself and to some he had appeared as Samarth Ramdas. Samarth Ramdas and GajananMaharaj were big built people and they were realised souls. He attained Samadhi on September 8th 1910 and this day is celebrated as Shree PunyathithiUtsav every year by his devotees. His appearance day is celebrated as Prakat Din Sohia.
Philosophy Propounded
GajananMaharaj is not known to have spread any philosophy but had lived a life of bliss. However the miracles he did have live to this day. He had given a fresh lease of life to JanraoDeshmukh. Once after his meditation he felt thirsty but no one gave water and he walked to a nearby well which was dry and with his power he brought water into the well. He had cured a man of leprosy and the list of miracles goes on. The great freedom fighter LokmanyaTilak is said to have met GajananMaharaj. He heard a fiery speech of Tilak and predicted that he would get a severe sentence from the British and it became true.
Work Done to Spread the Philosophy
The devotees of GajananMaharaj are many and in his presence on September 12th 1908 a trust called ShriSantGajananMaharajSansthan was formed. He indicated the area they had got would be his Samadhi Sthal. Today in an area of 650 acres there are temples of Vithoba and dRukmini and Hanuman. Under this management now runs an engineering and management college. One of the largest amusement parks in Maharashtra is seen here. There many service projects undertaken here.The whole area is well maintained and the glory of GajananMaharaj lives on in this Sansthan.
