Yogiraj Shri Shankar Maharaj was the greatest Yogi saint of Maharashtra in the modern era. He was a Perfect Master in the Nath Siddha school.
He was also known as an Auliya, And also known as an Avadhut, who attained Siddhis (occult powers) and reached perfection.
He adhered to the Nath Panth (Sect), despite not adhering to its attire or mannerism standards.
He was born in Mangalwedha around 1800 and entered Samadhi on April 28, 1947, in Pune when he was nearly 150 years old.
This is the eighth night of Vaishakh’s light fortnight, which is the second month in the Hindu lunar calendar.
Birth And History OF Shankar Maharaj
The very word “Shankar”! They must indeed be Shiva’s aloof incarnations. Anantapur is a hamlet in the Nashik district. There was a man named Chimanaji who resided.
In the mother’s womb, there were no babies. He had devoted himself to Shiva. He once dreamed of seeing something. “Go into the woods.” You’ll have a child.
Deliver it. As in the vision, they ventured into the forest. This two-year-old baby was found! He was given the name “Shankar” as Shankara’s offering.
For a while, “Shankar” resided with his parents. Later, the child herself gave the parents a blessing, saying, “You will be blessed with a son!” After the blessing, Shankar emerged.
No form, no place, no name. There isn’t one name that fits Shri Shankar Maharaj perfectly. They have several monikers.
Along with the name “Shankar,” he was also known by the names “Supdya,” “Kunwarswami,” and “Gaurishankar.” Know these names only!
They could go by other names. Since neither their “name” nor their “appearance” is one, He is sometimes referred to as “Ashtavakra.”
The eyes were big, the arms were straight, and they sat with their legs raised. This document! ‘Multiform!’ in a different sense
They never stayed put for long. He liked to frolic in areas like Triveni Sangam, Solapur, Akkalkot, Trimbakeshwar, Nashik, Nagar, Pune, Hyderabad, Tuljapur, Audumbar, and Srishail!
Not even that those will be the only locations! In other words, it is challenging to identify Shankar Maharaj’s “Name-Roop-Sthan.” because they were unbiased in the true sense! Because of this, there existed “Shankar”!
Kashi is home to the shrine dedicated to Sadguru Yogiraj Shankar Maharaj, also known as Khichdi Baba.
Many people have concluded that Yogiraj in many aspects was Sri Shankar Maharaj.
The man himself, however, was adamant: “Don’t follow success!” However, he unwittingly earned the trust of many people by using his yogic talent.
Some people desire Siddhi for fame! He earns notoriety, fortune, and a disciple family! Because of this, Shri Shankar Maharaj advised, “Don’t chase success.”
Despite his accomplishment, he didn’t pursue money, notoriety, or titles in the disciple family. They didn’t actually pursue siddhis themselves.
But Shankar Maharaj was also regarded as a supernatural being by medical professionals and academics.
Nyayaratna Vinod revered Pandit Shankar Maharaj, just as Prakanda did Acharya Atre. These academics recognized their value.
‘I don’t care about caste or religion,’ he declared. He actually treats everyone equally himself. Muslims visit them as a result.
He was told some of his issues by a Muslim. What is Shankar Maharaj supposed to tell them? You don’t pray, I see. Continue to pray. Your issue will be fixed. Â
Who knows what knowledge they gained? But he spoke fluent English when responding to some learned scholars. Who knows how or from where they learned English?
In Pune, Appa Balwant Chowk is well-known. The home of Appa Balwant Mehendale was located in Chowk.
Balwantrao Mehendle participated in the Panipat War. ‘Appa Balwant’ was only twelve years old at the time.
The area was known as “Appa Balwant Chowk” since Sardar Mehendale’s palace was there. The Mehendale family member “Taisaheb Mehendale” rose to fame as a result of Shankar Maharaj.
Say Dnaneshwari, Shankar Maharaj commanded one day, touching Taisaheb Mehendale’s neck with his finger. Taisaheb began his Dnyaneshwari lecture.
Shankar Maharaj Guru:
Around the age of eight, Shankar went in search of a deer to hunt. He pursued it as it led into a forest along the Chandrabhaga River. Â
He arrived at a Lord Shiva shrine in the village of Machnur. A sanyasi intervened as Shankar was about to release the arrow, picked up the deer in his arms, and begged him to stop killing it.
However, Shankar ignored him and released the arrow. The sanyasi was struck, but he was unharmed.
The second arrow experienced the same result. Shankar was perplexed as a result. After setting the deer down, Sanyasi approached him and placed his hand on his head.
The sanyasi’s touch infused Shankar with a kind of heavenly energy. The name for this kind of initiation is Sprashadiksha.
In this kind of initiation, the master uses contact to transmit energy to the student.
The sanyasi was none other than Swami Samarth of Akkalkot, who spent the following six months with Shankar and taught him spiritual wisdom.
He also suggested that he make a pilgrimage.
Return of Shankar Maharaj to Maharashtra
He traveled throughout India with a group of Nath Panthi sadhus. In accordance with the advice of his guru, he traveled to the Himalayas to perform penance.
Maharaj visited numerous locations around India, including Kashi, Gwalior, Raver, etc. He went by the names Khichadi Baba in Kashi and Gourishankar in the Gwalior region.
Swami Samarth had been away from Maharashtra for almost 70 years when he attained Samadhi in 1878. (It appears that Swami instructed him to do so in order to carry out his work.)
He first traveled to Solapur’s Shubharai Math and stayed with Janardana Buwa. Then he traveled to Akkalkot to see Swami Samarth, his spiritual guide, at his Samadhi.
After that, he traveled to Nashik and spent some time with Mr. Rambhau Akolkar, a lawyer. Maharaj moved to Pune from Nashik and stayed there for the rest of his life.
Samadhi
Shankar Maharaj entered samadhi on April 28, 1947. At the urging of his devoted follower, Dr. Dhaneshwar, he had put off doing it for 17 years. As per the Hindu calendar, it was Shukla Ashtami in the month of Vaishakha.
Except for his small network of followers, he ceased meeting new individuals ten days before entering Samadhi. At the time, he was residing at the home of Mama Dhekne, one of his followers.
He requested simply a cup of tea from Mama Dhekne’s wife the day before the Samadhi. Nothing to smoke. Spread a tiny mattress inside the shelf and keep a pillow there. I’m going to sit there and take a bath.
I don’t want to interact with anyone or say a word. You shouldn’t open the door.
The voice instructed them to take good care of his physical body since he was leaving the material realm the following morning at 4 o’clock.
He continued to meet with his disciples and mentor them even after his Samadhi.
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