Shree Swami Samarth Maharaj

A Short Biography of Shree Swami Samarth 230
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Digambar Bua Naked Man
Diwali Diwali festival - the festival of nocturnal illuminations held during the last two days
of Ashwin and first two days of Kartik, as per Hindu calendar and the month of
November as per English calendar. The festival marks the victory of good over evil.
The Sanskrit word Deepavali means array of lights that stands for victory of
brightness over darkness.
Dwarka A holy place of Lord Krishna in Gujarath. It is located in the Jamnagar District of
Gujarat. It is on the mouth of the Gomti River into Gulf of Kutch. The city lies in the
westernmost part of India. .Dwarka is rated as one of the seven most ancient cities
in the country. The legendary city of Dvaraka in Hindu mythology was the dwelling
place of Krishna. It is believed that, due to damage and destruction by the sea,
Dvaraka has submerged six times and modern Dwarka is the 7th city to be built in
the area. Dvaraka is mentioned in the the Mahabharata, the Harivansha, the
Bhagavata Purana, the Skanda Purana, and the Vishnu Purana. The legend says
that Krishna renounced war in Mathura for the greater good (and hence the name
Ranchodrai) and founded (and settled in) Dvaraka. Sri Krishna killed Kamsa (his
maternal uncle) and made Ugrasen (his maternal grandfather) the king of Mathura.
Enraged, the father-in-law of Kamsa, Jarasandha (king of Magadha) with his friend
Kalayavan attacked Mathura 17 times. For the safety of the people, Krishna and
Yadavas decided to move the capital from Mathura to Dvaraka. Land was reclaimed
from the sea near the western shores of Saurashtra. A city was planned and built
here. Dvaraka was a planned city, on the banks of Gomati River. This city was also
known as Dvaramati, Dvaravati and Kushsthali. It had well organized six sectors,
residential and commercial zones, wide roads, plazas, palaces and many public
utilities. A hall called "Sudharma Sabha" was built to hold public meetings. The city
also boasted a good harbour. After Krishna left for the heavenly abode, and the
major Yadava heads were killed in disputes among themselves; Arjuna went to
Dvaraka to bring Krishna's grandsons and the Yadava wives to Hastinapur. After
Arjuna left Dvaraka, it was submerged in the sea. Following is the account given by
Arjuna, in Mahabharata: "The sea, which had been beating against the shores,
suddenly broke the boundary that was imposed on it by nature. The sea rushed into
the city. It coursed through the streets of the beautiful city. The sea covered up
everything in the city. I saw the beautiful buildings becoming submerged one by
one. In a matter of a few moments it was all over. The sea had now become as
placid as a lake. There was no trace of the city. Dwaraka was just a name; just a
memory." The Vishnu Purana states that "On the same day that Krishna departed
from the earth the powerful dark-bodied Kali Age descended. The oceans rose and
submerged the whole of Dvaraka."
Ekadashi The eleventh day of a fortnight. Hindus treat Ekadashi as a very holy day and fast
on that day. Considered very auspicious.
Fakir Muslim mendicant
Ganagapur In Gulbarga, Karnatak State.
Ganesh Utsav Festival held in the month of Bhadrapad as per Hindu calendar, month of August
/September as per English calendar, in the honour of the deity, Lord Ganesh, the
son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati
Ganga Mata River Ganges. Generally referred to as Mother Ganga.
Gayatri Mantra The Gayatri Mantra is the most revered mantra in Hinduism (second only to the
mantra Om). It consists of the prefix %om bhur bhuva svaha , a formula taken
from the Yajurveda, and the verse 3.62.10 of the Rigveda (which is an example of
the Gayatri meter). Since all the other three Vedas contain much material
rearranged from the Rig Veda, the Gayatri mantra is found in all the four Vedas.
The deva invoked in this mantra is Savitar, and hence the mantra is also called
Savitri. The Gayatri is seen as a Divine awakening of the mind and soul, and within
it a way to reach the most Supreme form of existence, and the way to Union with
Brahman. Understanding, and purely loving the essence of the Gayatri Mantra is
seen by many, to be one, if not the most powerful ways to attain God. Originally
the personification of the mantra, the goddess Gayatri is considered the veda mata,
the mother of all Vedas and the consort of the God Brahma and also the
personification of the all-pervading Parabrahman, the ultimate unchanging reality
Copyright © 2006 Shree Vitthalrao Joshi Charities Trust