Shree Swami Samarth Maharaj

A Short Biography of Shree Swami Samarth 235
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Narayan Teerth Holy water
night, neither inside a building nor outside, not by the hand of a human, god,
animal, nor by any animate or inanimate being. This virtually no-death boon to
Hiranyakashipu makes him arrogant enough to conquer the entire world, not caring
that it means severe trouble and torture for common people, munis and followers of
Vishnu. Meanwhile, while Hiranyakashipu is away for the penance, divine sage
Narada preaches about the sweetness of reciting Vishnu's name to Hiranyakashipu's
son, Prahlada, while he is still in his mother's womb. Thus, Prahlada is born a very
devoted follower of Vishnu, the youngest ardent devotee of Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu
fails in convincing his son to join him against Vishnu, and therefore tries to kill him
in many ways, but each time Prahlada is protected by Vishnu himself. When asked,
Prahlada refuses to acknowledge his father as the supreme lord of the universe and
claims that Vishnu is omnipresent. Once Hiranyakashipu points to a particular pillar
and asks if Vishnu is in it; Prahlada answers, "He was, He is and He will be".
Hiranyakashipu, unable to control his anger, smashes the pillar, and Vishnu in the
form of Narasimha comes from it. In order to kill Hiranyakashipu, who cannot be
killed by human, god or animal, Narasimha is partly all three: a god 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 lap (neither earth nor space). Using his nails (neither
animate nor inanimate) as weapons, he disembowels and kills the demon.
Nath Sect A member of the medieval religious sect called the Nathpanth. The Nath
Sampradaya, a development of the earlier Siddha or Avadhut Sampradaya is an
ancient lineage of spiritual masters. Its founding is traditionally ascribed to Shri
Bhagavan Dattatreya, considered by some to have been an incarnation of Lord
Shiva. However, the establishment of the Naths as a distinct historical sect began
around the 8th or 9th century with a simple fisherman, Matsyendranath (sometimes
called Minanath, who may be identified with or called the father of Matsyendranath
in some sources). One story of the origin of the Nath teachings is that
Matsyendranath was swallowed by a fish and while inside the fish overheard the
teachings given by Lord Shiva to his wife Parvati, who had taken her to the bottom
of the ocean in order to avoid being overheard. After being rescued from the fish by
another fisherman, Matsyendranath took initiation as a sannyasin from Siddha
Carpati. It was Matsyendranath who became known as the founder of the Nath
Sampradaya. Matysendranath's two most important disciples were Caurangi and
Gorakshanath. The latter came to eclipse his Master in importance in many of the
branches and sub-sects of the Nath Sampradaya. Even today, Gorakshanath is
considered by many to have been the most influential of the ancient Naths. He is
reputed to have written the first books dealing with Laya yoga and the raising of the
kundalini-shakti. He is also reputed to have been the original inventor of Hatha
yoga. The Nath Sampradaya does not recognize caste barriers, and their teachings
were adopted by outcasts and kings alike. The heterodox Nath tradition has many
sub-sects, but all honor Matsyendranath and Gorakshanath as the founders of the
tradition.
Neem Tree Margosa tree
Nirgun Padukas Attributeless foot impressions on a stone worshipped as the trace of God or
SadGuru
Nirgun-Nirakar Attributeless - Formless. Virtueless and formless God
Nizam The ruler of the then Hyderabad state
Nrusinhawadi
Dattakshetra
A holy place of Lord Dattatreya
Omkar The continous vibratory sound of Om or Aum: Om (also Aum, ) is the most sacred
syllable in Hinduism, symbolizing the infinite Brahman and the entire Universe. This
syllable is sometimes called the "Udgitha" or "pranava mantra" (primordial mantra),
because it is considered to be the primal sound, and because most mantras begin
with it. In Hindu metaphysics, it is proposed that the manifested cosmos (from
Brahman) has name and form (nama-rupa), and that the closest approximation to
the name and form of the universe is Om, since all existence is fundamentally
composed of vibration. (This concept of describing reality as vibrations, or rhythmic
Copyright © 2006 Shree Vitthalrao Joshi Charities Trust