Shree Swami Samarth Maharaj

A Short Biography of Shree Swami Samarth 25
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alms for the second time, Narahari started uttering Yajurveda and on receipt of the
third set of alms, he started reciting samaveda. His parents were overjoyed. All the
people present in the ceremony were astonished with this miracle and started glorifying
Narhari with shouts of victory.
Once the thread ceremony was over, Narahari spoke to his mother “As per
religious practice, after the thread ceremony one has to go to ‘Kashi’ (Banaras) for
religious studies. Now I have to render service to my Guru 55 and then beg for alms.
Hence please permit me to go to Banaras”. Mother Amba was fully grief stricken after
hearing this. She said, “Son, I was eagerly waiting since a long time to hear you speak.
Today I felt myself blessed by hearing the Vedas from you. Under this circumstance,
how can you think of going to Banaras? You are our only son. If you go to Banaras, who
will look after us in this old age?” She started crying. Instilling confidence in her,
Narahari said, “Mother, I am not born for household entanglement. I have to carry on
the mission for which I have taken birth. You should continue to observe the religious
vow of Pradosh44 and you will be blessed with four more sons to look after both of
you”.
Then Narahari placed his hand on his mother’s head and said, “Keep this as a
secret. Do not divulge it to anyone”. So saying Narahari blessed her with Divine Grace
and soon mother Amba remembered everything about her previous birth. When this
remembrance of the past birth slowly diminished, she regained herself and was again
overcome by motherly affection. Then she realised that Narahari is indeed the
reincarnation of Lord Sripad Srivallabh and was bent on accepting asceticism. So she
prayed to him, “Wait until I get a second son and then I shall permit you to go to
Banaras”. Narahari replied, “why one? I shall wait until you have two sons. Are you
happy now?”
Within a year, mother Amba gave birth to twin sons. After three months,
Narahari spoke to his parents, “Both your sons are blessed with long life. You would get
two more sons and a daughter. So now permit me to go on my mission. Now I am
going to Badrika forest and after a period of thirty years, I will come back here to meet
you”. So saying Narahari took blessings from his parents and started on a long
pilgrimage.
55 Guru: Preceptor. The importance of finding a guru who can impart transcendental knowledge (vidyā) is one of the tenets of
Hinduism. One of the main Hindu texts, the Bhagavad Gita, is a dialogue between God in the form of Krishna and Arjuna a
nobleman. Not only does their dialogue outlines many of the ideals of Hinduism, but the discussion and relationship between
the two considered to be an expression of the ideal Guru/disciple relationship. In the Gita itself, Krishna speaks of the
importance of finding a guru to Arjuna:
Acquire the transcendental knowledge from a Self-realized master by humble reverence, by sincere inquiry, and by service.
The wise ones who have realized the Truth will impart the Knowledge to you. (Bhagavad Gītā, c4 s34)
In the sense mentioned above, guru is used more or less interchangeably with "satguru" (literally: true teacher) and
satpurusha. The disciple of a guru is called a sishya or chela. Often, a guru lives in an ashram or in a gurukula (the guru's
household) together with his disciples. The lineage of a guru, spread by worthy disciples who carry on that guru's particular
message, is known as the guru parampara or disciplic succession. The guru is the one who guides his or her disciple to
become jivanmukta, the liberated soul able to achieve salvation in his or her lifetime through God-realization.
Copyright © 2006 Shree Vitthalrao Joshi Charities Trust