Vasudevanand Saraswati

Final Message

In the morning of the day of his scheduled departure, after the daily discourse, Maharaj addressed the assembly as follows:

Today I wish to convey to you the essence of all that I have been preaching all my life through my discourses and writings. The primary objective of human life is to obtain liberation (from the recurring cycles of birth and death). To this end, one should carry out one's religious obligations as ordained by the scriptures, consistent with his Varna and Ashram. This will lead to the steadiness of mind so essential for the next step viz. study (Shravan), contemplation (Manan) and meditation (Nididhyasan) of Vedanta (conclusion of Vedas). Emphasis should be on the study i.e. the listening to discourses by detached and realized persons. This will diminish the temptation of mind. (The resultant) righteous (Sattvic) tendency is alone conductive to the spiritual ascent of man.

To cultivate Sattvic nature, diet has to be wholesome (Hit), measured (Mit) and pure (Medhya). The signs of Sattvic nature are:

- Firm faith in one's religion, - Meticulous observance of religious conducts namely:

Snaan (bath) Sandhya (prayer) Dev Puja (worship) Five major Yadnyas (sacrifices) Atithti Satkar (honor to the guest) Service to Gomata (Cow) Sincere attendance of Katha, Keertan, Bhajans, Puran, etc. Soft and kind speech Refraining from harming anyone in any way Service and obedience to parents (for men), and to husband, in-laws (for women) and other elders

One may pursue any means for livelihood viz. business, agriculture or service. However, one should never abandon the conduct ordained by Vedas and obedience to the Guru. Observance of one's religious duties only purifies mind. Only purified mind gets established in Upasana (progress towards God), which in turn is the only source of peace of mind. Only a peaceful mind is capable of self-knowledge which is the sole means of liberation.” Maharaj further exemplified the seven grounds (levels) of knowledge and concluded that, "This is a brief summary. One who follows this advice will finally attain complete happiness."

Samadhi

Maharaj was originally scheduled to depart on the dark 8th of Jyeshtha month; however he did not prefer to go that day. Hence, noting the exact timing of the Tithi, Maharaj made someone sit him up and went into Samadhi for three hours. On waking up from Samadhi he said, "Today’s scheduled departure has been avoided." By the dark moon (Amavasya) of Jyeshtha, he was very weak in acute pain. He called Appa Shastri Jere from Narsoba Wadi and whispered in his ears, "I have been a subject of black magic in my householder days; however I have no desire to retaliate." Even on that last day, he tried to perform nityakarma(daily rituals), but he could not even hold water in his hand and gave up the effort saying, "God’s will".

"Once today’s Amavasya ends, this body has to be quit" he said. Accordingly, as soon as the Amavasya gave way to bright Pratipada of Ashadh, Maharaj sat up facing the Lord to the west, performed Tratak (steady gaze), controlled breath and quit the body with a loud chant of "Om". The day was Tuesday, Nakshatra Ardra, Ashadh Shuddha Pratipada.

His body was immersed into the Narmada River. His samadhi(tomb) has been built on the river bank at Garudeshwar, Gujarat. There is a famous Datta Mandir in the same place.

Prominent places of stay

Mangaon

This is the birthplace of Maharaj. After his stay at Narsobawadi, Maharaj returned to Mangaon, on the instruction of the Lord, and stayed here for 7 years. He also built a Datta temple, laying the bricks with his own hands. The idol for the temple was given to him by a sculptor at Kagal, who said that he was instructed by Dattatreya in a dream to make an idol on the specifications that will be given by Maharaj. The idol was taken away by Maharaj when he left Mangaon. However, the Datta temple still exists, and is well maintained by Datta Mandir Mangaon Trust. In 1961, preserving the original elements, the temple was rebuilt (underwent a Jirnoddhar) by the Queen of Indore Indira Holkar, who was also a devotee of Maharaj. It has a 'Bhakta Nivas' (residence for devotees) where devotees can stay for a short period of time. Afternoon and night Mahaprasad meals are provided to all at a nominal cost. The house in which Maharaj was born has now been made into a Janmasthan (place of birth) where an idol of Maharaj in standing position has been placed. The village goddess Yakshini's temple is situated just besides the Janmasthan.

Narsobawadi

Maharaj stayed here for 12 years. It gets its name due to the presence of the second Purna (complete) avatar of Dattatreya, Narasimha Saraswati. The room where Maharaj stayed is situated close to the famous Datta temple which has the padukas of Dattatreya.