Page 16 - Adhiyoga Purana

Beginnings
In the sacred land of India, nestled in the heart of Maharashtra, there thrived a city known by many names—Pune, Punyanagari, or Punyapattana—each echoing its deep-rooted auspiciousness, or Punya. This was no ordinary city. Blessed with pristine waters, unpolluted air, and an eternally pleasant climate, Pune exuded the essence of sanctity and wisdom. It was a cradle for India’s spiritual and intellectual heritage, home to brilliant scholars, philosophers, artists, scientists, and fearless freedom fighters who stood tall against the oppressive British rule.
Pune’s
soil had been walked upon by giants—five of Maharashtra’s greatest saints:
• Sant Jnaneshwar, whose poetic commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, the Jnaneshwari, still echoes through time.
• Sant Tukaram, whose Abhanga Gatha compiled profound spiritual verses with unmatched depth.
• Samarth Ramdas, who composed the Dasabodh, a systematically ordered spiritual encyclopedia.
• Sant Eknath, the author of the Eknathi Bhagavat, bringing the Bhagavatam to Marathi hearts.
• and Namadeva, whose verses traveled from Maharashtra to the north, leaving a mark even in the sacred Guru Granth Sahib of the Sikh tradition.
These saints left behind a field of spiritual vibrations, and the city became a sacred confluence of learning and devotion. Vedic chants had resonated through its temples and homes for centuries, nurturing a spiritual atmosphere that awakened countless seekers.
Amid this divinely charged land lay a humble village—Pimpode. And in 1906, from this very village, a child was born into a pious family. But this child was no ordinary newborn. He carried within him the remnants of a previous monastic life. In his former incarnation, he had lived in the same village as Shivaram, a young renunciate who had walked barefoot through the villages of Ainapur, Kolhapur, and finally reached Murgod in Karnataka.
There, in the spiritual heart of Murgod, Shivaram met Swami Chidambara, a towering sage of profound realization. So great was Chidambara’s stature that even the revered Swami Samarth of Akkalkot once visited his ashram and humbly served food to the gathered devotees. Under Chidambara’s guidance, Shivaram attained Spiritual Realization.
Yet, when death called, Shivaram left his body with a subtle, unfulfilled desire—a longing to experience the life of a householder.
That desire would shape his destiny in the next birth.
OM Shantiḥ
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