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Shri Akkalkot Niwasi Maharaj (the great Sage of Akkalkot), also known as Swami Samarth (Samarth – One Who Has The Power), is considered the third incarnation of Lord Dattatreya. Though Swami traveled far and wide, He finally settled in this place called ‘Akkalkot’ (situated in the Solapur district of Maharashtra state of India). He resided there for twenty-two years, where he also chose to leave his body in 1878. Swami Samarth arrived at Akkalkot in 1856 upon receiving an invitation from Chintopant Tol and then stayed on the outskirts of the town. He usually lived at the residence of his disciple, Cholappa, where his shrine is presently located. Like Shirdi Sai Baba and Gajanan Maharaj, Swami’s origin remains obscure. One time a disciple asked Swami a question about his birth; Swami responded that he had originated from a banyan tree (vata-vriksha in Marathi). On another occasion, Swami said that his last name was Nrusimha Bhan. He also added that he is a Yajurvedi Brahmin (Yajurveda is one of the four Vedas and one of the scriptures of Hinduism. It is a compilation of formulas for ritual offerings) and that he is from the clan of Rishi Kashyap and that his moon sign is Meena (Pisces).
Swami Samarth’s devotees consider him to be the same person as Sri Narasimha Saraswathi Maharaj.
The beginning of Swami Samarth’s incarnation is shrouded in mystery.
Shri Narasimha Saraswathi (1378-1459), known as an earlier incarnation of Dattatreya, helped and spiritually uplifted many people over a few decades. He then went away to the Himalayas for penance and went into Samadhi. Legend has it that he remained in Samadhi for about three hundred years, during which time a giant anthill grew over him, and he disappeared to the outside world.* One day, accidentally, a woodcutter’s axe fell on the bushes grown around the anthill. He was shocked to find bloodstains on the blade of the axe. He cleared the anthill, and lo, he found a Yogi in meditation. The Yogi slowly opened his eyes and consoled the dumbfounded woodcutter, saying that it was divine will for Him to re-appear in the world to resume His mission. This Yogi, in his new role, came to be known as Swami Samarth. The mark of the axe wound did remain on the thigh of Sri Swami Samarth.
Swami Maharaj was a Superhuman with a lustre that was divine and brilliant. He was graced with long arms extending down to his knees. Such a lustre of divine brilliance emitted from his body that no one could look at Him directly. He had a fair complexion, a long straight nose, curved eyebrows, long ears, broad chest, thighs like a banana tree, and lotus-like feet. He had a sandal mark on his forehead and his arms. He usually would wear a loincloth. Sometimes Sri Swami would remove and throw away the loincloth and go naked (digambar). Sometimes he would wear an ear cap; at other times he would wear a red-ochre costume. Sri Swami would always look very graceful. The nature of Sri Swami Samarth Maharaj was simple and straightforward. He was like a child. He was very generous, very kind to the devotees, and always showered love towards his devotees. He would treat everyone equally without any difference.
Swami Maharaj would sometimes sleep on a bed; at times on stone, sometimes there would be the insignia of royalty with elephants and horses, but sometimes He would sit on a heap of rubbish. He would sometimes take a bath several times a day, but at other times He would not take a bath for eight days. Sometimes He stayed in a Palace, but sometimes on the verandah of a temple. He would sometimes sleep on a cot and sometimes in a pit. In all locations and under all circumstances, He was absorbed in Himself. Sri Swami was temperate in speech and occasionally adopted silence. At other times, He could be very outspoken and shower abuses. Whether a person was rich, honourable, or even a woman, Sri Swami would speak directly and clearly, and expose them openly if necessary. His speech would be either indicative or symbolic.
Maloji Raje Bhosle, the king of the Akkalkot regime at that time, was initially a devotee of Sri Narasimha Saraswati and usually went to Ganagapur to attend celebrations. Once, he received a visionary insight where Sri Narasimha Saraswathi (Sriguru) told him, ‘I have already moved to reside in Akkalkot. Then why are you coming to Ganagapur?‘ From that day onwards, King Maloji Raje started rendering his devotional service to Sri Swami Samarth at Akkalkot. Like this, there have been innumerable occasions where Sriguru appeared to his devotees in visions and dreams, asking them to go to Swami Samarth, for he had moved to Akkalkot, and they could pay their respects in person there.
Once, the priest at Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu was collecting money from pilgrims who wanted to take a bath in the holy waters of the Koti Koop Tirth. When Swami Samarth arrived there, the priest did not allow Swami to take a bath in the sacred waters without paying money. At this same instant, worms started writhing in the holy waters of Koti Koop Tirth. The priest became nervous and approached the Shankaracharya (a commonly used title for the heads of monasteries in the Advaita tradition) of Shringeri Mutt. Then the Shankaracharya went into the Samadhi state and observed that Sri Swami Samarth is not only an ascetic; in fact, He is an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya Himself. After realising the truth, all the people surrendered to Sri Swami Samarth. Only then, the Tirth (holy water) got purified.
During his extensive travels, Swami became popular by various names at various places. Thus, in one place, he was known as Chanchal Bharati, and at another location, he would be called Digambar Swami before finally settling at Akkalkot. Swami Samarth was a powerful Master who created powerful disciples like Shankar Maharaj, Gajanan Maharaj, Junglee Maharaj, etc. He treated Muslims, Christians, and Parsees alike. He always bestowed his kindness on the poor, needy, and people at the lowest rung of society.
After serving the poor, curing the sick, and helping the spiritual seekers over a few decades, Swami Samarth suddenly announced that the time had come for him to leave his physical existence. By the Hindu calendar, his departure happened at Chaitra Suddha trayodasi, Shaka 1800, i.e. 1878 AD, Tuesday at 4 p.m. At that time, he seated himself in Padmasana (Lotus Posture) and uttered his last words – ‘No one should weep, I shall always be present at all places, and I shall respond to every call of the devotees.’ Tradition holds that when he took Samadhi, his soul split in two – one part merged with the banyan tree, which is now worshipped as his Samadhi, the other merged with Sai Baba of Shirdi. The fame of Sai Baba grew far and wide right after the merger. Maharaj’s famous words are printed on the back of many taxis in Mumbai – ‘Bheevu nakkos, mi thujhya paatheeshi aahe’ – ‘Fear not. I am always with you.’
HIS PROMISE BEFORE DEPARTURE TO CONTINUE AS SHIRDI SAI
Just before he had left his gross body, one devotee named Keshav Nayak, emotionally charged, asked, ‘Maharaj, since you are going, who will give us protection?’ Swami Samarth gave him a pair of his sandals to worship and told him, ‘In the future, I will be staying at Shirdi in district Ahmednagar.‘
Another devotee, Krishna Ali Bagkar, decided to go to Akkalkot and worship the padukas (sandals) of Swami Samarth. After that, he got a dream appearance of Swami Samarth, who told him, ‘Now I am staying at Shirdi, go there and worship me.’ Bagkar went to Shirdi, where he stayed for six months. Later, when he wanted to take leave of Shri Sai and go to Akkalkot again, Shri Sai told him, ‘What is there in Akkalkot? The Maharaj of Akkalkot is staying right here.’ Bagkar then realised no difference existed between Swami Samarth and Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi, as he recalled his earlier dream. The divine game (Leela) of Swami Samarth did not end with his Maha Samadhi (shedding his mortal coil). His devotees continue to experience the miracles of his visible and invisible help even today.
*Mukund Hanumante, in his Swami Samarth biography book ‘A Glimpse of Divinity’, states that there is no direct, credible evidence for the woodcutter story. Instead, he supports and provides evidence that Sri Swami Samarth manifested himself as a young lad of eight years old around 1137 AD and carried out his divine mission silently until his appearance in Akkalkot, Maharashtra in the mid-nineteenth century. Whichever version is correct, the origin of the life of this great Dattatreya Avatar is mysterious.
Shri Swami Samarth Maharaj had ordered his youngest and dearest disciple, Shree Ramanand Beedkar Maharaj of Pune, to propagate the Swaroop Sampradaya. Swaroop Sampradaya is a religious sect wherein the aspirant concentrates on viewing the ‘Atman’ or the soul. The Swaroop Sampradaya is a very ancient tradition with Lord Shiva as the first Guru. Lord Shiva first initiated Goddess Parvati into Swaroop Sampradaya, and later this tradition continued in history with the initiation of Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma, Sages Vasishtha, Shukdeo, etc. This tradition further continued with Masters such as Sri Govindpad, Sri Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya, Sri Vidyaranyaswami, Sri Krishna Saraswati, and Srimat Nrusimha Saraswati up to Sri Swami Samarth, the incarnation of Lord Dattatreya.
Words of Wisdom by Swami Samarth
Swami Samarth performed innumerable miracles during his lifetime, many of which were narrated by his disciples. These miracles had one purpose: to instill faith in skeptical minds, to restore wavering faith, and to proclaim the existence of divine power beyond the comprehension of our human senses and mind. Through miracles, He saved many devotees, relieved their sufferings, and conferred His grace, while the ultimate purpose was to reinforce their devotion and faith in Divine powers, taking them on the path to God.
Here are a few examples:
SAVING A DEVOTEE FROM DEATH
One day, Baba Saheb Jadhav, one of Maharaj’s great devotees, came to meet the Swami. Seeing him, Swami Samarth said suddenly, ‘Oh Potter! There is a summon coming in your name.’ In the close circle of Swami Samarth, the potter understood the meaning of this sentence and begged Swami to save him from the approaching death to continue to serve him (the Master). Moved by his devotion, Swami Samarth looked up towards the sky and muttered something as if he was addressing someone invisible. Suddenly, he pointed his hand towards a bull passing nearby and said in a loud voice, ‘Go to the bull.’ In the presence of a large number of devotees, the bull instantly fell dead. After that, Jadhav, with a fresh lease of life, devoted himself totally to the service of Swami Samarth.
OMNISCIENCE
When Swami was living with his devotee Cholappa in Akkalkot, a person named Vishnubuva came for his Darshan (seeing the Master). He did not believe in Swami and had an arrogant attitude. That night Vishnubuva had a dream of numerous scorpions stinging him and woke up terrified. The next day when Vishnubuva came for the Darshan of Swami once again, Vishnubuva had questions about Brahmakara Vritti (a state of mind that involves the thought of Brahman alone and no mind chatter). Swami smiled and said to him, ‘You do not know the difference between a dream and reality. When thousands of scorpions stung you last night in a dream, why didn’t you remember Brahmakara Vritti (Brahmakara’s attitude)?’ Vishnubuva felt ashamed, and then Swami brought him to the true path of the pure Sat Guru.
BLESSING A FARMER DEVOTEE
Swami would daily travel from Ganagapur to the confluence of Bhima- Amarja rivers for a bath. While he was going back and forth from the Sangam, a farmer whose field was on the way would always offer his prostrations at the lotus feet of Maharaj. Since the farmer would offer his salutation twice daily on his way to the Sangam and back, his devotional feelings towards Swami started taking deeper roots. Several months passed, and the farmer fully realised that his life conditions had started improving in all respects due to his intense devotion towards Swami Samarth. One day, while Swami was going to the Sangam, the farmer saluted him as usual. Swami asked, ‘What do you want?’ The farmer said, ‘I have sowed millet seeds in my field. I kindly pray to you to step in my field and bless the land and crop with the touch of your lotus feet.’ Swami stepped in that field, after which the crops grew abundantly and were likely to be ready for harvesting within a few days.
One day Swami told him, ‘I am going to the Sangam to take a bath. By the time I return, have this crop harvested completely.’ Since the farmer had total devotion towards Swami, he started harvesting the crop. No sooner had he started cutting the crop; his wife and children began to cry. Even the people of that village started advising him against doing so, but there was no use. By the time Swami returned from the Sangam, the farmer had cut the crop entirely and cleaned the field. When Swami returned and saw the empty field, he said, ‘Oh! I had told you jokingly, but you really have cut down the entire crop.’ So saying Maharaj went away. Within a few days after this incident, there was torrential rain in the village. The ripe crops in all the other fields of the village were completely ruined, and to the surprise of the villagers, this farmer’s field began to sprout all over. This time, by the blessings of Maharaj, the farmer harvested ten times more crop than usual. He was elated and even donated enough corn to the Brahmins and brought back plenty of the remaining corn. Everybody in that village honored the faith and devotion of the farmer.
MIRACULOUS HEALING
In the town of Junnar near Akkalkot lived a lady called Sakhu. Her landlord had cunningly taken away the only land that she owned. Thus, she had to resort to begging on the streets with no other way to earn a living. Soon, Sakhu fell ill with a skin disease. The little money that she had was used for treatment, but no cure was in sight. Despite her suffering, Sakhu’s faith in God was strong, and she would spend her days chanting the name of God. She felt that all the suffering that came her way was due to her destiny, and never did she blame anyone. She prayed to God for nothing but the strength to face the problems of her life.
One day, Sakhu met Gopalrao, a devotee of Akkalkot Maharaj. He asked her to meet Maharaj and even arranged for her to travel to Akkalkot. When she reached Akkalkot, Maharaj lovingly made all arrangements for her stay at the ashram (hermitage). Sakhu did not ask for anything from the great Saint but was content with the good fortune of visiting Him. However, the all-knowing Maharaj knew Sakhu’s suffering and gave her a soft white stone and asked her to apply its paste to her skin every day after bathing. Sakhu followed the instructions without any doubt or delay. In a few days, she was totally cured of her incurable disease! Grateful for the Saint’s blessings, Sakhu paid obeisance to Him and returned home happily. On her return to Junnar, surprisingly, the landlord willingly gave her back her piece of land! Sakhu immediately realised that all the good that was happening to her was by the grace of Akkalkot Maharaj and felt deeply grateful.
APPEARANCE OF A DEPARTED PERSON
Swami Samarth had a peculiar habit of bringing people who had been dead for a long time back to life to get some work done. He was once walking along the river bank. He asked a person who was coming near to him, ‘Why are you walking here? Go home quickly. Your child is alone at home, crying. I told your father to look after the child.’ The man was perplexed and couldn’t understand Swami’s words. His father had died a long time ago. In any case, he rushed back home and was baffled to see his father attending to the baby. He couldn’t believe his eyes. His father handed over the baby, blessed him, and left the house.
NO PHOTOGRAPH WITHOUT PERMISSION
Once, Kodak Company wanted to increase and publicise its photography business by photographing some great personality and using the photo as an advertisement. They decided that Swami Samarth would be a great choice because at that time, Swami Samarth’s name and fame had spread, and stories about him and his miracles used to appear in Mumbai newspapers. Even the British Government in Mumbai had ordered the King of Akkalkot to take proper care of Swami Samarth. Kodak thought Swami’s photograph would serve as great publicity for the promotion of their business. Accordingly, Kodak Company sent their best photographer with a special camera and all the necessary accessories to Akkalkot. The photographer was European. On reaching Akkalkot, the photographer contacted some of Swami’s devotees and expressed his desire to take a picture of Swami Samarth. They told him that nobody could take Swami’s photo without His permission.
The photographer felt challenged and decided to photograph Swami Samarth anyhow. He was highly confident of his skills and thought that he could take the photo without Swami or anyone else noticing it. He then arranged his camera and tripod at some distance from where Swami Samarth was sitting and waited for a favorable pose. The photographer, though, after some efforts, took a picture without Swami seemingly being aware of it! Overjoyed after taking the photo without Swami’s permission, he developed the plate, took prints, and brought them to Swami Samarth, asking his opinion. Swami Samarth, without looking at the photo, gave it to one of the devotees who looked at it and said, ‘What a wonderful photo of Khandoba!’ (Lord Shiva); another said, ‘Sri Rama!’, while another one said it was a beautiful picture of Ambabai (Goddess Mahalaxmi). Everyone saw in it their family deity, but none said it was a photograph of Swami Samarth.
The photographer laughed at them, saying that they could not identify the picture of their own Master. Finally, the photographer said, ‘Maharaj, is this your photograph?’, and asked Shri Swami Samarth himself to see the photograph. Shri Swami Samarth looked at the photo, burst into laughter, and asked, ‘What? Is this my picture? Do I look as funny as this?’, and gave the picture back to the photographer who looked at it and saw the image of a monkey. The photographer felt highly embarrassed. He realised his mistake in taking the photo without Swami Samarth’s permission. He arrogantly had relied on his confidence and the power of science and had learned a lesson.
The photographer then begged Swami’s pardon and said, ‘Maharaj, ours is a new company. We wish to popularise it by publishing photos of Saints in India. I have been specially sent here from Europe to take your photo. Please be kind enough and permit me to take your photograph. Your picture is sacred and is worthy of being kept in every home.’ Once the photographer showed his repentance and humbly requested permission, Swami Samarth smiled, indicating consent, and allowed him to take a photograph. He took the photograph, and it came out very well – fully capturing the Divine’s visible manifestations. Everyone was delighted to see the picture.
The possession of an excellent camera, the cameraman’s skill, good light, etc., were all of no avail. It was only when Sri Swami Samarth was gracious enough to consent that his photograph could be taken, but not before.
REMOVAL OF A STOMACH ULCER IN A DREAM
Shri Govindrao Tol, son of Shri Chintopant (alias Appasaheb Tol), lived in Solapur, Maharashtra, and was a devotee of Swami Samarth. He had severe stomach pain. His stomach had swollen, and his body had become very weak. Because no remedy was effective, his doctor suggested an operation. Due to his Government job, Govindrao had to visit various villages for an office inspection. One night, Swami Samarth, being the most merciful, gave a vision in Shri Govindrao’s dream. In the dream, Swami removed a ball of thread from the stomach of Shri Govindrao and said, ‘Now you may go; you will become alright.’ At that time, Shri Govindrao woke up from his sleep. He felt that his stomach was lighter. Within a few days, he recovered fully. When his doctors heard about this, they were astounded.
WARNING OF ADVERSE CONDITIONS
After completing his pilgrimage, a person named Vamanbua Badodekar went back to Akkalkot. He wanted to go to Ganagapur, but Swami warned, ‘You will get trapped in water and mud.’ Even so, Vamanbua obstinately disobeyed this warning and proceeded to Ganagapur. In those days, there were heavy rains in that region. He got down at Udur station and started going towards Ganagapur. On the way, there were small rivers. Trying to cross the river, he got trapped in the mud. While making movements to free himself, he got trapped deeper and deeper in the river-mud and became trapped up to his neck. Now he started repenting for disobeying the warning of Swami Samarth. He got mentally perturbed and started chanting the name of Swami for help. Kind-hearted Sri Swami instantly came for his help. Vamanbua felt as if somebody pulled him out from that mud! Then he went to Ganagapur. While taking a bath at the Sangam (confluence of the rivers), he was saved from drowning. When he returned to Akkalkot, Sri Swamiji said, ‘You were saved from getting drowned in mud and water, and have returned safely, is it not?’ Vamanbua then prayed for forgiveness.
MULTIPLYING FOOD
During Swami’s visit to Rampur, a devotee named Rawaji felt the reason to celebrate the visit and cooked food for 50 people. However, hearing the news of Swami Samarth’s arrival, hundreds of people from the neighboring villages started rushing to the town. Seeing such a large number of people at his doorstep, Rawaji became visibly panicked. Moved by his plight, Swami Samarth asked Rawaji to get some empty baskets. When the baskets were brought from the market, idols of all the deities like Khandoba, Annapurna, etc., were put in them, and food materials like chapatis (bread) were piled over them. Rawaji and his wife were asked to carry these baskets and take three rounds around the Tulsi plant. They then were instructed to serve food from these baskets to the guests without looking into them. While they were serving food, Rawaji and his wife were amazed to see that the baskets never exhausted, even after a few hundred people had been served. After all the people who had come finished their meal, Swami Samarth took his meal.
GOLDEN SPICE-BOX
Once Swami Samarth was taking a walk in the courtyard of the palace of Akkalkot. One servant held a spice-box made of gold in his hand. Swami seized it and asked the king Maloji Raje: ‘Shall I throw this box in the well?’ The king said, ‘Maharaj, this belongs to you. You may do whatever you like.’ Swami then threw the box into the well. That day Swami stayed overnight in the palace. In the morning, while he was staying in the courtyard, King Maloji Raje arrived. Swami asked the king to get a bucket and rope. Then Swami dipped the bucket in the well water and pulled it up. The bucket brought the spice-box up, which was thrown into the well the previous day. It was full of cloves and cardamom, but to everyone’s surprise, none of it was wet. Everyone present was astonished by this miraculous play of Swamiji.
RESTORING A DRY WELL
Once in the sweltering heat of a summer noon, Shri Swami Samarth walked into the house of one Babaji Bhat and asked for some cold drinking water. The lady of the house was delighted to see the Swami, but unfortunately, the well in her backyard had run completely dry. So there was no cold water in the house. However, she did not want to say ‘no’ to the great saint and immediately set out for the neighboring home to fetch cold water for Swami. Swami laughed loudly and said, ‘There is plenty of water in your well. Come with me, and I shall show you!’ He then led her to the well and, as an innocent child, urinated near the well in her very presence. At once, water swelled in the well almost to the top.
TURNING A SNAKE INTO GOLD
Basappa’s was a low-income family, and therefore it was no wonder that his wife lost her temper when she found that her husband was running after a Swami, who she considered a mad man, neglecting her and their children. One day Swami suddenly got up and started walking briskly. People wondered why, and some tried to follow Him, but no one could keep up with Him. Leaving all the others behind, He entered the neighboring forest. However, Basappa ran after Him.
Though the dense jungle frightened him, Basappa derived courage from Swami’s company. At one place, he found innumerable snakes of different sizes, shapes, and colors. In utter fright, Basappa fell at the Swami’s feet in supplication. Then Swami smiled reassuringly, pointed at the snakes, and said, ‘Pick up as many as you want. You won’t get the chance again. Quick, do not fear!’ Basappa picked up courage, caught one snake, and tied it up in his upper garment. As soon as they emerged from the forest, Swami told Basappa, ‘Go home and see.’ When Basappa went home and opened the pack, he was stunned to see a big lump of gold in it. This miracle convinced Basappa’s wife of the power of Shri Swami Samarth. After that, she never found fault with her husband for spending all his time in the service of the Swami.
FULFILLING DESIRES
One time a Brahmin vowed to offer milk-sweets to the Swami if he would be blessed with children. But, over time, he forgot all about the vow, even though his wish was fulfilled. By the time he again remembered it, Swami had already left his earthly abode. The Brahmin was very sore, and his one strong desire had been to feed milk-sweets to the Swami with his own hands! But how could he fulfill it now? One night, Swami appeared in his dream and told him that he was living in Kolhapur in the Kumbhar Galli (street) in the form of Sri Krishna Saraswathi and that he could fulfill his vow there. As instructed in the dream, the Brahmin visited Sri Krishna Saraswathi, and after proper worship, was able to feed the sweets to the saint with his own hands!
OMNIPRESENCE
There was one incident connected with Swami’s departure from Mangal Veda in 1850. The sun was scorching hot, and the Swami was wandering bare-footed in the outskirts of the town. At that moment, there were two farmers named Pandarinath and Eknath working in a nearby field. The Swami approached them and asked Pandarinath to give him the shoes he was wearing. Pandarinath gave them away immediately, and the Swami quickly walked away with them. When He was out of sight, Eknath said to the other, ‘You have lent your shoes to that mad man. Now he has gone away. Your elders are sure to take you to task for that!’ On hearing that, Pandarinath became quite agitated. Strangely enough, Swami returned in a moment, gave back his shoes, and said to Pamdarinath, ‘Now your elders do not have to scold you!’ Then Swami left the place immediately. At first, the farmers thought that the Swami might have overheard their conversation while hiding nearby. But after a few minutes, some travelers coming from Sholapur along the road told them, incidentally, that they met the Swami just two miles outside the city of Sholapur! The Swami never returned to Mangal Vedha after that.
SPIRITUAL BLESSING
In the forest near Mangal Vedha, a Muslim lived subsisting on alms and wandering about like a mad man. However, he always showed the utmost respect for the Swami. Besides serving Him, he used to offer ‘kilim’ or the pipe. One day, pleased with his loving service, the Swami kept his boon-bestowing hand on the Muslim’s head. Immediately the Muslim attained Self-illumination (Self-realisation) and was in a state of ‘Samadhi’. Subsequently, he became a famous saint whom thousands of people visited. He continued to behave like a mad man (Avadhuta) and used to throw stones at the people who tried to approach him. The rocks usually missed their targets. But if they hit, they would be sure of having their wishes fulfilled.
ALL-KNOWING
In Mumbai, there was an older person named Shree Krishnabuwa, alias Thakurdasbaba. He was suffering from Leprosy. At the end of his pilgrimage, he reached Ganagapur. He had brought musk with him to offer at the Padukas (holy footwear) of Sri Narasimha Saraswati. However, in the meantime, he had a vision in his dream, asking him to go to Akkalkot and take the darshan of Sri Swami Samarth. When he came to Akkalkot, confused by the Darshan, he forgot to offer Swami Samarth the musk. When Swami saw him, he said, ‘Bring that musk which you have brought for me at once,’ proving to him that his vision was indeed real.
KNOWING PAST LIVES
In the Himalayan region, Sri Samarth Maharaj was sitting under a tree, fully absorbed in Atmanand (bliss). Near and around him, a deer family was living and jumping around joyously. At that time, some hunters came, looking to kill them. Seeing the hunters, the deer became aware of the danger to their lives and, out of fear, came to Sri Swami Samarth for protection. Sri Swami fondled them with great love. When the hunters arrived, they fired guns in the air to make the deer panic. However, they did not panic since they felt the assurance of protection from Sri Swami. Then the hunters became angry and started abusing Sri Swami. They even fired guns at Sri Swami.
Nevertheless, there was no effect on Maharaj. Sri Swami picked up two small stones and threw them at the hunters. The hunters were petrified and stood like motionless statues. They then realised their mistakes and repented asking for forgiveness. Sri Swami then showered his kind grace on the hunters and told them to show love towards animals.
In that deer family, there was a male, a female, and their two young ones. Sri Swami awakened the past life of this deer couple and reminded them, ‘Oh! You were a Brahmin couple of Ganagapur in your past life. This female deer was your virtuous woman in the past life. You had a prosperous life with a house. Since you had inflicted pain on Saints, you got this animal life. But since there was some merit left in your balance, you got my darshan in this life.’ Then the deer couple, being reminded about their past, prayed for forgiveness and prostrated at the lotus feet of Sri Swami. Swami blessed them with kind grace and said, ‘At the proper time, you will take birth as human beings again. You will also get my darshan in a southern place.’
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