-
Brahmacharyashram
As per the tradition Haribhataji performed
the Maunjibandhan of his beloved grandson Vasudeo, which consists of
initiation to the Vedic studies and Brahminhood and the first of the
four Ashramas, Grihasthashram. Immediately after this, the young Vasudeo
started the daily rituals ordained by the scriptures viz. Sandhya twice
a day, 1000 recitations of Gayatri mantra, daily reading of shri Gurucharitra
– the bible of Shri Datta tradition etc. He also completed a 2.4 million
recitation of Gayatri. He strictly followed the religious disciplines
prescribed by scriptures, particularly the Gurucharitra. He then started
the study of Vedas, the holiest of the scriptures, under the guidance
of Shri Tatya Bhataji Ukidave. He woke up daily before sunrise and took
his bath and insulated himself from all impurities and contamination
during the religious practices. He only took fresh, pure (sattvik) and
vegetarian food prepared by himself or by his mother and never ate outside
his home. The food prepared in this fashion, he used to first offer
to sacrificial fire (Vaishvadev), the cow (Gograas), to the crow (Kaakbali)
and finally to the Lord Datta, before partaking it in the manner ordained
by scriptures. During the meal any impurity in the environment led him
to leave his food and fast for the day. He used to observe the fasts
on the 11th moons (Ekadashi) of both the fortnights, when he did not
even drink water and did not sleep during the day or in the night.
Vasudeo, with his sincerity, sharp intellect and phenomenal memory,
soon completed his study of the Vedas and became proficient in the priestly
duties. Soon, he became a respected and beloved figure in the neighborhood
and started contributing to the family livelihood.
-
During this period, he also studied some astrology and Sanskrit poetry
with one Shri Sadhale shastri. However his astrological calculations
soon started embarrassing Sadhale Shastri by being more accurate than
the latter’s. This led Sadhale to stop Vasudeo’s tuition.
|
