Shri Vasudevanand Saraswati Tembe Swami Maharaj

A compact Biography.

• Rationale
  Thus, it is that Shri Maharaj, in a selfless, indiscriminate and unreserved exercise of all his knowledge and powers, strived to mitigate the sufferings of all supplicants and brought happiness and fulfilment to their lives. Only a few representative events have been narrated here. Throughout his life and even after the dissolution of his physical shell, thousands of such episodes have been recorded. This appears a bit puzzling to some people. Why should a Sanyasi who has renounced the world, having realized the ephemeral nature of life and having grown out of all desires and aspirations of his own, should care so much for the little joys and sorrows of fellow human beings? Shouldn’t he impress upon them the need to follow his example and strive to detach themselves from the petty and illusory pleasures, rather than pandering to them? In fact, one accomplished Vedanta scholar whom Shri Maharaj also regarded highly, Shri Eksambekar, asked him as much. Shri Maharaj practically evaded directly answering the query. However, we do find an explanation of this conduct of Shri Maharaj, in his major work, “Shri Gurucharitam” also known as “Dvisahasri” the Sanskrit rendering of the Marathi “Gurucharitra”. 
  
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  “ Such popular (favouring the devotees) acts are performed (by the Lord) for establishing the path of devotion, the purpose thereto being to inspire faith amongst people and make them somehow (by love or by temptation) seek me (Shri Guru); for unless they come to me, there will be no release from this recurring cycle of life and death and consequent chain of suffering. As the people engrossed in sensual pleasures do not have any inclination to the Path of God, the Lord, sensing their grateful disposition, performs the miracles to make them happy. This will induce them to strive for His Grace and follow the path of Devotion which alone can purify their souls of the dross accumulated over the endless series of lives and engender the intense urge to liberate themselves.” These stanzas are followed by the sequential progress of such an aspirant to Self-realization.
  Thus, it becomes clear that the main purpose of these exertions of Shri Swami Maharaj, to improve the worldly lives of the supplicants, was to induce in them a faith in God and build it into loving relationship and eventually to Self-realization.