009. Shri's Birth Era

|| Shri Swami Samarth ||

Shri Swami Maharaj first appeared in Mangalvedha around Shaka year 1760. We do not know for certain from where he had come. However, some of his devotees did make the effort and could gather some information.

In Uttar Bharat, to the north of the Shri Bhagirathi, there is a large forest where many Yogis performed austerities. Swami Maharaj was also performing austerities in this forest for a long time and had been enveloped by an ant hill.

A woodcutter accidentally hit the ant hill with his axe when chopping down a tree, and the blade hit Maharaj's thigh. The scar was still visible. One could argue that the woodcutter did the world a favor as then Maharaj left the forest, and after much travel arrived in Akkalkot from where he continued to shower his blessings on everyone.

When the left the forest, he first went to Kashi, and from there to Ganga Sangam where he stayed for some days. From there he went to Yatiraj Devalgram where he installed his paduka. One is absolved of the sin of even the murder of a Brahmin just by the darshan of those paduka.

Then Maharaj made His way to Mengalayee where He established a matha. He obtained the title of the jahagirdar of the place, handed over the administration of the matha to His disciples, and kept moving forward. Maharaj was known as Chanchal Bharati during those times. When Maharaj was at Akkalkot, some Sadhus from Mengalayee had come to meet him. They wanted His signature on some government document regarding some administrative matter of the math. He declined to sign.

From there he went to Rameshwaram, Udupi, and then Pandharpur. He gained some fame at Mangalvedha. 

Maharaj was five hundred to six hundred years old according to some people but we do not know for sure. What is certain is that He was a very ancient person.

|| Shri Swami Samarth ||