Swami Swaroopananda (Appa)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Swami Swaroopanda of Pawas was a Paramhansa of the highest order. He was one of the premier poet-saint and philosopher of modern day India. He was one of the spiritual figures who carried further the torch of Bhakti Marga which was started by Shri Dnayaneshwar maharaj.
He was one of the luminaries of the celebrated Nath Sampradaya. His pre-monastic name was Ramchandra Godbole.
Brief Biography:
Birth and childhood
Ramchandra Godbole was born in Pawas, India on the auspicious day of ‘Margashirsha dvadya dwadashi’ Dec 15, 1903 in a pious Brahmin family. Pawas is a small beautiful village in the konkan region; it is around 8 miles from Ratnagiri.
Swamiji’s grandfather Parshuram pant was a generous kindly and much moved person in the Pawas community. He was married to Ganga bai, who was a very spiritual person. Ganga bai was very devoted to Dattaguru and had performed tapascharya in narsoba vadi. Swamiji’s father Vishnupant was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. His mother, Rashmabai a pious lady was also from pawas from the Gokhale family. Swamiji’s parents named their son Ramchandra after Lord Rama, the righteous king of Ayodhya who is worshipped as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu
From a very young age he displayed sharp intellect, good judgement, quick wit, fairness and immense leadership. He practiced meditation from a very early age. While at school, he was good at studies, as well as games of various kinds.
Freedom movement:
During his student days, swamiji was touched by the plight of his fellow countrymen and was drawn to the freedom struggle. He was greatly influenced by Lokmanya Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi. He soon plunged into the freedom struggle for Indian independence following the ahimsa movement.
Spiritual Journey:
Swamiji keen desire and thirst for the supreme knowledge led him to his spiritual master 'Ganeshnath Maharaj' also known as 'Baba Maharaj Vaidya'. His guru formally inducted him to the spiritual path of the Nath Sampradaya. Ramchandra Godbole now became Swami Swaroopananda.
Swamiji’s Guruparampara: 1. Adinath 2. Machindra nath 3. Goraksha nath 4. Gahini nath 5. Nivrutti nath 6. Dyaneshwar maharaj 7. Devchuda mani 8. Gundakha maharaj 9. Ramachandra maharaj 10. Mahadev maharaj 11. Ramchandra maharaj Tikotikar 12. Vishwanath maharaj 13. Gananath i.e. Ganeshnath maharaj
Works: Swamiji left a body of philosophical work. His language is free flowing and most of his work is in Marathi. One of his important works in the translation of the Bhagwad Gita into simple marathi which could be followed by the masses. He also transalated the Dyaneshwari into a simpler form of marathi, so that the common man could understand the philosophy. Some of his works include:
- Bhawartha Gita
- Amrut dhara
- Gita tatva sar
- Sanjeevani Gatha
- Shrimad Abhanga Dyaneshwari
- Shrimad Abhanga Amrutanubhava
His books are available at Swami Swaroopananda Mandir, Pawas as well as at Desai Bandhu Ambewale, Pune
