Shri Smarth Sadguru Muppin Kadsiddheshwar Maharaj

The Inchagiri Sampradaya, also known as Nimbargi Sampradaya, is a lineage of

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

Navnath The Navanath (हिंदी - नवनाथ), also spelt as Navnatha in vernacular languages, are the nine saints, Masters or Naths on whom the Navnath Sampradaya, the lineage of the nine gurus, is based.

and

Lingayat Lingayatism or Veera Saivism is a Hindu denomination based on Shaivism. Initially known as ''Veerashaivas'', since the 12th-century adherents of this faith are known as ''Lingayats''. The terms ''Lingayatism'' and ''Veerashaivism'' have been ...

teachers A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. wh ...

from Maharashtra which was started by Bhausaheb Maharaj.ShantiKuteer Ashram, ''Bhausaheb Maharaj''
/ref> It is inspired by

Sant Mat Sant Mat was a spiritual movement on the Indian subcontinent during the 13th–17th centuries CE. The name literally means "teachings of sants", i.e. mystic Hindu saints. Through association and seeking truth by following ''sants'' and their teac ...

teachers as

Namdev Shri Sant Namdev Maharaj (Pronunciation: aːmdeʋ, also transliterated as Nam Dayv, Namdeo, Namadeva, (traditionally, ) was a Marathi Bahujan saint from Narsi, Hingoli, Maharashtra, India within the Varkari tradition of Hinduism. He li ...

Raidas Ravidas or Raidas, was an Indian mystic poet-saint of the bhakti movement during the 15th to 16th century CE. Venerated as a ''guru'' (teacher) in the modern regions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Pu ...

and

Kabir Kabir Das (1398–1518) was a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Garib Das ...

. The Inchagiri Sampradaya has become well known throughout the western world due to the popularity of Nisargadatta Maharaj.

History

Navnath

Dattatreya

The mythological origins of the Inchagiri Sampradaya are ascribed to Adiguru Shri Dattatreya. He initiated the Navanaths, the Holy Nine Gurus, and the Navanath Sampraday.Navnath Sampradaya
/ref>

Revananath – Siddhagiri Math (Kaneri Math)

One of those Navnaths was Revanath, the 7th or 8th Navnath. Revanath settled on the Siddhgiri hill for ascetic practice, living on whatever the jungle, gave him. He became famous as Kaadhsiddheshwar, "the one who attained supreme realization in a forest".www.siddhagiri.org, ''Siddhgiri Math and Kaadhsiddheshwar Tradition''
/ref> Revananath is considered to have established the Kaadsiddheshwar temple and math, also called ''Kaadsiddheshwar Peeth''. in the 7th century CE. Other accounts mention a history of "more than 1300 years",siddhagirimath.org, ''Siddhagiri Math – History''
/ref> and the 14th century CE, when a Lingayat Priest established a Shivling at the hill, which became ''Kaneri Math'', nowadays called ''Siddhagiri Math'',
/ref>Kaneri Math Kolhapur
/ref> It is located on Siddhagiri hill
/ref> in Kanheri village, Karveer tehsil,

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is ...

district, Maharashtra state, India. The Siddhagiri Math was established around the Moola-Kaadsiddheswar

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

temple in the

Shaiva Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

tradition. It is a vast campus with the central Shiva temple. In the 12th century the Math came under the influence of Basaveshwar, who established the

tradition of south India. It is the main Kuldaivat of the Lingayat Shaiva community,mazasadguru.com, ''The Kaadsiddheshwar Parampara''
its influence exceeding to most of the districts of Maharashtra and Karnataka, and also to some places in Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Part of Siddhagiri Math is the "Siddhagiri Gramjivan Museum", a wax museum dedicated to Gandhi's ideal of rural life. It was established by the 27th Mathadhipati, Adrushya Kadsiddheshwar Swami Ji.

Dnyaneshwar

Revanath initiated Sant

Dnyaneshwar Sant Dnyaneshwar (Marathi pronunciation: ̪ɲaːn̪eʃʋəɾ, also referred to as Jnaneshwar, Jnanadeva, Dnyandev or Mauli or Dnyaneshwar Vitthal Kulkarni (1275–1296), was a 13th-century Indian Marathi saint, poet, philosopher and yogi ...

.Advaita Vision, ''Navnath Sampradaya. Disciples of Nisargadatta Maharaj''
/ref> (1275–1296), also known as Sant Jñāneshwar or Jñanadeva and as Kadasiddha or Kad-Siddheshwar Maharaj. Dnyaneshwar was a 13th-century Maharashtrian

saint ('' Sant'' – a title by which he is often referred), poet, philosopher and

yogi A yogi is a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions.A. K. Banerjea (2014), ''Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha'', Motilal Banarsidass, , pp. xxiii, 297-299, 331 Th ...

of the

Nath Nath, also called Natha, are a Shaiva sub-tradition within Hinduism in India and Nepal. A medieval movement, it combined ideas from Buddhism, Shaivism and Yoga traditions in India.Bhagavad Gita, popularly known as "

Dnyaneshwari The ''Dnyaneshwari'' ( mr, ज्ञानेश्वरी) ( IAST: Jñānēśvarī), also referred to as ''Jnanesvari'', ''Jnaneshwari'' or ''Bhavartha Deepika'' is a commentary on the '' Bhagavad Gita'' written by the Marathi saint and poet ...

"), and

Amrutanubhav Amrutanubhav or Amritanubhav is a composition by the Marathi saint and poet Jñāneśvar during the 13th century. It is considered to be a milestone in Marathi literature.Budkuley, K. I. R. A. N. (2005). Indo-European storytelling in translation ...

are considered to be milestones in Marathi literature. According to Shirvaikar, Dnyaneshwar was initiated into the Nath by his older brother Nivrutti, who was born in 1273.V. V. Shirvaikar, ''A brief biography of saint Dnyaneshwar (Jnanadeva)''
/ref> In 1287 Nivrutti initiated his younger brother: Dnyaneshwar died at the young age of 21.

Nimbargi Maharaj (Gurulingajangam Maharaj) – Nimbargi Sampradaya

Different accounts of the founding of the Nimbargi Sampradaya by Nimbargi Maharaj, the alternate name of the Inchegeri Sampradaya, are to be found. * According to several accounts, in 1820Sadguru Shri Ranjit Maharaj, ''History''
/ref> Kadasiddha, or ''"Almighty "Kadsiddeshwar"'', appeared as a vision to Sri Gurulingajangam Maharaj" (1789-1875), also known as "Nimbargi Maharaj". * According to a different account, the 22nd or 24thsiddhagirimath.org, "pedigree"
/ref> Shri Samarth Muppin Kaadsiddheswar Maharaj initiated Nimbargi Maharaj.balkrushnamauli.com, ''Guruling Jangam Maharaj''
* According to Frydman, Kadasiddha initiated both Lingajangam Maharaj and Bhausahib Maharaj, and "entrusted to their care his Ashram". * According to Cathy Boucher, Nimbargi Maharaj's guru was called "Guru Juangam Maharaj". She also mentions "a yogi t Siddhagiriwho gave imabargi Maharaja mantra and told him to meditate regularly on it". Nimbargi belonged to a Nellawai sub-caste of the

caste. According to Boucher, Nimbargi practiced for 36 years, meanwhile living as a householder, and was finally awakened when he was 67. Until his death, at the age of 95, he "initiated people and lived the life of a Jivanmukta".

Bhausaheb Maharaj – Inchagiri Sampradaya

According to Kotnis, Bhausaheb Maharj was looked upon as the reincarnation of

Sant Tukaram Sant Tukaram Maharaj (Marathi pronunciation: ̪ukaːɾam was a 17th-century Marathi poet, Hindu ''sant'' (saint), popularly known as Tuka, Tukobaraya, Tukoba in Maharashtra. He was a Sant of Varkari sampradaya (Marathi-Vaishnav tradition) ...

(1577–1650), a prominent

Varkari Warkari ( Marathi: वारकरी; Pronunciation: �aːɾkəɾiː Meaning: 'The one who performs the ''Wari) is a sampradaya (religious movement) within the bhakti spiritual tradition of Hinduism, geographically associated with the In ...

Sant and spiritual poet of the Bhakti, who had taken birth again in the Neelwani Lingayat community to finish his work of spreading the knowledge of Self-realization. Bhausaheb Maharaj belonged to the Deshastha Brahmin caste. the same caste to which the thirteenth century

saint and philosopher

belonged, the 16th century sant

Eknath Eknath (IAST: Eka-nātha, Marathi pronunciation: knath (1533–1599), commonly known as Sant Eknath was an Indian Hindu saint, philosopher and poet. He was a devotee of the Hindu deity Vitthal and is a major figure of the Warkari movement ...

, and the 17th century saint and spiritual poet

Samarth Ramdas Samarth Ramdas (c. 1608 - c. 1681), also known as Sant Ramdas or Ramdas Swami, was an Indian Hindu saint, philosopher, poet, writer and spiritual master. He was a devotee of the Hindu deities Rama and Hanuman. Early life Ramdas or previously N ...

. At the request of Nimbargi, Bhausaheb Maharaj Deshpande (1843 Umdi – 1914 Inchgiri)Gurudev R.D. Ranade, ''Sadguru Shri Bhausaheb Maharaj Umdikar''
/ref> received mantra initiation from Shri Raghunathpriya Sadhu Maharaj, who was an ardent follower and a devoted disciple of Shri Gurulingajangam Maharaj. Bhausaheb Maharaj became a disciple of Nimbargi Maharaj. Bhausaheb Maharaj teachings were collected in a book called ''Nama-Yoga'', a term coined by the compilers and translators of the book, whereas Bhausaheb Maharaj himself called it Jnana Marga, just like Nimbargi Maharaj did. Bhausaheb Maharaj's teachings, and those of his student Gurudeo Ranade, have been called ''Pipilika Marg '',
/ref> "the Ant's way", the way of meditation,
while the teachings of Siddharameshwar Maharaj and his disciples Nisargadatta Maharaj and Ranjit Maharaj have been called ''Vihangam Marg'', "the Bird's Way", the direct path to Self-discovery. After his awakening he was authorized by Nimbargi to carry on the lineage, and established the Inchegeri Sampraday. Sri Bhausaheb Maharaj had many students, among which were: * Sri Amburao Maharaj of Jigjivani (1857 Jigajevani – 1933 Inchgiri)
/ref> * Sri Ramachandrarao Maharaj (1873 Horti – 1937 Kupakaddi)''Shri Sadguru Ramachandrarao Maharaj''
/ref> * Sri Gurudev Ranade of NimbalGurudev R.D. Ranade, ''Shri Gurudev R. D. Ranade''
/ref>
/ref> * Girimalleshwar Maharaj * Sri Siddharameshwar Maharaj (1875–1936)

R.D. Ranade

Ramachandra Dattatreya Ranade (1886–1957) was a scholar with an academic career. He taught at Willindon College, Sangli, on a regular basis before being invited to join Allahabad University as Head of Department of Philosophy where he rose to be the Vice-Chancellor. After retirement in 1946 he lived in an ashrama in a small village, Nimbal, near Solapur where he died on 6 June 1957.

Siddharameshwar Maharaj

Siddharameshwar Maharaj was born in 1888. In 1906 he was initiated by his guru Bhausaheb Maharaj in Inchegeri in

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

India, who taught mantra-meditation as the way to reach Final Reality. In 1920 Siddharameshwar Maharaj started to set out on "the Bird's Path", the fast way to attain realisation, six years after Bhauhaseb maharaj had died. His fellow-students opposed, but eventually he succeeded by himself. Sri Siddharameshwar Maharaj initiated several well-known teachers: * Sri Ranjit Maharaj; * Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897–1981), who was with him for about two and a half years, 1933–1936; Siddharameshwar Maharaje used four books to give sermons on:

Dasbodh ''Dāsbodh'', loosely meaning "advice to the disciple" in Marathi, is a 17th-century bhakti (devotion) and jnana (insight) spiritual text. It was orally narrated by the saint Samarth Ramdas to his disciple, Kalyan Swami. The ''Dāsbodh'' prov ...

of Saint Shri

; the Yoga Vasistha; "Sadachara" of Shri Shankaracharya; and the "Eknathi Bhagwat" of Sant

=Nisargadatta Maharaj

= Nisargadatta started to give initiations in 1951, after a personal revelation from his guru, Siddharameshwar Maharaj:Nisargadatta Maharaj Biography
enlightened-spirituality.org Nisargadatta Maharaj attracted a broad following in the western world. He never appointed any successor, because Only a few persons were acknowledged as ''jnani'' by Sri Nisargadatta. Nevertheless, several western teachers regard Sri Nisargadatta to be their guru.
Shri Ramakant Maharaj says to be "the only Indian direct disciple of Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj" who offers initiation into this lineage.Shri Ramakant Maharaj, ''Information''
/ref> He received the Naam mantra in 1962 from Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj, and spent the next 19 years with him.Shri Ramakant Maharaj
/ref>

=Ranjit Maharaj

= Sri Ranjit Maharaj (1913–2000) met Siddharameshwar Maharaj in 1924. The following year he was initiated by Siddharameshwar Maharaj. In 1934, at the age of 24, he took initiation to monkhood. Only in 1983, at the age of 70, initiated his first disciple, Shri Siddharameshwar Maharajs granddaughter in law.sadguru.com, ''Shree Ranjit Maharj''
/ref>

=Ganapatrao Maharaj Kannur

= Shri Samartha Sadaguru Ganapatrao Maharaj Kannur (1909–2004) was initiated by Siddharameshwar Maharaj when he was thirteen. After graduation he attained liberation at age 24. Later in life he founded the Shanti Kuteer Ashram.

=Shri Muppin Kaadsiddheshwar Maharaj

= Shri Muppin Kaadsiddheshwar Maharaj was formally adopted by the 25th Virupaksha Kaadeshwar of the

Kaneri Math Siddhagiri Gramjivan Museum (Kaneri Math) at Kaneri, Kolhapur district, Maharashtra, is a sculpture museum. The full name is Siddhagiri Gramjivan (Village life) Museum. It is situated at Shri Kshetra Siddhagiri Math, a campus built around th ...

Parampara, and invested as the 26th Mathadheepati of the (Siddhagiri) Kaneri Math, Lingayat Parampara, in 1922 at the age of 17.mazasadguru.com, ''Biography''
He met Siddharameshwar Maharaj in 1935, who became his guru.

Lineage and succession

Nisargadatta narrates the following about the succession of teachers of the Inchagiri Sampradaya: Nisargadatta also told: Nisargadatta also explained: Nisargadatta further explains: Nisargadatta started to give initiations in 1951, after a "personal revelation" from his guru, Siddharameshwar Maharaj, while Ranjit Maharaj started to give initiations in 1983, almost half a century after his awakening, on request of Siddharameshwar Maharaj granddaughter-in-law:

Notes

References

Sources

Published sources

* * * * * * * * *

Web-sources

External links

General
List of important personalities of Nimbargi SampradayaAcademy of Comparative Philosophy and Religion
Homepages
Sadguru, Sri Ranjit Maharaj homepage

ShantiKuteer, Shree Samarth Sadguru Ganapatrao Maharaj Kannur homepageNisarga Datta Maharaj homepageRamakant Maharaj, "a direct disciple" of NisargadattaSri Ramakant Maharaj and Inchegiri Navnath Sadgurus Telegram channel
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