Dasopant
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Dasopant (1551–1615) belonged to the Datta sect. He was born in a
Deshastha Brahmin Deshastha Brahmin is a Hinduism, Hindu Brahmin caste, subcaste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra and North Karnataka. Other than these states, according to authors K. S. Singh, Gregory Naik and Pran Nath Chopra, Deshastha Brahmins a ...
family in the village of Narayan Peth. He was the son of Digambarpant, an official of Bidar's Barid Shahi kingdom, responsible for collecting land revenue and handing it over to the rulers. Dasopant wrote mainly in
Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...
, was a
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
scholar in which are some of his commentaries. He also composed songs in
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
,
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...
and
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
. He is said to have written over 500,000 (5 lakh) couplets, only some of which have been published. He wrote two commentaries on the
Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Indian religious thought, ...
called ''Gitarnava'' and ''Gitarthabodhachandrika'' (''Gitartha Chandrika''), which is a smaller commentary as compared to his previous book in which he follows the '' Advaita Siddhanta'' school of thought. Another book authored by him was the ''Grantharaja'', which is considered a precursor of
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'' provi ...
. However, since most of his works lack significant literary qualities, only a small part of them have been published.


Dasopant and Dasodigambar

Dasopant was born on a Monday in the year 1473 of the Shaka era (ancient Hindu calendar), on the eighth day of the Bhadrapada month, in the Narayanpeth village of Bidar region. His father, Digambar Pant Deshpande, and mother, Parvati Bai, were blessed with immense wealth and prosperity, and their home was considered a dwelling place of the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi. Despite being born into this affluent family, Dasopant's life journey is truly extraordinary. At the age of five, his father conducted his thread ceremony, or *upanayan* (also known as *munj*) with great pomp. This was just the beginning; by the age of sixteen, Dasopant had already renounced household life and began a rigorous period of penance that spanned twelve to thirteen years. Between the ages of 35 and 40, he arrived in Ambajogai and, up until the age of 64, committed himself completely to social welfare and the spread of Hinduism through his writings, setting aside all worldly desires. Dasopant's legacy endures through his many writings. His well-known works include ''Geetarnava'', ''Geetarthachandrika'', ''Prabodhoday'', ''Padarnav'', ''Grantharaj'', ''Upanishad Bhashya'' (in Sanskrit), and ''Pasodi Panchikaran''. Except for ''Upanishad Bhashya'', all other compositions are in the Marathi language, comprising nearly 150,000 verses. His poetry and prose contributed greatly to the spread of Hindu teachings and values. During the 16th century, when forced religious conversions to Islam were rampant, Dasopant, along with saints Janardan and Eknath, resisted these efforts and worked extensively to protect Hindu culture. At one point, when Dasopant's monastery in Ambajogai faced threats from the Muslim regime, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje sent his army to protect Dasopant and his establishment. Historical records mention rare occasions when Dasopant met Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who even gifted Dasopant a letter written in his own hand. To this day, the shrine of Dasopant in Ambajogai remains a revered site, where devotees gather daily for worship. His direct disciples preserved his teachings, and one such disciple, Dr. Bapu Saheb Deshpande, played a crucial role in keeping the tradition alive. Today, Dr. Deshpande's family continues to honor Dasopant's legacy by caring for his shrine, hosting an annual celebration in his memory, and upholding the practices he established.


Dasopant and the One-Faced Dattatreya

A captivating tale related to Dasopant and a unique
Dattatreya Dattatreya (, ), Dattā or Dattaguru, is a paradigmatic Sannyasi (monk) and one of the lords of yoga, venerated as an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Three Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who are also collectively known as the Trimurti, incarna ...
idol is passed down through tradition. Towards the end of his life, sensing his time was near, Dasopant gathered his devotees and shared the news with them. The devotees, disheartened by the thought of losing him, pleaded for a keepsake that would remind them of his presence. Dasopant, honoring their request, instructed them to bring clay from the riverbank and personally crafted a beautiful idol of Lord Dattatreya. He carefully buried the idol in a vessel of grain, telling his followers, "In one month, this idol will turn to brass, in two months to
panchadhatu ''Panchaloha'' (), also called ''Pañcadhātu'' (), is a term for traditional five-metal alloys of sacred significance, used for making Hindu temple ''murti'' and jewellery. Composition The composition is laid down in the ''Shilpa shastras'', ...
(an alloy of five metals), in three months to
silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
, in four months to
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
, and in five months to a gem-studded masterpiece. Trust this process, and only retrieve the idol after five months." Shortly after this, Dasopant passed away. Some weeks later, a restless devotee, unable to resist his curiosity, secretly unearthed the idol after only two months and found it had indeed transformed to
panchadhatu ''Panchaloha'' (), also called ''Pañcadhātu'' (), is a term for traditional five-metal alloys of sacred significance, used for making Hindu temple ''murti'' and jewellery. Composition The composition is laid down in the ''Shilpa shastras'', ...
. Astonished, he reburied the idol without telling anyone. Five months later, when all the devotees gathered to ceremonially unveil the idol, they found it still made of
panchadhatu ''Panchaloha'' (), also called ''Pañcadhātu'' (), is a term for traditional five-metal alloys of sacred significance, used for making Hindu temple ''murti'' and jewellery. Composition The composition is laid down in the ''Shilpa shastras'', ...
. The truth of the impatient devotee's actions eventually surfaced, but the idol remains revered for its extraordinary beauty and craftsmanship, with Dasopant's blessings said to linger upon it. Dasopant's legacy in
Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
remains strong, with
Ambajogai Ambajogai is a city and tehsil in Beed district of Maharashtra State in India. Regarded as the cultural capital of Marathwada, the town features attractions like the Shivleni Caves and monuments honoring Marathi poet Mukundraj, the author of " ...
holding a sacred place in the hearts of the devotees. Here, he taught the wisdom of
Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed ...
knowledge in a language that everyone could understand, making complex teachings accessible to the masses.


References

{{Authority control 1551 births 1615 deaths Marathi-language writers Indian Sanskrit scholars