The great Saint of Maharashtra - Sant Eknath Maharaj

Pranams at the lotus feet of Eknath Maharaj!

Chapter – 12

Sri Kshethra Pandarpur is one of the famous shrines of Lord Sri Panduranga located on the river banks of Chandrabhaga, in Sholapur District, Maharashtra.  Sant Jyaneshwar, Sant Namdev, and Tukaram were staunch devotees of Lord Vittobha.  Sri Krishna Rai, stepbrother of King Veer Narasimha undertook the regime after the demise of his brother, he was a righteous and wise ruler, and he built many shrines and re-built the dilapidated shrines.  During his regime, the idol of Lord Vittobha was taken from its place to the Kingdom of Vijayanagara.   People of Pandarpur were distressed when the idol of Vittobha was removed from its place, later it was brought back to Pandarpur with the great effort of Bhanudas who was a staunch devotee of Vittobha.  Bhanudas was always remembered in the history for his braveness to bring back the idol of Lord Panduranga into the shrine of Srikshethra.  Chakrapani, who was the son of Bhanudas was a great scholar and a saintly person took good care of Eknath after the death of his parents Suryanarayana and Rukmini.

Sant Eknath announced the day of his Mahasamdhi, he has chosen the auspicious day of Shashti in the month of Phalgun, the day Swami Janardan was born, the day Swami Janardan had attained the Dharshan of Swami Dhaththathreya,  the day he had given Deeksha to Sant Eknath and attained Samadhi.  The devotees were shattered at the announcement of Mahasamadhi of Sant Eknath,  the people from lower caste were broken hearted.  The scholar of Paitan was anxious, there was Eknath Maharaj to guide them through the righteous path, Maharaj consoled them that the pious and devoted people never get stranded in the world of  Samsara, the supreme Lord will guide them through the blameless path.     He arrived on the river banks of Godavari with his devotees and disciple; he conducted meditation and gave lectures on scriptures.  His final nectar-like advice was the recitation of glories of Lord and Namasankeerthana only can bring liberation from the repeated births in this era of Kali, there is no other source for Moksha.  It was in the year 1521, on a Phalgun Shashti day Namasankeerthana was in progress on the river banks of Godavari, there were devotees and villagers assembled in large number, Sant Eknath moved to the waters of the Godavari as if a child seeking shelter on its mother’s lap and attained Mahasamadhi.