P. P Dasganu Maharaj
ॐ श्री 卐
|| Shri Shankar ||
The First Half
Modern day Mahipati, Saint Poet, Shri Dasaganu Maharaj
Birth and Childhood
Kotavade, District Ratnagiri in Kokan (Western bank of the Arabian Sea, Maharashtra) is the original town of the Sahasrabuddhe family. However, the family had to shift to Nagar for earning livelihood. Their heads of family earned the position of revenue collecting officer (mamledar) of a sub-division of district (taluka), on strength of their inherent capability. Three generations of this family prior to Shri Dasaganu Maharaj, held this position. The family used to command great respect and prestige in that locality. Dasaganu’s grandparents were Shri Eknath and Sou Saraswati and his parents were Shri Dattatrey and Sou Savitri. Shri Dasaganu Maharaj was born on an auspicious day of the eleventh (ekadashi) day of the bright moon fortnight of Shaliwahan Shak 1789 (06-01-1868) at the time of sunrise at Akolner, the home town (ajoal) of Dabholkar family (maternal grandparents). As the child was born at the time of sunrise, he was named ‘Narayan’. However, when the child was brought from maternal grandparents’ home to the home of Shri Sahasrabudhe, his grandfather said, “His ears and tummy are similar to those of Lord Ganapati. Let us call him ‘Ganesh’”. Therefore the name ‘Ganesh’ prevailed. Later on ‘Ganesh’ became ‘Ganu. Maharaj used to call himself as ‘Das’ (servant). Hence the title ‘Dasaganu’ became popular.
Born in a wealthy family, his childhood was spent in abundance of riches. Being their first ever grandson, the grandparents showered considerable amount of pampering on him. After the thread ceremony (vratabandh) nine year old Chi. Ganesh was admitted to school. The Sahasrabudhe family was by and large well educated. However, unlike these days, education was not much of an attraction. That was the period of time when mindset of people at large used to be, “It is enough for a person to be able to read / write and perform little bit of addition / subtraction”. As a result of abundance of riches, view, ‘Education aimed at employment’ was unheard of. In those days livelihood used to depend on agriculture and cultural development of mind used to be attained by way of religious behavior and thought process. Naturally, as a result of not being admitted to school at appropriate age, the boy did not development any liking towards studies. Despite considerable amount of efforts on part of his uncle, Dasaganu Maharaj could complete education only up to the English fourth standard.
Other students in the class being much younger, older boy could not get accommodated as one of them. Consequently Dasaganu started mixing with children of his age. As such, Dasaganu’s nature was joyful but jocular. Because of his jocular nature, he started getting more and more inclined towards aimless wandering and ridicule. Right from his birth, he did have the art of composing words in poetic style and making satirical commentary on any topic. As a result he took resort to folk art (tamasha), the only contemporary medium of recreation. In those days folk artists (tamasgir) used to present compositions of poets like Ramjoshi, Anantaphandi etc. After listening to songs in programs of folk art, his inborn creativity of poetry started blooming and freely traversing the heavenly field of folk art. Sometimes that creativity would make a bold description of unadulterated erotica, whereas on another occasion celebrate (symbolic) wedding of holcus sorghum (jondhala) and holcus spicatus (bajari) while enjoying beauty of nature. Sometimes it would sing praise of virtues of saints while on another occasion it would bring out crooked tricks of well-known celebrities thereby publically exposing their shabby deeds behind the silk screen. He started writing several such entertaining poems and thus became a patron (annadata) of folk artists.
Dasaganu Maharaj’s mother was not agreeable to a grown up boy in their family of revenue collecting officers (mamledar) moving around with folk artists. Hence, in Shaliwahan Shak 1813 (1891 A.D.), Dasaganu Maharaj was bound in wedlock with Saraswati, the daughter of Shri Narayanrao Ranade, holder of Government land (jahagirdar) from Borle-Ashta, Jamkhed. He was appointed as a clerk and posted in the princely state of Badoda. However, self respecting Dasaganu did not like the wretched behavior necessary in presence of princes. He quit the job, came back to Nagar and again started mixing with folk artists. The family members did not like this. In addition, on one occasion, his aunty insulted and abused him about the issue of earning livelihood. Then Self respecting Dasaganu left his home. While wandering with a thought that he himself must arrange earning his own livelihood, he stumbled on an English police officer called M. Kennedy. That officer recruited Dasaganu, a tall, well built and able bodied person, in the police department as a constable on a monthly salary of Rs. 9/-. The family members just did not like acceptance of such a mean job by a young boy from the family where head of family used to receive salute of a police constable. Therefore, his parents and uncle made lot of efforts to persuade him to quit this low level job accept another better job and return home. However, there was not ever slightest wavering in determination of self respecting Dasaganu, who was severely hurt because of his insult at home. Thus Maharaj joined the service at Shrigonda with a noting in Government Register as Shri. Ganesh Dattatrey Sahasrabudhe, Badge No. 727.
Paradigm Shift for Poetical Composition
Just as Ramjoshi from Solapur was blessed with Moropant who took away the tambourine (daf) out of his hand and hung lute (veena) of the pilgrims of Paldharpur (varkari) around his neck thereby guiding his creative vision on the path of devotion; Anant Gholap became Anant Fandi in association with Malik Fandi; poetic vision of Dasaganu was blessed with a similar change of track. At that point of time, Dasaganu Maharaj was transferred to Jamkhed. There was a tradition of presenting a Kirtan performance on every eleventh day of Hindu calendar (ekadashi) in the Vitthal Mandir. On one such occasion, the scheduled Kirtan performer did not turn up and hence Kirtan had to be cancelled. Shri Shetfalkar, the revenue officer of Jamhed became very dejected because of this incident. By chance, Dasaganu Maharaj met him on the very next day. He said to Dasaganu, “Ganapatrao, you are wasting your intelligence in composing (frivolous) poems of folk art (lavanya, powade etc.). Instead, if you could compose some anecdotes of saints, your creativity would be worthy of its true value”. Dasaganu accepted this challenge and gave his word, “I will perform Kirtan on the next eleventh day”. True to his word, he did compose anecdote (akhyan) of Saint Shri Damaji (Shrisant Damajiche Akhyan). A Muslim gentleman called Hayatkhan used to sing folk songs (lavanya) and accompany him in folk programs (tamasha). Dasaganu asked him to memories the Akhyan and be ready for the performance. Because of features like speech touching hearts of audience, literary beauty paining lively picture of anecdote, mind soaked with devotion, simple yet logical presentation of the story, and on top of all these, self-composed emotional poetry and its exposition, the Kirtan attained such a splendor that no one in the audience could realize how four hours passed by. The audience as also Shri Shetfalkar went home happily applauding Dasaganu, “Ganpatrao is very much distinct from what he appears!” His poetic creative vision, till then rejoicing in the field of erotica, was now blessed with field of devotion and started singing illustrations of virtues of the Almighty. At a later stage, on the directive of Satguru Saibaba of Shirdi, it became an obligation. As per his directive, Dasaganu Maharaj wrote hagiographies, composed in simple meter called owi, of over one hundred and fifty saints. These poetic hagiographies are published in three treatises titled, ‘Bhaktileelamrit’, ‘Santkathamrit’, and ‘Bhaktisaramrit’. His methodology of writing hagiography viz.– visiting the town of birth of the saint, collecting relevant information and then composing verses – has attained importance as historical reference literature at a later stage.
Later on he wrote several anecdotes; delivered Kirtan performances based on those and filled entire Maharashtra with nectar of devotion. Shri Dasaganu Maharaj has composed about 85 anecdotes which are useful as basis for Kirtan performances. The entire literature written by Shri Dasaganu Maharaj is full of the nectar of devotion. He has utilized his lucid creative vision of poetry exclusively for singing hagiographies of saints. The number of verses (owi) composed by him is more than 1.5 lakh. Treatises authored by him Amritanubhav Bhavarthmanjiri, Pasashtibhavarthdeepika, Shri Gurucharitra Saramrit, Shri Goda Mahatmya, Shri Gaudapadakarika, Shri Ishavasya Bhavarthprabodhini, Mantrarthpraskashika, Shri Nagazarimahatmya, Shri Naradbhaktisutrabodhini, Shri Madhvavijay, Shri Mangeeshamahatmya, Shri Shanipratap, Shri Shandilyabhaktisutra Bhavarthdeepika, Adya Shankaracharya Charitragranth, Shri Gajananvijay (comprising description of playful pastime of Shri Gajanan Maharaj of Shegaon) etc. provide evidence of his creative poetic vision of high stature, full of devotional nectar and lucidity.
