Pandurang Shastri Athavale
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Pandurang Shastri Athavale | |
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.jpg?lang=en) Pandurang Shastri Athavale | |
| Born | October 19, 1920 |
| Died | October 25, 2003 (aged 83) |
| Other names | Dadaji |
| Spouse | Nirmala Tai |
| Children | Jayshree Talwalkar (adopted) |
| Parent(s) | Vaijnath Shastri |
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| Hindu philosophy | |
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Pandurang Shastri Vaijnath Athavale (Template:Lang-gu, Template:Lang-hi) (October 19, 1920–October 25, 2003), known as Dadaji (Template:Lang-gu, Template:Lang-mr), which literally translates as elder brother in Marathi, was a philosopher who gave discourses or "pravachans" on Srimad Bhagawad Gita and Upnishads. Pandurang Shastri was founder of Swadhyay Parivar.
Early life
Param Pujya Pandurang Shastri Vaijnath Shastri Athavale was born on October 19, 1920 in the village of Roha near Mumbai. His grandfather, Laxman Rao, was a renowned scholar and brahmin in the area and regularly, against public opinion, visited Dalits to explain the Bhagavad Gita. Athavale, then age five, saw his grandfather taking a bath upon returning from such a trip . Athavale was surprised and posed the question that if in the Bhagavad Gita the Lord exclaims that God exists within all human hearts then how can anyone including the so-called 'untouchables' be considered inferior to anyone else? He became determined to see the God within others and from thenceforth became the proponent of "in-dwelling God."
When Athavale was twelve years old, his grandfather set up an independent course of study for the young boy with individual tuition. Thus, Athavale was taught in a system very similar to that of the Tapovan system of ancient India. In 1942, he started to give discourses at the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Pathshala, a centre set up by his father.
In 1954, he attended the Second World Philosophers Conference, held in Japan. There, Athavale presented the concepts of Vedic ideals and the teachings of the Bhagawad Geeta. However, many people rejected his ideas and wanted evidence of such ideals being put into practice in towns across India. A Dr. Wilson Compton was impressed with Athavale's ideas and offered him a post in the US, where he could spread his ideas. Athavale politely declined, saying that he had work to accomplish if he wanted to show the world a model community peacefully practicing and spreading the divine Vedic thoughts and the message of the Bhagawad Geeta.
From then on, he worked to spread the ideas of the Bhagwad Geeta to the masses. His movement was known as Swadhyay; literally "self study". The movement had its main influence not only in the Indian states viz. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, but also across the world, where Athavale used to frequently travel to spread his work.
Swadhyay Pariwar
Swadhyay is a philosophy found all over the world. "Swadhyayees", as the devine family members of the Swadhyay Pariwar are called, is made up of people from both the lower or poor classes and the upper classes. Athavale's idea of "brotherhood of men under the fatherhood of God" is followed in the many Swadhyay "kendras", or "gatherings"; no one is given distinction and each refers to another as brother or sister. The many Swadhyayees who continue Athavale's work in spreading his ideas throughout India and to other parts of the world are known as "krutisheels" or people of action.
Dadaji explained the 'tatva - philosophy' behind concepts such as 'Mandir (Temple)', 'Ekadashi (11th day of full moon or no moon)', 'Moortipuja (idol worship), 'bhakti (devotion)' and many more to bring into practice the 'Bhagwat Geeta'.
Death
Athavale died at 12:30 pm on October 25, 2003, in at Khetwadi in south Mumbai, India[1]. He was 83 years old and was cremated on the evening of October 26.
Awards
Some of the awards given to Athavale were
- Ramon Magsaysay Award, in Community Leadership, in year 1996 [2]
- Templeton Prize in year 1997 [3].
- Padma Vibhushan in 1999 in recognition of his efforts toward social reform.
- Recognized as one of the Top Ten Most Important Indian People of the 20th Century [4]
Legacy
Tatvagyan Vidhyapeeth is an institution in which Athavale, himself, often gave discourses to the many youths that studied there. The youths study a broad variety of religious and spiritual subjects and live as they would have done in a "tapovan" thousands of years ago. They cook their own food, clean their own clothes and take care of themselves without the many amenities seen in a regular home.
References
- ^ Social reformer Pandurang Shastri Athavale dead
- ^ 1996 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership - Rev. Pandurang Shastri Athavale
- ^ Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities
- ^ Top Ten Most Important Indian People of the 20th Century by WatchMojo.com
External links
- The Official web portal of Pandurang Shastri Athavale : www.dadaji.net
- The Official web portal of the Swadhyay Parivar : www.swadhyay.org
- Ramon magsaysay site introduction of Pandurang Shastri Athavale
- Templeton award web-site referencing Pandurang Shastri Athavale's work
- Templeton award web-site referencing News of Award to Pandurang Shastri Athavale
- Raj Krishan Srivastava, Vital Connections: Self, Society, God: Perspectives on Swadhyaya
- Pandurang Shastri Athavale on factbites.com
- An article by a well known writer Suma Varughese
- By WAVENEY ANN MOORE, Times Staff Writer © St. Petersburg Times, published June 29, 2002
- In rural India, quiet introspection has outward effects By Chhavi Sachdev in Science & Theology News, published in July 2004