Born on Ashwin Shuddha 8, Shaka 1834

17th October 1912

MahanirvanaVaishakha Vadya 1, shaka 1911

21st May 1989

h| gmañdVmM| JmoS> & Vwåht{M bm{db| Or PmS> Ÿ&Var AmVm§ AdYmZm_¥Vo§ dmS> & qgnmo{Z H$sOo Ÿ&&

Shree Sadguru Sahajanand Saraswati Maharaj

Published by : Shree Sadguru Sahajanand Saraswati Maharaj Seva Samiti 10/2, Everest Society, Dombivali (west) Dist. Thane

Printed by: Mudra, 383, Narayan Peth, Pune - 411 030 (020) 24456836 e-mail: mudraoffset@gmail.com

Translated by: Mrs. Aparna Santosh Rewankar

© Shree Sadguru Sahajanand Saraswati Maharaj Seva Samiti

Revised third edition: Saturday, 23rd of March 2019 (Shivajayanti)

Price: Rs. 70/-

Shree Shiva-Samarth Mandir, Shrikshetra Dervan

statues of the ‘Mavalas’ (King Shivaji’s soldiers)

Distances : Mumbai to Dervan by Road - 275 KM. Mumbai to Dervan by Rail - 268 KM. Pune to Dervan by Road - 260 KM.

Shivasamarthgad 5

Introduction

Dervan, a small remote village in the Konkan region, renowned as ‘Shree Kshetra Dervan’ (pilgrimage Dervan), has gained a lot of publicity in the past few years for its magnificent, appealing ‘Shiv Samarth Gadh’ and the numerous social upliftment projects undertaken in the region. A pious saint, Shree Sant Sitarambua Walavalkar worked selflessly during his lifetime for the betterment of this village. Shree Sadguru Sahajanand Saraswati (Shree Maharaj), who was inspired by Shree Sant Sitarambua Walavalkar and his works, built a shrine to honour him, after his demise in 1969.

Shree Maharaj had a strong vision for the region and with some futuristic strategies in mind, he established a charitable trust called ‘Shree Sitarambua Walavalkar Charitable Trust’ (SSWCT)’ in Dervan. Shree Maharaj also worshiped the Great King Shivaji, and adapted his philosophy in the day-to-day administration of the trust. In 1981, Shree Maharaj initiated the construction of ‘Shiv Shrushti’, including ‘Shiv Samarth Gadh (fort) and museum in Dervan, with an agenda to enlighten future generations with the ideologies of this great King. These initiatives thereon sowed the seeds for various religious and social upliftment projects that were undertaken in the region under the guidance of Shree Maharaj.

This tiny seed sowed by Shree Maharaj 40 years ago, has today become a massive undertaking, completely lifting the face of a small remote village of Dervan into a modern hub for religious, cultural, spiritual, educational, health and socialist movement, bustling with enthusiasm and energy to bring positive changes & to create a strong virtuous society. It has not only attracted locals but also triggered curiosity from many international entities.

The following pages depict the thoughts/philosophy of Shree Maharaj, his rationale behind establishment of the ‘SSWC Trust’ and the futuristic projects undertaken in Dervan & surrounding regions.

- Shree Sadguru Sahajanand Saraswati Maharaj Seva Samiti

6 Shivasamarthgad

For the Well-being of Mankind ||Om Tatsath|| ||Shree Sadguru ve Namah: ||

India is a vast democratic nation and as per our constitution, the basic needs of food, clothing, education, housing, safe drinking water to personal safety must be guaranteed to every citizen of this nation. It is essential that the ruling government ensures supply of these basic necessities to its population.

We definitely witness the current Government trying to meet these basic needs by undertaking various projects at different levels of administration in the country. In fact, the democratic-social principles adopted have been neatly structured & embedded from the highest governing body of Central Government to the smallest village council (Gram-panchayat) of our country. For a government that professes socialism and practices these principles, it is then imperative that it accepts prime responsibility to ensure successful completion of these projects to meet the basic needs of its citizens. This is a fact and crucial to be accepted as such!

It is also necessary that the government provides good health care besides education & other basic needs; and we do observe that the government is putting efforts on this front as well. But in such a secular nation of ours, it is doubtful that a government that preaches on democratic principles, can in reality provide all the very basic needs to such a massive population; even the common man has doubts in his mind by now.

Besides health care, the government should also be able to provide work opportunity for those who are willing to work!

It is essential to educate every citizen about the importance of human values and to instil such ethics in its population. These values are preserved in the religious doctrines and are key for the physical and mental development of every human being. However our country is a secular state and unfortunately, it may not be feasible for this secular administration to achieve or adopt such principles.

The establishment of the ‘Shree Sitarambua Walavalkar Charitable Trust’ was triggered to deal with this critical drawback

Shivasamarthgad 7

in the constitution of our country. Even though the SSWC Trust is established on a religious foundation, the person in whose memory this trust was formed, dedicated himself selflessly for the upliftment of the people and tried relentlessly to preach fundamental eternal values to the common man.

We notice that the present government tries to remain unbiased and maintains distance from religion or related principles, thus creating a void where someone could preserve our ancient eternal values and inculcate them into the thoughts & actions of our society. Furthermore, a government of such secular nature is undoubtedly run by individuals who follow the same principles, right from the top central government to the lowest village council; a commonly known universal truth of our country!

The government officials who operate such a secular government and will continue to do so in the future, need to be knowledgeable of these ancient, eternal values; and it’s not just enough to know these values, but rather they need to be instilled into their behaviour so they can lead by example in their day-to-day affairs.

Law & justice, customs & traditions, religion, selfless service, humility, and knowledge of political science, social studies, or other necessary areas are just a few skills required to run a successful administration of any nation. But in reality, how many such schools or universities can a government establish? Can they teach the required values and soft skills necessary for this job? And that is exactly the reason why social and religious organizations, who strive for betterment of humanity need to step forward, undertake this difficult task of raising awareness, and inculcate these basic human values into the population.

The core ethical principles of humanity are eternal and should remain untouched, irrespective of the government in power. With power comes corruption, eventually leading to a polluted political and social environment.

Today, the general population tends to be very shallow, inclined towards materialism and superficial pleasures. So we have to strive hard to counter these tendencies, control this erosion of our ancient values and ethics!

8 Shivasamarthgad

A number of religions coexist in the world today. Depending on individual circumstances, each one must at least try to follow their own religion. As quoted by Bhagwan Shree Gopal Krishna in the holy Bhagwad Geeta "ñdY_} {ZYZ§ lo`: naY_m} ^`mdh:Ÿ&'' (Better to die following your own faith, than live a confused disastrous life following something you don’t believe in.)

This principle needs to be instilled in each and every individual. Only when this is embedded into their minds, they will fulfill their duties with determination, develop a sense of devotion towards their religion, and be able to comprehend that all religions were created by the same God for the betterment of humankind based on the needs of the different places or era. Such a human will recognise that the final goal of all true religions is ‘Self-realization’, and it is the only real means to attain the utmost level of happiness/satisfaction, one can imagine! Furthermore, this belief will help enhance and confirm faith on the path of spiritualism; help discard the narrow-minded outlook to gain enlightenment on the strong foundation of self-realization, and finally to experience oneness with the universe! The one who understands life through these means, will appreciate and experience the truth behind religion, attain equanimity and will never ever feel indifferent from any other human or religion!

There are 4 ways to attain self-realization – Karma Yoga (duty), Jnana Yoga (Knowledge), Bhakti Yoga (devotion) and Hatha Yoga (exercise)! The principal yoga that has been talked about in spiritualism is extremely hard to attain. Even paths such as the ‘Raja Yoga’ (energy), which in turn are a control of the mind, are challenging for a common man leading a simple domestic life.

A common man trying to fulfill obligations towards his family, naturally craves for material gains and worldly pleasures. The holy Bhagwad Geeta, depicted by Bhagwan Shree Gopal Krishna himself on the battlefield dissuading his disciple Arjuna from his feeling of emotional attachment and encouraging him to fulfil his duty for the benefit of mankind, prescribes just one path (yoga) in the 18th Chapter, for the advancement of the common man – the Karma yoga! I.e. performing your duty without expecting or focusing on the returns!

Shivasamarthgad 9

ñdo ñdo H$_©Ê`{^aV: g§{gqÕ b^Vo Za: Ÿ&ñdH$_©{ZaV: {gqÕ `Wm {dÝX{V VÀN¥>>Uw && (lr_ØJdÒrVm 18 : 45)

- One who is engaged in fulfilling all duties in a proper manner, becomes entitled to ‘moksha’ (liberation from the cycle of life and death)!

The importance of this verse cannot be undermined and needs to be ingrained into every human. The one who sincerely performs his duty because it ought to be done, without any attachment to the fruit or worrying about the result, will definitely experience the state of renunciation and achieve self-realization & ‘moksha’.

Sant Dnyaneshwar comments on this shloka :

h| {d{hV H$_© nm§S>dm Ÿ& Amnwbm AZÝ` dmobmdm &Am{U ho{M na_ godm Ÿ& _O gdm©Ë_H$mMr Ÿ&& (kmZoœar 18 : 906)

AJm O`m{g Oo§ {d{hV Ÿ& Vo§ B©œamMo§ _ZmoJV Ÿ& åhUm¡{Z Ho${b`m {Z^«m§V Ÿ& gm§nS>o{M Vmo Ÿ&& (kmZoœar 18 : 911)

Both these verses clearly state that performing duty meticulously and selflessly, is itself a service to God and leads one to self-realisation.

Shree Bhagwan Gopal Krishna further states in the Bhagwad Geeta (chapter 18, verse 46)

`V: àd¥{Îm^y©VmZm§ `oZ gd©{_X§ VV_² Ÿ&ñdH$_©Um V_ä`À`© {gqÕ {dÝX{V _mZd: Ÿ&& (lr_ØJdÒrVm 18 : 46 dm)

One can reach perfection while performing their prescribed tasks in society and of course by worship of God. It can be done while still finding joy in completion of the duties!

Sant Dnyaneshwar explains this in his own words:

V`m gdm©Ë_H$m B©œam Ÿ& ñdH$_©Hw$gw_m§Mr dram Ÿ& nyOm Ho$br hmo` Anmam Ÿ& VmofmbmJtŸ && (kmZoœar 18 : 917)

All of the above verses conclude that common man primarily needs to learn and practice ‘karma yoga’, perform his duties without any expectations in return as he goes through this journey of life.

10 Shivasamarthgad

But in order to follow these principles, to live with or without desires & expectations, people still need to be practical, financially stable and feel content to a certain extent as they fulfil their routine obligations. It is important to have a stable mind & focus. Only a person who is satisfied, peaceful at heart, can focus on the goals, will be able to practice these principles of ‘karma yoga’, and become capable and eligible to gain knowledge of self-realisation!

To achieve this goal, it is essential that every member of society is educated enough and develops purity in thoughts, deeds & expressions; they must be encouraged towards honesty and generosity. Changing every individual is the key! When each individual gains purity in thoughts, words, and actions, becomes ethical, law-abiding, selfless & knowledgeable, the entire society will automatically become rich in culture, values and glow with morality.

All of the above can only be achieved with an army of selfless, truthful individuals unbiased towards any specific religion & willing to dedicate themselves for the service of humanity. ‘Shree Sitarambua Walavalkar Charitable Trust’ was established with this very goal in mind. The main agenda of this organization is to train such individuals who can render selfless service, uplift the poor or downtrodden, and help propagate the message of ‘Karma Yoga’ to every member of our society.

The current Indian society lacks self-respect, has become extremely confused, helpless and aimless. They do not even get proper meals to fulfil their hunger, enough water to satisfy their thirst, proper housing for shelter, and appropriate clothing to wear or medical support to cure illness. This society lacks good education, or employment opportunities; does not even have the basic knowledge of ethics underlying their religion; nor awareness of their duties. Such a defeated, demotivated and low-performing society needs to be proactively enriched at this stage, else it is imminent that this society and humans will deteriorate to a degree of extinction.

Bhagwan Vyas Maharshi, expressed the true spirit of this era, where the beginning and establishment of religion primarily begins

Shivasamarthgad 11

from the human heart while the foundation/values of this religion exist in the stomach! This truth or philosophy underlying our religion is far and forgotten today. Therefore, this organization has declared to at least follow these principles in their working; and Shree Maharaj has demonstrated them to the world by implementing these values into his work in Dervan.

(The true philosophy underlying our religion was demonstrated to the world by Shree Maharaj with the upliftment projects and undertakings in Dervan)

Bhagwan Vyaas Maharshi says-

AeZ§ dgZ§ dmg: `ofm§M¡dm ì`dpñWV_² Ÿ&_JYoZ g_m H$mer J§Jmß`L²>Jmadm{hZr Ÿ&&

This verse suggests that for humans who have to struggle for basic needs of food, clothing, water and shelter, the sacred place of Kashi will be same as the ill-famed Magadh Kingdom (known for its intrigues, scandals, murders, undercover operations and betrayals). Similarly, for such oppressed humans, the cool, refreshing waters of holy river Ganga will feel more like a raging river of lava.

In short, the gist we take from this is that people living under inferior conditions are incapable of adopting rich ethical principles. These thoughts or lessons are the foundations of physical, religious or spiritual philosophies. ‘Shree Sant Sitarambua Walavalkar Charitable Trust’ has built an important pathway for self-less service, aiming for a strong base to improve at least one of these foundations.

Shree Sadgurucharanaraj

( Shree Sadguru Sahajanand Saraswati also known as Shri. Viththal Ganesh Joshi)

shreesadguru Vasudevanantsarasvati also known asShri Babamaharaj Sahasrabuddhe SamadhimandirS.S.No. 937 D, Shivajinagar Pune -411 016Vaishakha va. 4 shaka 1895Monday, 21"st May 1973

12 Shivasamarthgad

India has been extremely fortunate to witness many saints and selfless personalities who ignored their own personal needs and spent their entire life for the well-being of this world. From time immemorial to this very moment, these Saints have served humanity, raised awareness about religious principles, and showed the right path by preaching them the philosophy of life, performing their duties, and the value of devotion to God, which will eventually lead to true everlasting happiness and self-realisation. They have directly and indirectly strived to enhance the quality of all humans in this country.

It is perhaps for this very reason that even though India is a materially underdeveloped nation, we see so many foreigners from all over the world with abundant material pleasures, attracted towards this land in pursuit of knowledge to satisfy their thirst for spiritualism & seek true happiness. That’s why the saints have said ""Xwb©^§ ^maVo OÝ_:, _mZwf§ VÌ Xwb©^_² Ÿ&&''‘Only few are fortunate to be born in this holy land of Bharat (India) and that too as a human being!’

Shree Sant Sitarambua Walavalkar Maharaj

Shivasamarthgad 13

Shree Sitarambua was born in the year 1899 to a poor family in the village of ‘Terse Bambarde’, part of the old establishment called Sawantwadi. His full name was Sitaram Atmaram Walavalkar. He received some basic education in a private setting, after which he worked in multiple temporary jobs for 8-9 years from the mill, clothing store to police department. But he was never fascinated by the common domestic life; rather he had an addiction of devotion to God. Even at a very young age he gathered friends and chanted the holy mantras with them. Oblivious about his own self or needs, but always eager to help others! He would often feel impatient due to his strong urge towards God. Out of the blue, one day he just distributed his entire salary amongst beggars and came to Dabhol from Mumbai with mere basic clothes on, covered in holy ashes, long beard and a thick moustache. He met an old acquaintance from the police department who helped him find shelter at the ‘Maruti Temple’ in the village of Kondmala, near Chiplun. His young age, the extraordinary attire, asceticism, continuous chanting easily appealed to the local villagers who introduced him to a local saint, Shree Vahalkarbua, who lived at the Dutta Mandir (temple) in the village of Savarde along with Shree Shembekarbua, another well-known saint.

Shree Sitarambua began worshipping and serving both these saints at the temple by cleaning, washing and other chores. He collected alms sufficient enough for his survival and continued to stay at the Dutta temple.

Later, based on his Guru’s directives he went on a pilgrimage to sacred places such as Pandharpur, Akkalkot, Gangapur and to SaiKhed on the banks of river Narmada. From there, he completed the ‘Chitrakut’ yatra, visited Kashi Prayag and the Vaijnath Jyotirlinga temple before returning to Akkalkot, where he had the divine vision of Shree Akkalkot Swami Samarth Maharaj. On the way back to Savarde he travelled via Kedgaon, Patan and Helvak.

He continued serving his Guru and Shree Gurudev Dutta. Later in 1951, when Shree Sant Vahalkarbua left this world, Shree Sitarambua built a shrine (Samadhi mandir) and residence in memory of his Guru.

Shree Sant Sitarambua was almost 6 feet tall with a strong build, viable for physically strenuous tasks; he participated in all laborious

14 Shivasamarthgad

tasks such as farming, irrigation, even breaking hard rocks required for construction. A pleasant celibate who glowed with radiance.

He was such a kind-hearted human being, that no one ever saw him losing temper in his lifetime. After initiation, he devoted himself mentally and physically to the service of his Guru, and practising meditation. Well-versed in herbal medicine and ‘Mantra Sadhana’ (healing with spiritual prayers), he dedicated himself to improving the woes of the poor, preaching them religious values, thus becoming an inspiration who enlightened everyone with his spiritual glow.

Over the years, as Shree Sant Sitarambua became old, Shree Sahajanand Saraswati Maharaj, who was inspired by his work, started a social organization in Mumbai so Shree Sant Sitarambua could continue pursuing his own spiritual path, get support for his social work and enable the younger generation to learn and get inspired from such a noble soul. This social organization later served as a stepping stone for the establishment of the ‘Shree Sant Sitarambua Walavalkar Charitable Trust’ on 18th Jan 1969.

Shree Sant Sitarambua was a noble saint, a disciple from the lineage of Shree Akkolkot Swami Samarth Maharaj. Dervan, is now a renowned village due to his selfless efforts for the upliftment of the village; this charitable trust that operates under his name, follows the principles he cherished and practiced. Sacrifice, humility, foresightedness and devotion towards God and his Guru - almost like the block of sandalwood that sacrifices itself slowly, releasing its fragrance, healing, enchanting and stimulating everybody around it.

Therefore, this small village hidden in an unknown area has now become a hub where the young can learn about service, devotion and gain inspiration from selfless service to mankind. A small lamp used to enlighten many more, brightens up the sky in all directions and helps the common man find his path to true self-realization; this is the grand aim that the charitable trust has undertaken and will successfully accomplish.

""_amdo nar H$s{V©ê$nr Camdo'' A verse written by Shree Samarth Ramdas, which literally translates to ‘One must die, but ensure their legacy lives on’. This dictum holds good for Shree Sant Sitarambua Walavalkar – our humble salutations to this great saint!

Shivasamarthgad 15

Pomendi Budruk, is a small village in the coastal region of Konkan, approximately 8 kms from the district of Ratnagiri. Our Guru, Shree Maharaj (named as Vitthal Ganesh Joshi) was born to a virtuous couple, Shree Ganesh Vishnu Joshi and his wife Janakibai in this village on Thursday, Oct 17th, 1912.

Born in a wealthy family, but totally disinterested and detached from the material world since his very childhood, Vitthal distanced himself even further from worldly matters after the demise of his mother while he was still very young. It became more prominent as

Shree Sadguru Sahajanand Saraswati also known as Shri. Vitthalrao Ganesh Joshi

16 Shivasamarthgad

he realized the futile formal academic education system and around 1929-30, he quit his English school just in grade 6 and decided to embark on a journey to seek a true spiritual master. This journey led him to Pune, where he was blessed by the graciousness of Shree Sadguru Vasudevanant Saraswati, a.k.a. Shree Baba Maharaj Sahasrabuddhe, who initiated Vitthal into the spiritual lineage of Shree Akkalkot Swami Samarth, Shree Ramanand Beedkar Maharaj and Shree Baba Maharaj.

Shree Maharaj a.k.a Vitthal, eventually became renowned with various titles such as Shree Sahajanand Saraswati, Shree Digambardas Maharaj and Shree Vitthal Chaitanya.

He had tremendous contempt for injustice and was extremely protective of his self-respect. He was a courageous figure, extremely versatile and a genius who was adept in all forms of arts. Skilled, influential, pragmatic, diligent, foresighted and yet, extremely humble – that was Shree Maharaj in a few words!

Averse towards fame, he shunned publicity of any sort; but with a firm faith in our sacred ancient religion, Shree Maharaj was extremely proud of the Vedas and revered all those priests who led a pure, devotional life. Therefore, to preserve the rich knowledge and tradition underlying the Vedas, he initiated the Vedic school at the Shree Sadguru Baba Maharaj Saharabuddhe temple in Pune in 1982. Almost 30 vedic students take advantage of this education each year. The meals, accomodation, clothing and medical aid for students are generously provided by Shree Vithalrao Joshi Charities Trust, along with the honorarium for Vedic teachers and student scholarships.

Shree Maharaj was a born patriot, which corresponded with his staunch faith in our religion. In fact he even participated in the freedom fight around 1940-42, travelled to many villages organizing and getting support from people for the freedom movement. He also had a few secret meetings with the famous freedom fighter, Veer Savarkar in Ratnagiri during the same period.

A deep worshipper of the Great King Shivaji, it is hard to describe in words the respect and pride he felt for this great king. He firmly believed that the duo, Shree Ramdas Swami (Guru of King Shivaji)

Shivasamarthgad 17

and King Shivaji himself, must re-appear in this era to re-ignite the pride of our religion in the Hindus today, unite and organize them to resolve issues on their own without external influence! These thoughts were deeply rooted in him, therefore he desired and tried relentlessly so our country once again assumed the role of a world-leader. In fact we can easily witness this desire in the form of the Shiv Samarth Gadh (fort), which Shree Maharaj proudly built in Dervan to portray the life of King Shivaji, make the world aware of his virtuousness and ruling principles.

In Shree Kshetra Dervan and Pune, both the temple shrines have a dress-code for everyone; the women are expected to dress in our traditional nine-yard or six-yard sarees. They are also expected to dress decently and maintain a level of dignity at the temple. In fact, there are boards with such instructions at the temple based on directions from Shree Maharaj.

The traditional wear in Maharashtra is the 9-yard saree for women and the dhoti for men; but keeping with changing times and needs, these rules were bent to allow the 6-yard saree as an option to the 9-yard saree and men with formal shirts-pants; though according to Shree Maharaj, any further modifications in the dress-code meant disrespect of our own traditions & detrimental to the rich Aryan-Vedic religious culture. He strongly believed that respectful & faithful behaviour from women is the first step towards their own safety. Women are an important pillar in the making of any society and can greatly influence the next generation; if the women behave with respect and portray it through their own behaviour and appearance, the society will automatically reflect this and save it from going haywire or wild. Such characteristics and values will help generate an ethical future generation with high morals, which in turn will be capable of incubating more heroes like our great king Shivaji. This was the wisdom Shree Maharaj wanted to infuse deep into the society and therefore, enforced certain rules at the temple-shrine.

During festivities at the temple, women are responsible for tasks such as lighting lamps, cutting fruits, preparing ‘paan’ (an after-meal mouth-freshner made with betel leaves stuffed with

18 Shivasamarthgad

betel nuts and other digestive ingredients); but there was one rule! These tasks were entrusted only to those women who were willing to wear a 9-yard saree; similarly, it was obligatory for men to wear the ‘dhoti’ if they wanted to participate in the festive preparations. Shree Maharaj often expressed, “The convent missionary schools preach against our religion, enforce our kids to discard our traditions, do not permit our girls to wear the ‘bindi’ on their forehead even though it’s an auspicious sign, and regularly make us compromise our self-respect with their rules and regulations. Most people follow such demeaning rules without any complaints, then our temple has a few small rules aligned with our own religion and traditions; why should anyone feel hurt with those? In fact women must themselves despise and discard outfits that do not follow our traditions. Just like schools and military have uniforms, so does this institution with its own dress-code!”

Shree Maharaj’s permanent abode was his Guru’s shrine in Pune, the ‘‘Shree Sadguru Baba Maharaj Sahasrabuddhe Samadhi Mandir.” Shree Maharaj left this world to reunite with the infinite on 21st May 1989 (Vaishakh Vadya 1, Shakasamvatsar 1911 as per hindu calendar). His disciples built a small but exquisite shrine in his memory, right beside his Guru’s shrine in Pune. A Trust formed in his name, ‘Shree Vithalrao Joshi Charities Trust’ operates a medical clinic in the Maharudra Hanuman Nivas building. This medical clinic is named after his mother, ‘Late. Mata Janakibai Ganesh Joshi Medical Clinic’; medical services are provided to the poor for a mere fee of Rs.5/- everyday. Provisions have also been made to provide economical Ultra Sonography and 2D-ECHO services for the poor.

Shivasamarthgad 19

Accomplishments in Shree Kshetra Dervan

Dervan was a small isolated village that remained downtrodden for the longest of time. It is about 19 kms from the town of Chiplun and one has to first come to Sawarde village via Ratnagiri Road and then follow the path that leads to Durgwadi. About 3 kms further from there, we are welcomed by the majestic statues of the ‘Mavalas’ (King Shivaji’s soldiers) embarked on horses, thus convincing visitors that they have finally arrived in Shree Kshetra Dervan (Pilgrimage of Dervan).

Shree Sant Vahalkarbua, the preceptor (Guru) of Shree Sitarambua Walavalkar, lived on the outskirts of Savarde village, right near the road that leads to Dervan. He owned a small piece of land, and had built a small house for himself. After his demise, the devotees and villagers performed his last rites on the same land. During the same period, Shree Sadguru Baba Maharaj in Pune, requested Shree Maharaj to build a temple of Lord Hanuman and a shrine in memory of Shree Sant Vahalkarbua on the same spot where he was cremated. Shree Maharaj undertook this task and completed building the shrine and a small Hanuman temple with the help of Shree Sant Sitarambua Walavalkar. He personally picked and bought a special idol of Lord Hanuman from a special place called Madhavbaug in Mumbai. Shree Maharaj also personally setup a tradition of observing the death anniversary of Shree Sant Vahalkarbua as per hindu calendar on Paush Shuddha Dwadashi (12th day of the lunar fortnight in the 10th hindu month of Paush). He personally conducted ‘Kirtan’, a musical form of narrating religious topics, on this auspicious day in Dervan.

This was year 1954 - with absolutely no proper infrastructure in place and negligible transport facilities, it is worth visualising how Shree Maharaj must have organized and ensured all activities for the death anniversary function were executed to perfection! All participants and villagers were provided with meals. On one such occasion Shree Maharaj brought along 52 boxes full of items required for this death-anniversary event all the way from Mumbai, and that too by travelling in an ordinary State Transport bus!

20 Shivasamarthgad

He had stocked all items required for this event; from carpets, containers for groceries, lanterns, flashlights, to Petromax lamps etc. He handed all items to Shree Sitarambua Walavalkar who supervised the event. Shree Sitarambua, himself was an ardent worshipper of his Guru, Shree Vahalkarbua, and worked tirelessly for the maintenance of his Guru’s shrine, the worship, rituals, and ensured the death anniversary ceremony was successfully conducted. In parallel, ignoring his own discomforts, he selflessly continued to serve the downtrodden in the community.

But a few years later, Shree Shembekar (son-in-law of Shree Sant Vahalkarbua), claimed all property, side-lining Shree Sant Sitarambua Walavalkar, leaving him homeless at an old age and separating him from the place he adored the most – his Guru’s shrine! Shree Maharaj felt very sad and remembered the command he had received from his own Guru, Shree Baba Maharaj when he was still alive – “You must take good care of Shree Sitarambua Walavalkar”. Shree Maharaj immediately made arrangements to build a residence for Shree Sitarambua; he purchased a piece of land to build a small home, alongside some agricultural area for self-sustenance, since it was getting difficult for Shree Sitarambua to survive on mere donations. But sadly, Shree Sitarambua took his last breath on 18th January, 1969, just few days before the construction of his new home was completed!

Based on instructions from Shree Maharaj, the villagers and devotees from Mumbai performed the last rites of Shree Sitarambua Walavalkar in the presence of Shree Maharaj on the same piece of land. Even before performing the last rites, Shree Maharaj had resolved setting up the ‘Shree Sant Sitarambua Walavalkar Charitable Trust’. This Trust was established with the aim of ensuring that the selfless service of Shree Sitarambua was honoured, to remind every member of society about their obligation & commitment towards community service, and to spread the message of devotion. It was registered with the Charity Commissioner in Mumbai on 17th July, 1969.

The trustees of this newly formed charitable Trust were devotees of Shree Sitarambua and some dignitaries whose heart

Shivasamarthgad 21

& mind was suitably moulded and trained for the social work by his teachings. They felt the need for fund-raising and began work accordingly by publishing souvenirs, collecting personal donations, organizing musical concerts/dramas etc. Shree Sitarambua had set up a supreme ideal of social-service with his personal sacrifices, both monetary and physical, for the welfare of others! It was thus important to reveal and mark such virtuous personalities for the future generations.

Each year, the death anniversary of Shree Sitarambua is organized with great efforts. Bhajans (religious singing), kirtans (a musical form of narrating religious topics), chanting and a chariot ceremony at night, fill the environment with devotion helping each one reflect on this great Saint, his work and his philosophy! The ceremony is concluded with MahaPrasad (religious meal) and even the poor villagers from the area are invited to join the celebrations.

Shree Sadguru Sahajanand Saraswati and Bhaktashreshtha Shri. Kamalakarpant Walavalkar

22 Shivasamarthgad

After completing the shrine of Shree Sitarambua Walavalkar and successfully establishing a charitable trust in his honour, Shree Maharaj resolved to develop something unprecedented & innovative in the surrounding region.

Our Great King Shivaji! A beloved deity to every person in the state of Maharashtra and to every believer in the sacred thought of a Hindu nation! An idol denoting valour, patriotism, virtuousness; someone who left an indelible mark upon the history of this world and gained world recognition for his qualities and accomplishments! A symbol of dignity, nobility and an esteemed Hindu personality!

Heroic poetry, ballads are being sung in his honour! People acclaim him with a lot of pride! Slogans cherishing his high ideals and to continue practicing his virtues are chanted!

All these thoughts lead Shree Maharaj to one key question - Why is there no temple in honour of such a virtuous King of our own? Fired by such supreme zeal, he decided to raise a memorial in honour of this Great King, an incarnation of Lord Shiva; the one who inspired generations to come about patriotism, self-honour; inculcated people’s minds with values and showed how selflessness & sacrifice can lead this nation on a glorious path!

Shree Samarth Ramdas Swami and the Holy cow

Shivasamarthgad 23

As soon as a decision was made, he began translating these thoughts into reality. Meticulous planning of all the minutest details were crucial part of his personality. And to build an entire memorial highlighting the accomplishments of this great king, was quite an undertaking in itself that required in-depth planning, foresight and determination. He desired to build this place called the ‘Shiv shrushti’, which would attract visitors from far and rekindle the fire of patriotism in each and every one of them!

Shree Maharaj hoped that the depiction of King Shivaji’s valorous accomplishments through this memorial would help stimulate the sluggish and self-centred countrymen. He intended to construct a display of King Shivaji’s virtuous deeds, his bravery and humility that would spark a lightening of pride and patriotism in their hearts!

When creating the memorial of this great king, who turned his land of Maharashtra into a paradise, Shree Maharaj also decided to honour King Shivaji’s Guru, Shree Samarth Ramdas and build a unique memorial called as ‘Shree Shiv – Samarth temple’. In fact, this was in his thoughts since he was only 12 years of age. The memorial project picked up acceleration with each milestone achieved and the Shiv Samarth temple was inaugurated on 5th May, 1981 on the auspicious occasion of the birth anniversary of King Shivaji! After that, they installed statues of each ‘mavala’ (King

Fire of hope gets kindled for the opressed - Birth of Shree Shivaji Maharaj

24 Shivasamarthgad

Shivaji’s soldiers), the horsemen and completed the fortification ensuring every minute detail is taken care of to give a visual glimpse of the glorious history to the visitors.

The dream of the memorial was now turning into a pleasant reality, & taking shape as envisioned! The first place of devotion that portrays our rich culture, carries forward the cultural inheritance, and ensures people leave feeling proud of our rich traditions through these sculptures and depiction of historic events, in such a small, secluded village like Dervan!

Shree Shivaji Maharaj and his followers vow for "Swarajya" (self-rule)

Bajee Prabhu lays down his life to save his master

Shivasamarthgad 25

The sculptors Late Dada Patkar and his associates gave shape and form to all of Shree Maharaj’s ideas through these delicate, vibrant and expressive sculptures that leave an enchanting and awe-inspiring effect on the minds of the visitors! A glimpse into our inspirational history enforces one to introspect within, at least for a few moments. It also makes one vigilant about their obligation towards their nation, god and religion.

Also, keeping up with modern times and to ensure the future generation understands the significance & achievements of this great King Shivaji, audio recordings, which can be self-played in front of every sculpture explain the historic moments using modern techniques and make it more appealing, especially to the younger visitors!

Shree Shivaji Maharaj 's mind gets purged with conceit- Shree Samarth Ramdas Swami acts as purifier

26 Shivasamarthgad

An elegant statue of King Shivaji riding his horse proudly welcomes everyone in the Shiv-Samarth temple along with realistic statues of Saint Ramdas, Saint Tukaram and Saint Namdev. Also, there is a temple to honour the ‘Gomata’ (Cow is considered to be a ‘mother’ in the Hindu religion). The area also boasts many statues of troopers, horse-riders and warriors, giving it a very realistic look and feel! The walls in the main hall have a brilliant portrait of King Shivaji.

Shaistekhan attacked in Lal Mahal, by shree Shivaji Maharaj

Afzalkhan outwitted and slained by Shree Shivaji Maharaj

Shivasamarthgad 27

Various sculptures such as the name-keeping ceremony of baby Shivaji, depiction of young Shivaji taking oath at the Rohideshwari temple along with his friends; witnessing the young Shivaji praying humbly to Goddess Jagdamba, even the miraculous moment when Guru Samarth Ramdas eradicated Shivaji’s ego and gave him a valuable lesson, and the moment when Shivaji taught a lifetime lesson to the treacherous Shahistekhan, have all been very skillfully articulated!

A scene when he dealt with the traitor, Afzalkhan by following the principle of ‘an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’ brings goose bumps to the visitors. The very emotional moment when his loyal soldier Baji Prabhu, sacrificed himself to protect his king and the proud moment of his coronation ceremony are very intriguing. Netaji Palkar, commander of Shivaji’s army, had been treacherously converted into Islam by Aurangzeb; the event of his reinstatement into the Hindu religion is carved with a strong zeal to demonstrate that a true Hindu can never be compelled to become a traitor.

Netaji Palkar the Maratha General, who was forcibly converted to Islam reembraces Hindu Religion

28 Shivasamarthgad

Coronation of Shree Shivaji Maharaj - Maratha Empire becomes a reality

Shri Dada Patkar, the sculptor, felicited at the hands of Shree Sadguru Sahajanand Saraswati Maharaj

Shivasamarthgad 29

King Shivaji made a lightning attack on the city of Surat and chopped the nose of Moghul Aurangzeb, leaving him and his army licking dust! During this invasion, the Subhedar of Surat sent an assassin in the guise of an ambassador, but the alert and loyal body-guards of Shivaji killed the assassin right on time and foiled Subhedar’s plan. This scene has been depicted so convincingly that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it brings cold shivers down the spine of the spectators!

So many realistic scenes sculpted in the fort gives every visitor a chance to witness or rather re-live the historic era of King Shivaji. A great culture parallel to none; a culture so respectful that it considers ‘another man’s spouse as worthy of respect as one’s own mother’, is in its illustrative and sculptural form here in Dervan, welcoming all visitors with open arms.

There is a point in everyone’s life when they seek contentment from something beyond the material world and thus set out to explore the true happiness in religious pilgrimages such as ‘Kashi’. But in the modern days, one doesn’t have to go far; this feeling of contentment & thirst for true happiness can be fulfilled right here

Coronation of Shree Shivaji Maharaj - Maratha Empire becomes a reality

30 Shivasamarthgad

in Dervan. A visit to the Shiv-Samarth Gadh will help convince the younger generation why our Indian culture is indeed worthy of being adored by the world! It will help them realise that our life has a definite purpose. And this drive will then inspire these youngsters to strive & help conceive Shree Maharaj’s dream for our nation to assume the role of a world-leader again!

The Hindus today have collapsed into a pit of self-indulgence, selfish & confused, drowned into the marsh of corruption, rotting under alcoholism and entangled in immorality; a society afflicted with fear! Yet, the young minds who still dream of taking such a downtrodden Hindu nation to a state of prosperity will acquire the strength of steel when they come in contact with Shiv Samarth Gadh. The fire of enthusiasm and optimism burning in their hearts will not be extinguished. The courageous history, the valour, the principles of King Shivaji will give their aimless life a meaningful purpose and guide them into the right direction; their new sense of self-respect will gleam with splendour originating from the ambience of this place. A completely rejuvenated group of Hindu youth will be formed, mentally prepared to take on the challenge, keen to experience contentment from sacrifice, gratitude and selfless service to the nation!

Temple-Shrine of Shree Sant Seetarambuva Walavalkar, Shree Kshetra Dervan

Shivasamarthgad 31

Shree Samarth- Shree Ram MandirShree Kshetra Dervan

Shree Ganesh Mandir Shree Kshetra Dervan

Distribution of Uniforms to students

32 Shivasamarthgad

Distribution of toys to pre-primary students

Distribution of wrist-watches to girl-students

Shivasamarthgad 33

The birth anniversary of King Shivaji is celebrated every year at the Shiv Samarth Gadh in the month of March (hindu calendar Falgun Vadya Trutiya). Visitors from all corners of Maharashtra participate in the activities and witness the disciplined event as laid out by Shree Maharaj. Many celebrities, politicians, social workers, and religious leaders have personally visited & felt blessed at the Shiv Samarth Gadh. It’s quite common for artists to autograph or display their name at the bottom of their paintings or artwork. Even the marble slab at the base of public buildings display a list of political leaders or celebrities even though these buildings are built with the help of public funds. In an age where publicity and fame have engrossed mankind, it is surprising not to find a single piece of work engraved with Shree Maharaj’s name at the Shiv Samarth Gadh; an authentic example of a ‘Nishkaam Karma-yogi’, the one who performs his karma without any expectations!

Once the visitors have absorbed the exterior of the Shiv Samarth Gadh and as they cross into the interiors, they get a glimpse of the divine shrine of the holy saint, Shree Sitarambua Walavalkar. Right beside it is the newly built Shree Swami Samarth – Shree Ram temple. It’s quite a hypnotic experience as one stands on the marble steps of the temple to view the adorable statues of Shree Ram, Sita, Laxman and Hanuman in the center alongside the exquisite statues of Shree Swami Samarth and Shree Maharaj made from a special blend of 5 metals.

A small temple of ‘Hanuman’ is installed in front of the Shree Ram temple and as one enters the secluded area, it leads them to the mesmerizing temple of Shree Dattatreya inside, making one feel that Bhagwan (God) Dattatreya, is himself seated under the enormous trio of the mighty Audumbar (fig) trees. The story behind this is that Shree Maharaj used to meditate in a specific spot on an open meadow almost 27 years ago. The three Audumbar trees grew on that very spot miraculously. In 1990, the Shree Datta Mandir was build right under the shadows of these trees.

This area, now gaining popularity as an ‘avant-garde pilgrimage’ is a seamless integration of modernity; a blissful confluence of selfless service, patriotism and devotion.

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Rising to new heights of Selfless Service!

Shree Maharaj had a vision for Dervan; a vision beyond architecture or historic buildings aiming to give this place a unique character of its own. In fact, he envisioned a complete new centre providing help to the lowest of the downtrodden, their rehabilitation, instilling their faith & devotion towards God and to help them truly appreciate being a human at the least. The establishment of the Shree Sitarambua Walavalkar Trust was an outcome of this vision for the region.

This initiated the flow of help and reaching out to the needy villagers in Dervan and surrounding areas. Initial priority in these remote villages was to focus on fulfilment of the basic needs viz. food, clothing and shelter. Shree Maharaj also introduced a novel scheme, ‘Employment for anyone willing to work’, which guaranteed a cash return for all work done.

And to support this scheme, he introduced and completed various construction projects including the Shiv Temple, the temple of the Goddess in Dervan along with the Sub-post office, Police outpost and the village administration office. Since 1970, arrangements were made for doctors from Chiplun to visit two days per week and provide free medical aid to the villagers.

The charitable Trust he had established, distributed water via tankers for free during the summer months until the onset of monsoon, in the small communities of the surrounding villages such as Dervan, Savarde, Hadkani, Kudap, Kondmala, Aagave. Cash assistance was provided to build wells constructed in the area, as many villagers were totally dependent on the water supplied by these borewells or wells built by the Trust.

The construction of wells in the poor community of ‘Buddha-wadi’ was left unfinished due to lack of funds. They approached Shree Maharaj, confident that he will definitely help them with this issue. Shree Maharaj, personally visited the construction zone, and with his own funds completed the pending well work. Overwhelmed with this gesture, the residents of Buddha-wadi expressed their gratitude through a letter to Shree Maharaj dated 7th June 1982.

Shivasamarthgad 35

They wrote, ‘Our Lord Buddha himself stood behind us in your form to complete this task’.

Eventually, the Trust initiated and worked with the government to build a dam, which resolved the long-standing water scarcity in the entire region.

Most homes in the Konkan region have thatched roofs made from local grass or plantations. Such homes often catch fire due to sparks during hot summer days. The SSWC Trust provided villagers with manglorian tiles made from hard clay for free to avoid this problem. More than 600 villagers from Dervan, Kudap, Hadkarni, Savarde, Kosbi, Mundhe, Furus, Durgwadi, Talsar, Kuthre, Aagave, Egaav, Egaav-pakhadi, Talwade, Nandgaav, Kushivade, Khershet, Dahivali, Palvan, Manki, Kalambat, Kalmboshi, Kondmala, Kokare, Chiplun-Shankarvadi etc., have benefitted from this up until today.

To enable children, develop their interest in learning and to avoid them skipping school due to poverty, the Trust every year distributes note books, backpacks, rain-coats, uniforms etc., free of cost to almost 1200 students. Monthly scholarships are also provided to top 3, academically successful students from grades 4 to 10 in the villages.

The pre-school daycare building in Dervan was built by the Trust in 1992. Toys worth Rs. 15000/- were provided and the Trust also repaired the kindergarten school building in Dervan. Two new rooms were added to the school premises, the roof and the compound wall were constructed along with sanitary blocks provided for children studying there. A container for potable water, scientific instruments and books etc., were also provided. The flooring was upgraded using stone tiles to protect children from the dampness of the original mud-floors. A concrete platform for school performances was also built, giving the school a complete new look. The Chief administrative officer was so impressed that he willingly gave a ‘best’ remark to the school. Similar assistance was provided to other schools in villages of Palsar, Karavade, Khotwadi, Savarde etc.

The young minds are like fertile land; therefore, it is necessary to plant the seeds of ethical values and positive thoughts into their

36 Shivasamarthgad

minds from an early age. This can be achieved easily by narrating and memorizing biographies of great saints and their philosophies. With this goal, the Temple shrine in Pune organizes an elocution competition held during the birth anniversary celebrations of Shree Baba Maharaj Sahasrabuddhe every year. The same competition is also held in Dervan on similar occasion. Students from nearby schools are encouraged to participate and the schools from various villages are organized into different categories. Awards are given to top 3 ranks in each category. The number of participants for such competitions has been increasing over the last few years.

The girls employed by the Trust, or the daughters of any employee working for the Trust receive the expenses they have to incur for the ‘Mangalsutra’, an auspicious wedding thread made of black beads and gold during the wedding. In addition, the Trust also goes beyond to pay for other wedding expenses in case of truly needy families.

Farmers who cannot afford to buy cattle are provided cows, bulls and calves for free by the Trust from their own stock. And they also get additional funding to buy cattle from external sources. However, if the villagers are trying to get rid of the animals for any reason, the Trust tries very hard to ensure such animals are not sold to the butchers!

In the past, the moneylenders lent money to the needy farmers to buy blankets for almost double the amount. The trust tried to stop this exploitation by providing blankets for free or reduced rates depending on the financial state of these farmers. Twice a year during special ceremonies at the Shiv Samarth Gadh, the Trust distributes free clothing to the villagers; almost 500 poor kids from the surrounding villages receive free clothing such as shirts, pants, dresses, tops-skirts etc.

The Trust took steps to bring regular water-supply to the village of Dervan. But the corrupt & stubborn government process deliberately deprived many villagers from this facility. So the Trust installed pipelines with its own expense to provide water-supply to these villagers. The wells in the Dervan area were constructed by the Trust with their own expense, along with the main road under

Shivasamarthgad 37

the village council and about 11 underground drains for the benefit of the poor villagers. A stream of water flowing under the bridge that was built by the Village council had endangered many houses on both sides of the stream. Therefore, the Trust build 200 foot long stone and cement barrier with their own funds to resolve this issue and save these homes from destruction.

The Trust sold edible oil, sugar and other necessary ingredients during festive season cheaper than the government ration prices and in addition to this, they also provide almost 650 families with rice grown in the trusts own farmland at a very reasonable rate.

All the above mentioned social services are provided by the Trust following the principles established by Shree Maharaj, extending a helping hand and giving priority to the weaker section of society!

Based on request from the Dervan Village council, the Trust built a fascinating children’s park for the village on 3.5acres of land;

38 Shivasamarthgad

this park was inaugurated on 18th December, 1994 and named as ‘Shree Swami Samarth Udyan’. The park includes swings, see-saw, revolving merry go round, slides and many other play structures every young child could dream of. Along with decorative plants and trees, the park also has a small temple of Shri Adi Shankaracharya. The Trust spent almost Rs. 2,00,000/- on a grand artificial water cascade taking advantage of the slopes on the hill. The cascade and the gentle flow of the stream, illuminated with vibrant appealing lights make an enchanting peaceful spot for everyone to enjoy and relieve themselves from everyday stresses.

The Trust provided financial aid for renovation of temples in the nearby villages on a very large scale. The Shree Vitthal Rakhumai temple in Dervan, Shree Kedarbaji, Shree Manai, Shree Shivmandir were renovated extensively. Similarly, the temple of Lord Hanuman has been newly constructed in the area. All the temple priests receive rice and Rs.125/- on behalf of the Trust as an honorarium. They also provide additional items required for the temple sustenance such as incense sticks, oil for lamps etc. The ancient temple of Dnaynanath was also renovated by the Trust. The Vishwakarma temple and the Datta Mandir in Dervan, the Shiva temple in Bhile, Datta mandir in Talekot, Maruti Mandir in Durgwadi, Shree Vitthal Rakhuman temple in Savarde and temples from Nivali (palvan), Kondmala, Kosabi, Pachad, Vahal etc. also received financial and other help from the Trust for their repairs. The new temples of Shree DevDatta Mandir in Savarde and the Radha Krishna mandir in Kajarkond were also built by the Trust.

The Trust and a journey of struggles Shree Maharaj put in relentless efforts to improve the living conditions of the oppressed & neglected villagers through various social upliftment projects of the Trust. But such socially beneficial projects put some local politicians and their vested interests at risk. The local authorities had enough funds and processes in place to provide free medical services, install borewells, provide employment opportunities, build public washrooms, school facilities, renovations, scholarships or awards to deserving students

Shivasamarthgad 39

and eliminating blind faith based on age old misconceptions. However the corrupt local politicians and their supporters refused to utilize this government machinery for the betterment of these villages. On the contrary, instead of helping they joined hands and misused power to bring hurdles in the welfare work of the Trust, which operated independently from these government offices. Shree Maharaj quietly and patiently faced these wrong-doings with a firm footing. ‘Satyamev Jayate’, a Sanskrit saying for ‘Truth always triumphs’ – accordingly, these social projects successfully spanned across the region on a large scale and the work undertaken by the Trust has been applauded by national and international entities.

Distribution of scholarships to students

40 Shivasamarthgad

Shree Kamalakarpant Walavalkar, also known as ‘Saheb’, was born on 29th July, 1930, in a very middle-class family. He completed his B.Sc from Siddharth College in Mumbai and joined the Accountant General’s office as an Auditor where he successfully completed many promotional competitions within a short period and climbed up the corporate ladder to get to the position of a Gazetted officer.

However in 1964, Shree Sahajanand Saraswati Maharaj (Shree Maharaj) asked this devotee of his to quit his job and encouraged him to completely dive into the construction business. And this devotee, who never let any of his Guru’s wishes go unfulfilled, poured his heart and soul to learn everything about construction and quickly settled his business in this field. An example of a middle class person taking such a step in those days purely on the

Bhaktashreshtha Kamalakarpant Laxman Walavalkar

Shivasamarthgad 41

basis of his faith in his preceptor, was definitely extraordinary and courageous!

Shree Maharaj had a vision for extensive social welfare & religious activities in Dervan and the Samadhi mandir in Pune. He admired the exceptional devotion, humble, unselfish, & generous nature of Walavalkar Saheb and delegated to him an important task of handling the financial responsibilities of these various projects. Saheb did not disappoint his Guru and selflessly spent millions on these welfare projects, at times borrowing huge amounts to ensure smooth execution of the welfare projects and successfully fulfilled all his Guru’s expectations until the very last breath. His already radiant self, now sparkled like genuine gold after going through such real fiery ordeals.

There was no looking back anymore; with the blessings of his Guru and to the awe of everyone, Saheb reached the peak of prosperity and wealth. But he continued to remain humble, thankful and restrained himself from any worldly pleasures, keeping his own simplicity unadulterated. He was satisfied with the bare minimum -a simple blanket for a bed and basic vegetarian meals! He lived in an ordinary sized apartment in Dadar’s Suyash complex just like any other middle-class family without any pompousness. And these very saintly characteristics were honoured by Shree Maharaj when he bestowed Saheb with the title of a ‘Himalayan Yogi’!

God is omnipresent! Saheb firmly believed that real service to God is helping others without any ego and therefore, ‘he helped numerous poor families in different situations such as helping many poor families with their daughters' marriages, providing financial aid to many eligible but poor students so they could complete their education, personally paying for expensive heart surgeries, kidney transplants of those who could not even think about such treatments and giving them new hope. There is no count of the generous donations he made to innumerable schools, charitable Trusts and Temples. But when doing all this, he stood by one principle that no one should mention his name or honour him publicly; in fact, he categorically placed such conditions before making these donations.

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He was the managing trustee of Shree Sant Seetarambua Walavalkar Charitable Trust and the Shree Vithalrao Joshi Charities Trust. Both these organizations carried out gigantic welfare projects in Dervan and Pune. The world was kept in secret of his contributions to the Shiv Samarth Gadh and the various social projects in Dervan, which remained guarded between Shree Maharaj and himself.

Besides charity, he had established himself as a role-model even in business and gained respect for his value-based work ethics. He was an incredible blend of three key factors - thankful, humble and affectionate! When the real-estate market was at a high, he sold homes from his very own buildings for rock-bottom prices to many middle-class families who had lost hope due to such skyrocketing prices.

Saheb kept himself occupied for every minute of the day. As depicted by Saint Tukaram Maharaj, ‘Shevatcha Dis Goad’, Saheb ensured his last day was equally virtuous as well. That day he went to the pilgrimage of ‘Alandi’ with his fellow-devotee, Shree Kaka Maharaj and completed all rituals at the ‘Dnyaneshwar’ temple-shrine. After the prayers, and offerings, when he was in the midst of having his meal, he went pale and looked as if he was in pain. Shree Kaka Maharaj, who sat right next to him, recognized the signs of heart attack and immediately admitted him to the Sathe hospital in Pune for an emergency heart surgery. The doctors gave their best to revive him, but could not win against destiny and on Sunday, 10th September, 1995 around 6pm, the sun set on this virtuous and generous philanthropist.

Shivasamarthgad 43

Contact numbers: 02355 – 264137 / 264149 / 264487 / 264636 / 264637 /

264691 / 264692 /264693

Back in 1969, Shree Maharaj resolved to build a hospital equipped with all modern facilities mainly catering to the needs of the downtrodden population in Dervan and its vicinity. He was deeply moved with the conditions of these poor villagers due to lack of proper medical facilities or treatment due to financial restrictions. With these intentions, he immediately bought the uncultivated land adjoining the Dervan facilities.

However, even with such clean intentions, the project could not be initiated due to two main reasons. First, the local politicians whose vested interests were being jeopardised due to this project, added roadblocks with their vindictive conspiracies and brought the entire project to a standstill even before it was initiated; secondly, the Trust had limited resources, which were already dedicated to many social welfare projects in the regions, and it was important to ensure none of these were impacted in the long-run. In the

Bhakta Shreshtha Kamalakarpant Walavalkar Hospital and Diagnostic Center

Hosted by Shree Vithalrao Joshi Charities Trust

The only hospital in Konkan with an ISO 9001-2000 certification

44 Shivasamarthgad

upcoming years though, the Trust was able to provide prompt medical services to the villagers in many different forms such as 24-hours free dispensary and free transportation to snake-bite or maternity patients to the regional civil hospitals.

Eventually, after many successful projects spanning from education, social and religious fronts, the Trust was able to take stance for this prodigious project and wow the world with its astonishing success. The construction site of the hospital was religiously inaugurated on 24th June, 1995 by the executive trustee, Shree Kamalakarpant Walavalkar in the auspicious presence of Shree Kaka Maharaj.

Unexpectedly, Shree Kamalakarpant Walavalkar passed away on 10th September, 1995 leaving a major void on the hospital project and on the activities of the Trust. But the hospital project neither slowed down nor halted. Wife of Shree Kamalakarpant Walavalkar, Mrs.Malati, his son Vikas, and daughter-in-law Mukta, stood up to this tough trial to set an example of determination and generosity by ensuring the project was successfully completed as planned.

The hospital project cost crores of rupees and was single-handedly funded by the Walavalkar family, a miracle in its own!

The hospital complex was inaugurated on 1st Feb, 1996. As a model for future generations and to ensure his unparalleled dedication and generosity are never forgotten, the hospital was named in his memory as ‘Shree Kamalakarpant Walavalkar Hospital and Diagnostic Center’. This naming ceremony was also blessed with the auspicious presence of saint, Shree Dasram a.k.a Shree Dada Maharaj Kelkar from Sangli.

The hospital is a bustling facility with 750 beds, separate units for men, women and children, 10 Operation theatres with most modern equipment, Intensive Care Units (ICU, SICU, NICU, PICU) etc. and provides all types of surgeries except for Heart surgery, Angioplasty, and Angiography. Hundreds of out-patients are given medical treatments; the treatments and surgeries are performed by extremely skilled and experienced surgeons while the experts from the diagnostic center provide treatments on par with medical services usually seen only in big cities like Mumbai or Pune.

Shivasamarthgad 45

The computerized pathology lab and other domestic/international equipment are available to the needy at a mere charge compared to other labs for tests such as C.T Scan, Spiral C.T (which can facilitate a 3D image on any part of the body), Sonography (2D ECHO, Colour dopler), X-rays, Gas analyzer, to blood, stool-urine, or sputum etc. Going beyond this, the Trust in fact takes care of the charges for those who cannot even afford such a small fee for these tests. The patients from lower-income groups are given a 70% discount on all tests.

The Trust has provided cafeteria, washroom and change rooms along with independent male/female rest rooms for relatives of these patients. They have also built residences for doctors, nurses and other staff along with an entertainment center. A gymnasium has been built for resident doctors, nurses and to provide exercise lessons to patients.

A separate laundry has been constructed with a boiler, dryer to provide patients with disinfected clothing, bedsheets etc.

A not-for-profit medical store is run by the Trust in a separate building within the hospital premises to provide poor patients with expensive medicines, injections etc. It is a well-known reality that there is no other hospital that provides such medical services in the entire Konkan region and therefore, it was no surprise that the hospital received the internationally recognized ISO 9001-2000 certification in the very first try in July 2006! There are only 150 such ISO certified hospitals in all of India.

The medical staff along with trust volunteers and social workers, travel deep into the remote villages from Rajapur, Kankavli, Vengurla districts to conduct rural medical camps. These camps provide important lessons and guidance to the villagers on child-care, pregnancy-care, personal care etc. Along with this, the Trust takes extra effort to identify presumptive cancer, or cancer patients and provides them proactive treatment without any charges. In additional to all these services, the Trust also provides nutritious food to under-nourished children and pregnant women for free.

Information on all these services is published on the internet via the hospital website gaining attention and curiosity from many

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international entities. A team of 4 doctors and 4 nursing staff travelled all the way from England and hosted a one week camp in Dervan to help the resident doctors at the hospital with specialized 144 surgeries in February 2006. The patients received discounts almost worth Rs.14 Lakhs during this week long camp.

This initiated a complete new track on this journey of selfless service for the Trust and hospital staff. With visits from the Plastic surgeon from Spain in August 2006, the Specialist/surgeon from England in February 2007, it was the beginning of international recognition and participation. In the same month of February 2007, the well-renowned Paediatric Orthopedic surgeon from Spain Dr. Carlos visited the Hospital and conducted surgeries on 25-30 paediatric patients. In January 2018, the 25 people British medical team performed almost 222 varied surgeries. This team has been visiting for the last 14 years to perform surgeries, lectures, presentations, demonstrations and educate the hospital doctors, nurses on various medical topics. They have also been generously donating money & equipment to the hospital each year.

Since the hospital has its own blood bank, the patients from this region do not have to travel to far away towns/cities such as Ratnagiri, Karad, or Kolhapur. Similarly, services in the dental section, eye section, urinary diseases section etc. are provided regularly.

The cancer diagnostic and treatment center has been successfully performing since 2003 in collaboration with the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital from Mumbai. The Radiation Therapy was introduced in this center from 2009. Dr. Anil Kakodkar (Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission) inaugurated the Radiation section on 7th February 2009. These treatments and the patients stay are all handled by the Trust for a small fee or many times for free, thus offering these poor villagers an opportunity to get treatment within their reach.

This hospital is only 1.5 km from the Mumbai-Goa highway and it is one of the most accident prone areas due to the highway traffic. The convenient location of the hospital makes it easy to immediately admit and treat such patients even before their relatives arrive.

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hospital. With financial aid from the ‘Bajaj Finserv’ organization for this cathlab center, the hospital is now able to provide Angiography and Angioplasty services within the hospital premises for heart patients at a very minimal cost. Internationally renowned ‘Phillips FD-10’ Cath lab machines, ultramodern Coronary care unit and all required equipment to handle overall heart-care is proving to be a boon to many heart patients.

Basic Surgical Skills Laboratory :The Walavalkar hospital now has an international standard ‘Skill Lab’ installed similar to the one at the ‘Royal college of Surgeons’ in Edinburgh, UK. Highly skilled training programs will be organized at this skill lab in partnership with international universities in the future. This unique opportunity to provide a laboratory equipped with all latest technology and highly specialized training programs, is expected to bring a ground-breaking change to the medical education system.

“The selfless, industrious and honest service provided by a social figure is in itself a part of devotion and service to God”! The

trust members faithfully followed this philosophy of Shree Maharaj as they moved forward on the virtuous path in the form of this hospital.

Dr. Anil Kakodakar inaugrating Radiation Therapy unit in BKLW

Hospital

Many specialist doctors from Pune, Mumbai and Kolhapur provide their services for free at the hospital on a regular basis. Some travel once a month, some once a week or fortnight on specific days to treat the patients.

A fully equipped Cath lab was constructed with financial aid from the ‘Bajaj Finserv’ organization and inaugurated on 13th January 2019, at the

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Intensive care unit

Spacious wards for indoor patients

British medical team (January 2018)

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Regular Health check-up and nutritious foodduring pregnancy

Rural Empowerment And Community Health Programme

Nursing school and college

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Key highlights of the B.K.L.Walavalkar Hospital

1. A unique hospital in a remote rural setting offering dedicated service from 150 Doctors/Surgeons, 700 staff members and volunteers along with almost 100 Senior Specialists and Surgeons from cities like Mumbai/Pune.

2. Praised by many renowned international experts, and extremely well equipped with spiral CT Scan, Laser Camera, Ultra Sonography, ECHO-Cardiography, ultra-modern portable diagnostic tools, C Arm (Image intensifier), Anaesthesia machine, frozen section, mammography, cardiac monitors, defrillator, air-conditioned operation theatres, Pathology lab ready with histology.

3. A 12 bed Paediatric ward, overhead heaters furnished with phototherapy units, Neo-natal ICU, ability to treat premature/low weight/birth-defect/jaundice babies, and the only hospital in Konkan region with utilities to conduct a complete blood transfusion on jaundice-babies.

4. Blood clots in the brain, Kidney or gallbladder stones, Cancer, ENT and Uterus treatments, Caesarian and Plastic surgery provided for a very small fee; the only hospital in Konkan area to provide Hemodialysis along with reasonably priced Laparoscopy/Cystoscopy/Arthroscopy/Gastroscopy and equipment to install the pace-maker for heart patients.

5. Treatment for Tuberculosis patients, first pregnancy/delivery, surgeries for cleft-lip or heart defects at birth and related medical treatment are all provided for free.

6. A 24-hour blood bank called as ‘Swami Samarth Blood Bank’ provides blood not just to the hospital but also to outside patients along with any other medical treatments that may be required. It also proudly hosts the one of its kind Blood Component Laboratory in Konkan well equipped with ultra-modern facilities like Cryo Centrifuge, Component Fridge, Blood Bag refrigerator, Platelet agitator, thawing bath, laminar airflow, plasma separator, incubator etc. In the past, patients had to travel far to cities like Kolhapur, Karhad or Mumbai to get Blood

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components but now this blood bank at Walavalkar hospital has really simplified this for all people of Konkan.

7. Travelling to remote villages through the mobile dispensary unit for diagnosis/treatment of countless villagers for free, along with Eye treatment camps where more than thousand people have taken advantage of the free laser cataract surgery.

8. Communal baby-shower – A common baby-shower function is organized for all pregnant women on behalf of the hospital. They are them showered with gifts and pampered with lavish festive meals, ensuring they feel the warmth of their parental homes and return home happy and content. The hospital staff takes this opportunity to make them aware of self-care during pregnancy, importance of ‘garbha-sanskaar’ (As per Hinduism, it is important to educate the mind of the foetus since the baby’s personality begins to take shape in the womb, and this can be influenced by the mother's state of mind during pregnancy). All these efforts are taken to ensure that these pregnant women come to the hospital for their deliveries.

9. A new program called as ‘Maher’ (parental home) has been introduced, whereby the pregnant women are admitted into the hospital 8 days before their delivery. Their stay, meals and treatment are provided for free by the funds provided by the Maher program. First normal delivery is provided for free. Even the C-section deliveries are conducted for a minimal fee. Blind faith, inconvenience, poverty and inadequate medical services have been the major cause of high number of infant mortality during deliveries in the villages. Introducing programs like ‘Maher’ have been beneficial in controlling the number of such infant deaths.

10. In order to increase awareness of personal health in school-aged children, and arrange for regular check-ups, the hospital has organized a scheme in collaboration with the Health and Education department of the District council. Regular camps are organized for health check-ups of the children, with special attention given to teeth, nose, ears and throat. Toothbrush and toothpaste are distributed to each child along with information and demonstration on taking care of their teeth, healthy diet,

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signs of illnesses, and the negative effects of tobacco. If any children need special care, their parents are made aware of their condition, then transported to and treated at the hospital for free. More than 30000 children have received such checkups and about 1000 special care children have been treated at the hospital.

11. The mobile dispensary unit – The National Rural Health initiative by the Government works with local social/charitable organizations to run various projects for rural upliftment and to provide medical support to those who live in areas with limited services. The hospital's ‘Mobile Dispensary Unit’ travels to the remote villages for providing medical checkups, diagnosis and treatment. These programs go beyond medical treatment, they walk to the very doorsteps of these villagers to raise awareness of personal health, and take steps to eradicate blind faith.

Free Nutritious meal project A number of health related issues were resolved by the

B.K.L.Walavalkar Hospital, but the key reason underlying diseases, ill-health and pre-mature deaths is malnutrition. In order to tackle this major issue of malnutrition in the remote areas, the Trust introduced the free ‘nutritious meal’ project on 22nd July 2001. According to this undertaking, children and mothers from almost 30 remote villages plus 50 child-care centers are provided free health checkups, and nutrition. A nutritious ‘laddoo’ (sweet ball) made from roasted wheat, yellow split peas, jaggery, ragi, soyabean, long pepper (pimplii), ginger powder, black pepper, and Ghee with almost 410 calories each are distributed to each indivedual (2 for each day). Two vehicles and efficient qualified volunteers are dedicated only for this project.

This project costs almost Rs. 60000/- each month and has benefitted a mass number of malnutritioned villagers – the positive effects of this project can be easily observed in the communities. In addition, to make this more effective and have a long term impact, the hospital doctors regularly provide information on healthy nutritious meals to their patients.

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Shree Vithalrao Joshi Charities Trust’s Educational Initiative - English Medium School

An educational blessing to the downtrodden communities in the Dervan-Savarde region – the ‘English Medium Kindergarten and Elementary school’ was inaugurated on 14th November 1967. Today, this educational undertaking has expanded its operations all the way up to High school, providing an enriching facility and an opportunity for the rural children to complete their entire pre-university schooling within reach. A gracious Rs. 4 crores spent on this project and its success, have proved to be an element of pride and yet another feather in the cap, on the list of achievements for the Trust. Three school buildings, a large assembly, two auditoriums, 33 classrooms, a computer laboratory equipped with 20 latest technology-equipped computers, well-equipped laboratory, air-rifle and pistol range, horse-riding, gymnastics, lavish indoor playground for kindergarten students, a well-rounded library with books suitable for all age groups are just a few highlights of this school project. The school now proudly shines on the local newspapers and country-wide with success of their students at scholarship or talent-identification exams and at the state and national gymnastics championships. The popularity of the school in the region, has allowed the Trust to undertake new, innovative projects for the expansion of the school. The Maharashtra State Government has given recognition to the school on a ‘no-grant’ basis since 1998.

The majestic outdoor playground of the Sports complex allow students to enjoy playing any outdoor sports. Modern educational tools, knowledgeable and experienced teachers and assessment of student progress are on the Trust’s agenda on a regular basis to ensure & maintain the standard of education, thus making it a unique educational experience for the students. Another unique feature is the inclusion of Sanskrit curriculum at the school. Even though it’s an English medium school, the local language of Marathi is taught right from kindergarten. Students are often encouraged and prepared for Foreign language contests & exams.

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All students are provided with meals, free medical treatment at the Walavalkar hospital, discounted uniforms, and 20% off on all school books. The most important factor to note here is that unlike other schools in the country, this school does not admit anyone based on recommendation or donations. Based on request from some parents, a student residence is provided for 40 boys and 40 girls within the school premises.

Samarth Nursing School

In order to provide occupation-focused education to the local rural girls and to develop empathetic medical nurses with high morals, the Trust introduced the Samarth Nursing School on 1st February, 2001. About 40 nursing students are enrolled into the well-known 2 year A.N.M nursing course. Skilled and proficient nursing tutors have been appointed for this program. The basic educational requirement for this course is completion of Grade 10 successfully.

The G.N.M nursing program is a 3.5 year curriculum, which was introduced on 1st August, 2002 with an enrollment for 40 students each year. The basic educational requirement is completion of Grade 12 for this program. This program easily enables successful nursing students to get employment with reputed organizations & hospitals. The exams are hosted by the Maharashtra Nursing Council each year. This nursing school has received recognition from both MNC and the INC organizations. It is also one of the two nursing schools in all of India that has received the reputed ISO 9001-2000 certification. Keeping up with changing times, the Post Basic B.Sc Nursing and M.Sc Nursing programs have also been introduced recently.

The trust has spent over Rs. 2 crores for the nursing school building, which is conveniently built right beside the hospital.

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This building boasts 5 lecture halls, laboratory, nutrition hall, demonstration hall, audio-visual hall, library, office, ultra modern cafeteria, along with a 35-room lavish residence for 105 nursing students who live on campus during their nursing education. A recreation hall and a playground has also been included in the facility. Similar to the English Medium School, this nursing school also does not admit students based on donations or collect money for construction etc. During their educational years, these students receive guidance and training from experienced and well-renowned doctors at the hospital along with the benefit of working with a reputed organization.

In addition to the nursing program, through the College of Advanced studies, the Trust also introduced programs for post-graduate Medical Laboratory technician, Nutrition degree, X-Ray technician, O.T. technician, B.Sc. Biomedical Instrumentation and B.Sc. Psychological heath & behavioral science. The school also provides free education for 33 programs as part of the ‘Skill development and employment program’ initiated by the central government.

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B.K.L. Walavalkar Rural Medical College

2015-16 was marked as a monumental year for the S.V.J.C. Trust with the completion of their milestone project, the ‘B.K.L Walavalkar Rural Medical College’ in Kasarwadi, Sawarde. The Medical College was inaugurated with a huge ceremony on 1st September, 2015. Every year, 100 M.B.B.S students will be admitted into the medical program. The stunning medical college construction is now equipped with all facilities required to make it complete. Completely air-conditioned lecture hall with modern audio-visual technology is used for lectures. Every section has their own independent state-of-art technology & tools in their laboratory, library, staff room, and an administration office with sufficient storage, computer, printer & internet services. Each section also has its independent museum, with a unique collection of samples, photos, slides, charts and models. The gigantic library is established with modern technology such as digital library, high-speed broadband internet etc. along with a good selection of medical books, and publications. There are independent common-rooms for girls and boys along with excellent residence for students. Each residence has been provided with its own cafeteria, telephone, TV, reading room and play room.

The selected teaching staff is highly educated, skilled and have dedicated themselves for this educational service. These factors all contribute towards making this medical college an ideal educational Institute and the Trust must be commended for accomplishing a project of this nature in such a short timeline.

Rajewadi Dam

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B.K.L. Walavalkar Rural Medical College

well-equiped laboratories

Spacious lecture-halls

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Sports Complex Shree Vithalrao Joshi Charities Trust also accomplished yet another dream, adding to their long list of achievements – The grand Sports complex, which stands proudly within the hospital vicinity. This project has cost almost Rs.25 crores and provides a remarkable training center for almost 35 different sports.

The sports complex is built based on on international standard for all sports - a Soccer field in the center, surrounded by a 400 meter synthetic athletic track, spectator galleries on both sides, swimming pool on one side, gymnastic hall, indoor basketball and badminton stadium, shooting range, and a special hall for seated games (chess). When this sports complex was constructed, it included all aspects required for hosting sports events such as excellent training, residence and meals facility for all athletes and trainers. The key goal of this project was to provide a facility that can recruit the best athletes from the Konkan region and empower these rural athletes to compete at national and international levels. Athletes under the age of 19 are trained in this facility.

Since 2015, a huge sports event organized during the ‘Shiv Jayanti’ celebration is gaining a lot of momentum and athletes from all parts of India are now wishing to compete in this event. Athletes trained in this sports complex for archery, running, and swimming have started winning medals at the national level. Isha Pawar, an archery student trained at this sports complex, won the gold medal at the 2018 ‘Khelo India’ championships held in New Delhi and received a sports scholarship for 8 years (Rs.5 lacs each year) – a new summit of success for the S.V.J.C. Trust working conscientiously for the upliftment of this region. T55 Anurag Tank - A War Trophy

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Indoor Swiming pool

The grand sports complex

400M. Synthetic Running track

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Computer literacy begins at very young age

English medium School

Child of Pre-Primary School delivering his speech confidently on the occasion of Republic Day Ceremony.

Aesthetically designed child-friendly classroom

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Exploration of artistic qualities

The playground is the milieu for unfolding students' talents

Supply of drinking water through tankers

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Provision of clothing to the children

Sale of oil and sugar at concessional rates

Distribution of sarees to women

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Helping the needy people to build permanent houses

Construction of 'Buddha Vihar' at Pophali through Trust's assistance

Rehabilitation of the physically challenged people

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Workshop for counselling the adolescent girls

Counselling the newly married couples

Celebration of 1st birthday of the kids