Our story

Gurudev Maharaj was born at sunrise on 11 December 1949 into a devout family near Ghatnandur, in the Parli Vaijnath region. His mother, Sulochana Devi, and his father, Tuljaram Dahiwal, were devotees of Lord Datta and Vitthal; his father farmed and sang kirtan and bhajans. His grandfather, Nana Udanshiv, was an Arya Samaj social worker and a freedom fighter. The boy was named Kondiba, and at home they lovingly called him Babu.

Babu was drawn more to the temple than to school. He loved solitary meditation, chanting the Name, and composing kirtans and bhajans, and he picked up swimming and horse riding with ease. As a young man he lived among seekers of the Datta tradition near Nanded, living on alms and seeing the suffering of society up close. Meditating alone in the dense forest of Tapeshwar Math, he had many deep spiritual experiences.

On Ekadashi in 1962, Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj, the great priest of humanity, came to the Vitthal-Rukmini temple near Ghatnandur. A huge crowd had gathered. Young Kondiba had come with his father to hear the bhajans. Rashtrasant called him over with the words “अरे गुरुदेवा” (O Gurudeva), sat him on his lap, gave him a fistful of almonds as prasad and stroked his head with love.

That call became his name and the direction of his life. From that day he was devoted to the khanjiri: while herding cattle he sang bhajans, beating time on a tin box and a plate. Seeing this, his father bought him a real khanjiri; his one wish was that his son would carry on Rashtrasant's work.

In 1974 his father passed away. In his grief, Gurudev Maharaj went to Prabhu Tulshiram Maharaj of Parli Vaijnath and accepted him as his guru; his bhajans speak of him again and again as “Tulshinath” and “Prabhu Tulshi”.

To put Rashtrasant's Gramgeeta into practice, he travelled from village to village with harmonium, tabla, taal and khanjiri, singing for village cleanliness, the upliftment of women, the end of untouchability and freedom from addiction. His principle was simple: words alone do not change people; it takes action. He held five-day camps for young people from all over Maharashtra, training during chaturmas, and classes on service to the nation. He faced many difficulties and much opposition on this path, and carried the work forward with patience.

As the work grew, it needed a permanent place. In 1980, on his own land about two kilometres from Ghatnandur, Gurudev Maharaj built Gurudev Kutiya and brought his whole family to live there.

From this small hut he raised the flag of service. Everything that followed grew from here.

Wanting the work to reach the whole country, not just Ghatnandur or Maharashtra, Gurudev Maharaj gave his own 14 acres in 1984, formed a charitable trust and named it the Akhil Bharatiya Gurudas Seva Ashram.

He spent the rest of his life at the ashram, in the education of children, the care of elders and the spreading of the Gramgeeta. The ashram's own journey is told below, in “Our story”.

Like Mahatma Gandhi, he chose to live simply until everyone had food, clothing and shelter. He never sought to publish his own writings. Even so, some of his bhajans were published in 2016 as Anubhav Prasad Bhajanavali, and more are preserved in Gurubodh Anubhav Bhajanavali. Many of his abhangs, speeches, powadas, lullabies and writings on social questions are still unpublished.

Inspired by Rashtrasant, he dreamed of a Manavata Mandir, a temple of humanity, and laid its foundation. His wish was for the ashram to become a second Gurukunj.

9 October 2018 was spent in seva like any other day. In the morning Gurudev Maharaj sowed in the fields, then drove the elders to Parli for eye check-ups. After three in the afternoon he went back to finish the sowing.

When he stopped to rest, he released the bullocks, saying “you rest now; my time of rest has come”, and sat down there in meditation. At 4:58 pm he left his body. Leaders, saints, mahants and devotees paid their tributes.