Gulabrao Maharaj

Gulabrao Maharaj (6 July 1881 – 20 September 1915 ) was a Hindu saint from Maharashtra, India. Although blind, he was still credited with giving a vision of life to the people. He wrote 139 books on various subjects containing more than 6000 pages, 130 commentaries and about 25,000 stanza in poetry in his short life of 34 years.

Gulabrao Maharaj was born on 6 July 1881 in Gonduji Mohod's family lived in the village of Madhan near Amrawati. He became blind by being given the wrong medicine at the age of 9 months. When he was four years old his mother died, and he was brought up by his maternal grandmother in Loni Takli village.

Shri Sant Dhyaneshwar Maharaj has given him Drushant when he was at the age of 19 years and given him mantra of his own name. After that Drushtant, the first ever photo picture of Sant Dhyaneshwar Maharaj has been drawn by an artist based on the directions of Maharaj. Even today one can see the same photo-frame at Samadhi Temple Alandi, Maharashtra. Sant Gulabrao Maharaj was known as Pradnyachakshu Madhuradwaitacharya Gulabrao Maharaj. He was called Pradnyachakshu because he became blind of both the eyes at the age of about 9 months; still he was master of Vedanta philosophy and many occult and physical sciences. 'Pradnya' means intelligence and eyes are called "chakshu" in Sanskrit language. He had many divine powers which included the 'intellectual eyesight'. His mind could read and grasp any book in the world in any language that he would take in hand and decide to learn. His mind did not need the body-organ like 'eye' to see the world.

"Madhuradwait" was the new school of thought introduced by him. The people well versed in Vedanta know that 'adwaita' (non-dualism) philosophy of Vedanta does not accept any name and form visible or non-visible that could be different from God (soul, Atma or Brahma). Vedanta very explicitly proclaims, "When everything has become one-soul, where is any other thing to smell ? who will see whom ? who will listen to whom ? who will talk to whom ? where is any other thing to think about ? who will know whom ? how to know him who knows everything ?" (Asy sarva atmaivabhuta, tat ken kam jighnet ? , thttp://forum.murthy.com/index.php?/topic/67743-h1b-on-long-unpaid-leave-while-in-the-us/at ken kam pashyet ?.. ... brihadaranyaka). "What exists is only one thing i.e. Brahma and what we see and experience as world is illusionary" is the teachings of "adwaita". Madhura Bhakti is the devotional love for lord Krishna. In Vedanta all the three words viz. devotee, devotion and deity are not different from each other where as in Madhura Bhakti one has to be a deity and other a devotee.

Adwaita does not recognize Bhakti at all. Probably the great saint who possessed the eternal knowledge since childhood by dint of providence due to his past karma, had advocated Madhurabhakti for the "after-attaining-knowledge" stage to his disciple.

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