- Dasbodh
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Dāsbodh (Devanagari: दासबोध), loosely meaning advise to the disciple, is a classical 17th Century Hindu Advaita Vedanta spiritual text. It was orally narrated by saint Samarth Ramdas, spiritual advisor of the famous King Shivaji, to his disciple Kalyan Swami. The narration is believed to have taken place in a cave called Shivatharghal in the Raigad district of Maharashtra in India. The Dasbodh provides readers with spiritual guidance on matters such as devotion and acquiring knowledge.
Background
Practices
Dasbodh is a classic spiritual text that until recently has been largely unavailable in the West. The text was written in the 17th Century{1654} by the great Saint, Shri Samartha Ramdas in the Marathi language. Marathi is the native language of Maharashtra State in India. The book was originally written in a poetic style and is presented in the format of a conversation between a Guru and disciple. Many questions are answered and many doubts are cleared. In Dasbodh, Samartha Ramdas presents the essence of many Vedic texts. Dasbodh is truly a manual for life in the highest sense. Dasbodh has been popular for many years in India and has only recently begun to receive recognition in the West. Dasbodh is somewhat unique among spiritual literature in that it not only expounds the classic themes of discrimination between the true and the untrue, and detachment commonly found in Vedic literature, but also provided is detailed instruction on how to function and excel in society from a place of deep spiritual understanding.
Dasbodh is a large volume which has 20 Main Chapters, each consisting of 10 sub-chapters. Each of these sub-chapters varies in the number of stanzas, but averages around 30-40 stanzas (ovi) per sub-chapter with some being considerably longer. Contained within the chapters of Dasbodh, Ramdas clearly outlines and makes easy the path of liberation through Devotion and Knowledge. Through knowledge, Ramdas clears away all doubts and gives the understanding of one's "True Self." Ramdas also reveals the true meaning and significance of "Discrimination" and "Detachment." Truly, an entire volume could be written in trying to describe all that is contained within this great text. It draws upon ancient Vedic texts including, but not limited to; The Vedas, the Shashtras, the Upanishads, the Avadhut Gita, the Bhagavad Gita, the Rama Gita, the Yogavasishtha, the Guru Gita, the Brahma Sutras, but to name a few. Mainly what is presented in Dasbodh is the voice of direct experience itself.
Dasbodh is one of the principle Advaita Vedanta texts that was commonly referenced by the masters of the Inchgiri Sampradaya. Notable modern day masters of this Sampradaya include Shri Siddharameshwar Maharaj, Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj, and Shri Ranjit Maharaj. [1]
Rāmdās (1608-1681), a religious Hindu poet from Mahārāstra, India, wrote Dāsbodh (दासबोध) in Marāthi. It is a comprehensive volume in verse form providing instructions as to how one ought live one's life.
Dasbodh prescribes the path of devotion to God or "Bhakti mārg" (भक्तिमार्ग) in Sanskrit-- as well as the path of Knowledge or "Jnana Marg" for "liberation" according to Hindu philosophy. It deals with diverse aspects of human life such as politics, conducting business dealings, and taking care of one's body and family life.
Dasbodh is written in the verse form known as "owi" (ओव्या) in Marathi. The volume comprises 7,751 "owi" (ओव्या), and is divided into 20 "dashak" (दशक) chapters, each chapter consisting of ten "samās" (समास) sub-chapters.
Complete dasbodh text, grouped by dashakas, is avaialble at sanskritdocments.org
The audio of the entire Dasabodh has been completed by Meena Tapaswi. The audio files are accessible at archive.org
Dasbodh is an excellent gift to mankind. This granth (book) is a manual for living a life exalted. One of the key messages given by Saint Ramdas is to not be lazy, as he always encouraged aspirants to earn the livelihood in a virtuous manner. "aalse kam nasste, he to pratyas yete kashta kade chukawite hin jan" owi 4 from chapter 18 gives idea about what happens when person is lazy. The person who is ready to work will always be fortunate. Common man normally doesn't want to work and expects everything from God without an effort. This granth is dialogue between Guru and shishya which is often referred to as "GranthaRaj" or "King of Spiritual Texts." Ramdas swami
Footnotes
References
- dasbodh.com - Site dedicated to Dasbodh and Samarth Ramdas (contains Dasbodh in various languages plus all the literature of Samarth Ramdas)
- http://www.ramdas.org/dasbodh.htm
- http://www.dasbodh.org - Provides information in English about Dasbodh and Samartha Ramdas
Categories:- Hindu texts
- 17th-century books
- 17th-century Indian books
- Advait Mat
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