Gadge Maharaj-Sai Baba Blessed Social Reformer

By: D.Sankaraiah

We conducted ‘Akanda Sai Nama Japam at Amaravati town in Maharashtra in 1986. This holy place reminds us of three great personalities.
G.S.Khaparde a leading lawyer went to Sai Baba and stayed at Shirdi in 1909 to protect himself against imprisonment in freedom struggle as well as to get his son protected against the Plague epidemic.
Upasani Maharaj practiced Ayurveda here before he went to Shirdi.
For devotees of Sai Baba, Gadge Maharaj (23 February 1876 – 20 December 1956; was a mendicant-saint blessed by Sai Baba and became a social reformer after Sai Baba advised him. He was feeding sparrows and Sai Baba told him that he should give plenty and not count the grains. He lived in voluntary poverty and wandered to different villages promoting social justice and initiating reforms, especially related to sanitation. He is still revered by the common people in India and remains a source of inspiration for various political parties and non-government organizations.

Life and career
His original name was Debuji Zhingraji Janorkar. He was born in Shendgaon village in present-day Anjangaon Surji Taluka in Amaravati District of Maharashtra in the Washerman family. A public teacher, he traveled from one place to another wearing his food pan upturned on his head and carrying his trademark broom. When he entered a village, he would instantly start cleaning the gutters and roads of the village. Villagers gave him money, Babaji used that for the progress of society. Maharaj built schools, dharmashalas, and animal shelters.
Sai Baba promoted ‘Nama Smaran’. Similarly, Gadge Maharaj conducted his discourses in the form of “Kirtans” in which he would emphasize values like service to humanity and compassion. During his Kirtans, he would educate people against blind faiths and rituals. He would use Dohas by Saint Kabir in his discourses apart from reverentially worshipping Sai Baba.
He exhorted people to stop animal sacrifice as part of religious rituals and campaigned against vices such as alcohol abuse.
He tried to embody the values that he preached: hard work, simple living, and selfless service to the poor. He left his family (wife and three children) in 1905 to pursue this path.
Maharaj met Sai Baba and Meher Baba several times. Meher Baba indicated that Maharaj was on the sixth plane of consciousness. Maharaj invited Meher Baba to Pandharpur and on 6th November 1954 thousands of people had Maharaj and Meher Baba’s darshan.

Maharaj attained Mahasamdhi on 20th December 1956 on his way to Amaravati, on the banks of river Pedhi near Walgaon. The Government of Maharashtra started the Sant Gadge Baba Gram Swachata Abhiyan project in 2000-01 in his honor. This program awards prizes to villagers, who maintain clean villages. Besides, the Government of India instituted a National Award for Sanitation and Water in his honor. The University of Amaravati has also been named in his honor.