Upasani Maharaj

Indian guru (1870–1941)

Upasani Maharaj, born Kashinath Govindrao Upasni, (15 May 1870 – 24 December 1941) was an Indian spiritual teacher, considered by his disciples to be a satguru. He lived in Sakori, British India, and is said to have received God realization from Sai Baba of Shirdi. Upasani himself was one of the principal masters of Meher Baba.

Kashinath Govind Upasani Shastri, later known as Upasani Baba Maharaj, was born a Hindu into an orthodox Brahmin family in the village of Satana, India, in the Nasik district on 15 May 1870. He was the second child of Govind Shastri and Rukmina. His father was a copyist attached to the legal profession at the civil court of Dhulia; he had moved from Satana, leaving his son under the care of his grandfather and uncle. Kashinath formed a strong bond with his grandfather, Gopala Shastri, a learned Sanskrit scholar with the disposition of an ascetic. Gopala had served as a court advisor on religious and literary matters to Khanderao II Gaekwad, Maharaja of Baroda (rgd. 1856–1870) and to several smaller states. When the Maharaja died in 1870, Gopala lost his position and income, and the family became poor. Kashinath commenced traditional Brahmin education from the age of five and at the age of eight had his Upanayana (thread ceremony) at the hands of Deva Mamaledara, a famous saint in the area. He was sent to a vernacular elementary school but did not excel in the non traditional curriculum taught. He left after three years, following being brutally caned by his teacher. Kashinath was more attracted to stories of the power of mantra (sacred invocation) and tapas (austerities) recorded in the Mahabharata, Ramayana and Puranas than to academic subjects. Kashinath was clearly influenced by his grandfather's asceticism (following the Ashrama tradition, Gopala later adopted sannyasa) and practiced sadhana (spiritual disciplines) with fervour, both at home and at a nearby cremation ground. Kashinath's introversion became acute. His parents were critical of his extremism, and they nurtured the idea that he was a financial burden to them. Kashinath felt that the only way to resolve the situation was to leave home and adopt a mendicant life, but senior members of the family decided that he should be married. Despite his protests, they arranged his marriage with a girl of eight named Durga. This unwanted match is said to have occurred when Kashinath was fourteen. Within two years of their marriage, his wife died from an illness. He daily requested his parents to give their permission for him to leave, but they were adamant that he should remain a householder, and arranged a second marriage for him. He was sixteen and his bride nine years of age. He began to spend increasing periods of time absent from his home. When at home, he studied books on Ayurvedic medicine. He finally left his wife and relatives on the pretext of the need to earn a livelihood. He went to Pune, but because of his lack of formal education could not find a job. To survive, he had to do menial work or beg. For a period he lived among starving or half starved beggars in the temple of Omkareshwar on the outskirts of Pune. When he was nineteen, Kashinath returned to his home town of Satana, with the desire of seeing his grandfather again. His journey took him through a thick wood, in the midst of which was a large hill (Bhorgiri fort, near Nasik). High up a precipitous cliff he discerned a small cave, and the desperate thought arose that this would be the ideal place for prayopavesha (fasting to death with full consciousness to attain union with Brahman). He secluded himself in the cave and, after two days of fasting, devoted his time to repeating the sacred syllables of mantras. Over several weeks he entered into altered states of consciousness, finally resulting in a profound samadhi. The life enhancing spiritual experience gave him hope, and he came out of the cave, but was so weak that he had to slide and crawl down the hill. At the foot of the hill was a small village of Garhwali people, the home of an aboriginal tribe (bhil). For a month he lived on wild grain given to him by his hosts. He felled fuel and sold it at Nasik with them, giving them all the proceeds. He then resumed his journey to Satana and reached it on 22 July 1890.

Kashinath returned home as a tapavin, one who has endured extreme yogic austerities. He began to follow his usual routine, and resumed his study of Ayurveda, but now to assist his grandfather who was suffering from paralysis. A month after his return, his father was infected by cholera, and died within a day. A year later his grandfather died, leaving the family poor and in debt. For a year, the family was supported by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. During this time (1891), Kashinath's second wife also died, due to post parturition complications. Six months later Kashinath married for a third time, but this time to a compatible partner. The deaths in the family and the mounting debts had shocked him into the realization that he must act, and he left for Sangli to study Ayurvedic medicine and Sanskrit grammar. His studies were completed after three years, and he started a dispensary at Amaravati near Nagpur where he practised. During these years he edited a Marathi monthly Ayurvedic journal, Besaj Ratnamala. He was able to advertise the patent medicines that he manufactured, and the business became successful. He became a well known physician in Ayurvedic circles, and settled both in his profession and marriage. A photo of Kashinath during the period shows him as a professional man with a painted mark of Lord Vishnu on his forehead, typical of a high Brahmin. When he was twenty nine, a son was born, but within a few months the baby died. Success had provided prosperity, but Kashinath was still looking to pay off debts and restore the lost family wealth and status. He moved to Gwalior where there arose an opportunity to acquire uncultivated land if one agreed to farm it. During 1906, he invested thousands of rupees and acquired hundreds of acres. He became an estate landlord, but afterwards found that he had made a costly mistake. The estate had been up for purchase because the previous holder could not pay the fixed rental installments as the tenants would not pay, and the forest and other lands would not yield. Within two years Kashinath became entangled in numerous lawsuits resulting in the loss of his lands, his money and his reputation; his health also suffered. Bankrupted, he returned to Amaravati in 1908 to re establish his medical practice, but he was disillusioned and had lost interest. Eventually, he gave up his practice and closed the dispensary. In April 1910, he and his wife set out on a pilgrimage to visit holy shrines.