Shri Narasimha Saraswati lived from 1378 to 1459. Saraswati was born into a Deshastha Brahmin family in Karanjapur, which is modern-day Lad-Karanja, in the Washim districtMaharashtraVidarbha region of India. His father and his mother initially named him Narahari or Shaligramadeva, with the surname Kale.He was name Narahari by his parents. Shri Narasimha Sarswati is considered to be the second incarnation of Dattatreya, the first Incarnation was Sripada Srivallabha, as per his blessings to Amba Bhavani, in her previous birth, Sripada Srivallabh had blessed her & he advised her to perform shiva pooja. Later he also told that he would be born to her in her next life as Narasimha Saraswathi to uphold the Sanatha Dharma in Kali yuga. This instance has been well narrated from chapter 5 to Chapter 12 in the holy bookGuru Charithra Narasimha Saraswati was a quiet child, who did not speak much during childhood. This led his parents to worry about his speech ability; however, Saraswati showed through hand gestures that after his upanayana' ', he would be able to speak. He started reciting the Vedas after his munja, which so impressed the Brahmins in the village that it was talked about, with senior learned Brahmins coming to him for learning. Narasimha Saraswati left home in 1386 at a tender age of 8 all alone and went on a pilgrimage to Kashi on foot. He took Sanyasa at Kashi from Shri Krishna Saraswati. The second part of his name came from this guru, who eventually named him Shri Narasimha Saraswati. After becoming a Sanyasi, Narasimha Saraswati visited several holy places before returning to Karanja at the age 30 to meet his parents. He visited various places before settling in Ganagapura for the last 20 years of his life. Towards the end of his life, Narasimha Saraswati met with the Muslimking ofBidar who was possibly Mahmood Shah Bahmani I of the Bahamani Sultanate, who was the area ruler at that time. Since his karma for that avatar had completed, thus he decided to take samadhi. He left for the jungle of Kadali. Saraswati took nijgamananand in 1459 for 300 years.
Chronology
The main events of Sri Narasimha Saraswati's life are given below. Possible years and dates are given according to descriptions of the lunar and stellar events calendar mentioned in the Shri GuruCharitra.
Sha. 1380 : Nijanandagaman in Kadali Vanam at Srisailam
Teachings
Saraswati taught that the life of Brahmins was fully covered by the rules given in the old scriptures and the rules were to be strictly followed by the Brahmins in their daily lives in order to achieve happiness and, ultimately, moksha. He insisted that his disciples follow these routines.
Biography
Many parts of Saraswati's life are told in the Shri GuruCharitra, written by Saraswati Gangadhar.
Traditions
Guru Tradition
Saraswati comes from the tradition of Sringeri Math. Jagadguru Shri Adi Shankaracharya established this Math. The guru-lineage according to Sri Guru Charitra follows like this: Shankar - Vishnu - Bramha - Vasishtha - Shakti - Parashar - Vyas - Shuka - Gaudpadacharya - Govindacharya - Sri Adi Shankaracharya - Vishwarupacharya - Dnyanagiri - Sidhagiri - Ishwaratirtha - Narasimhatirtha - Vidyatirtha - Shivtirtha - Bharati - Vidyaranya - Vidyatirtha Saraswati - Malayananda Saraswati - Devatirtha Saraswati - Yadavendra Saraswati - Krishna Saraswati - Narasimha Saraswati.
Disciple Tradition
Shri Narasimha Saraswati had several disciples. They include:
Siddha Saraswati is possibly the original writer of the SanskritGuruCharitra, which was later translated to Marathi by Shri Saraswati Gangadhar.
Legacy
Saraswati's house where he was born is located in Karanja. Although the house is no longer in the original shape, some parts remain and have been converted into a temple.
Final disciple tradition
Saraswati's final disciple tradition is as follows: Shri Narasimha Saraswati - Madhavendra Saraswati - Amritendra Saraswati - Gaganendra Saraswati - Madhavendra Saraswati. After Madhav Saraswati, the tradition split into two branches:
