Introduction
'Shri Guru Charitra' is the life of 'Shri Guru Dattatreya' (Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh Incarnate). It was originally written in Oviform(a Marathi Metre) in Marathi by one Saraswati Gangadhar, whose ancestor Sayamdeo had personally lived and served with devotion, Shri Guru Narasinha Saraswati, about 500 years ago.
This volume is regarded as a greatly divine, versatile, a blessing one and is placed with images of Gods and adored in almost all brahmins' houses. It is much respected and is very popular like Vedas, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Bhagwat and other puranas in sanskrit and Dnyaneshwari, Dasbodh, Eknathi Bhagwat etc. in Marathi.
Shri Dattatreya had taken birth at the Ashram of Atri and Anasuya in very very old times and it is believed that his two incarnations namely Shripad Shri Vallabha and Shri Narasinha Saraswati had taken place in the Deccan in about the 14th and 15th Century(A. D.) respectively.
This is the historical period when the Bahamani Kingdom was split up into five different Kingships, one of which viz,'Bidar' is mentioned in this volume. "Shri Guru Charitra" depicts the life missions of these two incarnations.
The original volume contains 52 chapters and it is written in the form of conversation between Naaamdharak and his spiritual Guru Shri Siddha Muni. Several miraculous deeds are associated with these two Gurus - 5 such deeds are relating to Shripad Shri Vallabh (chapters 5 to 10) and 26 are relating to Shri Narasinha Saraswati, (chapters 11 to 51) besides many mythological (pouranik) tales have also been narrated in this volume by way of illustration.
According to researches made in connection with Shri Guru Charitra, by a Gurubhakta, Shri R. K. alias Annasaheb Kamat of Durga Datta Mandir, Mashail, Goa, ' Shri Guru Charitra' contains "Shri Guru Geeta" as its 49th chapter. It is composed of 176 Sanskrit shlokas and 34 Marathi Ovis - 13 at the begining and 21 in the end. In some of the latter scripts it seems that this chapter of Shri Guru geeta is deleted, probably it being in Sanskrit and the 41st chapter is split up into two chapters, keeping the number of chapters the same i. e. 52. The gist of Shri Guru Geeta is included in this volume.
The research scholars of Medical Sciences have a good opportunity of thinking over and analysing the means that have been used by Shri Guru for cure of acute gastric pain, leprosy, toxic irritations, revival to life, sterilty of females etc. Of course it is an admitted fact that the yogic and Divine power od Shri Guru is mainly responsible for these miracles to a great extent.
In order that the general public, males and females, should be acquainted with the contents of this great popular volume a humble attempt was made by this author and "Subodh Shri Guru Charitra" in Marathi pose was published in November, 1952, on Datta Jayanti(Margashirsh Poornima). The author desires to bring about an edition in Hindi, the National language of Bharat and also an English edition of this book for the interested readers spread all over the world.
It is an experienced fact that the reading of such literature gives mental peace to those who are worried due to different miseries of this worldly life and also encourages and guides them to go ahead on the path of self-emmancipation by making their lives sublime and full of highest bliss.