SHRI GURU CHARITRA (the Meaning)

Book excerpt: The Shri GuruCharitra is a holy book for Datta Sampradaya devotees. The book includes the life story of Shri Narasimha Saraswati, his philosophy and related stories. Some people regard the book to be historically important as it depicts stories or events which took place around the 14th Century.The book advocates that the guru is divine, gracious, caring and will always protect his disciples. These stories give the message that one achieves godliness and eventual Guru-position by hard work under the care of guru. The curses given by the guru in the stories teach the disciples some important lessons of life and makes their life eventually great.The book does not insist on praying a particular deity. Dattatreya does not worship or preach any god. The book endorses devotional methods which are socially acceptable and within civilized limits of that time. The vratas or devotional rituals described in the book have Shaivaite (Shiva) as well as Vaishnavite (Vishnu) sects, but put no stress on any particular sect.