Manika Prabhu’s Philosophy
Manika Prabhu Maharaj, was an
Indian Hindu saint, philosopher, poet and guru. He is also regarded as an
incarnation of Dattatreya by the people of Datta Sampraday (custom). Prabhu's
philosophy, the "Sakala mata Siddhanta" basically rests on the
principles of Advaita Vedanta as propagated by Adi Sankara. Sri Prabhu strongly
advocated the essential oneness of all religions. Prabhu's Muslim Devotees
revered him as an incarnation of Mehboob Subhani whereas his Lingayat devotees
saw him as a form of Basavanna. Sri Prabhu composed numerous Bhajans and Padas
in various languages such as Marathi, Kannada, Hindi, Urdu and Sanskrit. Sri
Prabhu was also associated with the First war of Indian Independence in 1857.
Contemporary Saints
Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi, Sri Swami
Samarth of Akkalkote, Sri Bramhachaitanya of Gondavale and many other
contemporary saints are believed to have visited Manikanagara to interact with
Prabhu on matters of deep spiritual wisdom.
All biographers refer to Sri
Prabhu as a saint of great spirituality and mysticism. Sri Prabhu's teachings
basically lay stress on the path of Bhakti. Alongside, he moralizes in the most
remarkable manner on the 'Vedantic Truths' concerning the 'spiritual unity' of
beings. Manika Nagar, Humnabad, Bidar District is the place where he took
Sanjeevani Samadhi. Sri Prabhu's Samadhi at Manikanagar is the nucleus of Manika
Nagar and acts as the spiritual center of the activities of Sri Manika Prabhu
Samsthan.
Punyadina
On the early morning of Ekadashi, Sri Manika Prabhu attained Sanjivani Samadhi, a state of meditative blissful consciousness. Eyewitness accounts suggest that Prabhu left his physical body by the yogic way of Samadhi on the evening of Ekadashi. His Punyadina is celebrated by his devotees on this auspicious day.