He studied at Satara High School and completed his Bachelor of Arts in Deccan College of University of Bombay in Pune.

[4] He ascended the throne as the Raja of Aundh State on 4 November 1909, after the British deposed the previous ruler over a plot to assassinate an advisor sent by them and considered Bhwanrao to be the most suitable successor owing to his educational qualifications.

[7] This declaration was followed up by the adoption of a Swaraj (self-rule) Constitution in January 1939, formulated in consultation with Mahatma Gandhi and Maurice Frydman.

[citation needed] Balasaheb was avid bodybuilder and promoter of physical culture, and a devotee of the teaching of the European muscle-man Eugen Sandow (1867–1925).

[16][17] In the 1920s, he popularised the flowing sequences of salute to the sun, Surya Namaskar, containing popular asanas such as Uttanasana and upward and downward dog poses, helping to shape yoga as exercise.

[16] In 1938, British author Louise Morgan edited and updated Pant's book as the Ten Point Way to Health: Surya Namaskars which introduced Indian physical culture exercises to European women.