IN QUEST OF GOD
Swami Ramdas
ANANDASHRAM
KANHANGAD
IN QUEST OF GOD
Swami Ramdas
ANANDASHRAM
KANHANGAD
999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
CHAPTER XXXVII
SRI SIDDHARUDHA
SWAMI
NOW, Ramdas, catching a
train going still southward reached Hubli at
last. The idea of going to
Hubli was put into his head by brother
Ramakrishna Rao of Bombay
who is a great Bhakta
of the
famous Saint of
Hubli - Sri Siddharudha
Swami. Ram took him here to obtain for him the
Darshan of this great Sage. It was
past midday when he reached the Math of
Sri Siddharudha which is
about three miles distant from the railway station.
The Math consisted of three sets of
buildings. The first one in the line was a
solid block of granite over
which was erected a tall conical Gopura. This
temple was intended to
serve as a repository of the remains of the Swami
after he had entered Mahasamadhi. The other two were
extensive buildings
constructed in such a way
as to leave a large square yard in the interior. Of
these, the second one was a
Dharmashala
wherein
reside Sannyasis, Bhaktas
and pilgrims. Facing the Math there were two beautiful
tanks. On the other
side of the tanks there was
a grove of trees yielding cool shade. The Math
was situated in very
charming and healthy surroundings.
Ramdas, entering the Math, was, through the kindness
of friends
there, duly introduced to
Sri Siddharudha at whose feet he prostrated
himself most reverently.
Here he spent about 10 days most happily. In the
mornings and evenings there
were reading and exposition of religious texts.
Ramdas listened to, nay,
drank in the words of wisdom that fell from the
lips of the learned Sage.
Ram had so arranged matters for him that the
Upadesh the Swami gave during those
days happened to be just what would
lead him further in his
spiritual progress. At other times, he would wander
about in the fields behind
the Math
and remain
mostly at the tomb or
Samadhi of the late Kabirdas, the
great Muslim Saint of that place. Ramdas
was clearly able to
experience a spiritual atmosphere charged with peace
and calmness inside the Math and Dharmashala, especially at the time of
the presence of the great
Swami. Sri Siddharudha was a great Yogi of an
advanced age. He was kind,
affable, hospitable and full of tranquillity.
Now, news reached Mangalore
that Ramdas was staying at the Math
at Hubli. His former wife,
but present mother (as all women are mothers to
Ramdas) and his child came
there to fetch him. Sri Siddharudha Swami was
appealed to by them in the
matter and the kind-hearted Saint advised him
to go with them to
Mangalore. Ramdas submitted to the order, feeling that
it came from Ram Himself.
Ram always means well and He does everything
for the best. The mother
(i.e., Ramdas’ former wife) proposed to him to
return to Samsara, to which he replied:
“O mother, it is all the
work of Ram. Ram alone has freed humble
Ramdas from the bonds of Samsaric life, and he resides now at
Ram’s holy
feet. He is now the slave
of Ram and prays to Him always to keep him as
such. To trust and
acknowledge His supreme powers of protection over all,
and believe that He alone
is the doer of all actions and possessor of all
things is the only way to
be rid of the miseries of life. Therefore, O mother,
throw off your burden of
cares and anxieties and, approaching the divine
feet of Ram, live there
always in peace and happiness. This is all poor
Ramdas can ask you to do.”
Now, under the kind care
and escort of the mother, he started by
train and reaching Mormugao
embarked upon a steamboat which took them
in due course to Mangalore.
As the party came up to the Bunder, Ramdas, as
bid by Ram, walking in advance,
directed his steps straight to the Kadri
hills, where he remained
for the night. Next day, by Ram’s will, he visited
the house of brother
Sitaram Rao - a brother by the old relation and a great
Bhakta of Ram. A few days later,
he had the happiness of the Darshan of his
Gurudev (father by old
relationship) who had given him the Upadesh of the
divine Ram-Mantram . Now (this was in
1923), Ramdas
stays by Ram’s
command in a cave called
“Panch Pandav Cave” on the Kadri hill, and lives
there a serene life,
devoting his whole time in talking about, writing of and
meditating on that
all-loving and glorious Ram.
Om Sri Ram Jai
Ram Jai Jai Ram!
APPENDIX
IN THE CAVE
(Heart-pourings when Ramdas
resided in the cave)
O Ram, Thou art father, mother,
brother, friend, preceptor,
knowledge, fame, wealth and
all. Sole refuge Thou art, make Thy slave
merge always in Thee - in
Thee alone.
O Ram, what Thy slave
Ramdas should do or should not do must be
determined by Thee alone.
He is bewildered. He is helpless; make him
resign all to Thee. Let him
live, move and have his being in Thee. Let him
eat, drink, sleep, move,
sit, stand, talk, think, look, hear, smell, touch, do
everything in Thy name and
for Thy sake only. O Ram, O Divine Mother,
Ramdas is Thine totally,
completely - heart, soul, body, mind, everything,
everything.
O Ram, Thy slave cannot
know what to think of Thy infinite love.
Shall he weep over it?
Shall he smile over it? Shall he cry over it? Shall he
laugh over it? Thy love is
at times so grand, majestic, vast and gushing like
the mighty ocean and its
roaring waves. At times it is so soft, tender,
gentle, silent, like the
mild flow of a tiny stream and her musical ripples.
O Ram, keep Thy slave
always absorbed in Thee. He is at once Thy
slave and Thy child. He is
willing to serve Thee in every way according to
the wisdom Thou givest him.
He is Thy innocent child looking always for Thy
guidance and security.
Never allow him to leave Thy holy feet. O Ram,
never put him in a
situation in which he would forget Thee.
O Ram, O Mother, save,
save, save Thy humble slave - Thy ignorant
child.
O Love infinite, infuse
into the arid heart of this child at least a small
measure of Thy love.
O Ramdas, drink, drink,
always the sweet nectar of Ram’s love.
O Ram, make Ramdas mad of
Thee - mad - mad, stark mad. He wants
nothing besides this. Let
him talk like a fool only of Thee, O Ram. Let the
world declare him, a mad
man, yes, mad of Thee, Ram.
Ramdas cares not for the
opinion of this man or that. He is not to be
bound. O Ram, see that he
is not bound. Let him be bound only by Thy
shackles. Those are the
shackles of Thy love. But Thy love is free. So where
are the shackles? It is an
enchanting freedom in fetters. O Ram, the
madness of Thy love, how
sweet, how intoxicating, how charming!
O Ram, purify the mind of
Thy slave. Let him not see evil anywhere.
Let him not see faults in
others but only good. O Ram, have mercy on Thy
slave. Fill his mind with
Thy grace. Thou art the sole refuge of Thy slave. O
Protector! Loving Parent of
the whole universe, lift Thy slave up from the
consciousness of a narrow
life in a perishable body. Make him realise Thy
infinite love. O Ramdas,
rise, rise above the narrow limitations of your own
making. Ram asks you in all
love and kindness: “Speed up my child, come
up; here is My hand, grasp
it and rise out of the bondage in which you are.”
O Love, O life Universal, O
Mother, O Ram, how glorious it is always to bask
in the sunshine of Thy
loving influence!
O Ramdas, you are in Ram
and out of Him. You are everywhere along
with Him; He is everywhere
along with you. He cannot leave you; you
cannot leave Him. He is
tied to you and you are tied to Him. You are in His
custody; He is in your
custody. He cannot do without you; you cannot do
without Him. He lives in
you and you live in Him. Still, you are His slave and
He is your protector. O
Ram, Thou art two; but Thou art one. The lover and
the loved in fast embrace
become one. Two become one and one remains
everlasting, infinite,
eternal Love. O Love, O Ram! Rave on, mind, charged
with the madness of Ram’s
love.
O Ram, destroy Ramdas’
desires. Crush them out of him. Take him on
and find him eternal abode
in Thee. O madness of Ram, O Love, let
harshness, wrath and desire
leave Ramdas entirely. Pure, pure be his mind
by Thy grace. Ram, save
him, save him. O Ram, Thou art Love pervading
everywhere; Ram, Ram, Ram
everywhere; in, out, in all directions, up,
below, in the air, trees,
earth, water, sky, space, in all, in all is Ram - is
Love. O Love, O Ram, let
thrill after thrill of the joy of Thy love pass
through the soul of Ramdas.
O Ram, O Joy, O Love, O Ecstasy, O Madness, O
Goodness, no rest, no
sleep, no food, no enjoyment but Thy divine love,
divine light. O Joy,
Ramdas, remain steeped in the nectar of Ram’s infinite
love. O Light, dazzle on. O
flashes of lightning, O Ram’s glory - flash on,
flash on! O supreme
happiness, O Bliss! O Joy! Come on, O Ram, Ramdas is
lost in Thee. Lost, lost -
in joy - in bliss untold - indescribable - lost in Thy
effulgence - in Thy light -
flash - flash - flash - everywhere flash. Love, love,
love, everywhere love!
Fame, name, wealth,
relations, friends, all - mirage, nothing real,
nothing true there. Mind
fixed on Ram derives infinite peace, infinite bliss,
for Ram is love, Ram is
kindness, Ram is joy.
Let the body go, let the
mind go. Let the senses disappear. Let the
worlds vanish. Let all that
appears pass out of their phantom-existence.
Ram - the love eternal -
the bliss eternal - lives, endures, is pure, undefiled,
serene, peaceful. All hail
Ram, all hail!
Madness of Ram, Madness of
Ram’s love. Come on, take possession of
Ramdas and make him swim
for ever and ever in the ocean of Thy
unfathomable love.
Sweet madness, cool
madness, mild madness, peace madness,
because it is tempered with
Ram’s elixir of love.
Away all joys of this
fleeting world! The sun of Ram’s bliss is up,
rising in all his glory,
shedding resplendent rays of peace and love all
around, dispelling the
darkness of misery - nay, paling down the very stars
and moon - the fading
pleasures of a transient world. Away!
The bird has flown away
from the cage and is soaring high up in the
air, losing itself in the
vast space, lost in Ram - a drop in the ocean.
O mind, be always firm and
fixed on Ram. Every other occupation for
you is utterly useless. In
your pursuit after Ram let no opinion of the world
disturb you. When Ram is
thine, you do not want anything. Keep Ram’s
company always. Then your
talk, your actions, your thoughts are all His.
Ramdas, wake up, shake up,
never wax slow in your progress. Go, leap, leap
- pluck the golden fruit -
enjoy eternal bliss! O, how sweet the fruit - the
taste is intoxicating with
the soft love of Ram!
You are nothing, Ramdas.
You have no worth, Ramdas. If any good
comes from you, it is all
Ram’s. You are only a piece of stinking clay, away
with your vanity!
Ramdas, you are now mad,
completely mad, O sweet madness,
madness, madness! O Love, O
Love! Ramdas, you are really mad. Now, Ram
is the theme of your
madness. You are stark mad, Ramdas. Drink, drink
Ram’s love, Ram’s nectar.
Ram’s light dazzles everywhere.
*************
Ramdas, you are free,
nothing binds you. You are free like air. Soar
high and high in the
heavens until you spread everywhere and pervade the
whole universe. Become one
with Ram. All Ram! All Ram! What a grand
spectacle to see the
dazzling light of Ram everywhere! Flash, Flash, Flash -
lightning flashes! O
Grandeur! O Divinity, O Love, O Ram! Ramdas, your
madness is worth everything
that is and that is not in the world. Fling away
wisdom, who wants it?
Wisdom is poison - madness is nectar, madness of
Ram, mind you, Ramdas.
Ramdas, you have no separate existence. Ramdas,
who are you? A phantom of
your own creation. Break off and abide in Ram -
that ocean of Love, Bliss
and Light. The dew drop slips into the shining sea.’
Child-like nature, madness
of Ram and supreme wisdom mean one
and the same thing.
O Ram, thy slave Ramdas is
Thine completely. His life is totally
consecrated to Thy service.
Let the sweetness of Thy infinite love enter the
soul of Ramdas; give
strength to Thy slave to withstand all the temptations
of a most unreal world. Let
him always live in Thee!
O Ram, Thy slave cries to
Thee repeatedly to make him mad of Thee,
but Thou dost not listen to
his heart-felt prayers. Thou bringest on the
madness only for a short
time. Why not always? Let his mind think of nothing
else but Thee, Thee and
Thee alone - that is the madness he craves for.
Have pity on him!
Let Ramdas’ mind be filled
with Thee when awake, in sleep, in
dreams. O Ram, O Mother, O
Protector, have mercy on Thy child and Thy
slave!
*************
Start Ramdas on his mission
- O Ram! Let him go out into the world,
toil, suffer, die for Thy
sake. Let him face contempt, persecution, nay,
death for Thy rule of Love,
Bliss and Light. In the fire of this ordeal, let
Ramdas purify his lethargic
soul. Height of misery is height of happiness. To
rise above both is true
bliss - true peace. O Ram, give the call! Let thy stern
command come. If not, make
this body - worthless stuff - wither and perish.
Let every minute of its
existence be utilised for Thy service, Ram.
The lull has passed. The
storm is ahead. Ramdas feels waves on
waves rising in him, mighty
waves of a surging ocean. O Ram, guard Thy
slave, give him energy,
give him strength - give him Thy wisdom, and make
him sacrifice himself at
the altar of Truth - at the shrine of Love - in the
flame of Light. All Ram,
Ram, Ram, Ram! O save, save, save! Ramdas is
Thine, life, body, soul,
all, all!
Make Ramdas mad of Thee.
Quick - no time to lose. Quick! Quick!
Have mercy on him. Om
Sriram!
Rise, rise, O despair of
hope! Rise, rise, O Joyous misery! Rise, rise, O
light of darkness! O Rise,
rise, lovely dream of an eternal life! Rise, rise, O
Bliss, Grandeur - what
indescribable happiness to cry, to weep, to smile, to
laugh, to live, to die for
Ram’s love, Ram’s grace. Ram’s light! Om Sriram!
Peace, Peace, Peace!
Ram, Ram, Ram!
You are not weak, Ramdas,
you are all-powerful. Ram has infused
into you His divine
effulgence. You are the infinite seed. Ram has thrown a
flood of light into you.
Wake up! You are strong, you can conquer everything
by the power of Ram’s love.
Don’t grovel, don’t feel weak. From hill-tops -
from house-tops - sound the
trumpet of Ram’s glory, Ram’s love. Be bold,
forward - march! Brave the
storm. Destiny is your slave. Keep her under
foot. What fear have you
when Ram is your ally? Leave off narrow
limitations. Rise and soar
and grasp the whole globe in one embrace of love.
Your dwelling place is the
whole universe which is your body. You live in it
as love. There is nought
but love, love supreme. Every leaf, every blade of
grass, every particle of
dust, every tiniest life sings aloud of Thy love, O
Ram. Every moonbeam, every
sun’s ray, every twinkle of the stars radiates
Thy love, O Ram. Every
tear, every smile, every ripple, every sweet whisper
of joy is pregnant with Thy
love, O Ram!
O Ramdas, rise to the very
height of renunciation and there sit on its
crest and view the
transient nature of the whole show around you.
Everywhere you see birth,
growth, death. All, all are running finally along
the same road to
destruction. What a terrible state of despair would have
faced man in the midst of
this vast cremation ground - this vast graveyard
where all objects are
ultimately reduced to dust and ashes - had there not
been that sweet and eternal
influence - that divine ambrosia called Love -
which is a veritable
lustrous reality that runs through the vanishing forms
that make up this wild,
varied and grand structure of the universe. Love is
Happiness, Love is God,
Love is Ram.
O Ram! Fill, fill, fill
Ramdas with Thy nectar-like love. Let no thought
of evil, no thought of difference,
cross his mind. Make him look upon all
with the light of Love.
O Ram! It is Thou that
weepest in the sorrows of the world. It is Thou
that smilest in the
happiness of the world. Still Thou art above all happiness
and above all sorrow.
Ram! Thou art an eternal
love-baby. Ramdas is ever bent upon
catching Thy tender smiles,
but they elude his grasp.
Love sheds her cooling
light. Ramdas opens his lips to drink of it, but
the light slips away.
Ramdas at last catches the
smiles - so many lustrous nothings that
beam upon his face.
Ramdas at last drinks deep
the light of love and softly floats upon the
sea of peace.
O Love, O Ram, envelop
everything in the soft glare of Thy radiance.
O Love, let all vibrations
be rhythmical and true. Let the inexpressible
sweetness of bliss reign
everywhere.
O Ram, make Ramdas mad of
Thee. Let him not talk of anything else
but Thee. Let him think of
nothing else but Thee. Thou art so merciful,
Thou art so loving. O Love,
O Mercy - make Ramdas completely Thine!
Whatever Thou dost Ram,
Thou dost for the best: Ramdas is entirely
Thine. Thou dost make him
walk, talk, think, act, all as Thou wilt. He has
not to feel sorry or regret
for anything. He dwells in Thee always. He can
see Thee, Ram, everywhere.
Thou alone hast taken the form of this universe
- this vast, picturesque,
varied group of worlds. O, what a grand display is
Thine! O, what a sublime
manifestation! The vast sheets of water - the
mighty oceans that dazzle
in the sunlight like molten silver - bearing in their
bosom a variety of animal
lives of their own creation - art Thyself. O
extensive Sky, what a magnificent
structure is Thine! A limitless blue dome
pictured here and there
with fantastic shaped white fleecy clouds,
sustaining in her mighty
embrace innumerable creatures of her own making.
O Earth, whose unseen
circumference vainly attempts to measure the
bounds of the sky that
appears to clasp Thee! What an indescribable scene
Thou dost present to the
wondrous gaze of the sun, moon and stars that are
never tired of viewing Thy
beauties at ever changing altitudes. Thy valleys
are full of green verdure -
sparkling water running through them all. Thy
high mountains are shooting
up into the sky - those gigantic guardians of Thy
peace. The widespread
forests, green and yellow-hued, form Thy beautiful
garment, in the loving
folds of which Thou bringest into being untold variety
of lives.
Who brought this gorgeous
show into being? It is all the work of Ram -
the work of Love - Ram
himself manifested in all His grandeur of love.
O Ramdas, you have nothing
in the world to call your own. All belong
to Ram, including yourself.
Ram does everything for the best. Ram is the
doer. Ramdas, live always
in tune with Him. O Ram, see that this prayer is
granted. Thou art all in
all to Thy slave. He wants Thee and nothing else. O
Ram, purify Ramdas’ mind.
Let no evil thought enter there.
O Ram, Thou art everywhere,
O Ramdas, Thou art nowhere,
O Ram, Thy will alone is
supreme.
O Ramdas, Thou hast no
will.
O Ram, Thou art the only
reality,
O Ramdas, thou hast no
existence.
O Ram - O infinite Love,
let Ramdas lose himself in Thee.
O Ram, Thy Love pervades
everywhere. Thy Light shines everywhere.
Thy Bliss absorbs
everything. Ram, Thou art Light, Love and Bliss. Ramdas,
thou livest in this Light,
in this Love, in this Bliss. Ramdas, thou hast no
separate existence. Thou
art free - as free as Love, as free as Light, as free
as Bliss. Love all, shed
Light on all, share Bliss with all. Thou art all and all
Thyself. Thou and all make
Ram, that glorious Ram. Ram is one. Ram
appears as many. One is
real. Many is false. One - One everywhere, and that
is Ram. Ramdas, thy will is
the will of Ram. Live only for the sake of Ram.
Ram has made you mad of
Him. Blessed are you, Ramdas. Ram’s madness
means everything for you,
for that matter - means everything for everybody.
In this madness there is no
pain, no perplexity, no ignorance, no weakness,
no sorrow, no hate, no evil
of any kind. It is purely made up of Love, Light,
Bliss, Strength, Power,
Wisdom, every good of every kind.
Ramdas, all praise, all
honour, all respect is for Ram, because your
speech, your act, your
thought is all in the name of Ram - for the sake of
Ram - prompted by Ram -
acted by Ram - thought by Ram - listened to by
Ram. All in Ram, by Ram,
through Ram, on Ram, about Ram, for Ram. All
Ram, Ram, nothing but Ram!
Om Sri Ram! Om, Om, Om! Ram, Ram Ram!
This is madness of Ram. It
is a grand madness - Blissful, Lightful, Loveful,
Ramful. No thought but of
Ram. No work but of Ram. No talk but of Ram.
Talk in Ram, work in Ram,
thought in Ram, silence in Ram, sleep in Ram,
dream in Ram. Ram is in
everything. Everything is in Ram. Ram is
everything. Everything is
Ram. Om Sriram!
Ram is form, Ram has
assumed form. Ram is with form. Ram is
without form. Ram is being.
Ram is non-being. Ram appears, Ram
disappears. Ram knows - Ram
knows not. Love and hate is in Ram. Light and
darkness is in Ram. Bliss
and pain is in Ram. Wisdom and madness is in Ram.
Strength and weakness is in
Ram, still Ram is beyond all these, free from
Love and hate, Light and
darkness, Bliss and pain, Wisdom and madness,
Strength and weakness. Om,
Om, Om! Ram, Ram, Ram! Peace, Peace,
Peace! O Ram, Thou art the
point where Love and hate meet, Light and
darkness meet, Bliss and
pain meet, Wisdom and madness meet, Strength
and weakness meet. Om
Sriram - Thou art Peace, stillness - unchangeable,
unshakable, eternal, infinite
- all-powerful, inconceivable,
incomprehensible. Om, Om,
Om!
There are two ladders -
Love and hate - projecting from Thee. O
Ram, to reach Thee i.e., to
climb up - the ladder of Love is used. To quit
Thee, i.e., to climb down -
the ladder of hate is used. Love leads to unity.
Hate leads to diversity.
Unity is happiness. Diversity is misery. Therefore, O
Ramdas, select the upward
course of Love that takes you to ultimate Peace
- everlasting and eternal -
which is Ram. When you quit Ram, hate leads you
down to where you sink into
pain, fear and death. Om Sriram!
Ramdas, don’t be proud.
Consider that none is inferior to you in the
world. All deserve to be
treated with respect and love.
*************
Let your mind - O Ramdas -
turn always the Charka of Ram-Smaran
and in due course you will
make the mind wear the white Khaddar of Purity.
O Ram, Ramdas is Thy slave,
Thy entire slave. He implores Thee to
strictly watch every act he
performs, every word that falls from his lips and
every thought that comes
into his mind. O Ram, see that nothing unworthy
of Thee or unacceptable to
Thee be done, talked or thought of by Thy slave.
Let Ramdas’ actions be
always right and good. Let his speech be always wise
and gentle. Let his
thoughts be always holy and pure. In short, let Ramdas’
acts, words and thoughts
emanate directly from the meditation of Thy
Divine Self. Om Sriram!
O Ram, what a glorious
being Thou art. Ramdas lays his head at Thy
holy feet. Deign to shed
Thy full lustre on Thy slave. Make him Thine, Thine
totally. Ramdas has no
refuge but Thee - no parent but Thee - no guide but
Thee - no master but Thee -
no higher ideal than Thee. Have mercy on him,
O Ram, have mercy. Above
all, O Ram, see that he does not forget Thee. To
forget Thee means for him
utter ruin. Ramdas cannot bear the very thought
of it. O Ram, Ramdas has
full trust in Thee. He knows that what Ramdas
begs, Thou grantest at
once. Let him always live in Thee, in Thee alone. Om
Sriram!
O Ram, save, save Thy
child, Thy slave. Let every fibre of his being
thrill to the music of Thy
madness; the very blood of his veins rush impelled
by the fury of Thy madness;
his very bones tatter and shatter in their seats
by the repeated blows
inflicted by Thy madness; his whole frame quiver,
tremble and shake by
letting fall on him an avalanche of Thy madness. Om
Sriram!
Rise, rise, O Ramdas - fly
above all, soar in the heavens, mingle in
the flood of light poured
down by the glorious sun. Let the pure, rarefied air
above encircle you all
round. Let space itself swallow you up. Where are you
then, Ramdas? Ramdas is
nowhere. Ramdas is now mere madness, an airy
nothing. Truth - the Great
Truth, Ram, hath devoured you - and you are no
more, no more, no more! Om
Sriram!
O Ramdas, become one with
the greenness of the leaves. Be absorbed
in the splendour of light.
Mix with the mists of the hills. Be the breath of
the wind - the blue of the
sky - the golden hues of the dawn - the stillness
of the night. Om Sriram!
O Ram, Thou art kindness.
Thou art love. Thou art the great Truth.
Let Ramdas cling to Thee
fast. Let him not lose his hold on Thee. Let him
always clasp Thee firmly.
Let him always live with Thee - in Thee. Let him
not be separated from Thee.
Let him always remain in Thy embrace. O Ram,
enfold Thy slave always in
Thy arms and never let him go. Make him
fearless, bold and firm -
firm in his vows - firm in his faith in Thee. Let
contact with the world not
affect him. Ramdas, always remember that you
are alone in the world in
the company of Ram.
Ramdas, in spite of Ram’s
unbounded grace upon you, you are still
weak. Ramdas, you are still
small and insignificant - full of imperfections -
full of defects. Cry, cry;
Weep, weep. O Ramdas, cry and weep. Take off, O
Ram, all his egoism.
O Ram, raise a great
conflagration - a mighty deluge of fire - and
burn up in its devouring
flames all the evils that are in Ramdas. The fire is
lit, the flames are rising
- red tongues of flame - waving, hissing and
dancing. Throw in now - by
Ram’s command - O Ramdas, first, Ahankar,
then Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada, Matsarya in quick succession.
Right, they are now all in.
Fan the flames, O Ram. All the evils are burning,
burning, burning. Now they
fly as smoke. Now they fall as ashes. All glory to
Thee, O Ram! Now the fire
ceases and then a calm prevails - stillness of
heavenly repose, filled
with the enchantment of Love and Peace, filled with
the sweetness of Ram.
Freedom, Freedom, O Freedom, Mukti is Thy name.
Om Sriram!
O Ram, Thy slave is under
Thy protection completely. Thou art his
sole refuge. He looks to
Thee for everything. At all times let Thy sweet
name be in his thoughts. O
Ram, purify Ramdas’ mind - purge it off from all
evil and unworthy thoughts.
O Ram, Ramdas is Thine. Bear in mind, Ramdas,
you live only for Ram. You
do not live for anything else, or for anybody else.
Ram is the end and aim of your
existence. Your very life is bound up with
Ram. O Ram, make Ramdas’
faith in Thee ever unshakable, ever firm,
permanently fixed. Let all
Ramdas’ thoughts, acts and words proceed
directly from Thee - at Thy
bidding - in Thy name and for Thy sake only. Let
Ramdas’ personality merge
itself in Thee. Make him Thy abode - or make
Thee his abode, one in the
other always intermingled. Let there not be a
moment’s separation -
blended, welded together for ever and for ever.
Powerful as Thou art, O
Ram, Love as Thou art, Light as Thou art, Bliss as
Thou art, the great and
only Truth as Thou art, Thy slave prays to Thee,
begs Thee, implores Thee,
cries to Thee, weeps to Thee, prostrates before
Thee - O Ram, have pity on
Thy slave, make him Thine altogether. Ram,
bless, bless Thy slave. To
bless Thy slave is to bless the world. To love Thy
slave is to love the world.
O Ram, O Love infinite, enter into the very being
of Ramdas and live there
and spread Thy Light, Love and Bliss. Om Sriram.
O Ram, there is a dawn - a
brilliant dawn in the heart of Ramdas.
There is in it a flood of
Light - a flash of Love - a rush of Bliss. Purity dwells
where Ram is. He enters,
all evils flee. The sun rises, all darkness vanishes.
O Ram, how glorious Thou
art! The moment Thou art appealed to, Thou
listeneth and granteth. O
Mother, how kind of Thee. How beautiful is Thy
Love, how tender, how soft,
how gracious, how true, how bracing, how
cooling, how good, O how
lasting! O Ram, Thine, Thine is Thy slave - Thine -
Thine is this Thy child for
ever, for ever, for ever. Om, Om, Om Sriram!
Higher and higher the
thought rises until it is lost in the
incomprehensible. Deeper
and deeper the thought runs down until it is lost
in the unfathomable. Wider
and wider the thought spreads out until it is lost
in the unexplorable.
Narrower and narrower the thought contracts until it is
lost in the unthinkable. Om
Sriram!
Love expands the heart and
hate contracts it. There is nothing
sweeter than Love. There is
nothing more bitter than hate. Love is natural.
Hate is unnatural. Love
makes and hate destroys. Love is a charming and
cooling landscape. Hate is
an arid and cheerless desert. Love is harmony.
Hate is chaos. Love is
light. Hate is darkness. Love is bliss. Hate is misery.
Love is life. Hate is
death. Love is purity. Hate is impurity. Love combines.
Hate breaks up. Love is
beauty. Hate is ugliness. Love is health. Hate is
disease. Love is sweet
music. Hate is discordant noise. Love is wisdom. Hate
is ignorance. Love is
activity. Hate is dullness. Love is heaven. Hate is hell.
Love is God. Hate is
illusion. Om Sriram!
O man,
Where is sweetness - it is
in thee.
Where is bitterness - it is
in thee.
Where is happiness - it is
in thee.
Where is misery - it is in
thee.
Where is light - it is in
thee.
Where is darkness - it is
in thee.
Where is love - it is in
thee.
Where is hate - it is in
thee.
Where is heat - it is in
thee.
Where is cold - it is in
thee.
Where is good - it is in thee.
Where is evil - it is in
thee.
Where is truth - it is in
thee.
Where is untruth - it is in
thee.
Where is wisdom - it is in
thee.
Where is ignorance - it is
in thee.
Where is heaven - it is in
thee.
Where is hell - it is in
thee.
Where is God - it is in
thee.
Where is illusion - it is
in thee. Om Sriram!
Ram is a reservoir of
nectar composed of Light, Love and Bliss. O
Ramdas, dive into this well
of ambrosia - sink, swim, dance, nay, drown
Thyself in it. Om Sriram!
Ram is a volume of
fragrance made up of Light, Love and Bliss. O
Ramdas, merge into this
wave of aroma; dive, play, gambol - nay, lose
thyself in it. Om Sriram!
Ram is a rainbow of colours
formed of Light, Love and Bliss. O
Ramdas, gaze into this
heaven of tints; link, soak, blend - nay, feel thyself
one with it. Om Sriram!
Ram is a music of tunes
filled with Light, Love and Bliss. O Ramdas,
drink at this fountain of
thrills; reel, shake, wake - nay, die in the
intoxication of it. Om
Sriram!
POEMS
OM SRIRAM
Love softly laid her head,
Light nimbly danced around,
Bliss made a joyous sound,
Peace comes to bless them
all.
Love gently oped her eyes,
Light slowly waved the fan,
Bliss leapt and flit and
ran,
Peace smiles upon them all.
Love sang her sweetest
song,
Light tuned her charming
rays,
Bliss laughs and rings and
plays.
Peace smiles over them all.
Ram - the blithesome love,
Ram - the shining light,
Ram - the blissful height,
Ram - the peace over all.
THE SOLE REFUGE
O Ram, I take refuge in
Thee,
Thou art my love, my life,
my lead,
I am in Thee, Thou art in
me,
Thou art my father, mother,
indeed
Thou art the life that
pervades all.
In Thee all things and
lives reside,
Thou art the life in great
and small,
In Thee my friend and
brother abide.
Thy lotus feet my constant
thought,
Thy light divine my only
dream,
To serve Thee is my
pleasing lot,
Thou art my wealth, name
and fame.
O Ram, how charming is that
sound,
O lips, utter Ram Ram
O mind, meditate Ram Ram,
Forget thyself in Him - in
Him.
O Ram, I see Thy form on
every side;
In all the worlds Thy light
and glory abide.
O Ram, Thou art the sun
that shines on high;
Thou art the moon
and stars that deck the
sky.
O Ram, Thou art the life
that fills all space,
And sets the whirling
universe
in its race.
O Ram, I see in hills Thy
form divine,
In waters vast that flow
and wave and shine.
O Ram, I see Thy light
in jungles wild,
In trees and plants and
verdure mild.
O Ram, all life reflects
Thy godly light
Thou art all in all -
Love, Bliss and Might.
-OM
Gurudev
Om Sri Ram Jai Ram
Jai Jai Ram
Guru Maharaj,
A thousand salutations at
thy holy feet. Sri Ram’s kindness to me has
been so great that after
freeing me from the toils of Samsara He has taken
me completely under His
Divine guidance and support. O! Ram, Thou art my
sole refuge. Thou hast been
treating me as Thy helpless child ever taking
tender care of me. Glory to
Thee, O! Ram. Thy kindness and love is infinite.
May I be never tired of
uttering Thy sweet name, sweeter than nectar. My
heart is full with the joy
which Sri Ram gives me and I must talk of Him and
His love, to whom? O! Ram,
to whom? To thee, my brother, my Satguru. Sri
Ram is showing me all the
wonders of His Maya. Sri Ram took me round all
the sacred shrines from the
south of India to the uttermost north. He guided
the footsteps of His humble
servant over the blessed Himalayas. The very air
over there breathes Sri
Ram’s Divine presence. The never ending chains of
mountains clothed with
thick forests are eternal witnesses of Ram’s
greatness. The Holy Ganga
flowing down these Hills - giving life and
sustenance to millions - is
singing Ram’s glory. Indeed my sight was blessed
with enchanting scenes and
landscapes - that kept me spellbound. O! Ram,
Thou are Grand! 400 miles I
walked over the mountains and I never felt any
fatigue because Sri Ram was
kind to me. He gave me strength and peace. At
certain places the ascents
were so steep and path so rugged and narrow that
a slight slip would pull a
man down headlong into the bosom of Ganga -
hundreds of feet below.
When Sri Ram was my guide, what fear have I? He
took me up and up and I
walked on fearlessly in full joy chanting His sweet
name. Kedarnath was the
first place Sri Ram made me visit - about 160
miles from Hardwar. The
path to Kedarnath is really dangerous. Many
pilgrims have slipped down
from the rocks and have been washed away in
the torrents of Ganga.
Mandakini, a tributary of the Ganges, starts from
Kedarnath. The place is
covered with snow and cold here is extreme. While
ascending to Kedarnath one
has to tread upon snow. Who protected me
from cold? O! It is Thou. A
temple is founded here surrounded on all sides by
high rocks fully covered
with snow. I ascended one of these rocks which
none venture. I first
thought it was not so high. I crawled up two hours,
(nearly) still I could not
reach the top. My hold while ascending was rough
grass that peeps here and
there through snow. It took me nearly 3 hours to
travel up to the top of the
rock. The distance traversed might be about a
mile. To ascend was
difficult enough but to descend was extremely perilous.
I had simply to slip down 2
or 3 yards at a time and then grip the grass.
Further it began to rain
not water but big white globules of snow. O! Ram,
who protected me here again
- it is Thou and Thou alone. After nearly five
hours I reached the bottom
of the rock. I went to the source of the river
Mandakini where the snow
melts and flows down. Here I bathed in the ice
cold water. O! Ram, it is
by They grace I could do all these things. All glory
to Thee. I stayed in
Kedarnath for one day, then coming down about 40
miles ascended again
another chain of hills, the path here was not so bad as
the one leading to
Kedarnath. But I had to walk over snow at several places
and to cover a distance of
about 81 miles (milestones are on the way) in
order to reach the source
of the river Alaknanda, another tributary of the
Ganges. This place is
called Badrinath or Badrinarayan. Here also the cold is
very great. There is a
wonder here. From one of the rocks surrounding the
temple of Narayan flows
down hot fuming water which is collected in a tank
in which pilgrims bathe. I
remained here also for a day and then came
down. Thousands of pilgrims
are every year ascending these hills for the
Darshan of Kedarnath and
Badrinath.
Through over exertion many
old men and women give up their bodies
on the way. Ram’s kindness
to me during this journey was so great, that I
never felt hungry on the
way. The pilgrims here were very kind to me. They
used to vie with each other
in serving my wants which consisted of 2 or 3
rotees without salt and
boiled potatoes. Some veritably worshipped Ram’s
humble das. Hardwar is the starting
point for this Himalayan pilgrimage.
About 15 miles up the hills
is situated the place called Rishikesh, where
about a hundred Mahatmas
reside in their respective Ashrams, thatched
huts on the bank of the
Ganges. The place is simply enchanting - for a time I
thought of settling down
here once for all, even without proceeding further
on the hills. Even now I
wish Sri Ram should take me to this place again so
that I might spend the rest
of my life in the company of these Sannyasis, but
I do not know what His wish
is. I remained in Rishikesh for 3 days. In my
wanderings on the hills, I
visited the Ashrams
of
Agastyamuni, Narad and
Pandavas. It took me 40
days to complete this pilgrimage. These mountains
are peopled by hill tribes
who live by cultivation. They are so simple and so
pure, uncontaminated by the
touch of modern civilisation. Ram Nam is on
the lips of all of them.
They are a fair complexioned race, clad in clothing
made of thick blankets.
Even women use thick rugs for sarees. They are also
rearing cattle and sheep;
the latter yield wool which they spin and weave
into blankets for their
clothing. Wonderful are Thy works O! Ram. Returning
from the Himalayas, Ram
directed me towards Mathura, the birthplace of
that love incarnate Bhagwan
Sri Krishna, wherefrom I visited Gokul,
Govardhan and Brindaban. I
spent about 10 days on the banks of the holy
Jamuna in Brindaban.
Brindaban is a delightful place. From Mathura, Sri
Ram made me travel down to
Raipur, Ajmer (where I visited Khaja Pir, a
famous Shrine of
Mohammedans and thence ascended the hill of Pushkar
Raj, remained there for 5
days. Then came down further this side. Ram
wants me shortly to visit
Dwarka and Girnar. Girnar is the stand or seat of
Dattatreya. After visiting
these places and Pandharpur, Ram seems to be
wishing to close my
itinerant life. At present I am staying in the Ashram of a
Mahatma of Gujarat. This Ashram is situated in a jungle,
quite solitary,
where I can perform Rambhajan with great pleasure. I am
praying Ram to
point out and lead me to a
place where I can spend the remainder of my life
in meditation of Him, in
uttering His sweet name. The charming music of
the sound Ram has sustained
me all along and will certainly fill me with His
grace till the end. But
what He intends to make of me is not known yet. My
prostrations at the holy
feet of my Gurudev, our father who gave me that
Divine Ram Mantram and at thy feet also. I
crave for thy blessings. May Sri
Ram keep you all blessed
with His grace is the fervent prayer of His humble
Ramdas. I may, by Ram’s
Will, remain here for about 10 days before going
to Dwarka.
Love and Namaskars.
RAMDAS
On the eve of
Swami Ramdas’ departure from Mangalore on 27-12-
1922, this letter
was written to Smt P Rukma Bai, wife of Sri Swami Ramdas
in his
Grihasthashrama.
Transcription of the
facsimile:
To
Smt Rukmabai
Dear Sister,
You are to me only a sister
in future. Sriram at whose feet I
have surrendered myself
entirely has called me away from
the past sphere of my life.
I go forth a beggar in the wide
world chanting the sweet
name of Sriram. You know I have
no ambition in life except
to struggle for the attainment of
Sriram’s Grace and Love. To
that aim alone I dedicate the
rest of my life and suffer
for it - suffer to any extent. We
may not meet again - at
least as husband and wife. Walk
always in the path of God
and Truth and make Rame do the
same.
Don’t give up the spinning
wheel. It will give you peace and
happiness. Let Rame also
work it.
Sriram’s blessings on you
and Rame - He protects you both.
Yours affectionately
P
Vittal Rao
27.12.22
GLOSSARY
Ahankar - Ego-Sense
Akhada - Abode of Sadhus
Annakshetra - Free feeding
house for religious mendicants
Asan - A seat or Yogic
posture
Avataras - Incarnations of
God
Bhajee - Vegetable curry
Bhaktas - Devotees of God
Bhakti - Devotion
Bhiksha - Alms
Bundar - Sea-port
Chandan - Sandalwood paste
Charka - Spinning wheel
Chela - Disciple
Chits - Meal tickets
Dal - A preparation of
pulse
Darshan - Visit of vision
Das - Servant
Dharmashala - Rest-house
Dhed - Parish
Doli - Cradle-like
conveyance for going uphill
Ektar - One-stringed
musical instrument
Fakir - Religious mendicant
Gadi - A seat made of
cotton mattress
Gerrua - Red ochre used for
dyeing the clothes of a Sannyasi
Gomata - Mother cow
Gopura - Tower of a temple
Grihastha - Householder
Grihasthashrama - Life of a
householder
Guru - Spiritual preceptor
Gurustan - Abode of the
Guru
Kam - Lust or desire
Kamandal - Water-vessel
carried by Sannyasis
Kambal - Woollen blanket
Kaupin - Loin cloth
Krodh - Anger
Kshetra - Place of field -
here refers to free feeding house
Ladoos - Sweetmeat balls
Lobh - Greed
Lota - A small hand water
-vessel
Mada - Pride
Mahant - Head of a
religious institution
Maharshi - A great sage
Mahasamadhi - Ultimate
absorption of a saint in God after dissolution
of his body
Mahtma - A great soul
Mandap - A decorated
structure for seating the image of Divinity
or an honoured person
Mandir - Temple
Mantram - Incantation
Masjid - A Muslim place of
worship
Matsarya - Jealousy
Maya - Illusive power of
God
Moha - Attachment
Mridang - A drum used in
Indian music
Mukti - Emancipation
Namaskar - Salutation
Nim - A species of Indian
tree with leaves of bitter taste, but
possessing medicinal
properties
Pranava - The sacred
syllable -OM
Prasad - Food offered to
God
Puja - Worship
Pujari - Worshipper
Purees - Fried wheat-bread
Ram-Bhajan - Devotional
singing, or meditation on God
Ram-Japa - Repetition of
the name Ram
Rami-Smaran - Remembrance
of God
Roti - Home-made bread
Sadavart - Food-stuffs
given free to Sadhus
Sadhana - Spiritual discipline
Sadhu - Ascetic
Samadhi - Saint's tomb or
spiritual trance
Samsara - Worldly life or
the wheel of birth and death
Samsaric - Pertaining to
worldly life
Sandhya - The prayers of
the Hindus during the three specified
periods of the day
Sannyasin - Religious
mendicant
Sarees - The main garments
of a Hindu woman
Satis - Here refers to
Hindu women who immolate themselves
on the funeral pyre of
their departed husbands
Sat-Sang - Association with
Saint
Seth - Merchant
Shiva-Ling - Symbol of
Shiva, worshipped by Hindus
Shivaratri - The night on
which special worship is offered to Shiva
annually
Shishya - Disciple
Slokas - Verses
Tabooth - A Muslim term -
see Mandap
Tambourine - Stringed
Indian musical instrument
Tapasya - Austerity
Upadesh - Initiation or
religious exhortation
Vakils - Lawyers
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
(Back Cover)
Swami Ramdas, who was known
as P Vittal Rao during his pre-Sannyas
days, was leading an
ordinary life till God’s grace descended on him in or
about the year 1920. Then
he was made to think deeply on the futility of
worldly pursuits and the
necessity of pursuing the divine path and realizing
one’s identity with the
Supreme Being, which alone can lead one to ‘Peaceeternal’
. He placed himself totally
at the altar of God. At this time his
father initiated him with
the holy and all-powerful Name of God – Sri Ram
Jai Ram Jai Jai
Ram. He
took to ceaseless chanting of the holy Name. When
the prompting came from
within to renounce the worldly life, he took to a
wandering mendicant’s life.
Fiery aspiration coupled with intense practice
to attain the Highest,
hastened his spiritual progress and, in a short time, he
could behold his Beloved -
God - everywhere, both within and without. He
thus showed how absolute
surrender to God, arising from His constant
remembrance by chanting of
His name, could lead to ultimate Realization
quickly and getting
established in unending Bliss.
Having thus attained
spiritual liberation and God-vision, he started on
his mission to awaken
mankind to the awareness of God. In 1931 he and
Mother Krishnabai, his
foremost disciple and a Self-realized soul, founded
Anandashram with the object
of propagating the ideal of Universal Love and
Service. This spiritual
centre offers every kind of facility for spiritual
regeneration of the soul so
that it may realize its pristine divine nature.
Swami Ramdas attained Maha
Nirvana in July 1963 and Mother
Krishnabai in February
1989.
The books authored by Swami
Ramdas which come from the deep of
Reality continue to inspire
innumerable devotees both inside and outside India.
Om Tat Sat
(End)
(End)
(My humble salutations to the lotus feet of H H Swami Ramadas
ji for the collection)
