← The Gospel of Swami RamdasHis talks, as recorded by Swami Satchidananda

1951-10-06

Chapter 9

Anandashram, October 6, 1951

73. Mend Yourself

It was ten o'clock in the morning. Papa was waiting in the veranda of the building behind the bhajan-hall for his bath. S was fanning him. Chimanlal, the Saurashtra friend who had arrived four days back, came to Papa and asked, "O Lord, what is your command to me? Should I stay on here or should I go away? It is left to you to decide."

Papa thought for some time and said, "What are you going to do here? You cannot do any work here due to language difficulty. So you had better go home."

Chimanlal: What shall I do there? All the people at home are against me. They want me to do some work, to write false accounts and so on, which I refuse. I find it difficult to stay there.

Papa: Take up some honest work. You may join the ‘Sarvodaya Movement’ or any other organisation. Or you may go to some farmer and tell him that you would work with him. Do not expect any salary to start with. You may get the bare maintenance. Otherwise you can work as a schoolmaster. You should use all your spare time for devotional practices. In any way you can make yourself useful to society. Do not criticise anybody. Do not try to mend others. First mend yourself.

Chimanlal: O Lord, give these instructions to me in writing. I shall read them daily like the ‘Gita’.

Papa: Why in writing? These are all the instructions. You are not simply to read them. You have to put them into practice.

Chimanlal: When shall I go then?

Papa: You have come all the way from Saurashtra. Stay for another week and then go. What day is it today? It is Saturday. You may go next Saturday.

October 8, 1951

74. Ramdas of Bhadrachalam

In the afternoon Papa started reading ‘the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna’. DS Sastry of Madras, Dayanand, Natverlal Shah, Srikant Rao, Subramania Iyer and S were listening. At three o'clock Papa stopped reading and went for coffee. After coffee he came back and sat down with the devotees. There was silence for a short while, which was broken by Papa himself.

He said, "In God-consciousness one is always in divine ecstasy.'

Again there was silence for a few minutes.

Sastry: Swamiji, have you been to Bhadradri?

Papa: Which place do you mean?

Sastry: Bhadradri, Bhadrachalam, the place of the famous Bhakta Ramdas.

Papa: No. Ramdas has not visited that place.

Sastry: As the story goes, Bhadrachalam Ramdas was employed under the Nizam of Hyderabad as a tahsildar in a place about a hundred miles from Bhadrachalam A party of devotees bound for Bhadradri were once passing through his place. The tahsildar happened to meet them and on hearing that they were going to Bhadradri for Darshan of Lord Rama, he immediately started with them. The other devotees asked him why he was starting without any preparation and without giving any intimation to his family. The tahsildar replied that to go to Bhadradri for Ram's Darshan did not need any preparation and that Lord Rama would look after everything and see to his needs. Afterwards he was mad after Ram, though he continued in his job. He was later known as Ramdas. Once he found the temple building was in need of repair, and he carried out all the repairs taking the necessary money from the government treasury in his charge. When the time came for remitting the treasury money to the Nizam, there was no cash left. The matter was brought before the Nizam who ordered that the tahsildar should be sentenced to death if the money was not repaid within seven days. Meanwhile, he was put in prison. Six days passed. His Guru came to him and asked him to apologise to the Nizam and beg for pardon so that he might be saved. Ramdas replied, 'The money was spent for repairing Ram's temple and now it is up to Ram to see the money is paid. If He is not going to do it, I am prepared to die.

On the seventh night, Ram sent Lakshman in the form of a sepoy to the Nizam. The sepoy (Lakshman) informed the Nizam that he had come to pay off the money due from Ramdas and wanted a receipt for the same. The Nizam took the money and gave a receipt. The receipt was then, in a mysterious way, thrown into the cell where Ramdas was imprisoned. The Nizam got up next morning and ordered the release of Ramdas.

75. Damaji of Mangalvedha

Papa: This story resembles the story of Damaji. Under the Nawab of Bijapur there was a revenue officer in charge of the Mangalvedha taluka. His name was Damaji. He was a great bhakta of Vithoba. In those days taxes and rents from landowners were collected by the village officers in kind, that is in the form of rice and wheat, and stored in a godown. So the godown at Mangalvedha was full of grain, collected as taxes and rent. There was a great famine in the taluka and people were starving. They came to Damaji for help. He gave whatever he had and finally distributed all the grain from the government godowns to the starving people. The head-clerk was jealous of Damaji and thought that if Damaji were removed from his position, he would get a chance to take his place. So he sent information to the Nawab of Bijapur that Damaji had distributed all the government grain to the people. On hearing the news, the Nawab sent his men to arrest and bring Damaji to him. When the sepoys reached Mangalvedha, Damaji was performing a harikatha. The sepoys interrupted it and wanted Damaji to follow them. Damaji told his people that he had to go to the Nawab as he was summoned there, and left. By this time Vithoba got ready to come to the rescue of Damaji. Vithoba took the form of a pariah, went to the Nawab and said, 'I am the servant of Damaji of Mangalvedha. He has sent through me the money to cover the value of grain due to you as taxes and rents.' The Nawab replied, 'That will amount to lakhs of rupees. How are you going to pay it? Where have you got the money?' The pariah said, 'I have got it here. You may take the money from this.' So saying he handed over to the Nawab a small bag. The Nawab emptied it and got the money counted. It contained the exact amount due from Damaji. The Nawab then gave the pariah a receipt for the money.

The Nawab was fascinated by the strange pariah with his lustrous eyes, radiant face and attractive features. When asked to give his name, he said, 'I am only a poor servant of Damaji. My name is Vithoomahar,' and disappeared. The Nawab was simply mad after Vithoomahar. He ran about here and there to find the pariah, but nowhere could he be found. The Nawab refused to take food and drink until he met the pariah again. Two or three days passed. Now the sepoys brought Damaji before the Nawab. The Nawab was surprised on seeing Damaji and asked: 'Why have you come? There is no charge against you. The money due to me has been paid by you three days ago. Your servant Vithoomahar came and paid it. I want to see your servant again. Where is he?'

Damaji: I have not paid you the money. I have no servant named Vithoomahar.

Nawab: How can it be? He has paid in cash all the money – the full value of the corn – and I have given him a receipt also.

Damaji was astonished to hear this. He had a copy of ‘Bhagavad Gita’ in his hand. A small piece of paper was protruding from it. The Nawab asked what that was. Damaji took it out and found to his surprise that it was the receipt, the one given by the Nawab to Vithoomahar.

Nawab: You said you did not know about Vithoomahar. He has handed over the receipt to you. So you surely know about him. Otherwise how could he have handed over the receipt to you?

Damaji was greatly perplexed and did not know what he was to say.

Nawab: Now I want to see Vithoomahar. You must show him to me.

Damaji: Oh Lord, you have saved me from one trouble and put me into another. The Nawab wants to see Vithoomahar. How can I show him whom I have myself not seen?

Damaji then took the Nawab to Pandharpur for Darshan of Vithoba. Both of them stood in front of the deity.

Nawab: I do not want to see the stone idol. I want to see Vithoomahar. You should show him to me.

Immediately Lord Vithoba revealed Himself to both of them in the form of Vithoomahar. The pariah who handed over the money to the Nawab was standing in front of them in place of the stone image. Thus the Lord saved His devotee and gave Darshan to the Nawab also. The samadhi of Damaji and that of the Nawab are side by side in Mangalvedha.

76. God Beyond Reasoning

Sastry: Is it possible to believe, Swamiji, that God kept the receipt in the ‘Gita’ book without Damaji's knowledge?

Papa: Why not? God can do anything. He is almighty. In the story of Bhadrachalam Ramdas you yourself said that God threw the receipt into the prison.

Sastry: We can believe about visions and all that; they are pure mental conceptions. But such tangible things like receipts are different. They cannot be reasoned out.

Papa: Yes, God is beyond reasoning. He is almighty. We cannot say what He will do and what He will not. There are people who have seen, talked to and touched God as we touch people and objects round about us – not in vision or dreams. Everything is possible for God. When somebody asked Sri Ramakrishna if he had seen God, he replied that he saw God more intensely than he saw anything else.

Sastry: Generally it is understood that God gives Darshan in the form on which the devotee concentrates.

Papa: Yes. That is correct. Because he wants to see God only in that form.

October 9, 1951

77. The best Advice to Householders

DS Sastry and his wife were returning to Madras by the morning Mail. He wanted to have a talk with Papa before he left. S informed Papa about it. Papa came and sat on an asan on the cement bench outside, in front of the ashram. Sastry sat near Papa. His wife kept standing.

Sastry: Our stay here has been very, very happy. What we wanted was a peaceful and holy atmosphere. This ashram has it. So my pooja holidays have been well spent here.

Sastry also told Papa how they were devoted to Sri Ramana Maharshi. He narrated some of his experiences in which he clearly saw Ramana's grace working. He now got up from his seat and sat in front of Papa. His wife also sat by his side.

Sastry: We are daily getting up at 4 or 4.30 in the morning. We finish our bath and sit for prayers and meditation for an hour or so. In addition, any leisure time available we devote to God. Twice a week, a pundit is reading and explaining ‘Srimad Bhagavatam’ for a few of us. That is all we are able to do.

Two sadhus, who then came, were being taken to the Dharmashala by the gate-keeper. Pointing to them, Papa said: "Ramdas was once wandering about like this, but without the bundles and other things. Often he had not even a water vessel with him."

Sastry: My wife was reading the other day the Telugu translation of your book ‘In Quest of God’ She was much impressed by the scene in which the ticket collector came and asked you to clear out as you had no ticket.

Continuing, Sastry said, "Swamiji, I am fiftytwo years old. I am seriously thinking of retiring. But I am afraid I may not be able to make full use of the time after retirement. What am I to do?'

Papa: You had better continue in service. When you retire you should be able to use all your time for devotional practices. Many people are not able to do that. So they go in for some other work. You should keep on working till you get the call to change or renounce it. There is no harm in doing official work. The most important thing is that you should remember God. Remember Him even while engaged in work.

Sastry: Swamiji, it is very difficult to remember God always. It is not easy to be engaged in work and at the same time feel that God alone is doing it.

Papa: The best advice for householders is as Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa would have it: ‘Keep one hand firmly at the feet of the Lord and do the work with the other hand. When the work is over, place both the hands at His feet'.

Sastry: During work we often forget God, Swamiji.

Papa: A great devotee says, 'Remembrance is God. Forgetfulness is also God.' He feels that each and every idea and emotion is God. For such a one there is nothing but God. God and God alone is. When there is remembrance of God, it is quite natural to have also forgetfulness of Him. So one has to go beyond both. Of course, before one reaches this high stage, forgetfulness gives intense pain.

The taxi arrived and it was time for them to start. They both prostrated at Papa's feet and, bowing to others present, got into the taxi.

It was about 3.15 p.m. Papa was returning to the bhajan-hall from the kitchen. S was with him. Hearing someone reading aloud, Papa asked S, "What is he reading?"

S: He generally reads ‘Tulsidas Ramayan’.

Papa: Does he read alone, or is there anybody else to hear it?

S: I think he reads alone.

Papa: Some people daily do parayana (recital of scriptures) and feel that they are earning a lot of punya (merit) by that. But they do not care to follow the teachings contained in those scriptures.

October 11, 1951

78. Cause of Man's Fall

It was 8.30 a.m. S was coming out of the bhajan-hall to see where Papa had gone. In a few minutes, he saw Papa and Mataji standing near the gate. A woman worker was also standing in front of them. When S went near, he heard Papa and Mataji severely reproving her for some misconduct. They had reasons to suspect her, and the previous day her misconduct was proved. So she was finally asked to leave the ashram.

Papa returned to the bhajan-hall, and Mataji to the kitchen. In the hall, Papa and S were alone. Referring to the incident, Papa remarked to S: "We have been trying to avoid such unpleasant things; but the work is such that girls and young men have to be put together during the day, and now for some days this girl was working alone with the man who is involved. Ramdas had suspicions about her and wanted to send her away; but he was hesitating to send her out on mere suspicion."

S: Such women spoil young men. However much the latter may try to avoid them, they are caught.

Papa: Yes, that is natural; woman and gold cause man's fall.

Mataji had by this time come to the bhajan-hall. Hearing Papa say that woman and gold cause the fall of man, she observed: "Papa instead of ‘woman and gold’ you may say ‘lust and gold’. That is more correct and appropriate."

Papa: Yes, it is applicable to both men and women. Why should we blame women alone? Men are equally responsible for women's fall.

CR Rao, a devotee from Bangalore, who had been in the ashram for some time, came and sat facing Papa.

Papa continued: "To be free from lust, man should look upon all women even his wife, as his mother. He should start this practice with his wife, otherwise he will not be able to see other women as mother."

79. Mind, A Wild Bull

Morning bhajan was over and a few devotees were talking in the bhajan-hall awaiting the ringing of the lunch-bell. Govindan Nair, a devotee from Tellicherry, had arrived only a few minutes back. While talking to him, Papa said, "Yes, it is the nature of the mind to wander here and there. It is like a wild bull. We have to pull it by its nose-ting to control it. The mind can be controlled only by steady and long practice. By the repetition of Ram Nam the mind gradually gets purified and loses its taste for the things of the world. It then finds the Name sweet and desires to get more and more absorbed in it. So repeat Ram Nam with intense devotion."

Just then the bell rang. The devotees went to the dining-hall. Papa too sat down for lunch.

After lunch Papa was sitting on his asan and was about to go for his midday rest. It was raining. Natverlal Shah and S were standing by his side. Noticing two persons entering the compound and coming towards the ashram, Papa asked, "Who are those Rams, can you make out?" By that time they had come near. S Said: "They are devotees from Trichur."

The two devotees entered and prostrated before Papa. One of them, R Vanchiswara Iyer, said, "Today is my birthday. So I decided to come for your Darshan." Papa said, "It is very good."

The other devotee handed over to Papa half a dozen hand-fans, saying, "These are sent to you by Devarajan."

Papa received them and said: "Yes, very good. Now go; have your bath. That is the first thing you should do on your birthday. Then go for meal."

Vanchiswara Iyer then asked S when he could perform pada-pooja to Papa.

S (after consulting Papa): You can perform pada-pooja in the afternoon at 1.30. Papa will be free then. We shall keep the necessary things ready for you.

The devotees were then taken to their rooms.

In the afternoon they performed pada-pooja. At the close of the function Vanchiswara Iyer stood before Papa with folded hands and said, "As you advised me, I have resigned my job so that I may devote all my time to devotional practices. Swamiji, progress is still very slow. Now please infuse some grace into me so that I may progress quickly."

Papa (gazing into his eyes): Go on with the repetition of Ram Nam more and more intensely. You will have progress.

80. Concentrate on the Sound of Ram Nam in Solitude

C Ramchandra Rao, Swami Ramachandrananda, Govindan Nair, Dayanand, Natverlal Shah, Subramania Iyer, Srikant Rao and a few others were sitting in front of Papa, to listen to his reading of ‘the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna’.

Before the reading, Swami Ramachandrananda asked Papa, "Will you please explain to me about concentration of mind on the sound of the Mantra?"

Papa: You have to repeat Ram Nam aloud in a solitary place and concentrate your mind on the sound. It is essential that you should practise this in solitude. Any external sound will be a disturbance. By intense practice, the moment the Name is repeated, your mind will get completely absorbed in the sound, and become still. It is now in a state of ecstasy. You are above body-consciousness. You may remain in ecstasy for some hours. When you come out of it and regain normal consciousness, you see light, peace and bliss everywhere.

Swami Ramachandrananda: Can we have this practice all the twentyfour hours of the day?

Papa: You can have it if you have intense vairagya and great love for the Name besides a keen desire for raising yourself up. For one year Ramdas was repeating Ram Nam day and night, without sleep. Sometimes, he used to remain still in a state of ecstasy for hours. When the mind became slightly disturbed, Ram Nam would automatically start and continue till the mind again got absorbed in it. In those days, when Ramdas attended bhajan, he used to sit with his eyes closed, and his mind had become so sensitive to the sound of music that the moment it was heard, he would fall into a trance.

Swami Ramachandrananda: Should we keep the eyes open or closed? When we close the eyes we get sleep. Is sattwic food also necessary?

Papa: You can either close the eyes or keep them open. If you feel sleepy, you may have to keep them open. Sattwic food is also essential. Rajasic food makes the mind restless and tamasic food or excess of food makes it dull or sleepy. The mind then refuses to listen to the sound of the Name. Ram Nam alone is sufficient to take you to the goal. If you take Ram Nam always you will not have to sit and exert to make the mind still. By the repetition of Ram Nam the mind gets absorbed in the sound of the Name and enters into a superconscious state. Bhaktas do not have to practise meditation. It is only Jnanis who have to meditate. Narada, Tukaram, Chaitanya and such other bhaktas never sat for meditation as such. The very sound of God's name raised their mind to a superconscious state and then they were perfectly unconscious of the world. If you continue with devotion the repetition of Ram Nam you will find in due course that the moment you sit still, the mind is also still and you have not to struggle at all.

Merely sitting, with closed eyes and trying to meditate, does not take you anywhere. You may be sitting motionless, but your mind may be wandering in thousand and one places. There was a friend here who used to sit absolutely motionless during bhajans. If his mind was really still, he would have become a siddha long ago. Ramdas does not know whether he was sleeping or in samadhi. But one thing was certain, he used to get up and run to the dining-hall immediately the bell rang for meal. If he was in samadhi he would not have heard the bell. Some people can sleep in a sitting posture!

Those who have attained siddhi through the repetition of Mantra are known as Mantra-siddhas.

S: Papa said that loud repetition of Ram Nam was necessary. Is it not enough if we concentrate on the sound vibration during the mental repetition of the Mantra?

Papa: Loud repetition will gradually lead to mental repetition. In mental repetition you can hear the Mantra very clearly, though there is no sound produced outside.

Papa then started reading from ‘the Gospel’.

81. God's Will is Supreme

After the evening bhajan, Papa was sitting with a few devotees in front. S brought the day's letters for signature. Signing the last one, Papa read a few lines from it: "God's will alone is supreme. We should not forget this fact even for a moment. It is then alone that we become His blissful and illumined children."

Then, raising his head and looking at the devotees with a smile, Papa said, "His will is supreme. If we are conscious of this always there is no struggle at all. When we surrender to God's will, we put all our burdens on Him. Let Him carry everything. Surrender means strength, peace, bliss, and wisdom. When the ego raises its head, all these disappear and you become a puny care-worn creature. Otherwise you a blissful being.