Angar – Sholapur – Ernakulam – Kasaragod

(i) The Miracles

The friends in Sholapur district were keenly longing to have Ramdas in their midst. So the next place Ramdas visited was this district. Here, as on previous occasions, he was welcomed by vast masses of people with great acclamation. He was taken from village to village in procession and honoured with the grandeur and display, peculiar to the East. In one village where he stayed for a week, there was a unique devotional ferment among its inhabitants. People of all castes and creeds mingled together. Kirtan, bhajan, harikatha and feast became the order of the day.

Janardan Pant and Prem Singh were Ramdas’ close companions, of whom the latter was perfectly mad with devotion. He was for days so inebriated with the divine emotion that he would be often unconscious of his body and surroundings. He spent days and nights dancing and singing God’s Name.

Mothers went into ecstasies at the sight of Ramdas. Govind Joshi’s wife would every evening wave round Ramdas her hands containing salt to ward off the evil eye – a custom observed by the Hindu mothers in regard to their children! Prem Singh took Ramdas to his village Diksal where, in the presence of a big gathering, he bathed him with curds and milk mixed with sugar, ghee, and honey which they denominate as “Panchamrit Abhishek.”

A humorous incident took place during Ramdas’ visit to one of the villages named Khandali. He was invited by the Kulkarni of the place. With Ramdas had come over fifty friends from the preceding villages. The meals provided by the hosts everywhere in these parts consisted of sweet cakes and ladoos. When all the friends assembled, sometime before dinner, Ramdas asked a boy to fetch bunches of neem leaves – neem is a tree common in that place, the leaves of which are bitter to the taste, but they have medicinal properties. The boy brought the leaves. Now Ramdas proposed to the friends to join him in eating them. At this the expression on their faces underwent a change from one of cheerfulness to its reverse. One by one they slipped away offering some lame excuse, and so Ramdas alone had to eat his share of the leaves. When the dinner time arrived, all the friends turned up without an exception!

Ramdas went round over thirty villages. It was a time of unprecedented enthusiasm, bustle and joy, both for Ramdas and the villagers. Amongst those who felt a great attraction for Ramdas and sought his constant company was the young lad Maruti, who has been mentioned in the early part of the narrative.

In Angar, Ramdas had to stay for eight days before his departure to Kame, a railway station. The eight days were characterized by incessant activities on the part of the villagers in kirtans, bhajan and feasts. On the last day, Ramdas was taken round all the lanes and streets of the village in a procession consisting of thousands of people with music and the country band. The flags and other emblems of the temple were also carried in front of him. The crowds followed upto the outskirts of the village where Ramdas, taking his final leave, raced on towards the railway station which lay at a distance of nearly four miles from Angar. About fifty villagers followed him.

Word was sent in advance to the station master, a devout brahmin, who was anxious to entertain Ramdas for an hour before the arrival of the train. Ramdas and the party reached the station in the evening. They were led directly to the residence of the station master. He had expected not more than a dozen people with Ramdas and so had prepared meals only for that number. But the number actually exceeded fifty. The host and his people at home grew anxious as to how they could satisfy all the people that had come. There was no time to prepare meals again. However, the friends were asked to sit for supper and strange as it would appear, the food sufficed the whole lot and there was no deficiency in anything. An old woman of the house came out after the feeding was over, and with hands folded in salutation said: “The ways of God are simply inexplicable. He has worked a miracle in our house.”

After the meals, the party sat on the platform and for about fifteen minutes Prem Singh entertained them with songs of Brahmanand in his melodious voice. Soon the train arrived and Ramdas got into a carriage accompanied by a few friends. Now one of the party, who came to the station for the send off, handed to Ramdas a small bag containing some groundnuts, sugarcandy, parched rice, etc. all mixed up together. Ramdas, thinking of distributing the eatables as prasad to the friends on the platform, who now crowded at the door of the compartment occupied by him, took them out by handfuls from the bag and commenced to distribute them freely to the friends. Seeing this, the passengers in other compartments poured down and coming to where Ramdas was, stretched forth their hands for prasad. He went on giving away the eatables from the bag. The amazing thing was the bag would never become empty. He must have distributed its contents to more than a hundred persons until the train moved away from the station and still the bag contained some ‘prasad’.

Here a few words about the nature of the villagers living in the region surrounding the Pandharpur shrine in Sholapur District may not be out of place. These simple village folk, besides being sincere and honest, have an extremely kind and hospitable disposition. No traveller or guest is allowed to go from their doors without receiving due service from the household. They are humble and unassuming in their manners. They take it that the guest is Vithoba Himself, the deity of Pandharpur and, on the side of the guest, he too considers that he is fed and kindly treated by the same deity. Their mode of living is quite plain; coarse but wholesome food and thick clothing put on in the old fashion suffice their needs. They are a hardy and industrious people. Time is of no account with them and so they are not bound by its tyranny. They are tolerant, generous, and self-sacrificing to a degree. They do not harass their minds and others’ with sceptical doubts. They implicitly believe in the workings of Providence and live always in submission to Him. Their women are also of the same incorruptible nature.

(ii) A Straight Hit

For the Ekadashi, Ramdas was taken again to Pandharpur where he came across troops of devotees whom he had met on his visit to the villages. From Pandharpur on his way to Akalkot, wherefrom he had an invitation, he made a halt for a day in Sholapur.

Prem Singh, who was in his company, desired that he should stop with a relation of his who was a great devotee. Ramdas agreeing, the party consisting of Janardan Pant, Prem Singh, Maruti and Madhavrao proceeded to the devotee’s house. Here already a noted saint was a guest of the householder and a puja of a photo of the saint’s guru was in full progress when Ramdas entered. Ramdas directly went up to the verandah where the worship was held. A seat of cushions was by the side of the photo, the asan of the saint. Prem Singh, who carried a deerskin for Ramdas, spread it on the cushion and beckoned him to take his seat on it. Ramdas unconsciously obeyed and sat down whilst all the congregated people were standing and the saint was performing the puja in all eclat. The puja over, the saint without caring even to look at Ramdas, retired to an inner room of the house as a mark of displeasure at the apparently insulting behaviour of Ramdas. In fact, Prem Singh had unwittingly made him sit on the gadi or asan of the saint who must have surely boiled and fumed at Ramdas’ gross insolence.

But Ramdas was unconcerned and indifferent. Next, to make reparation for the lapse and scenting unpleasantness, Prem Singh, preparing another seat by the side of Ramdas, requested the saint to come out and grace it, which he however did with manifest reluctance. Then garlanding both, he saluted them. The saint was not yet pacified.

The saint asked Ramdas who his guru was to which Ramdas replied, “Ramdas’ guru is residing in his own heart and in the hearts of all.” At this the saint sniffed contemptuously and left his seat.

In the evening, as usual, in the programme of the saint there was reading of Dasbodh, the well-known work of Saint Samarth Ramdas, the eminent guru of Shivaji of historic fame. In the course of his discourse the saint levelled at first veiled sarcasms at Ramdas and at last broke out into the peroration: “Nowadays, it is common for any man in the street to don the sannyasi robe, pose himself as guru and travel from place to place for collecting disciples. Of this type you have one in the person of the sadhu sitting here,” and he pointed his finger directly at Ramdas. Ramdas could only smile at the invective. After his pravachan was over, Maruti, the lad, was called upon to speak on the oft-quoted and sublime sloka of the Gita: “Sarvadharman parityajya,” etc. …… “Abandoning all dharmas come to Me alone for shelter, grieve not, I shall liberate thee from all sins.” The boy delivered himself in a breathless outflow for about half-an-hour. Lastly the saint asked Ramdas to speak a few words in Hindi.

At first Ramdas started on the universal darshan which he emphasized as the goal of all spiritual endeavour. Then he came to the means of its attainment. He held out service of saints and Ramnam as the only sadhana for the purification of the mind and heart, which was the essential condition for achieving that supreme vision. He congratulated the assembled devotees on their good fortune in having an opportunity for serving a saint. Pointing to the saint by Ramdas’ side, he added that there was a saint for them to serve and be benefited. He exhorted them not to allow such a God-given occasion to slip by.

For the night Ramdas was escorted to the house of a merchant devotee who once had an occasion to entertain him at Angar. He was away from home, but his pure-hearted wife welcomed him and the party into her house. The saint whom Ramdas met at Prem Singh’s relation’s house had asked him to be present next morning when he would expound Yoga Vasishtha. But Prem Singh stood resolutely against Ramdas’ attending it. The friends who were with him made adverse comments on the saint’s behaviour towards him. But he stopped them saying: “Why do you forget that it is Ram Himself playing that part? He assumes various characters.”

Early on the following day, the party left Sholapur by motorbus for Akalkot. By midday they reached the town and were put up in the house of a friend named Taksade. He was all kindness and hospitality. This friend arranged for a discourse in English by Ramdas at the Samadhi temple of the late renowned saint of the place, Akalkot Baba. A few hours before the engagement, an elderly vakil who was stricken with grief over the demise of his near relation came to see Ramdas. In his talk he roundly attacked faith in the existence of a God. Ramdas had a few words with him and a marvellous change came over him. He took Ramdas to his dwelling and was all humility and kindness.

In the evening, among a large number of friends who attended the discourse at the temple, the vakil friend was one who sat straight in front of Ramdas. The latter spoke for about forty-five minutes. He observed the vakil shedding streams of tears. It was evident that he was touched by Ramdas’ repeated exhortations to believe in God and develop devotion to Him.

That very night Ramdas had to start from Akalkot to Bangalore. The railway station lay at a distance of six miles from the city. A horse tonga was hired to take him to the station. The vakil friend was there to take final leave of him. When the tonga was about to start, the friend was overpowered by strong emotion and wept on account of separation. Then, again, as the tonga was nearing the railway station, Maruti cried like an inconsolable child at the thought of his approaching severance from Ramdas. Janardan Pant took him to task for his exhibition of feelings in that manner, reminding him of the high philosophy he used to propound while dilating on the Gita slokas.

They reached the station and, when the train arrived, Prem Singh and Madhavrao also started weeping. So in the midst of their wails Ramdas and Janardan Pant, who proposed to accompany him as far as Bangalore, got into the train and left Sholapur District.

(iii) A Mother Sees a Vision

In due time the train slowed down at the Bangalore station and halted. Alighting they made their way straight to Malleswaram in the company of Bhavanishankerrao who had come to the station to receive them. In Bangalore, Ramdas, this time, spent only a few days. Janardan Pant gave the devoted household the delight of listening to his harikatha performance. The day of departure having come Janardan Pant left for his district by an earlier train. At the time of bidding farewell to Ramdas, Janardan Pant also wept, when Ramdas reminded him: ‘Ramji, what is this you are doing? What about your words to Maruti when he manifested similar feelings?’

Ramdas also started at the appointed time and it was night. His next destination was Ernakulam in Cochin State. The railway carriage in which he travelled was crowded. He secured a seat at the corner of a short bench. A passenger on the bench was sleeping at full length and Ramdas sat in such a manner as to cause the least disturbance to the sleeping man. The seat in front of him was occupied by three men, two of whom were Musalmans. From their gilt turbans and the showy badges, they appeared to be sepoys of some eminent personage. A steady look at the oval brass plates on the red badges revealed the fact that they belonged to the Cochin State. Both the sepoys, as night advanced, began to doze in their seats. The elder of the two, fearing that his neat gilt turban might tumble down while nodding through sleep, placed it near Ramdas on his seat and commanded him in a gruff voice: “Hey, take care of my turban; see that it does not fall down. Watch and guard it well!” Ramdas signified by a ‘hum’ that he would do as bidden.

The sepoys now entered deep into the land of sleep, and Ramdas fell to watching the precious turban given in his charge. A little later, the sleeping man on his bench stretched his legs straight, and Ramdas had to move on to the very extremity of the bench and so was obliged to take up the turban and place the valuable charge tenderly on his lap. Still further the passenger lengthened himself. Ramdas thought that he was not an ordinary human being but an India-rubber man, for he seemed to stretch himself to any extent! Ramdas now, seeing the floor below the opposite seat vacant and free from luggage, slipped down to the place with the turban. Placing the turban near his head on a portion of his cloth, Ramdas took a reclining posture since the low place did not permit of sitting upright.

The train ran on unmindful of the fantastic positions assumed by the passengers who were huddled up within its compartments. Ramdas also dozed away. As the morning light was streaking in through the windows, he was startled by a soul-racking, sharp and strange cry above him. It was the gruff voice of the sepoy, owner of the turban, who was heaping curses on the rogue who disappeared with his head gear. Now Ramdas slowly slid out of the nook with the turban in his hand. At the sight of the turban, the sepoy leapt through joy and wresting it from Ramdas’ hands cried: “So you were below the seat! Ha! how could I know? Thank Allah, I have my turban back.” And he stroked his long grey beard with evident self-complacence.

Ramdas now came to Shoranur Junction where he met Sanjivrao in whose escort he caught the train to Ernakulam and, by midday, reached the destination.

As usual, Ramdas stopped with Sanjivrao at whose house in the mornings and evenings a number of friends who had been visiting Ramdas on the previous occasions came to have talks with him. After dark there would be every day kirtan in Sanjivrao’s house by his wife and children who sang in a melodious voice the abhangas of Tukaram and other saints and also God’s Names. A few friends including Veeraraghava Iyer would attend the function. All the friends would be absorbed in the blissful contemplation of God for about two hours when the music was going on.

In regard to the recent illness of Veeraraghava Iyer, an extraordinary incident which took place has to be described here in some detail. Sometime ago this friend fell seriously ill and his life was despaired of. He dropped into a state of coma having lost all external consciousness. In this state he remained for a whole night. His devoted wife was in close attendance on him. She was keeping watch on this critical night. Past midnight, an irresistible wave of sleep overpowering her, she fell into a short nap. When she woke up with usual anxiety she beheld a strange vision. She discovered a sannyasi sitting on her husband’s bed by his side. She was surprised how the sadhu could have come at that time of the night. But her heart was elated with hope that her husband would recover after such an assuring sight. The vision lasted for a few moments. The figure of the sannyasi disappeared, but her heart fluttered with faith and hope. Next morning Veeraraghava Iyer came down to normal consciousness with a decided turn in his illness towards recovery. In a few days he came round and was entirely free from the illness. Now his wife had no occasion to see Ramdas although her husband was seeing him at Sanjivrao’s every time he visited Ernakulam.

On his complete recovery his wife spoke to her husband of the vision she had on that particular night and gave a clear description of the sannyasi she had beheld. Strange as it seemed to Veeraraghava Iyer, he found that her description exactly tallied with Ramdas and he expressed it to his wife, who thereafter felt a great desire to see Ramdas. He narrated this incident to several of his friends. This time when Ramdas was in Ernakulam, Veeraraghava Iyer’s wife specially came to Sanjivrao’s house with presents to see him and convinced herself and others that she had seen that memorable night of her husband’s illness the form of the very sannyasi whom she was seeing in Ramdas. Strange indeed are the ways of God! Ramdas’ stay in Ernakulam coming to a close he departed from thence for Kasaragod which he reached in due time.

(iv) Anandashram

Ramdas reached Kasaragod. After darshan of Gurudev and others, he remained at Anandrao’s, occupying the small room of his private office. Anandrao was contemplating the erection of an ashram for him and was awaiting his return. He with Ramdas and some others went one morning to the Pilikunji hill in search of a suitable site for the ashram and at last discovered a beautiful spot belonging to Chandavar Sanjivrao. On negotiating for the plot with Sanjivrao, he agreed to hand over the small piece of land entirely for the ashram as a gift on condition that, if at any time the activities of the ashram as a religious institution should cease, the property should go back to him.

The work of constructing the building was taken up by Anandrao in right earnest, and it was hurried on as the monsoon was fast approaching. The ashram consisted of a tiny room with a raised pedestal against one of its walls to serve the purpose of a cot, and a square open verandah for receiving visitors and holding small kirtan parties. All round the four sides of the ashram, a belt of tulsi plants was planted. The site had a charm of its own. On its southern side was the beautiful view of the Payashwini river and green fields, and on the other side were hills covered with a dense jungle of tall trees. Soft, cool breezes always played about the ashram coming from the river. In the morning and evening the air was filled with the sweet music of birds. Before the ashram was occupied Ramdas paid hurried visits to Mangalore and Puttur. Kuber Anandrao escorted him to Puttur where he was put up at the Police Inspector Sundarrao’s house. Hearing of his arrival many residents of Puttur, both friends and mothers, came to see him. An enterprising young man, full of zeal for the uplift of the school boys, had started a trial institution called Shanti Shibir where boys were trained in the discipline of the body and mind. A diet free from salt and chillies was prescribed. The chief principle on which the institution worked was the observance of brahmacharya. Life was systematized, and rules and regulations controlled the activities of the students, so that they might grow up into pure, noble and fearless sons of India.

Ramdas was invited to this institution by Raman Nambiyar, the headmaster of the High School – an earnest, simple and pure soul. Thus he was brought into contact with the young aspirants and their patriotic leader. He was asked to speak a few words on brahmacharya to the boys which he did in a short speech.

The next item of interest during his stay in Puttur was the visit to the noted Sri Krishna Mandir of Sri Krishna Rao, the veteran saint of the place. Kuttanmam, as he was known to all, was all kindness and love. He possessed a glorious record of religious service and led a life of purity, simplicity and devotion. Always kirtan, bhajan and readings from religious texts were going on in the mandir presided over by the venerable saint.

Ramdas gave some discourses on devotion and allied subjects in Sundarrao’s house which were attended mainly by mothers. He was taken to several houses for dinner and kirtan. Ramdas’ brother by old birth, Narsingrao, also had him for a night’s kirtan and dinner at his house. Here Ramdas noted the power of Ram-mantram on a devotee, Gopal Pai, who had the repetition of the Name going on audibly even in his sleep, his very snoring was continuous, sonorous chanting of the mantram!

Soon after Ramdas arrived at Kasaragod he paid a flying visit to Mangalore. He stopped with Sitaramrao in Mangalore and also paid a visit to mother Rukmabai at her father’s. At Sitaramrao’s he met an itinerant, educated sadhu who started a conversation with him on the proof of the existence of God. Ramdas had a few words with him but, as he seemed to be a sceptic and not open to discussion, Ramdas refused to be dragged into further discussion with him.

One afternoon, when Ramdas was sitting in the portico of the house with some mothers, a young man was seen standing at the gate of the compound with a bunch of plantains in hand. He stood for nearly an hour looking in the direction of the portico. When the mothers departed he came up and offering the plantains to Ramdas fell prostrate at his feet. Making him seated by his side, Ramdas went on talking about the power of God’s Name and the blissful nature of true devotion of God. As he spoke on, the young man’s eyes were filled with tears which coursed down his cheeks in streams. When Ramdas finished he again prostrated at Ramdas’ feet and begged:

“Be gracious to give me the upadesh of Ram-mantram.”

Ramdas immediately initiated him with the mantram and he left. Ramdas was to leave Mangalore for Kasaragod the next day. An hour before departure this young man suddenly turned up, an utterly changed man! He wore the ochre or orange-coloured robes of a sannyasi and his head was clean-shaven and he had a lota in his hand.

He was a bright and healthy-looking lad having the light of meditation in his eyes. He was the youngest of four brothers who ran a coffee hotel in Mangalore. The eldest was a devout soul and was spending his time mostly in kirtan and bhajan. Ramdas heard the story of the youngest brother’s conversion from him. It appeared, immediately on leaving Ramdas, the youngest brother whose name was Rayu got his head shaved and had his clothes dyed in red ochre. For his initial bhiksha Rayu presented himself before the door of his brothers and called out for alms in the Name of God. His brothers were both pained and surprised at the transformation in Rayu. They tried to persuade him to give up the diksha and return to live with them to which he replied: “I am not related to any of you and am no longer yours. I belong to God in future and my life is for His devotion and service.” On receiving bhiksha he walked away from the place and came straight to Ramdas at Sitaramrao’s house. He accompanied Ramdas to Kasaragod. After a week’s stay at Anandrao’s house, Rayu left for Northern India.

The ashram work was getting on apace. When all things were ready, with a few select friends including Kuber Anandrao and Savoor Shankarrao who had come down specially for the occasion, Ramdas proceeded with the singing of God’s Name to the ashram. Gurudev, though weak with old age, having desired to attend the opening of the ashram, also came. For over an hour bhajan went on and choice songs were sung by some pious mothers. At the close of the function Ramdas spoke on universal vision for about half-an-hour. After distribution of prasad the friends dispersed.