← Meetings with Sages and Saints

SWAMI RAMDAS

Life

Vittal Rao, was born in Kerala. He was married and lived as a householder until the age of thirty-six. During those times, he had to face many trials and tribulations – both financially and domestically. Those dire conditions made him enquire deeply into the meaning of life. An intense spiritual transformation occurred and he was filled with an overwhelming wave of dispassion. He realized the futility of pursuing worldly pleasures, and the thirst for everlasting peace and happiness welled up within him.

The teachings of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda and Swami Ram Tirtha inspired him and he became convinced that God alone could give one eternal peace and absolute happiness. Thus, the path of devotion and surrender opened within him and he felt irresistibly urged to follow it. All attachments to family, friends, dropped away just as a fully ripened fruit falls down from the tree. Noticing Vittal Rao’s waning interest in worldly pursuits and increasing love and devotion towards God, his father initiated him into the Ram mantra ‘Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram’. Vittal Rao intuitively added ‘Om’ to each repetition of this mantra for his sadhana and changed it to, ‘Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram’.

The mantra soon took hold of him. Around December, 1922, he went forth in quest of God as a mendicant sadhu. Never accepting money and never planning his journey, Vittal Rao moved around like a dry leaf swept by the wind. At Srirangam, while taking a dip in the holy river Cauvery, he offered his white clothes to the sacred river and took on ochre robes. Prompted by his chosen Lord Ram, he assumed the name ‘Ramdas’ (meaning, ‘servant of Rama’). Ramdas never again referred to himself in the first person!

In an anecdote Swami Ramdas describes the state in which he travelled alone or in the company of other sadhus. “They travelled to Kalahasti. After a day’s stay there, they left for Jagannath Puri. It was noon. The sadhuram and Ramdas were in the train. A Ticket Inspector, a Christian, dressed in European fashion, stepped into the carriage at a small station, and coming up to the sadhus asked for tickets. ‘Sadhus carry no tickets, brother, for they neither possess nor care to possess any money,’ said Ramdas in English. The Ticket Inspector replied: ‘You can speak English. Educated as you are, you cannot travel without a ticket. I have to ask you both to get down.’ The sadhuram and he accordingly got down at the bidding of the Inspector. ‘It is all Ram’s will,’ assured Ramdas to his guide. They were now on the platform and there was still some time for the train to start. The Ticket Inspector, meanwhile, felt an inclination to talk to Ramdas who, along with the sadhuram, was waiting for the train to depart. ‘Well,’ broke in the Inspector looking at Ramdas. ‘May I know what is your idea in travelling in this manner?’ ‘In quest of God,’ was his simple reply. ‘They say God is everywhere,’ persisted the Inspector, ‘then, where is the fun of your knocking about in search of Him, while He is at the very place from which you started on this quest, as you say?’ ‘Right, brother,’ replied Ramdas, ‘God is everywhere but Ramdas wants to have this fact actually proved by going to all places and realising His presence everywhere.’ ‘Well then,’ continued the Inspector, ‘if you are discovering God wherever you go, you must be seeing Him here, on this spot, where you stand.’ ‘Certainly, brother,’ rejoined Ramdas, ‘He is here at the very place where we stand.’ ‘Can you tell me where He is?’ asked the Inspector. ‘Behold, He is here, standing in front of me!’ exclaimed Ramdas enthusiastically. ‘Where, where?’ cried the Inspector impatiently. ‘Here, here!’ pointed out Ramdas smiling, and patted on the broad chest of the Inspector himself. ‘In the tall figure standing in front of Ramdas, that is, in yourself, Ramdas clearly sees God who is everywhere.’ For a time, the Inspector looked confused. Then he broke into a hearty fit of laughter. Opening the door of the compartment from which he had asked the sadhus to get down, he requested them to get in again, and they did so, followed by him. He sat in the train with the sadhus for some time. ‘I cannot disturb you, friends, I wish you all success in your quest of God’. With these words he left the carriage and the train rolled on. “O Ram, Thy Name be glorified!”

Swami Ramdas’ journey continued and he found himself in holy Arunachala. There he met Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi for the first time. He fell prostrate at his feet. Knowing that Sri Bhagavan knew English, Ramdas addressed him in that language, “Maharaj, here stands before you, a humble slave. Have pity on him. His only prayer to you is, to give him your blessings.”

Swami Ramdas

About this experience, Swami Ramdas has said “The Maharshi, turning his beautiful eyes towards Ramdas, and looking intently for a few minutes into his eyes as though he was pouring into Ramdas his blessings, nodded his head to say he had blessed. A thrill of inexpressible joy coursed through the frame of Ramdas -- his whole body quivering like a leaf in the breeze”.

In that ecstatic state he left the Maharshi’s presence and went to spend a few days in a cave on the slopes of Arunachala, constantly chanting the sacred Name of his beloved Ram. This was the first occasion that he went into solitude. During this period of solitude, he never bathed, shaved, or cut his hair. When he ate, he only ate very little. After twenty-one days, when he came out of the cave, he saw a strange, all pervasive light - everything was Ram and there was nothing but Ram.

He describes the revelation: “And, it came one morning - when, lo, the entire landscape changed ! Wherever Ramdas looked, all was Ram, nothing but Ram ! Everything was ensouled by Ram, vivid, marvellous, and rapturous – the trees, the shrubs, the ants, the cows, the cats, the dogs – even inanimate things pulsated with the marvellous presence of the one Ram. And Ramdas danced in joy, like a boy who, when given a lovely present, can’t help breaking out into a dance. And so it was with Ramdas; he danced with joy and rushed at a tree in front, which he embraced because it was not a tree, but Rama himself! A man was passing by. Ramdas ran towards him and embraced him, calling out, ‘Ram, oh Ram!’ The man got scared and bolted. But Ramdas gave him a chase and dragged him to his cave. The man noted that Ramdas had not a tooth in his mouth and so felt a little reassured… at least the loony would not be able to bite him!”

Following his experience at Arunachala, Ramdas continued his travels for another eight years to many parts of India. It was during this time that he had his first experience of nirvikalpa samadhi in the Pancha Pandava Caves at Kadri in Mangalore.

About this experience it has been written, “For some days, his meditation consisted of only the mental repetition of the Ram Mantra. Then, the mantra having stopped automatically, he beheld a small circular light before his mental vision which yielded him thrills of delight. This experience having continued for some days, he felt a dazzling light like lightning, flashing before his eyes, which ultimately permeated and absorbed him. Now an inexpressible bliss filled every pore of his physical frame. When this state was coming on, he would at the outset, become oblivious of his hands and feet and gradually his entire body. Lost in this trance-state he would sit for two or three hours. Still, a subtle awareness of external objects was maintained in this state.”

“In these earlier stages, this vision was occasionally lost, pulling him down to the old life of diversity with its turmoil of likes and dislikes, joy and grief. But he would be drawn in again into the silence and calmness of the spirit. A stage was soon reached when this dwelling in the spirit became a permanent and unvarying experience with no more falling off from it, and then the still more exalted state came on: his inner vision projected outwards. First, a glimpse of this new vision dazzled him off and on. This was the working of the divine love. He would feel as though his very soul had expanded like the blossoming of a flower and by a flash, as it were, enveloped the whole universe, embracing all in a subtle halo of love and light. This experience granted him a bliss, infinitely greater than he had in the previous state. Now it was that Ramdas began to cry out, ‘Ram is all. It is He as everybody and everything.’ This condition was for some months coming on and vanishing. When it wore away, he would instinctively go into solitude. When it was present, he freely mixed in the world, preaching the glory of divine love and bliss. With this externalized vision, Ramdas’s mission began. Its fullness and magnificence was revealed to him during his stay in the Kadri cave, and here the experience became more sustained and continuous. The vision of God shone in his eyes and he would see none but RAM in all objects. Now, wave after wave of joy, arose in him. He realised he had attained a Consciousness, full of splendour, power and bliss.”

“Anandashram”

After years of wandering he settled in a small ashram set up by one of his devotees at Kasaragod, Kerala. Eventually, he settled down in Kanhangad, where the present “Anandashram” is situated. He had great reverence for all saints and sages. Whenever he referred to them, he would say that Ramdas was only a child of all the saints. Naturally, he had great respect and reverence for Bhagavan Sri Ramana.

Of Sri Bhagavan he has said: “Sri Ramana Maharishi was in all respects a remarkable saint. After realizing the eternal, he lived in the eternal. His advent was a veritable blessing on the earth. By his contact, thousands were saved from the clutches of doubt and sorrow. He lived what he preached and preached what he lived. He exerted a wonderful influence and created in the hearts of ignorant men and women, a consciousness of their inherent divinity. He awakened the sleeping soul to the awareness of its immortal and all blissful nature. By his very presence, he rid the hearts of people of their base and unbridled passions. The faithful derived the greatest benefit by communion with him.”

As Swami Ramdas had attained realization through uninterrupted chanting of the divine name of Ram along with contemplation on the attributes of God, he always extolled the virtue of nama-japa in sadhana. Based upon his personal experience, Swami Ramdas assured all seekers that nama-japa would lead them to the supreme heights of Realization and Oneness with the Almighty. The greatness of Swami Ramdas was that he converted Jnana Marga into full Bhakti Marga.

On the power of the Divine Name Swami Ramdas has this to say:

“The Divine Name is pregnant with a great power to transform the world. It can create light where there is darkness, love where there is hate, order where there is chaos, and happiness where there is misery. The Name can change the entire atmosphere of the world from one of bitterness, ill will and fear to that of mutual love, goodwill and trust. For, the Name is God himself. To bring nearer, the day of human liberation from the sway of hatred and misery, the way is the recognition of the supremacy of God over all things and keeping the mind in tune with the Universal by the chanting of the Divine Name.”

In this connection, Sri Bhagavan once told Devaraja Mudaliar, “The Name is God,” and quoted the Bible, ‘In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.”

Pujya Mataji Krishna Bai and Swami Ramdas

Old Devotees on Swami Ramdas

Besides referring to Swami Ramdas’ articles in the “Vision” – the journal published from ‘Anandashram’ -- Sri Bhagavan, would advise sadhaks to go to Anandashram and spend some time there in the company of Swami Ramdas. Especially when serious aspirants who did constant sadhana at Sri Ramanasramam, felt an inexplicable fatigue at a particular stage in their inner journey and reported it to Sri Bhagavan.

The following are the comments of Old Devotees of Sri Bhagavan :

Balarama Reddiar

“At the time of my first visit to Swami Ramdas in 1937, his [former] wife had already passed away, but other relatives, including his daughter, would visit the ashram, daily. The Swami would cheerfully move about -- amongst all these family members and devotees -- never putting on the airs of a sannyasi or even that of a householder. He treated everyone as part of the same family, in a very natural, affectionate and, above all, detached manner. It was a delight to watch him. He would sit with anyone, in all guilelessness and humility and begin narrating one story after another, all from his personal life and experience. During my first visit, there was only Mother Krishna Bai and two or three sadhus living in the ashram. Ramdas would be engrossed in telling me a story or reading from his manuscripts when Mother Krishna Bai would appear with food and feed us.”

Balarama Reddiar

“During my first visit, Ramdas was present for only two of the four weeks, I stayed in his ashram. Devotees from Maharashtra were eager to see him and so he had travelled there. After he left, Mother Krishna Bai was kind enough to tell me some stories from her life, describing how she came to Swami Ramdas, and other personal matters. It was all very interesting and elevating. When I returned to Sri Ramanasramam, I received a letter from Anandashram wherein they requested me to write in English all I had heard from Mother Krishna Bai. With full consent from Sri Bhagavan, I did this for them and it was included in her biography.”

“Not long after that, when I was alone with Sri Bhagavan, he asked me about Swami Ramdas. He wanted to know his daily schedule and, in particular, what Ramdas did in the mornings. It was unusual for Sri Bhagavan to inquire about others in this manner. I told him that someone had suggested to Ramdas that he should daily practise pranayama exercise, as it would be good for his health. It involved simply inhaling slowly and deeply, then exhaling slowly, without any breath retention. He was doing this for one hour every morning. I also told Sri Bhagavan, other matters concerning his daily routine. When I visited Swami Ramdas on my return from North India in 1938, I only stayed for a few days. Upon leaving, Mother Krishna Bai gave me some food to offer to Sri Bhagavan. The practice of sending food items to Sri Ramanasramam from Anandashram became an established tradition which continues to this day. For Sri Bhagavan’s Jayanti celebration, Mother Krishna Bai would send a large quantity of dried banana chips and kanji. Even after her passing, these generous offerings continue, not only for Sri Bhagavan’s Jayanti but also at other times.”

Viswanatha Swami

“Viswanatha Swami was staying at Anandashram at the advice of Sri Bhagavan. After some time, when he was planning to return to Arunachala, Swami Ramdas requested him to translate into Tamil his book, In the Vision of God. On his return, he mentioned this to Sri Bhagavan; and, Sri Bhagavan directed him that it would be better to undertake such a literary work in the presence of the saint himself. Hence, Viswanatha Swami stayed at Anandashram and completed the translation of Swami Ramdas’ book. After his return to Arunachala, he corresponded regularly with Anandashram, and in the course of this correspondence he wrote about my observing mauna. Soon after this he received a letter from Swami Ramdas wherein the Swami wrote, ‘Balarama Reddy is observing mauna? That is very good. He is a pure soul.’ A day or so after this letter arrived; I was entering the ashram early one morning at 5.00 a.m. by way of the stairs on the northern side. One has to ascend a few steps and then descend a similar number of steps which takes you down to the ashram level. These steps take you over the bund beside a small canal bank where water would flow during the rainy season. When I reached the top of the stairs, I met Sri Bhagavan and his attendant proceeding in the opposite direction. I stood aside to let them pass. Sri Bhagavan looked at me and said, ‘Viswanathan received a letter from Swami Ramdas: ‘Balaram Reddy is observing mauna? That is very good. He is a pure soul.’ Bhagavan repeated this sentence to me in English.”

S.S.Cohen

S.S.Cohen

“I found myself landed in Anandashram in Kanhangad, on the north Kerala coast, of which Swami Ramdas was the presiding deity. I had planned to stay there for a few weeks, but somehow I lingered on for more than eight months.”

“ Being far from the public road, ‘Anandashram’ enjoys a natural, quiet and sweet, idyllic simplicity, which made it a congenial retreat at that time for me. So, I liked the place and stayed on, and did my work in my own way. Even the peculiar atmosphere of this ashram suited me in my moods those days. After a short while I began to distinguish the psychical difference between it and Ramanashram, I was greatly amused when I detected the way Swami Ramdas was affecting me. It enhanced the boyish tendencies which had been at times causing me much inconvenience, and which I had been trying to curb – the loquacity, the hastiness in action, the quickness of temper, the extreme sensitiveness to sound, the bouts of paralysing shyness, etc. I had spent fifteen years (since 1925) in comparative loneliness and silence, but Anandashram drew me out to the spontaneity of my adolescence for a good part of the time I was there.”

“Joy permeated everything: the hills, the grazing cattle, and the very air one breathed – all were joy inspring, all Ramdas’s RAM. In the spiritual life of some devotees what counts most is genuine bhakthi, irrespective of labels and nomenclature, and Anandashram was, no doubt, surcharged with it, but it was a bhakthi which was nurtured by joy. Joy and love oozed out of every pore of Swami Ramdas’s being and infected his neighbourhood.”

Swami Ramdas was always in a state of bliss and yet exceptionally simple and practical in his day-to-day life. He enthralled the devotees with meaningful stories which helped them in their sadhana. ”

Humour of Swami Ramdas

THE DEVIL AND THE POLE

A man wanted to propitiate a devil to make it do whatever he wanted. So, he did the necessary sadhana to that end and, by the power of some mantra, he was able to summon the devil before him. The devil said that it would obey his commands, but on one condition, “If at any time you do not give me work, I will devour you. You must keep me engaged all the twenty-four hours.” The man agreed. He immediately gave an order to build a Palace for him. To his great wonder, the Palace was built in no time ! Then, he gave an order for a long road to be made ready. That work was also executed in a short time ! Next minute, the devil was standing before him, asking for more work. The man had no time even to think. He gave an order to build a big town. It was ready within ten minutes !

Now, the man was perplexed and fear gripped him. He did not know what new orders to give the devil. If he did not give any work, he would be eaten up. He hastened to a Sage and asked for advice. The holy Sage suggested that he might get a bamboo pole, plant it in the ground and ask the devil to climb it up and down, until further orders. He did so and the devil was bound to carry out the order. This meant no rest whatever for the devil. Finally it got disgusted and ran away !

In our case, “Ram Mantra” is the pole and our ‘ego’ is the devil that teases us.

Ask him to go up and down the pole repeatedly and he will soon get tired and run away !

“Ram Nam” is given to you in order to subdue the ‘ego’. The ‘ego’ must be made to disappear by its own endeavour.

PAPA RAMDAS AND ME

It was the first time that I was leaving Sri Ramanasramam to go to another ashram. Carrying within my heart the sacred instruction of my teacher Pundit T.K. Sundaresa Iyer: ‘Meet Swami Ramdas’, I darted straight like an arrow to Swami Ramdas at Anandashram, in 1960. It was late in the evening when I reached that serene ashram. A sannyasi came near me and putting his arm around my shoulders told me, “You do not know me. But, I know you very well, through K.K. Nambiar!” Later, I came to know that he was the ever-cordial, ever-smiling and ever-affectionate Swami Satchidananda, the ever-working human machine of Anandashram! He continued, “Come! I will take you to Papa.” Just as Sri Ramana Maharshi is always addressed by all as ‘Bhagavan’ (meaning, “God”), Swami Ramdas is ever referred to by all as ‘Papa’ (meaning, “Father”).

Swami Satchidananda standing beneath ‘Panchavati’

Papa Ramdas, was in a room seated on an easy-chair, with his legs stretched on a stool in front of him. I prostrated to him and put my head on his sacred feet. When I raised my head, I saw Papa holding his right hand up, and pointing at something. Since I was immersed in happiness, by merely touching his holy feet, I didn’t make any effort to see what he was pointing at. Papa then told me, “If you want to say something to me, come here at seven tomorrow morning and we shall talk it over. Now, go and take rest!”

Next morning at 6.45, I was seated alone in that same room. While waiting for Papa, I started looking around. Its walls looked clean, clear and bright. There were no photos, except one of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. I was thrilled to realise that Papa was pointing at it while I was prostrating to him the earlier evening. I remembered my teacher Pundit T.K. Sundaresa Iyer telling me that Swami Ramdas got Self-Realisation in the presence of Sri Bhagavan. No wonder that Papa had only one photo in his room - that of Sri Bhagavan! While I was drenching myself in such thoughts, Papa came in. There was no one else in the room. He looked at me enquiringly. l said, “Swami! I want to talk to you about some personal matters!” Even before I could complete my sentence, Papa interrupted with all kindness, “Then, you should go to Mataji. She will deal with you!” And, with one of his glorious, famous smiles, he dismissed me!

I spent a few weeks at Anandashram. Under Mataji’s instruction, I sat at the feet of Papa Ramdas when he held satsangs in the mornings, evenings and nights. Swami was tenderly affectionate towards me.

I want to share two incidents from among the many glorious ones that took place in those satsangs.

During one evening satsang, I was seated at the feet of Swami Ramdas, in the grove of five trees called Panchavati. An old devotee of Papa had arrived that morning along with his mother. He sat at the other side of Papa’s easychair and poured his heart out, “Papa! All say that God exists. You too give absolute importance to it. Saints like Meera Bai, Tukaram and Namdev, among others, claim that they have seen God in the form of Krishna, Vittal, Rama, Panduranga. I am an ignorant family man. I am constantly confronted with this one doubt - is there truly a God?” Papa smilingly confirmed it with a nod of his head. To this the devotee countered, “If so, Papa, can you show me God? Just one God! Can I, with my naked eyes, see at least one God?”

Papa assumed a serious stance and roared, “Why just one God? I can show you, right now, here, three Gods. Gods you can see with your own eyes.” Everyone around was spellbound!

Resuming his usual smiling and joyous attitude, Swami said, “Who is God? The true God is the life sustainer! Right now, you can see the “Sun” in the sky, next is your “own mother”, and the third is there the “cow”, grazing in the fields. Without the sun, not even a blade of grass can grow. Your mother gave you life. And the cow gives life to innumerable beings. So, all the three are Gods -- Gods who can be seen by anyone who has the eyes to see.” I was thrilled by Swami’s outpouring on the living, visible God!

Another day, another long standing devotee of Swami Ramdas visited Anandashram. As usual, I was seated at the feet of Papa. This gentleman asked, “Papa! By your Grace, my sadhana of chanting ‘Ram Nam’ is going on meticulously. Again by your Grace, I have no other material or family problems. Everything is going on smoothly, by your Grace. Yet! Sometimes, while immersed in doing japa, a bout of depression overpowers me, plunging me into dense darkness. No matter what I do, I could not get rid of it. Why should it happen? What is it? What should I do to get over it?”

Swami Ramdas kept quiet for a short while, then gave a broad smile and said, “It is a process of spiritual purgation. Your stored up vasanas are struggling to leave you. You cannot and should not do anything about it except allow it to happen. This is an aspect of the inner struggle that happens in the process of progressing spiritually. During these times, start reading about the life of a saint. But a word of caution, do not, I repeat, do not read his or her teachings. Simply details about his or her life! Reading about saint’s life has the power to totally remove the stagnation caused by stored up vasanas. In fact, every saint lives only for the benefit of yearning sadhakas!”

I felt elated - Swami Ramdas on that day opened an inner door in my own struggle to progress spiritually. It was on that day that I understood the significance of the life led by every saint, that the life of a saint is just as important as his teaching.

Papa Ramdas and Ma Anandamayee Ma

MY BELOVED BHAGAVAN

By Swami Ramdas

What shall I say of Him who towers high, A veritable Everest of spiritual Glory, A resplendent Sun who sheds Light on all. He is our soul, our life and sole refuge. The Sage par-excellence dwells on the Sacred Hill, Arunachala, the abode of holy ones, the Rishis. His compassionate eyes pour forth nectar on all He sees, Drowning us in a sea of joy and ecstasy. Our lives are aflame with Divine Wisdom At a moment’s touch of His world-redeeming feet. He is God Himself who walked on earth. His Grace and delight enter our hearts, Transforming us into His beauteous image. He belongs to the dizzy heights; Still He stands firm on the earth of ours To redeem and save those who behold His face reflected in the mirror Of His toe-nails, which glow with celestial radiance. The care-worn go to Him and become Free and cheerful like children at play. The earnest aspirants approach Him To return deeply permeated with Knowledge Eternal. Verily, to be in His presence is to know All that exists is Himself, His grandiose being and form. His unfailing power of love is most potent; How He draws me to Him is a mystery.

O Lord ! Like a rudderless boat adrift On that vast ocean of the world, I wandered Hither and thither seeking in darkness The Supreme Light and Goal that liberates life From galling bondage and depthless sorrow. Lo ! Thy Grace drew me to Thy feet And I came to Thee a vagrant and a beggar. Thy very sight was burning with the all-consuming fire of the world. The instant my head touched Thy holy feet The fever of my soul left me for ever. I felt lightness and freedom and peace; Then Thine eyes, redolent with Thy Infinite Grace Tenderly looked on me and I was thrilled. I stood before Thee, a figure of pure bliss, Fully bathed in Thy Divine Halo. Now, I am Thy child, free and happy. My face is suffused with smiles drawn from Thee. My life is entirely enlightened With Thy Love, Knowledge and Power. Thou art my Mother, Master and Friend, my only Beloved. All glory to Thee ! All glory to Thee !