← Swami RamdasHis autobiography and his teaching

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!