Samartha Ramadas
`Oh dear! Look at the face of the bride! Imagine her fate! If you desert her now, at the verge of marriage will anybody marry her?’

`Think of the condition of the father! Can he recover from the shock? To find a bridegroom itself is a difficult task. Can he find yet another bridegroom now? The father of an unmarried girl can't rest in peace. How can he ever rest in peace if the marriage comes to a stand still at the verge of performance?'
The bridegroom paid no heed to the pleadings of the relatives or the reasoning of his friends. He just walked out without uttering a single word.
The news that the bridegroom walked out of the mantap, walked out of the girl's life, walked out of his parents, walked out of the society - spread like wild fire. The commotion came to a stand still for a long minute. The brahmin's voice, chanting mantras, ceased. The music stopped as if shocked at the turn of events.
Then people started commenting in their own way depicting their mentalities. `If he is not interested, why didn't he inform beforehand? What right has he to spoil the bright future of a young girl? Such people have to be lined up and shot at with one bullet! He liked the girl, he agreed to marry but suddenly something went wrong somewhere!' `May be something is wrong with the girl'. `Whatever is the reason, we are just a tool in God's hand. It is destined to happen. He is destined to remain a bachelor and the girl is destined to suffer. Who are we to criticize God's ways?’
Whatever were the reactions of the people, the boy who walked out cared a foot for them. He remained an irresponsible brat before everybody. He left sorrow in the hearts of many. His name was Naroba. He looked irresponsible, but he was the most responsible person. He attained self realization. He looked inefficient in the samara sagara but he swam over the sagara quite efficiently. He became a blessed soul and won the name of Samardha Ramadas in due course.
Naroba was born to Suryajipanth and Nirubai in a village called Jamba in Aurangabad district. He lost his father at the age of eight and father's death developed a detachment in him. We use the words `Smasana vairagyam', `Prasuthi vairagyam'. We develop this detachment or vairagya when we see the death of somebody close. A woman develops prasuthi vairagya at the time of delivery. But these are short lived. Very soon we are brought back to this mundane world and continue to be chained by our desires, by our relatives and so on. But the vairagya in Naroba was sincere and serious. He was sick of the world around. He wanted to seek the blessings of God. One day he went to the temple of Lord Hanuma in the outskirts of the village. He was thrilled at the darshan of Hanuma and with tears of joy expressed his feelings. He sought the blessings of Hanuma to be relieved from the world around. Hanuma realized the urge in his prayer and blessed him. He expressed this experience in a song.
`Aamha Saayamsi Hanumantha! Aaradhya daivatha Raghunadha Guru Sri Rama Samardha ! Kaayune de sapi'. With the help of Hanuma, I had the darsan of Rama. I am Ramadas now. Whatever befalls me, I will not leave His lotus feet. This Ramadas settled himself at the feet of Ramadas unmindful of the world around. Naroba's mother came in search of his son and at last found him there. She could read vairagya writ all over his face, but she could not digest that fact. She did not want her son to be some one special. She wanted him to be her son-that's all! So she requested him to come home. Naroba answered `I am very much at home. House is not the one created by man, but it is created by God. I am at the feet of God. That's my house.'
"Punarapi Jananam, Punarapi Maranam." I am caught in the cycles of rebirth. I was born to many parents but my ultimate parent is God.' Any argument led him to God ultimately but she managed to bring him home though she could not bring him back to normalcy. He continued to live in a detached way till he reached his twelth year. As anybody felt, she too felt that marriage was the only solution for his vairagya. So, against his wishes she settled it and brought him to the mantap. Subhamastu it is the opportune time to.... Naroba took it as `Yes it is the opportune time to give up samsara. So did he give up much against the wishes of his kith and kin? He chose a thick forest for his meditation and presented his situation before God. `Oh God! I got up from marriage pandal at the wrong time since I felt it was the right time to give up the world around. I am more attracted to your graceful feet than to the physical body of a woman. I don't know whether I am right or wrong . I leave it to you to decide ` Rama was moved by his ardent prayer and appeared beforehim. He spoke to him thus - `Oh Ramadas ! You are a blessed soul. You have to guide many suffering souls in the world. You sit at the banks of Krishna river and do your meditation. You spread bhakti to people around you.'
Accordingly he meditated upon God for 12 long years. He chanted Ramanama incessantly. He was blessed with many miraculous powers. Then, as per the orders of Rama he toured all over the country spreading Bhaktimarg all through his marg. He renovated many temples and guided many disciples.
One day, Ramadas was lost in his prayer. A death procession went past him. The wife of the deceased looked at Ramadas and fell prostrate before his feet. She pleaded for his blessings with tears rolling down her cheeks. Ramadas opened his eyes and said `May you be blessed with a son. `She cried even more bitterly'. Swami! I am helpless. My husband is on his way to cemetery. How is it possible?' Ramadas was unperturbed. He smilingly said, `These
words are not spoken by me. They are Rama's words. Rama's words can't go wrong. Bring your husband here.' The dead body was brought. All people were made to chant, `Sri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram. `Rama nama echoed into the sky and within no time the deceased sat up. The people around couldn't believe their eyes! They were surprised at his faith in Ramanama. Ever since then he came to be known as Samardha Ramadas.
In the course of his pilgrimage he came to Pandaripur. Sarvam Ramamayam Eko Vishnu. Such words tell us that though we pray to different Gods they are all one and the same. The Almighty If we know this principle don't the saints like Ramadas know? But he was so preoccupied with Rama that he couldn't bear to see Krishna, `Oh God! I know you only as Ram! I can think of you as Ram, can pray to you as Ram. I know you are Omnipotent. You are Krishna but please forgive my foolishness. Please give me your darsan as Rama. Rama did not treat it as foolishness but only blessed him as per his wish.
We get it in the following song.
`Yedhe Kam Ubha Sri Rama
Mana Mohana Megha Syama'
It begins with where is Sita, where is Hanumanthu, why is Rukmini here and ends with a delightful note! Oh God! How kind you are! You have blessed me in the form of Rama. Ramadas came to Singhanvadi from Pandaripur. Sivaji was the then ruler of Maharastra. He could at one glance make out that this man was no ordinary saint and became his disciple. Sivaji was provided Brahma Jnana.
One day Ramadas came with his begging bowl to the royal court. The king prepared a document in which he donated his entire Kingdom to the saint. But what will a saint do with earthly riches? The saint ordained him his representative. Sivaji ruled the kingdom thus for six years hoisting saffron flag over the kingdom.
Then Samardha Ramadas went to Tamba, his native place. All the villagers gathered round him including his mother. Before his mother could fall prostrate before him, he fell to her feet. She was taken aback at the turn of events. Then he explained to her who he was. He told her, the credit went to her. The mother wondered how he could be so great. He explained, that is the power of Ramanama. If we totally surrender to God and pray to God for His blessings, he will take us into His lap as a mother takes her son into her lap.
The irony of the life was when he developed vairagya as a child, she chided him, but when he came back as a saint she appreciated him. But the tragedy was she couldn't see him to her heart's content, since she became blind.
He touched the eyes of his mother caressingly and lo! She could see her son! Her joy knew no bounds. Ramadas extolled the greatness of Rama and the impact of Ramanama. He stayed with his mother till she breathed her last and served her as a dutiful son.
He prayed for her soul to rest in peace. One day on his way to see Sivaji, he relaxed under a tree with his sishyas. The sishyas stole a few sugarcanes and the owner came and thrashed every one including Ramadas. Ramadas didn't mind it since his sishyas did something wrong, but Shivaji couldn't bear it. As he was personally attending to Ramadas he came across the wounds on the body and gathered the information from his disciples. The owner was hastened to his presence at once. But can you guess the punishment Ramadas made the king give? He was given 25 villages as compensation! Man attains godly qualities in the presence of God.
On another occasion when Ramadas came to Shivaji he had undertaken the construction of palacial fort. That provided work for 5000 people and that boosted up the ego of Shivaji. Ramadas wanted to teach him a lesson. So he told Shivaji to beckon a worker and to make him break a rock. His orders were obeyed immediately. A frog jumped out of the broken rock. Can you believe it that there was sufficient water in the rock for the frog to survive. Then Ramadas proclaimed. `Oh Maharaj! You assume that you provide a livelihood for many people. But did you see how many creatures are surviving without seeking your help? Do you know who helps them? Lord Rama undoubtedly.' Shivaji realized how much vanity he was nourishing and pleaded guilty.
If we go back to analyse Naroba's life, if we seek to find causes which transformed him from Naroba to Samardha Ramadas, we understand that he was different from all of us in every way. When we are controlled by Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada, Mastaryalu, he brought them under control. When we pray to God with an element of faith and a heap of doubt in him, he prayed to God with no element of doubt but only a heap of faith. He believed in the samardhata - capacity of God and that made him samardha Ramadas. Antha Ramamayam, Ee Jagamantha Ramamayam is a song which teaches the essence of Upanishads. Ramadas wholeheartedly believed in that and spread that. His slokas were manachi sloka and dasa byodha!
Sri Ananthacharyulu
Eesanam jagathosya Venkatapathir Vishnoparam Preyaseem
Tadvakshasthala nitya vaasa rasikam tatkshanti samvardhineem !

Goddess Lakshmi lives in the vakshastala of Lord Vishnu. God’s Leela is amazing. He can do anything to please his disciples. One day, centuries ago, as the pundits opened the temple doors of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala; they stared at the image of Lord! The Goddess Lakshmi on his Vakshastala was missing! They were shocked! They were worried! They were breaking their heads! Then they heard God’s voice. ‘She is imprisoned in the garden of Ananthacharya. Go and bring Her here with all grace.’

Isn’t it strange? It is strange but true! God wants to spread the faith of his devotees to the world through his miraculous actions. It started this way!

Ananthacharya was a disciple of Ramanujacharya. Ramanujacharya entrusted his disciple to serve Lord Venkateswara! Lord Venkateswara is a lover of flowers and garlands. Ananthacharya partook the decking of the lord with flowers. He performed it as yoga but not as a duty. Every morning, he gathered meticulously various flowers, prepared garlands out of them, decked the lord with them and admired the Almighty with a pleasing smile. He sang many songs in praise of the Lord.

This practice continued for a few days. Then one day he had a flash of an idea! When he needs so many flowers every day why not he grow a flower garden himself? The minute he had this idea, he wanted to implement it. After he finished his morning yoga of offering flowers, he began the afternoon yoga of growing a flower garden! This is a special task relating only to His God and Himself! Not even a fly can come in between! Of course his wife was given a share in the project.

Sri Ananthacharya wanted to dig a lake, to begin with. He chose a place to the south of the temple. In the scorching heat of the sun he dug heaps of mud. His wife’s duty was to throw the mud far away. She was pregnant and so it was a hectic task for her. But he was unmindful of her suffering. It was not because he did not care her but because he was always lost in the thought of Garden of Eden he was going to cultivate. They were an ideal couple. The wife had no complaint against her husband though he made her slog. She was glad to share her husband’s spiritual act.

| They were unmindful of their trouble but how can God be unmindful? He wanted to help them. So he went to Ananthacharya as a 12 year old boy and sought work. Ananthacharya did not want even a fly to interfere, as already mentioned. So he refused. The boy pleaded again but he angrily drove him away.

His sincerity, his fond love pleased God all the more. So God came to him everyday and asked him repeatedly to employ him and all the times Ananthacharya bluntly refused. God could not bear to see the pregnant lady suffer. So he employed himself in the task one day. Without the knowledge of his devotee, he snatched the mud vessel from her hand and threw it outside. He did this in a jiffy very actively. The lady was pleased at the boy’s gesture and she could not say no to him. But the husband, after a few trips wondered how his wife could accomplish her task so fast! His wife told him the truth. He was so angry with the boy for breaking the law. He ran after him and when he couldn’t catch hold of him, he threw his shovel angrily at him. The shovel hit at the boy’s chin and at once blood gushed out of it. Anybody would have pitied him, but Ananthacharya was unmoved since he felt the boy deserved it for his interference.

That evening when Ananthacharya went to the temple, the temple priests were having a round table conference. When he asked the reason for their discussion, one of them took him inside to behold the Swami! Lo! Lord Venkateswara’s chin was hurt and blood was oozing out! Ananthacharya could understand at once that he had hurt not a small boy but the very God Himself! His devotion to God made God suffers! He cried over his unreasonable act and asked God for forgiveness. God was not at all angry with him. He spoke affectionately to Ananthacharya. ‘Don’t worry; this wound will remain on me as a token of your love to me. Your name will remain eternally as a staunch devotee of mine. Chandanam will be applied there every day to mitigate the pain’. He was touched by God’s love for him.

Ananthacharya completed his Herculean task with renewed vigour. In due course a beautiful flower garden took its shape in his hands. Ananthacharya spoke fondly to every bud, every leaf, and every blossom. He knew every plant in his garden. His loving care added beauty to the garden and it became a favourite resort of Lord Sri Venkateswara and Goddess Lakshmi. Every night, they spent their time together there, without the knowledge of the owner. One night in the romantic mood, God plucked a few flowers and offered them to Goddess. The next morning, Ananthacharya could make out somebody roamed around in his garden and plucked flowers. How could human beings enter into it when it was meant exclusively for God! His anger knew no bounds! The next night he sat awake with a watchful eye! He saw nobody and he gloated over his watchfulness. But no! he was mistaken! Again some flowers were ransacked and the garden was trodden upon. He made sincere efforts for eight nights but miserably failed. Finally he sought the favour of God too.

God did not want his devotee to feel disheartened anymore. He also wanted to spread his devotion to the world.
That night as he was looking out, he saw a couple entering his garden. ‘Ah, at last I got them!’ He thought and ran towards them. There was such a glow on their faces that he stood admiring them for sometime. Then his sense of duty dominated over his sense of beauty. He ran towards them. He caught hold of them both in his hands. ‘How dare you spoil my garden which is exclusively meant for my God’ he cursed them. The couple tried to free themselves from his hands but was not successful. After some time, the husband managed to escape. Ananthacharya wondered how he could leave his beautiful wife behind, to her fate! He felt that even though he escaped then, he would definitely come back for his wife. Then he would take revenge. So he took the lady to the champak tree and tied her to it with creepers.

The lady pleaded to him in many ways, but he paid a deaf ear to her. Then he ran behind the husband. The husband ran into the temple and again ran into the garden. He was too fast for him. Unable to keep pace with him, Ananthacharya went to bed.
The next morning, when the priests opened the door they were shocked. They were dumbfounded. The Goddess Lakshmi who is always seated on Lord Venkateswara Vakshastala was not to be seen! Who could have taken her away! Then God spoke to them, don’t worry! She is imprisoned in the flower Garden of Sri Ananthacharya. You all go to her and bring her here with all the pomp and show. The Brahmins unable to believe their ears, hastened to the garden. Yes they heard it right! Goddess was very much there! When Ananthacharya heard this, he had a mixed feeling. He was delighted that God came there in person with Goddess Lakshmi but he couldn’t forgive himself for imprisoning her. He pleaded guilty.

The pundits and he made her sit in a flower basket and took her to His Holy presence singing hymns all the way. God greeted Ananthacharya as ‘Mama’. You brought your daughter to me in a basket. Henceforth you are my mama’. Goddess Lakshmi became a golden image and occupied her original place on the Vakshastala of Lord Venkateswara! Ananthacharya was a blessed soul!

How lucky he is! We hear of devotees praying to God and their wishes being fulfilled. Here Ananthacharya did not ask God for anything. He wanted to serve him all by himself. He, his wife, his garden, his every thought were directed towards God. That attachment, that love, that total surrender made God come down to him personally and to bear even pain in his hands, not once but twice!
Sada Siva Brahmendra Swami
Vivekananda said, ‘I challenge anybody to show one single period of her national life when India was lacking in spiritual giants.’ India went on producing sages with positive outlook, sublime thoughts. Such spiritual gems of India silently contributed to the well being of the whole world.’

Saints and their like have to be believed and belief is a matter of heart, faith, As God cannot be forced into a narrow definition, saints too cannot be circumscribed in the confines of words and a definition.

One such saint is Sada Siva Brahmendra, on the banks of Kaveri river in a village called Nerur, in Karur district in Tamil Nadu, India. There is a siva temple and ‘Bilva Vruksham’ on the banks of Kaveri river. In the temple lies the samadhi of the great saint. Pilgrims flock together to have his darshan.

This Sada Siva Brahmendra was born to a great pandit named Moksha Somasundara Avadhani. He prayed to Rama and Krishna while his wife Parvathi prayed to Shiva. As a result their son was named Siva Rama Krishna.

He proved himself different from birth. He had vairagya which reached its zenith in his youth but as typical parents, his parents assumed that he would behave perfectly normal after he was united in wedlock. He tried to oppose, but he had to yield ultimately to their persuations, being a dutiful son. He was married at the age of seventeen.

Siva Rama Krishna could not change after his marriage as his parents assumed. The vairagya and a quest for knowledge continued to be deep rooted in him. In the mean while his wife matured and their first night was arranged on a grand scale in his in-law’s house. Siva Rama Krishna was very hungry. He stood at the door step of kitchen and pleaded. ‘I am hungry. Will you serve me food ?’ He was asked to wait for some time. He insisted I am terribly hungry. I don’t require delicious meal. Serve me a simple meal. That’s enough!’ ‘Oh! just wait. You don’t have to wait too long. Don’t step in, stand there.’ ‘These words were spoken by his own mother-in-law.

A turning point in life comes in a split second and quite unexpectedly. ‘Don’t step in, stand there, ‘The innocent casual words of mother-in-law conveyed a deeper message.’ Don’t step, into Gruhastasram. Stand outside and seek knowledge was the implied message. The human beings who could not satiate his hunger, how will they quench his thirst for knowledge? That decided his fate. The next minute he shot out of the house like an arrow. His relatives couldn’t trace him. How can they when he is in search of the infinite knowledge?

He lived a nomadic life near forest and river beds, begging alms whenever he was hungry. When he had no place to live, where will he provide a place to God ? So he placed God within his heart and prayed to him. He described this ‘manasika pooja’ in his keerthana ‘Sivamanasika Pooja’.

‘Hey Mahadev! when you are all pervading, where do I pray to you ? When your hands and feet are spread all over how can I wash your feet ? When the sky is your dress, how can I provide you a dress ? When you are a great dancer how can I dance infront you? It thus.

Lord Siva was touched by the sincere prayer of Siva Rama Krishna. The God provided him a Guru in the form of Parama Sivendra Saraswathi Swami of Kamakoti Pitam. The Guru was impressed by the Chaitanya in him and addressed him ‘Sada Siva’! This Sada Siva served ardently the guru and composed many kirtanas, displayed his knowledge before many pandits and wrote a commentary on Brahma Sutras and Patanjali Yoga Sutras. He dedicated all his verses to his Guru. The insignia of his kirtanas was paramahamsa guru.

Great pandits too couldnot withstand his immense knowledge. One pandit who was defeated in a vedantic debate was unable to bear the insult and complained against ‘Sada Siva’. The guru asked him When will you become silent ?’ Sadasiva took it as an order and said ‘Guruji! I have been waiting for a sign from you. I will remain silent from this very moment.’ He did remain silent and composed many kirtanas describing his feelings.
He left the guru, left the formalities of the material life and started moving around stark naked. He was enjoying the bliss of Aatma Jnana. He ate what came to him. One who sleeps on the river bed in a shanty He is a true saint who knows the real meaning of Sat.Chit.Ananda He himself described it.

One afternoon Sada Siva Brahmendra Swami was relaxing beside a heap of grains. He was lost in his meditation unmindful of the passing on of time. In the evening, the farmer came there. Seeing the swami these, he mistook him as a thief and raised his stick to hit him. Lo! He remained as a statue with a raised hand for the whole night. The next morning, the Swami came to his senses and smiled at the farmer. He came back to life. Realizing the greatness of the swami, he fell to his feet and asked him to forgive him. Such saints are beyond the petty feelings of human beings. So he walked away silently.

Once he was sitting on the banks of Kaveri River and was lost in Samadhi. He was cut off from the world outside. Suddenly it started reining cats and dogs. People advised him to move but their words did not reach his ears. When his indriyas and mind have turned inward, how will he perceive the outside world ? Finally he was washed away into the river. The people felt sorry for his sudden demise.

Three months passed. A farmer was loading his cart with sand beside the river. How astonishing ? Suddenly his spade was smeared with blood stains. When he carefully examined the sand, what did he see ? Sada Siva Brahmendra Swami in the same meditating pose as he was three months before. The people felt him to be an incarnation of Lord Siva and prayed to him.

A Jnani may have a body but he is not confined to the body. He smiled at the people, gave out a Kirtana and walked past them.’ I am brahman. I am all pervading Sat. I am devoid of fear etc. was the meaning of that keertana.

Once Swami was proceeding towards Tirunalveli from Kurtalam. On the way some people were loading a bundle of sticks. They called him to carry the sticks since he too looked like a stick. He mutely obeyed them and was about to leave them, when they ridiculed him, ‘Oh log of wood! Where are you going ?’ Is it courteous on their part to extract work from him and laugh at him ? God burnt those sticks and they had no chance to plead guilty too since he disappeared from the scene.

The great Jnanis cannot be appreciated by Ajnanis. Shakespeare said ‘poets, lovers and madmen are alike’ we can add to this list Jnanis. They are lost in the eternal bliss, keep smiling to themselves, are cut off from the world. When Sada Siva’s guru was told that Sada Siva was moving around like a madman , he exclaimed, ‘I wonder when I can reach his state’. Only Jnanis can understand other Jnanis. This cannot be understood by people engulfed by maya. So they ridicule such saints.

On one such occasion an onthodox brahmin criticised his silent habits as a pretext and his avadhoota’s life as a drama. Sada Siva swami silently moved to a dhobi beside him and inscribed a few letters on his tongue. Wow! the illiterate dhobi chanted veda mantras. Those mantras supported the life style of a Jnani with illustrations and arguments.

What an irony ! An illiterate became a pandit by his gentle touch whereas a pandit remained an Ajnani. When he pleaded for forgiveness the Swami blessed him.

There were many instances which speak of his miraculous powers. Once a bride was stung by a poisonous snake on the marriage pandal. She was dead. The joyous occasion turned out to be a sorrowful scene. Luckily, the swami appeared on the scene and brought her back to life.

On a different occasion, a few muslims came across the naked saint. They were surprised at his appearance and asked a passerby , a Hindu, the reason. The Hindu explained that he was an avadhoota and that such people learn that the body is only a shelter but he is not the body. It all sounded incorrigible for them. One of the muslims ruthlessly cut of his hand. It was hanging loose from his shoulder, the blood was flowing down like a stream but the swami was walking along as if nothing happened. The muslim couldn’t believe his eyes. He ran to him and said, ‘Your hand is cut,’ The swami coolly touched his hand with the other and lo! it became normal. That miracle brought a change in the muslim and he fell prostrate before him. He wrote a sloka them which conveyed the deathlessness of atma.

He performed miracles thus not as a sign of exhibition but when the occasion arose. He was seen in many places at the same time. He never longed for a chain of devotees. He liked children more for their innocent behaviour.

During his last days he was settled in Neruru. Once children longed to see the fair in Madurai. He asked them to close their eyes. He took them to Madhurai, showed the fair, bought them eatables and asked them to close their eyes again. They were back to Neruru.
The parents were aghast at the thrilling experience of their children. The swami was also seen at Kasi, Neruru, Kanchi, Poori etc at the same time.

He lived the life of a Sanyasi, a detached man, who lived for the welfare of others. Finally he had reached his last stage. He then sent for his devotees and wrote his last message thus. ‘I am leaving this physical body of mine. You arrange a ‘samadhi’ for my body here and plant a ‘Bilva’ plant over it. Just at that time, a brahmin will reach here with a white Siva Linga in his hand. He is coming from Kasi Instal that Siva Linga before my ‘samadhi’ and pray to it regularly. Have faith in God. Try to seek the eternal. Learn to control the indriyas and the mind.’

The devotees couldnot bear their grief. One of them cried out. ‘Oh God! If you leave us, who will take care of us ? We can’t live without you. Show us the path to reach God.! Sada Siva Swami, who was about to leave the world, opened his eyes with great difficulty and wrote his last message through the last kirthana.

‘Sarvam Brahmamayam – Re Re
Sarvam Brahmamayam’

God is everywhere ? When he is everywhere, where should you seek him ? We are all in Brahmam.

Everything went on strictly as the swami envisaged and instructed.

Even today navarathi and the ‘samadhi’ day are celebrated on a grand scale there. Pudukkota Maharaj has donated a village to meet the expenses of the rituals in the temple. The celebrations are conducted by Pudukkota estate. When he was a human being, he walked like a stick and helped the humanity. When he left the physical body, he remained as a tree to help the humanity. That’s the greatness of great people. Dead or alive they are forever for the welfare of humanity.