Samarth Ramdas
Sant Ramdas | |
---|---|
Bhakti Yoga | |
Religious career | |
Literary works | Dasbodh, Manobodh, Aatmaram, Manache Shlok, more[1] |
Ramdas (c. 1608 – c. 1682), also known as Samarth Ramdas or Ramdas Swami, was an Indian
.Early life
Part of a series on |
Hinduism |
---|
Ramdas or previously Narayan was born at Jamb, a village in present-day Jalna district, Maharashtra on the occasion of Rama Navami, probably in 1608 CE.[citation needed] He was born into a Marathi Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin family to Suryajipant and Ranubai Thosar.[2] His father was thought to have been a devotee of the Vedic deity, Surya. Ramdas had an elder brother named Gangadhar. His father died when Narayan was only seven years of age. He turned into an introvert after the demise of his father and would often be noticed to be engrossed in thoughts about the divine.
As per legend, Narayan fled his wedding ceremony in Asangao near Jamb, at age 12, upon hearing a pandit (Hindu priest) chant the word 'Saawadhaana!' (Beware!) during a customary Hindu wedding ritual. He is believed to have walked over 200 km along the banks of Godavari river to
Pilgrimage and spiritual movement
Ramdas left Taakli a few years later and then embarked on a pilgrimage across the Indian subcontinent. He traveled for twelve years and made observations on contemporary social life. He had these observations recorded in two of his literary works Asmani Sultania and Parachakraniroopan.
After the pilgrimage, he returned to Mahabaleshwar, a hill-town near Satara. Later while at Masur, he arranged for Rama Navami celebrations that were reportedly attended by thousands. As part of his mission to redeem spirituality among the masses and unite the Hindu populations, Ramdas initiated the Samarth sect. He established several matha (monasteries) across the Indian subcontinent. He may have established between 700 and 1100 matha during his travels. Narahar Phatak in his biography of Ramdas claims that the actual number of matha founded by him may have been far fewer.[4] Around 1648 CE, he had an idol of Rama installed at a newly built temple in Chaphal, a village near Satara. Initially, he had eleven Hanuman temples constructed in various regions of southern Maharashtra. These are now together referred to as the 11-Maruti (see list below).
Location | Region | Year |
---|---|---|
Shahapur | Karad | 1644 |
Masur | Karad | 1645 |
Chaphal Vir Maruti | Satara | 1648 |
Chaphal Das Maruti | Satara | 1648 |
Shinganwadi | Satara | 1649 |
Umbraj | Masur | 1649 |
Majgaon | Satara | 1649 |
Bahe | Sangli | 1651 |
Manapadale | Kolhapur | 1651 |
Pargaon | Warananagar | 1651 |
Shirala | Sangli | 1654 |
Literary contribution and philosophy
Literary works
Ramdas had extensive literature written during his lifetime. His literary works include Dasbodh, Karunashtakas, Sunderkand, Yuddhakand, Poorvarambh, Antarbhav, Aatmaaram, Chaturthman, Panchman, Manpanchak, Janaswabhawgosavi, Panchsamasi, Saptsamasi, Sagundhyan, Nirgundhyan, Junatpurush, Shadripunirupan, Panchikaranyog, Manache Shlok and Shreemad Dasbodh. Unlike the saints subscribing to Warkari tradition, Ramdas is not considered to embrace pacifism. His writings include strong expressions encouraging militant means to counter the barbaric Islamic invaders.[5]
A major portion of his Marathi literature is in the form of verses.
Listed below are some of his notable literary works.
- Manache Shlok[6] (co-written by Kalyan Swami)
- Dasbodh[7]
- Shree Maruti Stotra
- Aatmaaram
- 11-Laghu Kavita
- Shadripu Nirupan
- Maan Panchak
- Chaturthmaan
- Raamayan (Marathi-Teeka)
His compositions include numerous
His other works include an aaratee commemorating Hanuman, Satrane Uddane Hunkaar Vadani and an aaratee dedicated to the Hindu deity Vitthala, Panchanan Haivahan Surabhushan Lila. He also composed aarti in dedication to other Hindu deities. His well-known work Dasbodh[10] has been translated to several other Indian languages. The original copy of Dasbodh is currently placed at a matha in Domgaon, a village in present-day Osmanabad district, Maharashtra.[citation needed]
Philosophy
Ramdas was a proponent of Dvaita, a philosophy first proposed by the 13th-century Indian philosopher, Madhvacharya.[11]
Ramdas was an exponent of
He encouraged the participation of women in religious work and offered them positions of authority. He had 18 female disciples, among who Vennabai headed the matha at Miraj near Sangli while Akkabai managed matha at Chaphal and Sajjangad near Satara. He is said to have once reprimanded an aged man who voiced his opinion against female participation in religious affairs. Ramdas reportedly responded by saying "Everyone came from a woman's womb and those who did not understand the importance of this were unworthy of being called men". In Dasbodh, Ramdas eulogizes the virtues of aesthetic handwriting (Chapter 19.10, Stanza 1–3p). [12]
Samarth sect
Ramdas initiated the Samarth sect to revive spirituality among the various sections of Indian society. He established several matha during his lifetime.
Links with contemporaries
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Bhonsle I
The first Maratha ruler
Guru Hargobind
According to a manuscript in the Sikh tradition known as Panjāh Sakhīān, Ramdas Swami met
During their conversation, Ramdas Swami reportedly asked "I had heard that you occupy the Gaddi (seat) of Nanak. Nanak was a tyāgī sādhu, a saint who had renounced the world. You possess arms and keep an army and horses. You allow yourself to be addressed as Sacha Patshah, the true king. What sort of a sādhu are you?" Hargobind replied, "Internally a hermit and externally a prince. Arms mean protection to the poor and destruction of the tyrant. Baba Guru Nanak had not renounced the world but had renounced māyā - the self and ego." Ramdas is reported to have said, "Yeh hamare man bhavti hai" (This appeals to my mind).[17][18]
Residences
Ramdas moved all across the Indian subcontinent and usually resided in caves (ghal in Marathi). Some of these are listed below.[19]
- Ramghal, Sajjangad
- Morghal, at Morbag near Sajjangad
- Tondoshighal, north of Chaphal
- Taakli, near Nashik
- Chandragiri, opposite Vasantgad, near Karad
- Helwak, near Helwak village
- Shiganwadi, near Chandragiri
Year | Year | Location of stay | Age |
---|---|---|---|
FROM | TO | ||
1608 | 1620 | Jamb (Jalna) | 0 to 12 |
1620 | 1632 | Nashik | 12 to 24 |
1632 | 1644 | nationwide pilgrimage | 24 to 36 |
1645 | 1651 | Chafal | 37 to 43 |
1652 | 1655 | Shivtharghal | 44 to 47 |
1657 | 1660 | Shivtharghal | 49 to 52 |
1660 | 1672 | Chafal | 52 to 64 |
1672 | 1675 | Shivtarghal | 64 to 68 |
1676 | 1682 | Sajjangad | 68 to 74 |
Death
For five days prior, he had ceased consuming food and water. This practice of fasting unto death is known as Praayopaveshana. He continuously recited the taaraka mantra "Shree Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram" while resting beside an idol of Rama brought from Tanjore. His disciples Uddhav Swami and Akka Swami remained in his service during this period.[21] Uddhav Swami had the final rites performed.
Legacy
Samartha Ramdas Swami served an inspiration for a number of Indian thinkers, historians and social reformers such as
Ramdas had a profound influence on
Cultural Legacy
Ramdas Swami is a revered spiritual figure in Maharashtra and remains relevant to contemporary society in Maharashtra, thanks to his literary contributions. An aarti composed by him in reverence of the Hindu deity Ganesh is often recited first in numerous Hindu rituals.
References
- ^ Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections. p. 368. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- ^ Anil Awachat (1980). Sambhrama : Critique of some Hindu religious leaders, their views, and activities. Ameya Prakasana. p. 72.
रामदास हे देशस्थ ऋग्वेदी ब्राह्मण म्हणून ऋग्वेद्यांना साहजिकच ते त्यांचे वाटतात.
- ^ Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections.
- ISBN 978-0520024076
- ^ a b Handbook of Twentieth-century Literatures of India.
- ISBN 978-81-8220-221-4.
- ISBN 978-81-8220-221-4.
- ^ Snodgrass, Cynthia (2007). The Sounds of Satyagraha : Mahatma Gandhi's Use of Sung-Prayers and Ritual (PDF) (PhD). University of Stirling. p. 159.
- ISBN 978-93-5118-420-1.
- ^ "दासबोध.भारत". Dasbodh.com. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- ^ Vinayak Pandurang Bokil (1979). Rajguru Ramdas. The International Book Services, Poona. p. 435.
- ^ Ranade 1983
- JSTOR 44303959. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ISBN 9780521033169.
- ISBN 978-1-84331-055-6.
- ISBN 978-0-521-03316-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-8172052768.
- ^ a b Dr.Ganda Singh (1979). Guru Hargobind and Samarth Ram Das :Punjab Past and Present 13(1). pp. 11, 240–242.
- ISBN 9788184830804. Retrieved 21 April 2015 – via Worldcat.org.
- ^ A history of the Maratha people. London, Milford. Retrieved 21 April 2015 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Samartha Ramdas Swami". Archived from the original on 24 June 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ISBN 978-0520024076
- ISBN 9789353336851.
- ^ Jana-Gana-Mana-Adhinayaka, J.H., 2008. Singing the Nation into Existence. Schooling Passions: Nation, History, and Language in Contemporary Western India, p.49.[1]
- ^ Tilak, G., 2018. Study of content analysis of marathi children periodicals for enhancing multiple skills among children.[2]
- ^ Ambikar, R., 2008. Educating the Nation: The Right Way to Citizenship in India. UCVF Research Review, 2(1), pp.114-128.
- ^ Pincince, J.R., 2014. THE VD SAVARKAR AND INDIAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. Mutiny at the Margins: New Perspectives on the Indian Uprising of 1857: Volume VI: Perception, Narration and Reinvention: The Pedagogy and Historiography of the Indian Uprising.
- ^ Brackett, J.M., 2004. Practically Hindu: Contemporary Conceptions of Hanumān-Mārutī in Maharashtra. University of Pittsburgh.[3]
Bibliography
- Swami Sivananda (2005). "Samartha Ramdas". Lives of Saints. Divine Life Society.
- Swami Paratparananda (2005). "Samartha Ramdas and Dasbodha". Dasbodha:A work of Sri Samarth Ramdasa. Vedanta Kesari.
Sources
- "Shakti Saushthava शक्ती सौष्ठव" by D. G. Godse
- "Vinoba Saraswat" by Ram Shewalkar)
- "Rajwade Lekhsangrah" by Laxmanshastri Joshi)
- "Tryambak Shankar Shejwalkar Nivadak Lekhsangrah" by T S Shejwalkar (collection- H V Mote, Introduction- G D Khanolkar)