Shree Samarth Ramdas: Interesting Facts About The Warrior Saint Of Maharashtra

Shree Samarth Ramdas was a forerunner of the Bhakti movement according to whom, one cannot be spiritually elevated without earnest faith and surrender. He admired warriors and their single-minded devotion to the country.

He was appreciative of their selfless role as protectors of the borders. He was of an opinion that a saint should not become a recluse after self-realization; instead, he should work on the social and moral uplift of society.

He called for unity amongst Hindus and did not like the idea of caste and creed thwarting the unity among people. He also did not support the traditional social hierarchy that split the entire society into multiple pieces. He used to allow females to participate in his festivities as organizers. He was of the opinion that the entire creation came from a woman's womb and her importance should not be understated in a man's life. He was a rare saint who believed in the equality of women. He believed in intense physical fitness and devotion to Lord Rama, a mind-boggling combination which nevertheless achieved his purpose.

Legend Associated With Shree Samarth Ramadas

Shree Samarth Ramadas was born in Jamb Village in Jalana District to Suryajipanta and Ranubai Thosar as Narayan Thosar. Due to a spate of ill luck, he lost his father at the age of eight, which turned him into a recluse and he began contemplating life with his thoughts finally diverting towards Spirituality.

As days passed, Ramdas grew intensely curious about the existence of God and about the ways of the world. He began a serious quest at the age of twelve wherein he was blessed by Lord Rama who appeared before him and blessed him with the 13 lettered Ram Tarak Mantra which he was supposed to recite 108 times a day. Gradually, Lord Rama accepted him as his disciple and gave him a new name Ramadas, by which he is known even today. It was surprising because Rama had not appeared before anyone after he had ended his incarnation on earth in Treta yuga.

Now to add to his agony, Ramadas' marriage was fixed and he was forcibly brought to the marriage pandal to complete the rituals. However, it turned out to be a moment of release from earthly bondage, for him. As soon as he heard some brahmins shouting "Beware" for some reason or the other, Ramdas, trusting his instincts, seized the opportunity, jumped down from the altar and ran away. He reached the holy city of Nashik and immersed himself from the depths of his soul in the service and puja of Lord Rama which went on for 12 years continuously. During this time, he was guided by none other than Hanuman, the greatest devotee of Shri Ram.

When Ramdas was 12 years old, he received the blessings of Lord Ram and embarked on an extensive pilgrimage all over India which took him 12 years to complete and finally reach Mahabaleshwar. He was born at a time of serious political disturbances and attacks by invaders which had caused unrest and disturbance in the social fabric. He decided to restore Hinduism to its original form and grandeur. At Masur, he held a celebration on the birthday of Lord Rama, which thousands attended. The next year, in the deeper streams of river Krishna near Angapur, he found the statues of Lord Rama following which he built a temple at Chafal and installed them with ceremonial honours and rituals. He celebrated the birthday of Lord Rama in this temple as well.

Shree Samartha Ramada's: Relationship With Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Hindu kings during this time were busy fighting the Mughal rulers and Shivaji was one of these set that battled constantly against the invaders. It was at this juncture, that Shivaji Maharaj requested Ramadas to accept him as his disciple to which Ramadas agreed willingly as a token of gratitude Shivaji offered his entire kingdom to Swami Ramadas saying that he will be only the caretaker and not the king for his kingdom while Swami Ramadas would take over and rule. Samarth ramadas, moved by this gesture, refused to accept the kingdom offered. Instead, he asked Shivaji to change the colour of his flag to a maroon shade if at he was willing to listen to him.

As time passed, several Hanuman temples were built and restored, and head priests were appointed. In the meanwhile, Samarth's mother passed away. He established math in Miraj and appointed a woman disciple Vinabai there, and visited Tanjore where Shivaji's brother joined his fold. Coming back to Sajjangad, he wrote the very famous Dasbodha and established a temple of Devi at the Pratap Fort. Shivaji Maharaj used to frequently visit him, take his advice and blessings for all his endeavours along with the spiritual knowledge that he imbibed over time, from him. By the time he had completed Dasbodh in the span of eight years., Shivaji had died and thereafter Samarth Ramadas wrote a letter to his son which equals the most knowledgeable political treatise that was ever written by a political scientist. At 73 years of age, he left his mortal coil behind as he had fulfilled the purpose of his incarnation.

Shree Samarth Ramadas: Unknown Facts

• Shree Samarth Ramdas was fair, bearded, moderately built, and unusually fit as he used to exercise regularly. He used to climb steep mountains with ease.
• He was a very good swimmer. Horse rider and proficient in weaponry and warfareyet highly unassuming.
• He was very soft spoken and liked to read and write. He had multilingual capabilities and was proficient in Hindi, Marathi Urdu and Sanskrit.
• He had the astute eyes of a skilled administrator who could assess the capabilities and nature of a person the instant he saw him.
• He was a highly interesting blend of physical and spiritual prowess that was exactly needed at the time of the political unrest that characterized the Indian way of life.
• He used to keep in touch with Shivaji Maharaj through letters every day and there were messengers to carry the letters to their recipients.
• He was the founder of the new Ramdasi Sampradaya tradition which required his followers or Ramdasis to worship Lord Ram and at the same time be battle ready by practicing defence techniques.
• Physical fitness was expected of a Ramdasi who was supposed to do 100 suryanamaskars daily with ease.
• During his journey in North India, he had also a chance to meet Guru Hargobind, the Sikh Guru.
• During his time, people were used to worshipping Vittal. But Samarth changed all that and inspired them to worship Lord Rama and Hanuman who were self-dependent and inherent warriors with the ability to defend their country.
• He wrote two works namely, Asmani Sultani & Parachakraniroopan wherein he described vividly the condition of Indians under the oppressive Mughal rule.

Some of his notable literary works include- Manache Shlok, Dasbodh, Shree Maruti Stotra, Aatmaaram, 11 Laghu Kavita, Shadripu Nirupan, Maan Panchak, Chaturthmaan and Ramayan.

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