Lives Of Indian Saints: :Great Indian Leaders. Saints of Maharashtra The saints included are Samartha Ramdas, Namdev, Ekanath, Tukaram, Damaji, Chokamela, Akalkot Swami, Gorakumbar and Jnanadev. I have covered Samartha Ramdas, Namdev, Ekanath, Tukaram and Jnanadev. SAMARTHA RAMDAS Ramdas was one of the greatest saints of the world. He was the inspirer of Shivaji. He was born of Suryaji Panth and Renuka Bai in Jamb, . His original name was Narain. Ramdas was a contemporary of Sant Tukaram. He was a great devotee of Hanuman and Lord Rama. He had Darshan of Lord Rama even when he was a boy. Lord Rama Himself initiated him. Description of Guru devotion in tantric practice by Pandit Ashvagosha. By Indian Master Ashvagosha. Note: these practices are specifically part of the Tantric path as practiced in Tibetan Buddhism, and should be considered. Native American Legends Abenaki Legends. Abenaki Creation Story And The Importance Of Dreaming; Abenaki Emergence Myth; Glooscap Turns Bad Into Good; Gluscabi And The Wind Eagle; Gluskabe Changes Maple Syrup; How Glooscap. Guru Nanak; Guru Angad; Guru Amar Das; Guru Ram Das; Guru Arjan; Guru Hargobind; Guru Har Rai; Guru Har Krishan; Guru Tegh Bahadur; Guru Gobind Singh; Guru Granth Sahib; Guru Panth. In Hindu belief this is the name of an incarnation of the god Vishnu. He is the hero of the 'Ramayana', a Hindu epic, which tells of the abduction of his wife.
Ramdas did Purascharana of the Rama Mantra of thirteen letters Sri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram thirteen lakhs of times at Tafali, near Nasik, on the banks of the Godavari. After the Purascharana was over, once again Ramdas had Darshan of Lord Rama. It is said that Ramachandra ordered Ramdas to visit holy places such as Nasik, Haridwar, Kasi, etc. Ramdas sprinkled over a dead body holy water uttering the names of Rama and the dead body was restored to life. Ramdas had to do this, because he had blessed a woman who had just lost her husband. Ramdas was an Advaitin and a Bhakta in one. He had this very noble quality that he never hated any religion or nation. His main object was to spread the Hindu religion throughout India. Ramdas had not visited Pandharpur, as he had not known the existence of this holy place. One day, the tradition says, Lord Panduranga Vittal, in the form of a Brahmin, with a batch of three hundred pilgrims, appeared before Ramdas and asked him whether he had any objection to see Lord Krishna. Ramdas replied in the negative. Panduranga then took Ramdas to Pandharpur, and when the Bhaktas approached the temple, the Brahmin disappeared. Ramdas then knew that it was none other than the lord that had brought him to that holy place. He entered the temple, and to his great surprise, found Sri Rama standing alone on a brick. It is said that Sri Rama ordered Ramdas to go to the banks of the Krishna and help the cause of Shivaji, the incarnation of Siva and founder of the Kingdom of Maharashtra. Ramdas came to the Krishna and went about preaching from Mahabaleshwar to Kolhapur. He established eleven principal seats of Maruti that emphasized the importance of physical development. He installed the shrines of Sri Ramachandra at Champavati and introduced Sri Rama Navami Mahotsava and the procession of Sri Rama. It was at the place called Singanvadi that Shivaji became the disciple of Ramdas. Shivaji placed the sandals of his Guru on the throne and acted as regent of the kingdom under the order and guidance of his Guru and adopted as ensign the flag of orange colour There is a beautiful and romantic incident current in the Maharashtra country about Shivaji. Ramdas asked Shivaji to rule the kingdom in his (Ramdas. And thus had come the Gerua banner to Shivaji. His Preachings and Life. Ramdas. He appeared to the outside world as a mad man. He used to have, by his side, a large number of stones with which he pelted every object he saw. To men really interested in his teachings, he gave the Mantra Sri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram. Ramdas had eleven hundred disciples, of whom three hundred were women. The women disciples were also expert preachers and were virtuous. Ramdas sent his disciples to all parts of India to spread the Hindu religion. His disciples and Mutts in the North directly or indirectly helped Shivaji and his work. When Ramdas visited Thanjavur, Venkoji, who was the step- brother of Shivaji, became his disciple. Ramdas appointed Bhimaswami, his direct disciple, as the Mahant of the Thanjavur Mutt.(One wonders would Shivaji Maharaj been the same person if it were not for Ramdas. Not only did the Swami motivate, encourage Shivaji to protect his motherland and ask him to rule justly but he also used his disciples to help Shivaji as referred to in the above para. As human beings we need to realize the importance of a good advisor. While I am all for using one. If you were to compare the quality of Shivaji. Last Day. Ramdas generally preferred to live in the forest, where he would say, he had better meditation. In his last days, Ramdasdevoted his time partly to literary activities and partly to the systematic building up of his disciples and mutts, both in the north and in the South. The literary works of Ramdas such as Dasabodh, Manache Shlok (verse addressed to the mind), Karunashtakas (hymns to God) and Ramayana (describing only the conquest of Lanka by Sri Rama and the vanquishing of Ravana) are very popular. It was as a tribute to Ramdas. This great Guru of Maharashtra breathed his last in 1. Sajjangad, near Satara, a fortress that was given to him by Shivaji for his residence. Ramdas repeated the Rama Mantra with his last breath. At the time of his departure from the world, a dazzling light emanated from his body and ramdas was absorbed in the image of Lord Rama. The last instructions of Ramdas to his disciples were: . Have Satsang with devotees. Keep the image of Lord Rama in your heart. Repeat the name of Lord Rama always. Annihilate lust, greed, anger, hatred and egoism. See Lord Rama in all creatures. Feel His presence everywhere. Serve Him in all beings. Make total and unreserved surrender unto Him. You will always live in Him alone. You will attain immortality and eternal bliss. He was not a servant of Lord Krishna, but His companion. Namdev was an Amsa of Lord Krishna. Namdev was a contemporary of Jnanadev, the famous saint of Maharashtra, being his senior in age by about five years. He was born in 1. A. D. He came from a family of tailors who were sincere devotees of Vittala of Pandharpur. The family members were observing the Wari of Pandharpur, i. Ashadh and Kartik months. The family originated from a village called Narsibamani on the bank of the river Krishna near Karad, in district Satara. Being a great devotee of Vittala and wishing to improve his material prospects, Dama Setti, the father of Namdev, had moved to Pandharpur a year or two before his son. Namdev went to the temple, placed the plate of eatables before Vithoba and asked Him to accept the offering. However, when Namdev did not find any evidence of acceptance by Vithoba, he cried so bitterly that Vithoba actually assumed a human form and accepted the offerings gratefully. So the next day, she herself accompanied Namdev (but without his knowledge) to see and verify for herself the correctness of Namdev. The same performance was repeated and the mother had the satisfaction of seeing the lord actually accepting their offerings. Her joy and pride in Namdev was unbounded. She felt grateful to the lord that she was the mother of such a great devotee. Lord Vithoba his only interest - In other respects, however, Namdev was the despair of his parents, and later, of his wife and other relatives. From the beginning he had no interest in worldly affairs; he neglected studies in school; he would not take interest in his father. His sole interest was to spend day night in devotion to Vithoba. His parents were getting old; the family prosperity was waning. Therefore, their dearest wish was that Namdev, while devoting a reasonable spare time to his devotions, should help in maintaining the family in comfort. In the meantime, Namdev married Radha Bai. Radha Bai was a worldly- minded woman. In response to Namdev. Namdev neglected his worldly duties. Under the guise of Dharma Setti of vaikunthapuram and the pretence of past friendship with Namdev, the Lord visited Namdev. He said that he saw no necessity for him to have a Guru as he had intimate relationship with Lord Krishna Himself. Lord Krishna said that Namdev did not really know Him. Lord Krishna challenged Namdev and asked him to find out His identity that day. Lord Krishna took the form of a Pathan horseman and passed before Namdev. Namdev could not recognize the Lord. Namdev agreed to go to a Guru Lord. Vithoba then advised him to adopt Visoba Khechar as his Guru. The Lord is the world itself. Give up all ambitions or desires. Let them take care of themselves. Be content only with the name of Vittal. You need not undergo any hardship or penance in order to go to heaven. Vaikuntha will come to you of itself. Do not be anxious of this life or of your friends or relatives. They are like the illusions of a mirage. One has to spend a short space of time here like the potter. Make the best of it by keeping the name of Vittal ever in your mind and on your lips and by recognizing Him everywhere and in everyone. This is my experience of life. He took his Samadhi at Pandharpur at the age of twenty- six in 1. A. D. Namdev was not an author of any big treatise; but he left behind him a large number of Abhangas or short poems, full with the nectar of Bhakti and love towards God. These are exceedingly sweet. Most of these are lost, but there are extant about four thousand Abhangas, which to this day are a great source of inspiration to all who would read them. Some of the Abhangas are found in the Sikh Adi Granth. The essence of Namdev. Constantly remember Him. Meditate on the Lord in your heart. Serve the Lord with your hands. Place your head at His lotus feet. You will forget your hunger and thirst. The Lord will be near you. You will attain immortality and eternal bliss. He was born of Suryanarayana and Rukmini in the year 1. A. D. The fire of devotion was kindled in his heart even when he was a boy of ten years. This was all due to his previous Samskaras. VI- 4. 3) Once Ekanath heard an Akasa Vani, a voice from the sky, which said: . He will put you in the proper spiritual path and guide you. Janardana accepted Ekanath as his disciple. Janardana was the Dewan of the province of Devagiri. Ekanath lived with his Guru for eight years and served him with heart and soul. Ekanath had great love for the untouchables He had equal vision. He saw Lord Krishna in all creatures.
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