Goal of Life - Swami Ramdas

Part III

Ramadas’ Initiation

When he was passing through this state, Ramdas’ father by his old birth, who later became his Guru, heard about his condition and got alarmed. Many disturbing reports reached him, that Ramdas was behaving strangely and was neglecting worldly duties. They considered that it was all due to some derangement of his brain which could be cured by medicine. Such was the impression people had of him and that was conveyed to his father who was then in Udipi. As soon as he heard this news about his son, he ran down to see him. He looked at Ramdas and understood him. Ramdas was seen repeating Ram Nam always. He had lost all interest in the world. The father asked, ‘Son, what are you doing?’ Ramdas replied, ‘God is making me repeat Ram, Ram.’ He looked happier and addressed Ramdas, ‘Instead of your repeating only Ram, Ram, I will give you a Mantra which I received from a Sannyasi. Just take it.’ He called Ramdas inside the house and initiated him with the Mantra ‘Sri Ram Jai Ram jai Jai Ram’ and said, ‘Son, if you repeat this Mantra constantly, you will attain eternal happiness.’

To the Mantra given there was no prefix of OM at the time. Later on, Ramdas added OM because he was very much attached to Swami Ram Tirtha whose Mantra was OM. He thought that Ram Tirtha wanted him to add OM to the Ram Mantra. OM, the primary Nada or original sound, has come from God, the impersonal, infinite Reality. Through OM the whole universe has come into existence. Therefore OM, made up of the three sounds A-U-M, correspondingly signifies the three Kalas, Avastas and Gunas. We are to take our mind to the beginning of all things and merge ourselves in the Nirguna Brahman and then only shall we realize that the whole universe is filled with the infinite Truth and is the manifestation of That.

As soon as Ramdas got the Mantra from his father, he told the latter, "You are not only an earthly father to me now, but also a spiritual father – Guru." Ramdas accepted him as his Guru and started repeating the Mantra. Ramdas’ progress now was more rapid than when he was merely repeating ‘Ram, Ram.’ He found that the Mantra received from the Guru had more power than the Mantra given by anybody else, or taken by oneself. As already stated, Ramdas had now entirely to depend on Ram Nam as he could not attend the daily Bhajans in his brother’s house. The sound of the Mantra or Nada Brahman became his mainstay. His passion for repeating the Name became so strong that he had to give up food and sleep. For whole nights he used to repeat the holy Name. The members of his family naturally remonstrated at this attitude of Ramdas and there were even talks current among them that Ramdas had gone mad. It was not the madness of the ordinary type, but it was divine madness!

© "Ramdas Talks" by Swami Ramdas, published (1981) by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kulapati KM Munshi Marg, Chowpatty, Mumbai 400 007. Website: www.bhavans.info. Part II of this article appeared in Splendour, October, 2005 issue. Reprinted with permission.

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