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Raamadaasa Navamii

From the Bhakti List Archives

Shree • February 22, 1998 


namaskaar,

Yesterday was 'raamadaasa navamii' - anniversary of the day when shrii
samartha raamadaasa took samaadhi. He is the author of the maraaThii
raama mantraache shloka that I had posted earlier on the bhakti-list. 

There had been a few requests for more details about him as well as a request
for word meanings while posting the maraaThii works. Sunderji has very 
graciously given me both. 

Here is a brief life sketch of swammi raamadaasa. 
Following this, I will try to send in one verse daily from manobodha -
manaache shloka, which is a reminder to one's own self to always remember
Lord Ram, with the word meanings and english translation by Sunderji and
it's sanskrit translation by 'raamadaasaanudaasa'.

Hope this will inspire some more posting regarding 'bhakti movement' in
North India.

If anyone does not want to get this mailing, please let me know :-)

Regards,
Shree

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Swami Ramadas: 

Birth anniversary  chaitra shuddha (shukla)navamii  Apr.5, 1998
Death anniversary  maagha  vadya (krishhNa) navami   Feb 21, 1998

"Swami Ramadas was born in 1608 A.D on Chaitra, Shuddha Navami in Kulkarni 
family, in Jaamba town, situated on the banks of the river Godavari.

        At the age of 5, he developed an intense yearning for the vision of
Rama, and had it fulfilled by Him in the local Rama temple.

        At 12, he agreed to get married on the insistence of his mother, but
when he heard the priests sing the marriage chants with the word
"saavadhaana"(=beware!) he escaped from the hall, and went to a place
TaakaLii, and spent 12 years in intense prayers.

        He then travelled across the land, and established temples and
monasteries in Maharashtra, for the upliftment of mass renewal of divine
awareness.

        King Shivaji was entering the political scene at this time and he
became an ardent disciple of Ramadas. He sought his advice on many
issues of governance of the kingdom.

        Swami Ramadas was a prolific writer and an inspired poet.
His major work is "Dasabodha", in the form of a dialogue between 
a spiritual teacher and a disciple in search of wisdom. 
It has attained the status of a "Marathi Veda" (along
with GYaaneshvarii, Eknath's Bhagavat, and Namdev-Tukaram's Abhangas.)

        His most popular work is "Manobodha"(manaache shloka), or 
"advice to the mind", a profound summary of Dasabodha. It has 205 
verses, and easy to memorise. It gives a masterly synthesis of the 
pathways to the highest goal of life, liberation, through action, 
meditation, devotion, and philosophy (advaita vedanta), based on 
his own spiritual realisations.

 He completed his life's work in 1681 AD., 1 year after Shivaji's
death. His samadhi is at Sajjangad, near Satara (Maharashtra). The
followers of his tradition are known as daasapa.nthii (raamadaasii
saMpradaaya).

        The best assessement of his life and work can be found in Prof.
R.D.Ranade's "Mysticism In Maharashtra", originally published in 1933,
(most recently in 1982 by Motilal Banarasidas.)"

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email:    shree@usa.net
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