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Shri Rameshwaranand Saraswatiji
About Shree Rameshwaranand Saraswatiji

According to most of the residents of Bhachau - Bhuj area of District Kutch in Gujarat, Swami Rameshwaranand Saraswatiji, a.k.a Bapu is not an individual but a massive mission of love, devotion, benevolence, help and affection which is meant for young and old alike irrespective of caste, creed of gender for whosoever come in contact with him. A man who speaks in these people's own language but whose words seem to descend from somewhere far above the soil of land, who behaves like an ordinary person but whose embraces and blessed touching always seem heavenly, whose face is simple but glow thereupon is supreme. The visitor feels his presence very nearby, but in-between he becomes very-very distant from this earth. Externally he smiles but anyone who knows him a bit instantly realizes as to how bitterly he keeps on weeping from inside. He is not only pained and sorry for the sufferings of people seated in front of him but is hurt and distressed for his own limits to eliminate the depravity spread all around the vicinity. As a boy he was called Ram. Now, when he has passed many - many years of his searching, struggling and wandering life and has been given the name of Rameshwaranand Saraswati Bapu by his mentor "Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati" of Chamoli (Uttaranchal), but for his devotees and followers he is simply 'Bapu'. He had left the comforts of pleasant home, loving lap of his mother, affectionate company of his innocent sisters and younger brother, had cut off the family bindings and had come out in search of divine power called God, but what he found in the wilderness was treacherous and corrupted individuals who wore the saffron robes or sleeveless long shirts and who called themselves monks and saints, fulfilling their worldly desires by deceiving and fooling the simple, innocent, god-fearing men and women who keep on presenting everything affordable for them in the hope that their blessings and prayers and meditational pores will bring peace and prosperity to them. Bapu had got to be practical to survive in the pond of mud, but he was still in his human body, so he needed food and water and shelter and clothes, but was unable to procure them voluntarily from someone. He was not accustomed to spread him empty palms before others and had no experience to do manual labor. His mother had always been with him to fulfill his every need, to look after his every comfort, but now Bapu was on the road, away from her and was on his way to seek the Almighty. He was feeling hungry and thirsty. Bapu was just shivering and thinking - Was he on right path? Were his actions of leaving family and friends and home and city justified? Will he ever be successful in his mission of finding God? Is He really has any existence? Is it not just a myth? He thought and thought and thought. And then he felt sleepy and lied down in a corner of the footpath where he was helplessly sitting since last night - hungry, tired, confused.

A Journey Of Mumbai

Old memories came rushing to his semi-conscious mind. His father was a wealthy person of the village who was highly respected and admired and on his sudden death one day when his body was brought home, he witnessed his mother and sisters endlessly crying and weeping. Their lives had suddenly changed from a well-knit family to a dependent one on their relatives, socially if not financially. Ram’s maternal uncle took the family to his native place and later agreed to send Ram to Mumbai for his further studies. The moment of leaving his mother and sisters and younger brother was heart breaking for him. Ram’s mother kept on repeating her advises to him about taking timely meals, maintaining health and not mingling with bad elements in the city. Ram felt helpless seeing the tears flowing from the eyes of his mother and was getting disheartened by the golden dreams of future which forced him to leave home for an unknown environment. Mumbai had its own charms and its own shortcomings. Ram completed his college studies and joined a reputed commercial concern. He called his mother and sisters to Mumbai for a short period and greatly enjoyed their company. After their return, Ram was once again alone. Life was running smoothly but his fortune – invisible future – was having a wicked smile for him. Who had ever thought that a modern, brilliant young man, a successful company executive will one day find himself amongst the vast audience gathered to hear the ‘pravachans’ of a renowned preacher at Chowpatty? What he listened that day changed the course of his life. Why has he come on this earth? Has he not been given a specific assignment to fulfill? Will he ever find his creator? Then, the life of Ram was transformed. He resigned from his job, went home to see his worldly ‘janmadaata’ mother for the last time and then without letting anyone even think about it, he took his bag containing a shirt, a pant, an underwear and a dhoti-kurta, left a letter for mother and left home in darkness of night to unknown wilderness.

Moving Towards Haridwar

……where was he now? Oh, on the footpath of a road of holy city Hardwar. A tall half-naked man was standing near him. Ram got a bit alert, but was still anxious to talk to him as the first words he heard from him were “Get up, son, you are hungry. Come, let us have some food.” It was a god-sent offer for starving Ram. He wanted to ask many questions but feelings of physical weakness won over him. He got up and followed the stranger to a nearby footpath-eatery. Now his stomach was full and he wanted to suppress the urge for smoking, a habit that he had unintentionally acquired in company of footpath sleepers and rickshaw pullers after coming to Hardwar. But first he wanted to test the validity of this stranger who had just talked about worshipping a living god. Ram wondered and asked – who is the living god? The man remained silent for a few minutes and then started speaking in a low voice – “You have often heard that every living soul is creation of God, and His creation naturally has a part of Him in it. So consider everyone as a reflection of God and for that you need not denounce the world to search for Him. The creation of this world is not for nothing. Every creation has a meaning and utility of its own. Try to find it and it will automatically get opened before you. There is no need to go to the caves of Himalayas. Remain in this very world and you are certain to find Him”. Ram’s doubts suddenly vanished. He felt enlightened. His inquisitiveness was aroused. Still he wanted to continue the dialogue with him. The stranger, who was now known to Ram as Mast Ram, was no miser with his words, but at the same time, Ram found him to be extremely clear in his thoughts and philosophy and ultimately he proved to be the perfect guide to take Ram to the desired destination.

Introduction With Yogi

……. Rishikesh to Badrinath – a tedious hilly terrain, full of thorny bushes and bone-shivering icy winds welcome travelers who were always exposed to wild, murderous beasts. Bapu and Mast Ram travelled for about 200 kilometers before reaching “Chamoli”, a beautiful and pious pilgrimage surrounded by high mountains with river Ganga flowing with full stream below in the valley. A little distance away from village Maithana, a small heart-pleasing hermitage Amravati Ashram was visible with its full glory, and very next to the Ashram, the river Ganga’s water was divided into two different streams. Just inside the Ashram on a slab of a big stone was sitting an elderly person as if almost whispering to the waves of the river. Mast Ram walked further bowed his head then very respectively bent upon elderly person’s feet to express his honor. The Yogi was surprised and asked – why! You have come after such a long time? To which he replied – “Yes, Gurudev, it is more than a year now.” Ram was waiting outside wondering at the pleasant scenes all around. The yogi has strictly instructed Mast Ram never to bring any person with him. But this time his orders were disobeyed. Mast Ram was hesitant and was unable to find proper words to start dialogue to beg permission to introduce Ram to him. It was a terrible task for him to gather courage. “Who is that person standing outside” enquired the Yogi. Almost trembling with fear, he introduced Ram to Gurudev and begged that the boy may please be accepted as a disciple. “Disciple and Mine!” shouted Yogi – “Are you in your senses?” Yogi’s face got reddish with anger. Mast Ram held his stand and continued begging for

acceptance of his prayer for adopting the boy as his ‘shishya’. By now Ram was almost hypnotized. He witnessed the divine deity spreading glowing light all around his body as also on four sides of the place where he was sitting and automatically fell on the feet of Gurudev. “Who do you want?” unending questions were being thrown upon Ram, but he remained dumbfounded. There were no answers that came out of his mouth. Tears started falling and he kept on standing silently, but there was a strange strength in his resolve and awareness that he had found what he was had searching for a long time. He had found his destination, his lakshya – his Guru Vasudevanand Saraswati. By now Baba Mast Ram had left them alone…. A new Ram was born.

Bapu helping people during disasters

Ram was advised never to hate any one. If you hate someone, that means you hate the Almighty, the creator of this universe, as he himself is a part of His creation. Feel every living being a part of the Almighty. If you are happy, God will be happy, if you are sad, He himself will be sad. Always have a close watch on you every moment. He is mingling with you; never forget Him for a Moment. Now go, go and meet the people. Meet the people and help them gain knowledge about Him. Try to eliminate their sufferings. Try to console them and try to please the creator, the owner of all of us, the Almighty. And Ram did become a symbol of consolation for all those who were searching dead bodies of their Kith and Kin in the debris of Dudhai, Bhachau, Anjar…. and several nearby towns and villages of Kutch where terrible destruction had happened on the Republic Day of India, the 26th January 2001. Due to the disastrous earthquake converting hundreds of houses, factories, huts, temples into a wreckage, an earthquake that had killed hundreds of school going children who a few moments before were carrying the national flags in their hands and were singing the patriotic songs. Bapu took along with him everyone that he met on his way to the rescue operation and started arranging mass cremations, inspired people to start community meals, requested outsiders to immediately provide relief material particularly cereals, milk, vegetables, tents, clothing, utensils, stoves and other necessities of daily life. He was no ‘sanyasi’ any more but an untiring laborer, a proficient disaster management authority and an active scout, a savior in time of need for the distressed population. All eyes were focused on Bapu for relief and rehabilitation. He lost consciousness on witnessing the weeping and wailing villagers on death of their near ones whose mutilated bodies still lay under the debris of destructed buildings. Bapu was pained, shocked, troubled, horrified but was still trying to heartily console the mourners. He was still seeing a ray of hope in those who had survived, who had got united, and who had forgotten the rivalry of caste, creed and religion, which had eliminated the differences between a rich and poor, between a Brahmin and a Scheduled caste person, between a Hindu and a Muslim, between a Rabaari and a Patel. Alas, he felt pitiable for himself for being so wrong on his realization. Not even three days had passed after the disaster, and when the relief material started reaching from throughout the country into the quake-affected areas of Kutch, that people started fighting with each other like hungry dogs, snatching whatever came in front of their eyes and tried to deprive the so called lower caste communities from being able to get anything for their survival. They wanted to snatch everything for themselves and their own community members and went on to exclude the century’s old depressed members of society from being pulled out of the calamity. They had again become beasts that they were and amongst whom Bapu had struggled hard to induct the feeling of humanitarianism. Bapu felt powerless, weak and vulnerable before his own disciples. He for once was defeated in his own terrain. He wanted to run away to the jungles of Himalayas, wanted to get out of the hell of hateful creatures who themselves had witnessed death from so near, who had lost their bright children, their loving parents, their close relatives, but those very people wanted to repossess the discriminatory system of life once again.

BAPU’s Love

Bapu struggled. Bapu fought. Bapu wept. He ran away and then returned back, he talked to the people, he rebuked every one whom he had so affectionately helped and loved all along for their having failed in their duty to uphold the dignity of mankind. Bapu remained on fast for many days at a time to repent for their weakness. Then the people resented, begged for his forgiveness, pledged a moral life, and compelled Bapu to live amongst them, guide them, bless them and continue to hold satsang for their salvation. They constructed two rooms on a nearby hilltop for him (which incidentally was very closed to Indraprastha, a newly rehabilitated village constructed by a Delhi based NGO, Rashtriya Swabhiman under the patronage of Dr. Saheb Singh Verma, Ex-Chief Minister of Delhi, who having been terribly moved on witnessing the destruction had managed to get constructed the new township containing over 800 houses in a miraculous period of 100 days for quake affected residents of village Dudhai). Now the believers of Bapu planted trees to maintain greenery and started assembling every evening at Bapu’s Tekri (Hill Top Ashram). They heard Bapu’s preaching’s with undisturbed attention. Bapu was telling them to come to him only if they had faith in humanity, equality, brotherhood, religious harmony and human values. He did not want them to visit the Tekri just for passing time or for only getting their problems solved. They had experienced Bapu’s healing touch and his hidden powers to cure their illness. Bapu was still angry for their inhuman attitude towards their less fortune brethren. However, Bapu’s love for the people was not diminished. He wanted to make another effort to see if he could inculcate in them the feeling of kindness towards all sections of society. He was sure to succeed in his efforts. He adopted a unique system to achieve his mission. He decided to hold a joint community feast on sacred Makar Sankranti, for thousands of people – poor, rich, men, women, workers, farmers, traders and transporters, shopkeepers and businessmen, students and teachers, Hindus and Muslims, Jains, Sikhs and whosoever wished to come to Bapu’s Tekri. Still rolling under the shock of Kutch disaster and bitter mental tension born thereafter due to the people’s cruel and uncultured behavior, undeterred Bapu is once again on his way to visit, help and console Tsunami victims of Chennai and other South Indian states while our prayer to Almighty is please not to let him get disheartened in his mission of distributing love and affection to one and all.