Samardha Ramadas

 

Swamy Samartha Ramdas was born in 1607 AD on Sri Rama Navami day in Jamb village near Aurangabad, Maharastra. His original name was Narayana and Suryaji Pant Thosar and Ranoobai were his parents.

Samartha Ramadas did intense Tapas for 12 years near Panchavati on the bamks of river Godavari.  Later he took up journey to many sacred places in the North and Southern India. Everywhere he found to his dismay utter tyranny, religious persecution and destruction of Hindu temples by Muslim rulers.  He was heart-broken to see the pathetic condition of the once glorious country under foreign rule.  Moved by all this, he took an owe to protect the motherland.

He sent a word to Chatrapathi Shivaji, the Maratta King after he returned to his place.  Samarda Ramadas blessed Shivaji and preached him to defend the motherland with full strength and force. Ramadas gave inspiration and guidance to Shivaji throughout his life.

On the advice of Shivaji, Ramadas stayed at Sajjangadh, a place with very beautiful natural surroundings.  At Sajjangad, he wrote a book called “Dasabodha”. He died in 1682, two years after the death of Shivaji.