Samarth Ramdas was a devotee of the Hindu deities Rama and Hanuman.
33 Facts About Samarth Ramdas
2.
Samarth Ramdas was born into a Marathi Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin family to Suryajipanta and Ranubai Thosar.
3.
Samarth Ramdas's father was thought to have been a devotee of the Vedic deity, Surya.
4.
Samarth Ramdas's father died when Narayan was only seven years of age.
5.
Samarth Ramdas turned into an introvert after the demise of his father and would often be noticed to be engrossed in thoughts about the divine.
6.
Samarth Ramdas is thought to have attained enlightenment at the age of 24.
7.
Samarth Ramdas later had an idol of Hanuman installed at Taakli.
8.
Samarth Ramdas left Taakli a few years later and then embarked on a pilgrimage across the Indian subcontinent.
9.
Samarth Ramdas traveled for twelve years and made observations on contemporary social life.
10.
Samarth Ramdas had these observations recorded in two of his literary works Asmani Sultania and Parachakraniroopan.
11.
Samarth Ramdas traveled to regions in the vicinity of the Himalayas during this period.
12.
Samarth Ramdas established several matha across the Indian subcontinent.
13.
Unlike the saints subscribing to Warkari tradition, Samarth Ramdas is not considered to embrace pacifism.
14.
Samarth Ramdas's writings include strong expressions encouraging militant means to counter the barbaric Islamic invaders.
15.
Samarth Ramdas composed aarti in dedication to other Hindu deities.
16.
Samarth Ramdas was a proponent of Dvaita, a philosophy first proposed by the 13th-century Indian philosopher, Madhvacharya.
17.
Samarth Ramdas was an exponent of Bhakti Yoga or the path of devotion.
18.
Samarth Ramdas endorsed significance of physical strength and knowledge towards individual development.
19.
Samarth Ramdas expressed his admiration for warriors and highlighted their role in safeguarding the society.
20.
Samarth Ramdas was of the opinion that saints must not withdraw from society but instead actively engage towards social and moral transformation.
21.
Samarth Ramdas aimed to resuscitate the Hindu culture after its disintegration over several centuries owing to consistent foreign occupation.
22.
Samarth Ramdas called for unity among the Marathas to preserve and promote the local culture.
23.
Samarth Ramdas encouraged the participation of women in religious work and offered them positions of authority.
24.
Samarth Ramdas had 18 female disciples, among who Vennabai headed the matha at Miraj near Sangli while Akkabai managed matha at Chaphal and Sajjangad near Satara.
25.
Samarth Ramdas is said to have once reprimanded an aged man who voiced his opinion against female participation in religious affairs.
26.
Samarth Ramdas reportedly responded by saying "Everyone came from a woman's womb and those who did not understand the importance of this were unworthy of being called men".
27.
Samarth Ramdas moved all across the Indian subcontinent and usually resided in caves.
28.
Samarth Ramdas continuously recalled the taraka mantra "Shree Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram" while resting besides an idol of Rama brought from Tanjore.
29.
Samarth Ramdas served an inspiration for a number of Indian thinkers, historians and social reformers such as Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Keshav Hedgewar, Vishwanath Rajwade and Ramchandra Ranade.
30.
Tilak derived inspiration from Samarth Ramdas when devising aggressive strategies to counter the British colonial rule.
31.
Samarth Ramdas had a profound influence on Keshav Hedgewar, the founder of Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
32.
Samarth Ramdas mindfully guarded against self-pride which could result from success and greatness.
33.
Samarth Ramdas is a revered spiritual figure in Maharashtra and remains relevant to contemporary society in Maharashtra, thanks to his literary contributions.