Parables of Rama

In a short span of the first five years of the last century (1901-1906), Swami Rama Tirtha radiated, like SUN, the dazzling light of TRUTH, which, he claims, "THAT THOU ART". This is VEDANTA -TRUTH, the birth-right of each and all to be All Existence, All Consciousness, All Bliss.

Briefly speaking, Swami Rama Tirtha was born on 22 October, 1873, the following day of Deepawali-the festival of lights, became a Sannyasin in early 1901 and merged his mortal body on the main Deepawali day, 17 October 1906 into the flowing waters of the Ganga, thus he lived a short life of only 33 years, like Christ, Adi Shankar, realized God-hood-TRUTH and spread the glory of Non-Duality by becoming ONE with one and all. This is Rama.

Intoxicated in God-hood, Rama was all love with Nature, roamed on the snow-capped peaks of Himalayas, bare-footed and without cloths, lived in caves in the company of wild and fierce animals like tigers, serpents, wolves and wandered hither and thither as a free bird in his Divine Joy. Solitude was his liking.

In 1902 at the age of about 28 years, Rama sailed for Japan and after a stay of nearly a fortnight there, he continued his voyage to U.S.A. Keeping no penny with him and his own body being his sole luggage, before he landed on the soil of America, one of his traveller-companion, unknown to him, inquired of him how he lived then, Rama replied, "I only live by loving all. When I am thirsty, there is always one with a cup of water for me and when I am hungry, there is always one with a loaf of bread." Such was Rama.

Those who met him, listened to him or read him were not so much impressed by his huge learning as were convinced by his total identification of oneness his throbbing and pulsating unity with them and his living as Vedantin. He appealed to the intellect of his audience less but conversed more through heart to heart with them. He combined in himself both learning and knowledge on one hand and love and compassion on the other. It was his Vedantic living that made him adopt practical, scientific and methematical temper to realize SELF by constant, continuous and ardent labours. This carved out Real Rama out of him and made him claim: Rama makes only Rama, nothing more, nothing less. He says, when one Rama can do it, each and all can do it. Only price is to be paid. The price is: Follow the Law of Eternal Life, the Law of 'Cross', the Law of Trishul". Those, who follow the Law, shall ride over it and those who disobey it, shall be crushed. No are FREE.

Briefly speaking, Rama built himself it by bit. Born in a poor family, he lost his mother a few days after his birth; he had to put up with odds after odds but braved all these innumerable difficulties. Rama remained undaunted and undeterred continued his studies unabated and got high positions in all the examinations from primary to M.A. level. He was laborious, meticulous and exact in his studies so much so that when in a Mathematics paper in his M.A. Examination, as against the choice to solve any nine out of thirteen questions, he solved the thirteen questions and gave the option to the examiner to examine any nine of the thirteen answers given by him. When offered by his Principal being recommended for the Provincial Civil Services, he declined the offer most humbly an ha had acquired the knowledge not for selling it out but for distributing it with both the open hands. He would either be a teacher or a preacher. And so it happened. After being a, professor for a few days, he eventually became a Sannyasin.

Rama was an inborn patriot and was much exercised over the poor plight of his countrymen. When America, he tried to create an American awareness to help the Indian students learn modem and new talents, technologies and crafts. He offered his "head" first and then pleaded to others to follow suit f emancipation of the mother-land. He said: " let every son of India stand for the service of the whole as n never realize his unity with God except when unity with the whole Nation this in every fiber of his frame."

After his return from his foreign trip, in 1904, Rama did not speak much, he preferred silence and solitude and therefore went-back to Himalayas. Eventually he gave up his mortal body to Ganga, which was very dear to him.

Verily, Rama lived Veda in him, all were his. The whole being of Rama is submerged, in OM-omnipresence, omnipotent, omniscient, nothing without it nothing beyond it Rama is still roaming in Woods of God-Realization. Listen to him and Live in Divinity.

The general opinion about Vedanta is that it is abstruse, arduous and impracticable. It is an utopian conception and does not meet the requirements of actual life. At the best, Vedanta is a mental jargonism and fruitless argumentation.

But is it really so? No doubt, knowledge is power and this knowledge is acquired through our intellectual, mental and physical faculties. But these facultie5, howsoever, vast may expand, these are still limited and cannot touch the very initial beginning of limitlessness. Is there anything beyond the limitation of man's faculties and if so, what is it? This eternal query remains still unanswered.

It is VEDANTA, its literal meaning being the end of knowledge, that opens up the vistas of the unknown and limitlessness. It prepares and enables one to have a peep into the limitless horizons of TRUTH and makes him practically mum, silent but enables him to realise what he is. The world appears to him in its true colours that it is nothing but a wonderful myth.

People may give any name they like to this search of TRUTH. The prophets, seers, saints and others have engaged and involved themselves in this search and told us what they found about TRUTH (GOD).

Swami Rama simply reminds us that when Rama, as a very ordinary, poor and worldly man suffering from many a weakness and allurement, can make himself delve deep in Knowing TRUTH and realizing GOD - HEAD, every man can do so. That is why Rama claims that Rama makes Rama and nothing less or nothing more. God is God and nothing else. Rama further claims that what he had said in his lectures, speeches and otherwise also, is based on his own experiences. And that is why he warns us not to accept anything without verification, scrutiny and test to our satisfaction.

VEDANTA, he says, is not a subject of discussion, discourse or argument. Books about Vedanta, placed in selfs to be eaten up by worms, will not do. The only way to know Vedanta is to practise Vedanta, live Vedanta and make Vedanta part and parcel of our life. That is the real test. And Lo! what becomes then. Master of masters, All in all, are you!

To inspire the seekers of TRUTH and lead them to tread the path of TRUTH, Rama has narrated many interesting parables, stories, fables, instances, examples etc, in his speeches and lectures. These are very simple, interesting and stir the heart of the readers. They carry message, moral and instil in us FAITH for knowing SELF.

The beauty of these Parables, included in this present series, is that even without going through the lectures of Rama, they are independent, interesting and impart us knowledge about the reality of worldliness and tells us that in fact this world is a myth ! Independent of the elaborate theory of Vedanta, these Parables bring us face to face with TRUTH, GOD.

This book has two parts, Part-I & Part-II. In Part-I are the parables collected from Woods of God Realization from Vol. I to Vol. III and in Part-II are included those given in the lectures of Rama collected later on.

Our submission is that if this collection of Parables of Rama interests the readers, then they should go in for study of the Rama's lectures and acquaint themselves with the context in which these were narrated. That will present the full spectrum to understand Vedanta and TRUTH and make us roam in the `Woods of God-Realization', a collection of Rama's speeches, published by this Pratisthan of yours.

We are grateful to Sri Ajayya Gulati of the Future Gold Properties, Gurgaon (Hariyana) who helped the Pratisthan in bringing out the present edition of "Parables of Rama". These books were out of stock and it is the co-operation of Sri Gulati that these books could see the light of the day. We also acknowledge the contribution of Sri B.L. Agrawal in revising this volume.

We urge the readers that as Dr. Johnson has narrated in one of his experiences, included in this book also, it is a fact that one can do everything and realise TRUTH if he has the committed will and determination. Let us involve ourselves in this search of TRUTH whole-heartedly and see the results by ourselves. Rama says: only deserve and desire not. These will be automatically fulfilled. Evamushtu.