Swami Rama Tirtha
Encyclopedia
Swami Ram Tirth also known as Swami Ram, was an India
n teacher of the Hindu
philosophy of Vedanta
. He was among the first notable teachers of Hinduism to lecture in the United States
, traveling there in 1902. He was preceded by Swami Vivekananda
in 1893, and followed by Paramahansa Yogananda
in 1920. During his American tours Swami Rama Tirtha spoke frequently on the concept of 'practical Vedanta' and on education of Indian youth. He proposed bringing young Indians to American universities, and helped establish several scholarships for Indian students.
Muraliwala of Gujranwala District
, in Punjab
(now in Pakistan
). When he was a few days old his mother died, and he was raised by his elder brother Gossain Gurudas. After receiving his Masters degree in mathematics from Government College of Lahore
, he became Professor of Mathematics at Forman Christian College
in Lahore
. A chance meeting with Swami Vivekananda
in 1897 in Lahore inspired his later decision to take up the life of a sannyasi.
In the late 19th century, he became well known in Punjab for his speeches to Krishna
and later through lectures and essays on Advaita Vedanta
. He eventually entered the monastic swami order in 1899 on the day of Deepawali, leaving his personal life as a professor as well as his wife, and children. Maharaja Kirtishah Bahadur of Tehri sponsored a trip to Swami Ram Tirth for Japan
to teach Hinduism. From Japan he traveled in 1902 to the United States of America, where he spent two years lecturing on the essence of Hinduism and other religions, and a philosophy he called "practical Vedanta."
He frequently spoke about the inequities of the caste system in India
and the importance of education for women and the poor, stating that, "Neglecting the education of women and children and the labouring classes is like cutting down the branches that are supporting us, nay, it is like striking a death-blow to the roots of the tree of nationality." Arguing that India needed educated young people—and not missionaries—he began an organization to aid Indian students in American universities. To solve the problem of poverty in India, he suggested bringing young Indians to the U.S. for higher education, and helped to establish a number of scholarships for Indian students during his tour of America.
Upon his return to India in 1904 he was received with great acclaim—large crowds thronged to his lectures. In 1906, weary of the adoration, he completely withdrew from public life and moved to the foothills of the Himalaya. There he prepared to write a book giving a systematic presentation on practical Vedanta, which was never finished. He died on the day of Deepawali, vikram samvat 1963, accordingly the date was 27 October 1906. Actually speaking he did not die but took a jal samaadhi (en.water-drowning) in the pious river Ganga at Tehri
. Not some but most of the people believe that he gave up his body to the mother river Ganga.A rare co-incidence was that he was born on Deepawali, took sanyas on Deepawali and left the world on Deepawali. A rare photo of Swami Ram Tirth just before his departure is given here on the left hand side. It was published in an Indian Hindi
Magazine Prabha in between 1920-30.
as well as in Hindi
. Narayan Swami's untitled account was published in 1935 as a part of Ram Tirth's collected works. His sister's son H. W. L. Poonja
, was a disciple of Ramana Maharishi who later became a noted Advaita teacher on his own. He was known as Papaji amongst his disciples and was based in Lucknow
.
Paramahans Yoganand was a great admirer of Ram Tirth, translating many of Ram Tirth's poems from Bengali
into English
and putting some of them to music. One of Ram Tirth's poems, titled "Marching Light", appeared in Yoganand's book of Hindu chants, Cosmic Chants as "Swami Ram Tirth's Song".
Swami Ram Tirth Mission Ashram is located at Kotal Gaon Rajpura, near Dehra Dun in Uttarakhand
state of India
where his teachings are practised regularly.
One of three campus of Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal Central University situated at Badshahi Thaul, New Tehri by the name of Swamiji as the Swami Ram Tirth Parisar(SRTC). Hemant Goswami
, the great grandson of Swami Ram Tirth is a social activist based in Chandigarh
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n teacher of the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
philosophy of Vedanta
Vedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
. He was among the first notable teachers of Hinduism to lecture in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, traveling there in 1902. He was preceded by Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta , was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission...
in 1893, and followed by Paramahansa Yogananda
Paramahansa Yogananda
Paramahansa Yogananda , born Mukunda Lal Ghosh , was an Indian yogi and guru who introduced many westerners to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his book, Autobiography of a...
in 1920. During his American tours Swami Rama Tirtha spoke frequently on the concept of 'practical Vedanta' and on education of Indian youth. He proposed bringing young Indians to American universities, and helped establish several scholarships for Indian students.
Biography
Ram Tirth was born to Pandit Hiranand Goswami on the day of Deepawali vikram samvat 1930 (22 October 1873) in the villageVillage
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
Muraliwala of Gujranwala District
Gujranwala District
Gujranwala District is a district in Punjab, Pakistan.- History :The village of Asarur which has been identified as the location of Taki, an ancient town, visited by the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsiang contains immense ruins of Buddhist origin...
, in Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
(now in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
). When he was a few days old his mother died, and he was raised by his elder brother Gossain Gurudas. After receiving his Masters degree in mathematics from Government College of Lahore
Government College University
Government College University, Lahore is a co-educational public university located on The Mall in Lahore, Pakistan...
, he became Professor of Mathematics at Forman Christian College
Forman Christian College
Forman Christian College University, or FCCU, is a chartered university in Lahore, Pakistan, named after its American-born founder, Dr. Charles William Forman.- History :...
in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
. A chance meeting with Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta , was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission...
in 1897 in Lahore inspired his later decision to take up the life of a sannyasi.
In the late 19th century, he became well known in Punjab for his speeches to Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
and later through lectures and essays on Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta is considered to be the most influential and most dominant sub-school of the Vedānta school of Hindu philosophy. Other major sub-schools of Vedānta are Dvaita and ; while the minor ones include Suddhadvaita, Dvaitadvaita and Achintya Bhedabheda...
. He eventually entered the monastic swami order in 1899 on the day of Deepawali, leaving his personal life as a professor as well as his wife, and children. Maharaja Kirtishah Bahadur of Tehri sponsored a trip to Swami Ram Tirth for Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to teach Hinduism. From Japan he traveled in 1902 to the United States of America, where he spent two years lecturing on the essence of Hinduism and other religions, and a philosophy he called "practical Vedanta."
He frequently spoke about the inequities of the caste system in India
Caste system in India
The Indian caste system is a system of social stratification and social restriction in India in which communities are defined by thousands of endogamous hereditary groups called Jātis....
and the importance of education for women and the poor, stating that, "Neglecting the education of women and children and the labouring classes is like cutting down the branches that are supporting us, nay, it is like striking a death-blow to the roots of the tree of nationality." Arguing that India needed educated young people—and not missionaries—he began an organization to aid Indian students in American universities. To solve the problem of poverty in India, he suggested bringing young Indians to the U.S. for higher education, and helped to establish a number of scholarships for Indian students during his tour of America.
Upon his return to India in 1904 he was received with great acclaim—large crowds thronged to his lectures. In 1906, weary of the adoration, he completely withdrew from public life and moved to the foothills of the Himalaya. There he prepared to write a book giving a systematic presentation on practical Vedanta, which was never finished. He died on the day of Deepawali, vikram samvat 1963, accordingly the date was 27 October 1906. Actually speaking he did not die but took a jal samaadhi (en.water-drowning) in the pious river Ganga at Tehri
Tehri
Tehri is a city and a municipal board in Tehri Garhwal District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative seat of Tehri Garhwal District.-History:...
. Not some but most of the people believe that he gave up his body to the mother river Ganga.A rare co-incidence was that he was born on Deepawali, took sanyas on Deepawali and left the world on Deepawali. A rare photo of Swami Ram Tirth just before his departure is given here on the left hand side. It was published in an Indian Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
Magazine Prabha in between 1920-30.
Literal appreciation
Indian Revolutionary Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil had depicted the character of Swami Ram Tirth in a beatiful poem titled Yuva Sanyasi. This poem was published in his book Man Ki Lahar in the year 1920. Some of the heart touching lines are reproduced hereunder:Legacy
Two of his closest disciples- S. Puran Singh and Narayan Swami, wrote the biographies of Ram Tirth. Puran Singh's The Story of Swami Rama: The Poet Monk of the Punjab appeared in 1924 and was published in EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as well as in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
. Narayan Swami's untitled account was published in 1935 as a part of Ram Tirth's collected works. His sister's son H. W. L. Poonja
H. W. L. Poonja
Sri H. W. L. Poonja, b. Hariwansh Lal Poonja, also known as "Poonjaji" or "Papaji"...
, was a disciple of Ramana Maharishi who later became a noted Advaita teacher on his own. He was known as Papaji amongst his disciples and was based in Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
.
Paramahans Yoganand was a great admirer of Ram Tirth, translating many of Ram Tirth's poems from Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and putting some of them to music. One of Ram Tirth's poems, titled "Marching Light", appeared in Yoganand's book of Hindu chants, Cosmic Chants as "Swami Ram Tirth's Song".
Swami Ram Tirth Mission Ashram is located at Kotal Gaon Rajpura, near Dehra Dun in Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
state of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
where his teachings are practised regularly.
One of three campus of Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal Central University situated at Badshahi Thaul, New Tehri by the name of Swamiji as the Swami Ram Tirth Parisar(SRTC). Hemant Goswami
Hemant Goswami
Hemant Goswami . is an Indian social activist working on public health and civil right issues. Besides being known as one of the most vociferous voices against tobacco, Hemant is also credited with creating the first smoke-free city in India and also in any third world country with the effective...
, the great grandson of Swami Ram Tirth is a social activist based in Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
.
Further reading
- In Woods of God Realization: The complete works of Swami Rama Tirtha. Rama Tirtha Pratisthan. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006CXNG0
- Parables of Rama by Swami Rama Tirtha. Rama Tirtha Pratisthan. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007C11PY
- Practical Vedanta Selected Works of Swami Rama Tirtha: Selected Works of Swami Rama Tirtha. 1978, Himalayan Institute Press. ISBN 0893890383.
- Yoga and the Supreme Bliss : Songs of Enlightenment. Swami Rama Tirtha, 1982, trans. A.Z. Alston. ISBN 0950801909.
- Life, Teachings And Writings Of Swami Rama Tirtha, by Prem Lata. Sumit Publications, ISBN 8170001587.
- Swami Rama Tirtha - A Great Mystic Poet of India. http://www.vedicbooks.net/swami-rama-tirtha-a-great-mystic-poet-of-india-p-14504.html