Repose faith in Divine grace

CHENNAI, APRIL 7. The manner in which God intercedes in the lives of His devotees and redeems them differs in each case and the lives of such saints become an inspiring saga for spiritual aspirants. Bhadrachala Ramadas is one such saint whose life remains a testimony to the unalloyed faith of a devotee in God's grace. Named as Gopanna by his parents, even as a young boy he displayed a remarkable spiritual disposition and revelled in listening to the exposition of the Ramayana. He considered the idols of Rama and Sita he inherited from his parents as the greatest legacy and spent all his wealth in devotional activities.

The turning point in his life came when he received initiation from Kabir Das who intuiting his spiritual maturity sought him on his own accord and instructed him. This highlights the truth that it is only through the grace of the Guru (spiritual teacher) that one can realise God. Till then Gopanna had doubts about the relative merits of worshipping God in His form and formless aspects and Kabir Das assured him that by worshipping Him with form he would progress to realising His formless aspect also. In time he married and was blessed with a child but as he did not do pursue any career he was reduced to penury. His condition did not bother him in the least but he was troubled that he could not entertain devotees who congregated in his house and hence decided to seek the assistance of his uncle who was in the ruler's employ as minister.

In his Harikatha, Sri Ramasubramania Sarma said as though ordained, he was given the job of a tax collector in the town of Bhadrachalam by the ruler and from then on his life was centred around the temple of Rama there, so much so, that he came to be known as Bhadrachala Ramadas. He dutifully discharged his official duties but his primary preoccupation continued to be his devotional activities and soon he learnt from the people there that the temple had not been renovated for long. Reassuring himself that the king was responsible for the upkeep of the temples he diverted the tax money, without remitting it to the treasury, to the renovation of the temple and performed the consecration ceremony also.

Soon the news reached the king who was furious and he imprisoned and subjected him to gruelling punishments but Ramadas bore them all without losing faith in the Lord and gave vent to his heart's agony in songs in His praise. Even such a great devotee had to suffer as a consequence of his previous deeds but the Lord intervened and paid his debt to the king in person when Ramadas' devotion became known to the world at large.

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