The guru be it in the human form or God given form and names or as an unseen divinity, is a cradle of love, compassion and humbleness. One shall begin to follow and emulate his guru sooner or later for as Yogi Ramsuratkumar says once we are in the King cobra's (guru) jaws there is no escape. One can learn from such saints on devotion to the guru (not to his physical form) but the aura and the teachings he transmits. One such guru is Yogi Ramsuratkumar.
S. Parthasarathy in a very elaborate account of Yogi’s life in his book, BIOGRAPHY OF YOGI RAMSURATKUMAR - THE GODCHILD OF TIRUVANNAMALAI (AMARAKAVIYAM), writes how the magic unfolded in three simple steps.
- Without adopting any rituals and not leaning on any traditional conditioned customs of the religion, Ram Surat Kunwar (the Yogi’s original name) braved his path with the pure faith upon his Guru and reached the other shore safely.
- Mysterious were the ways of the Masters who worked on him and brought him to Tiruvannamalai for the sake of his children who should also cross this mighty ocean of Samsara.
- Without preaching any conventional religious practices, Yogi asked the people to remember his own Name which would evolve them to the highest Spiritual State.
But the guru shall play his game, toying with the seekers to test to see who stays on for life. Even after several earlier visits, Swami Ramdas, who was to become his guru did not inspire the Yogi. The Yogi has this to say about his guru.
"Papa (Ramdas) did not allow this beggar to understand Him. The time was not ripe. This beggar had to wait till Papa Himself revealed His Divinity to this beggar, to make this beggar understand that Papa was his Father."
But when finally, the Yogi accepted and surrendered to Ramdas, Ramdas did not receive him well.
Systematically Swami Ramdas and Mataji Krishnabai made Ram Surat Kunwar behave like a mad man and made the world believe that he had become mad. They drove him out of the ashram forcibly so that he would remember them constantly. They used harsh language whenever he was before them among the crowd of the devotees. By doing so Swami Ramdas and Mataji Krishnabai removed his ego totally. But it took a very long time. In the process, the pain, the sufferings he experienced were acute. Ram Surat Kunwar again asked Swami Ramdas to allow him and his family to live in the ashram.
He said, “Papa, I have come here with the great faith that you would allow me with my family to live here. I am not able to work anywhere since the initiation. If you drive me away, where shall I go and how can I live?”
Papa vehemently answered, “Go and beg. You cannot live in the ashram. There are enough people in the ashram to work. Remember, under a big tree, another big tree cannot grow. Only thorny bushes and grass alone will grow.”
Ram Surat Kunwar shocked on listening to the words of his Master exclaimed, “Papa, should I beg for my food? Am I a beggar, Papa?”
Papa, without answering, went inside. From that day Ram Surat Kunwar called himself a beggar. His Guru, His Master, His God asked him to beg and so he became a “beggar”.
In later years Yogi Ramsuratkumar said “Nobody can love this beggar like my Father Swami Ramdas and nobody can torture this beggar like my Father Swami Ramdas. My Father killed this beggar because He loved this beggar. This beggar died at the holy lotus feet of my father Swami Ramdas in the year 1952. After that my Father alone exists and not this beggar. This name Yogi Ramsuratkumar is not this beggar’s name; it is the name of my Father. Father would always shower his grace on the people who remember this name."
Learning from the guru and his life's experiences we can better understand their subtle workings rather than see things at face value. The Yogi has the following advice for other aspirants on this path,
“All your tapas and efforts would make you reach Guru’s Feet. Thereafter you need not bother about your spiritual growth. The Guru will take care of you. The Guru will see that you reach God. Even if you want to escape from the Guru, the Guru will not leave you. Like a frog in the mouth of a King Cobra, the disciple cannot escape from Guru. The only thing the disciple should do is remember the Guru and the Guru Mantra all the time. That is sufficient. Do not try to practice any method to reach God. Remember your Guru. That’s enough. Once you reach your Guru your sadhana efforts end here. Listen to your Guru and have faith in our Guru. Your Guru would take the responsibility of you and take you where you ought to reach. After reaching Guru’s feet, you need not worry about your spiritual growth. Just remember my Name. That is enough.” - Yogi
Indeed, both my physical gurus in this birth and their lineage and Agathiyar and the Siddhas have brought me to realize this state of complete surrender to the guru. I spend my remaining days held in the comfort of their arms, in the cradle of their love, compassion and humbleness.