Ram maruti maharaj
sri lalitha
Maharaj took birth in 1856 at a village named Pen (Raigad Dist.) in Maharashtra. He is from family, “Deshpandes”.
HH Maharaj is born on “Mool” Nakshatra. It is commonly said that, those who take birth on Mool Nakshatra, a Nakshatra shanti must be performed for the wellness of the father of the child. Hence a shanti was performed by the parents of HH Maharaj especially since his father was on death bed. But nobody was aware that the child was not a normal one, but a Parahbrahma Swaroopa and an incarnation of “Maruti”. And this was proved once. When the maternal uncle of Mharaj’s father, Sri Madhavrao was an ardent bhakta of Sri Balmukund Swami and at that time Balmukund swami happened to visit the house to enquire as to why Madhavrao ji is not visiting the Matt at Kandevadi, Mumbai. The visit of Sri Balmukund swami was totally a surprise for Madhavrao ji and had explained the then happening grave situation of his family and the ailing of Raja ram ji (Father of Ram Maruti Maharaj). When he had mentioned about the birth of HH Maharaj on Mool Nakshatra, the mother Sitha Mayi placed the child at the feet of Sri Balmukund Swami, Swami then, first placed his hands on fathers head (Raja ram ji) and said that this child is mine and keep him with you as a prasada given by me and I will take him back at the right time.
From childhood onwards, he was into Bhakti marg, and used to sit in meditation even at school hours. When the pundits used to read Keerthans and Shlokas, Maharaj asks several doubts for which the pundits could never answer him. In his child hood he used to put his legs inside a sack and touch his forehead on the Shiv Ling and do Meditation. Once during his meditation Maharaj heard a distant voice asking him to come to Sri Balmukund Swami at Mumbai. When Maharaj heard that Madhavrao ji is visiting Balmukund swami, he insisted on taking him along with Madhavrao ji. Swami then took Maharaj on his lap, and then later on Maharaj regularly started visiting the Matt and sometimes staying at the matt. During this visit Maharaj was bestowed by his master the Rama Nama mantra.
Sri Ram Maruti Maharaj was being initiated by Sadguru Sri Balmukund Swami from The Holy Himalayas and has learned Hatha yoga from his 350yrs old Guru. Maharaj was being taken to so many saints by his Guru for their blessings in Himalayas who where meditating inside the caves for years. Shri Guru Bal Mukund Swami took Ram Maruti Maharaj to different places in their “Sookshma Roop” (Subtle Form). They both traveled in their celestial body to distant holy places and Shrines in Nepal, China, and Japan etc. After Aprx.12 years of pilgrimage, Sri Balmukund Swami brought Ram Maruti Maharaj ji to Mumbai in Maharashtra.
After Sri Balmukund Swami’s final abode at Haripur (Sangli), Maharaj with other devotees started their journey to Sri Narsobachi vadi near Kolhapur. And delivered “Guru Charithra Parayan” and after the Success of Guru Parayan and receiving the grace from Guru Dathathreya, Maharaj alone left for Himalayas for 12yrs. In his return, Maharaj took dip at the Holy Ganges in Kashi and stayed at Guru Bandhu’s ashram. During his stay at the ashram, there were several topics discussed on Veda Shastra, and at a time Maharaj corrected them in certain topics which were accepted by others but the Guru Bandhu, disliked Maharaj’s intervention. Maharaj then and there told the Guru bandhu that he is sacrificing the language and Maharaj developed a new language consisting of 22 names of God and named it as Ishwar nama bhasha and continued till his final abode. The 22 names are 1.Srirama 2. Jairama 3. Jaijairama 4.Ramachandra 5.Raghuveera 6. Raghupathi 7.Shivashakar 8.Bhima Shankar 9.Harahara mahadev 10.Shiva Shiva 11.Vithalah 12.Vithoba 13. Panduranga 14.Govinda 15. Gopala 16.Ganapati 17. Hari 18. Gopalakrishna 19. Harinarayana 20. Dathathreya 21.Maruti 22.Bala bheema
Whenever Maharaj see a poor, immediately he removes his clothes and give it to them. He distributes his food the same way. He used to jump high in a sitting posture and makes a typical noise while in meditation and by seeing this people started calling Maharaj as the avatar of “Lord Hanuman”. Once in Bal Mukund Swami Ji’s Ashram, a group of devotee’s started their usual Bhajan. At the same time, One of swami’s disciples at “Shri Kshethra Kashi” (another place) was taking dip at the Ganges by chanting the name of Shri Bal Mukund Swami ji, suddenly started drowning in to the Ganges, by seeing this incident, through Swami’s Spiritual eye (Divya Drushti), Swami ji suddenly looked at Shri Ram Maruti Maharaj and conveyed the then happening incident at River Ganges and his mission to save the disciple of his master. Through his subtle form Maharaj traveled to Kashi and rescued him. At the Ashram, all the devotees where shocked seeing Maharaj in fully wet cloths. Sri Balmukund Swami smiled and told everybody at ashram that Maharaj had been to Kashi. Later on, Sri Balmukund Swami received a letter from the same disciple at Kashi informing him that Sri Ram Maruti Maharaj saved his life. Thus people came to know that why Maharaj was wet during the Bhajan. At times, Maharaj’s face, resembled like Lord Hanuman and sometimes with a tail too. Maharaj always chants “Ram naam” in the middle he jumps high like Lord Hanuman. During meditation in Lotus posture (Padmasana), Maharaj literally lifts his body two feet high from the floor. Sri Ram Maruti Maharaj holds the fruits offered to him like Lord Hanuman while eating.
Maharaj’s relation with Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Maharaj: - Maharaj considered Shirdi Sri Sai Baba as Adinaath Guru and Shirdi Sai Baba used to name him as Bhujanga Nath (Naga Nath). This shows that the Guru Parampara of HH Maharaj was Navanatha panth.
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