Papa on the Great Saint Sri Siddharudha Swami, Hubli

Papa on the Great Saint Sri Siddharudha Swami

Sri Siddharudha Swami was a saint of the highest spiritual attainment, and Ramdas had the unique and blessed privilege of spending a few days at his holy feet.  Ramdas is reminded here of the case of a large body of pilgrims – men and women – who behaved in a strange way after having traveled a long distance and come to Hubli with the object of having their first Darshan of that great saint, Sri Siddharudha Swami. At the time of their arrival at the Ashram, the Swami was freely moving about and actually working with several labourers engaged in the erection of a pandal. He was not dressed gaudily, or even fully; nor was there any pomp or grandeur surrounding him. He was working as one of the labourers. The party of pilgrims asked where they could get Darshan of the Swami and someone pointed out the Swami to them. The party, particularly the womenfolk, on seeing the Swami, were more disappointed than surprised. They thought: “Was it to see such an unimpressive person that we put ourselves to so much trouble and expense?” The unassuming Swami, obviously, did not come up to their high expectations. So, without so much as a moment’s hesitation, they hastened back from the Ashram. Can such false standards and hasty judgments ever help anybody to derive benefit from contact with saints and sages?

“You know how great Sri Siddharudha Swami was. Ramdas will also tell you, in this connection, that a certain devotee was daily taking some food in a vessel to the Swami and offering the same into his mouth in small morsels. The Swami was eating the food with great love but every time the devotee put one morsel into the Swami’s mouth, the Swami also was taking a small quantity from that same vessel and putting it into the devotee’s mouth. That showed the heights of Samata or equal vision, to which the Swami had risen. There was no distinction, for him, as between himself and others. In feeding his disciple he found the same delight as the disciple felt in feeding his Guru. Was such a Guru the person from whom the pilgrim party could afford to hastily wrest themselves away? No. And yet they went away thoughtlessly from him and lost the opportunity of receiving his grace.” Courtesy: The Vision