Jewels of South India:
Ram Pujan Das and Madhuvan Ashram
By Narasimha das
I have been going to South India since 1975. After Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance, I began wondering if I might ever be fortunate enough to meet, in this life, face to face another self-realized pure devotee. In the past people went to holy places to meet genuine sadhus who would instruct them regarding the path of liberation and devotional service. It is mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam that pure devotees, such as Mahatma Vidura, go to holy places to purify and protect such places, whereas most pilgrims burden these places by their sinful reactions.
I never had any illusions about meeting a sadhu as exalted as Srila Prabhupada, or even close. Indeed, I was usually disappointed with the people I met in the dress of sadhus. Nonetheless, I remained confident that realized sadhus still existed in India—even though they may be rare or hard to find, like hidden gems.
In late 2010 my wife and I decided to leave our home and business and retire to India. During this time I decided to go to Kishkindhya in northern Karnataka. Although this holy place has become somewhat commercialized in recent years, I found that many, if not most, of the residents are devotees. (For some reason, even many the outsiders who moved here for business are themselves from exalted holy places like Puskara, Dvaraka, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Hardwar and even Mathura Mandala.) In spite of the commerce and a constant influx of western and Indian tourists, this region retains a mysterious peacefulness that deeply effects even Muslims and Christians I have met here.
Ram Pujan Das
I rented a house in the small village of Prakash Nagar, which is near the Virupaksha Temple, and soon my wife arrived from the USA with a long-term visa. She became immediately attracted to the special ambiance of Kishkindhya. When my tourist visa time was almost over, I had to leave her there while I returned to the USA to tie up loose ends and get a long-term visa. While gone my wife wrote to me about an amazing 96-year-old Vaishnava sadhu she had met.
Soon after I had returned to Kishkindhya, a friend of ours, Sriman Narayan, brought Ram Pujan Das Babaji to visit us at our ashrama in Prakash Nagar. I was impressed with his childlike demeanor and spontaneous devotion. Although I was unable to get his words properly translated (he spoke little English), we would sit together and chant japa for hours at Madhuvan, the highly revered holy place he had been protecting for 80 years. I always felt comfortable and at peace in his presence at this unique holy place.
It wasn’t until some years later, in 2016 during my last visit to India, that I learned details of his life story. He was born in Ayodhya Dhama around 1915 and had brothers and sisters who followed normal paths in life. His mother had always told him he was meant only to be a sadhu and should strive for nothing else. He took this advice to heart, and at age 18 left home to travel. After some months he arrived in Kishkindhya and discovered Madhuvan. He made it his residence and never left.
As soon as I arrived back in Kishkindhya in 2016 I went to the Madhuvan Ashram to meet Ram Pujan Das. The first sadhu I met there was trying to explain to me in broken English that Ram Pujan Das was gone. My heart was racing because I feared he had passed away… but finally understood he was out on a preaching excursion. I was surprised that at age 101 or 102 he was still traveling alone for preaching.
After a few days I got word in Hampi that he had returned, so I immediately drove to Madhuvan to meet him, hoping he would remember me after my four-year absence. Upon arriving at Madhuvan I was surprised to see him standing on the side of the road in the hot sun opposite the temple and ashram. He was just standing there…alone. I assumed he might be be trying to hitch a ride, or that he was waiting to catch a bus.
I offered my dandavats. He offered pranams, touched my head and asked about Sita (Gaura Karuna d.d.) my wife. He explained to my friend Pampa that he was on his way to a village around 20 km away to get a donation of rice. I offered to take him there and felt fortunate to have arrived at that moment before he had gotten another ride or had to ride the crowded local bus.
On the way I asked him why he was going there himself and alone. He explained (Pampa prabhu translating) that for many years the ashram had always gotten a donation of rice once or twice a year from a merchant, but the merchant had recently died and his son had stopped giving the rice. I found this explanation interesting because at Madhuvan there was plenty of rice and other younger sadhus who could have gone.
On the way there, Pampa got a call and had to return to Hampi, so I let him out and continued on with Ram Pujan Das Baba. He pointed the way and soon we arrived at a small town and parked next to some shops. We met the merchant’s son in a shop and sat down. He said he was busy and told the Baba to wait a while. One hour passed, and finally this man left. At that moment the power went off and the ceiling fan stopped. It seemed like just another power outage, but Rama Pujan Das, seeing my growing discomfort went next door and told the man in that shop to restore the power. Neither of us had seen this man turn off the breaker switch, which was in the other shop. I realized that this offensive man was hoping the Baba would give up and simply leave.
I was getting angry now. In all my years in India I had never witnessed such disregard for an elderly and dignified sadhu. He was not offered even a glass of water.
After another 30 minutes of recording-breaking summer heat, which the ceiling fan couldn’t fully counteract, the man returned. For once I was glad I didn’t speak the local languages; otherwise I might have cursed this man to his face or severely reprimanded him. He simply sat down in his chair, after apparently returning home for a brunch. He said nothing to us. Ram Pujan Das spoke to him softly, but the man did nothing and made no reply, accept to suggest that we wait longer. I was trying hard to contain myself. After sitting there for several more minutes, Ram Pujan Das, noting my discomfort and growing displeasure, suggested that we leave. I immediately agreed.
Reflecting on all this later, I realized that Srila Prabhupada had arranged for me to witness again firsthand the character of a genuine sadhu. Ram Pujan Das had remained patient, without the slightest agitation or ego, in the face of this man’s deliberate insult. I surmised from the Sadhu Baba’s actions and words that he wanted to save this man from his offensive attitude–due to his being the son of a pious father who had done regular service for Madhuvan.
Due to some ajnata-sukriti in my past I had the rare fortune of meeting Srila Prabhupada and talking to him and personally witnessing his transcendental qualities firsthand. Similarly, I feel fortunate that I could meet and recognize another self-realized pure devotee many years later, by the grace of Sri Guru and Gauranga.
Twice I made the mistake of introducing Ram Pujan Das as “Ram Pujan Baba” and twice he immediately corrected me by forcefully saying, “Ram Pujan DAS!”
That year, 2016, I was invited by pujaris to attend the Rama Nomi festivities and huge feast at Malyavanta Rama, a grand Sita-Rama-Lakshmana temple on a hill near Madhuvan. I had wanted to attend this festival for many years and was eagerly looking forward to attending the event and meeting devotees, who would come there from near and far. The morning of Rama Nomi I first went to Madhuvan. I felt so satisfied there that I stayed all day and never went to the nearby Malyavanta Rama temple for the festival there.
Later that day, two maya iskcon devotees arrived at Madhuvan with some sweet rice from their own festivities in nearby in Hospet, where they were starting some sort of collection scheme or center. They were new to the area and had no idea what was Madhuvan or who was Ram Pujan Das. I was sitting on the front porch chanting japa with Ram Pujan Das Baba when they walked through the gates carrying a bucket. They looked somewhat confused and ill-at-ease the minute they entered this transcendental realm, so I immediately got up and introduced myself and offered obeisance. They seemed surprised to see me, but listened as I briefly explained the history of this place and Ram Pujan Das. I recommended they immediately offer obeisance to this exalted devotee, which they did, seemingly with some doubt or hesitation.
Baba Maharaja, at that point, took notice of them and started preaching to them forcefully about Madhuvan and the mission of the pure chanting of the holy names of Sita-Rama and the Hare Krishna mahamantra. At this point I was reminded of Srila Prabhupada: soft as a rose, yet hard as a thunderbolt. I felt Srila Prabhupada had arranged for me to be here and witness, again, the forceful preaching of a true devotee who happens to encounter misguided sadhus. These devotees quickly had darshan in the temple and came out. Ram Pujan Das then told the pujari to give them some Madhuvan sweet rice. They ate some and quickly left, with the same full bucket of sweet rice they had brought in. No one at Madhuvan touched it.
One day I finally got a chance to ask the Sadhu Baba some questions through a translator. I wanted to find out if he had the right siddhanta, or if he, like many other sadhus in India I had met, was influenced in some way by karma, impersonal, sahajiya or mayavada philosophies. I wanted to find out what was his lineage and who was his guru. I recorded the conversation, and later took that to devotees in the Bangalore temple for further clarifications.
At Madhuvan, my translator was our Prakash Nagar neighbor, Raghu, a tour guide and auto rikshaw driver. He was astonished to meet and converse with Ram Pujan Das Babaji and thanked me profusely for bringing him there. He knew about Madhuvan but had never met or heard much about Ram Pujan Das. This reminded me of how millions of people in the West have heard of the Hare Krishna movement, yet few have heard much, if anything, about Srila Prabhupada.
When I asked the Baba what was his purpose in life, he explained that protecting this holy place was his main mission. How did he do that? By constant chanting the holy names and encouraging others to do the same. His hand is always in his bead bag; he is always chanting.
Finally I asked, “What about your next life? What do you want to achieve for your next life?” It took him a while to understand this question because, it seemed, he made no distinction between his present life at this holy place and the spiritual world.
Again, I pressed the question, “What about next life and liberation?” He finally explained that if he takes birth again, he would want to continue doing the same thing, living as a sadhu and protecting this holy place. He said he had no other aspiration and had no interest in any kind of liberation because he was fully satisfied in service of Sita-Rama-Lakshman and the holy kshetra. He said he was never feeling any kind of distress and had no need for liberation.
His guru-maharaja was also an Ayodhya-vasi and their special lineage apparently predates all the Vaishnava acharyas of this age.
Madhuvan Ashram
Many local pilgrims visit this ashram, sometimes arriving in groups, but few stay for long.
When I first came to Kishkindhya I went on a full tour of the area with a tour guide, but Madhuvan is not on the tourist map. Neither Raghunandan, my first tour guide, nor anyone at Madhuvan Ashram had explained to me the history or significance of Madhuvan. Yet, by Krishna’s grace, I happened to find this place and experience its potency. After such direct experience it was especially blissful to later learn about it by reading Sriman Valmiki’s Ramayana.
According to Valmiki’s Ramayana, this lush garden location was gifted to Sugriva’s father (or grandfather) by Lord Brahma and was the most prized possession of King Sugriva. This ashram was famed for its abundance of fruit trees and delicious fruits. When Hanuman and his party returned from the South after having found Mother Sita Devi, they came here first and celebrated by ravishing all the fruit trees in the King’s garden. They even roughed up the guards and sent them fleeing to Sugriva. In this way, the intelligent Hanuman satisfied his weary soldiers, who had always been prohibited from enjoying the King’s personal garden, and simultaneously he conveyed the news of their successful mission to the King. King Sugriva understood that Mother Sita had been found and immediately sent word of the good news to Lord Rama and Lakshmana. Sugriva knew that only a successful mission could have emboldened Hanuman and his party to such an extent that they would dare to rampage in his personal garden.
When Ram Pujan Das arrived here in the early 1900s, the site was overgrown with jungle and weeds, and no one was taking care of the ancient temple of Hanuman. While excavating the area by hand he discovered a very old murti of Lord Brahma. This granite murti is so old that most of its features have been worn away by time. We can just imagine how long it takes for air to wear down a granite carving. (By contrast, granite carvings from 500 years ago during the Vijayanagar era look almost brand new.)
One day, while staying in Prakash Nagar, my wife got an invitation to attend a special function at Madhuvan. When she arrived and asked what was the function, our friend Sriman Narayan informed her that they had decided to initiate a program of 24-hour kirtana of the maha-mantra for at least one year. During this time I heard some of the most sublime chanting I have ever heard. Many sadhus would visit for a few days and take turns chanting in the temple. Some of the rhythm and tunes went on for hours without change and were very inspiring and easy to join. I know Srila Prabhupada would be pleased with this kind of steady, sweet and non-egotistical chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra.
Recently someone paid for a new goshala to be built at Madhuvan. The cows in this goshala are very contented and peaceful. Unfortunately, however, the original goshala and ashram retaining wall might get destroyed by a project to widen the road to Bellary (if it hasn’t already happened).
The temple at Madhuvan is in a modified cave, like most of the temples in Kishkindhya. Hanuman is 11 or 12 feet tall—or, in other words, almost life size. There are also small, newer marble Deities of Sita-Rama-Lakshman, as well as several Shalagram Shilas. The temple acoustics here are ideal for kirtana and bhajana.
Long ago, Ram Pujan Das Baba arrived here by boat. At that time, a branch of the most sacred Tungabhadra River passed by the front of Madhuvan.
