Essays

"Are there any Presbytarian lilies? Are there any Methodist landscapes?... My religion is a religion of nature, I call it the Common Path..." announced the young professor of mathematics, whose interpretation of Vedanta made a mark on the intellectual and spiritual milieu of his times.

Professor Tirath Ram's evolution from an academic to a monk-apostle of Vedanta was an intense search for the self. The man who wanted to serve God through mathematics became destined to serve humanity first, through his transformation into the "Lion of Vedanta", Swami Ram Tirtha.

Swami Rama Tirtha rekindled the poetic vision of the Upanishads. His exposition of Vedanta through lectures and talks imparted a transcendental perspective to the ancient text. He advocated greater brotherhood and bonding through a realization of the true meaning of the spiritual law. The essence of this is captured in a beautiful composition called The Faith: "What care I for caste or creed? It is the deed, it is the deed/What for class or clan?/It is the man, it is the man/... What for crown or crest? It is the heart, within the breast."

These compositions reflect the fervour and effusiveness of his vision of the Self. Their soulful simplicity inspired C.F. Andrews to compile a selection which he believed to be at the core of Swami Ram Tirtha's philosophy.

Swami Ram Tirtha was also fluent in Urdu and Persian. He would express many of his thoughts on Vedanta in Urdu composition, and he also started a Urdu journal, Alif, to disseminate his ideas.

The concept of Vedanta as an experimental religion was the cornerstone of Rama's thoughts—it had to be practised before it could be spread: "...If Vedanta is not practiced in everyday life, what is the use of it? Vedanta printed in books and placed on shelves to be eaten up by worms will not do. You must live it. Vedanta is the whole truth; it is killed if the whole of it is not lived." Swami Rama Tirtha's own life was a living testimony to the faith he propounded.

His infectious optimism and determination sustained him through his struggles, first as an improvised student who carried on his studies through hard-won scholarships and then through the great trials and tribulations of family life thrust upon him at the tender age of 10. His life was a struggle between his efforts to earn a livelihoodand his inner calling.

Swami Rama Tirtha did not establish a new faith. Instead, he transcended all institutions and religions alike. His vision was a call-back to the real spirit of Vedanta which he defined as the freedom of the spirit.

His insights would leave his audience spellbound: "Vedantic realization is hard to achieve because a vast majority of people think they have to change themselves into god, that they have to create godhead in themselves...but you are already god, nothing but god... Vedanta shows you that your happiness is your business. Realize the truth and be free."

Swami Rama Tirtha's thoughts on the Upanishads were compiled and published as In Woods of God- Realisation. His conviction is echoed thus: "It is the faith, it is the hope. It is the struggle up the slope. It is the brain and eye to see. One god and one humanity." In a span of 33 years he packed in the experience of many life- times.

His close friend and colleague In Lahore, the poet- philosopher Muhammad Iqbal, captures the intensity and passion of Rama's life and work in his couplet: Hum bagal darya se hai /Ay qatra-e-betab tu /Pehle gohar tha I Bana ah gohar-e-nayab tu." (Like a restless drop/You have embraced the river/Before that you were a gem/Now you are a rare diamond).