SRI RAMANANDA RAYA This year, 2012, the disappearance day of Sri Ramanand Raya falls on Thursday, 10th

May. Excerpts on his life from Sri Chaitanya His Life & Associates by H.D.G. Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirth Maharaj. RAMANANDAS SOCIAL STATUS Ramananada Rayas father was named Bhavananada Raya. He was born in a family of the Orissan karana caste, an administrative caste like the kayasthas. Bhavananda was previously King Pandu.Hehad five sons of whom Ramananda was the oldest. The Lord states in Chaitanya Charitamrita You are Pandu himself, and your wife is Kunti. Your five sons are the five Pandavas, Manohara Raya, a descendant of Ramananda Raya, had written his family history. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur has summarized some details of this account in his Anubhasya and concluded Orissan society considers the karana community to be part of the Shudra caste. Ramananda Raya was born into this community. Nevertheless, though he was considered by society to be a shudra by birth, he was a de-facto Brahmin, indeed, as a Vaisnava Paramahansa, he was spiritually master of the Brahmins. By Krishnas will, the creator Brahma himself appeared in an outcaste family in order to show that ones family and ones race have absolutely no importance. Born as a Muslim, Haridas still enriched Lord Gaurangas pastimes. Haridas Thakur was born in the low caste family of the Lords desire in order to show that caste and class have no importance at all. All the scriptures say that a devotee of Vishnu, though born in a lowly family, is still worshipable by Lord. What will ones caste do for one born in a high caste but who does nor worship Krishna? He will go to hell inspite of his high birth. Haridas took a low birth just to bear witness to these spiritual statements. He is comparable to Prahalad whi was born in family of demons, or Hanuman, who was born a monkey. They belong only superficially to low castes or species. A Vaishnava is beyond the qualities of material nature. Anyone who considers a devotee in terms of his birth or race is destined for a hellish existence. Anyone who considers the deity to be nothing but stone, the Guru to be an ordinary human being, or the Vaishnava to be a member of a particular caste or race, who takes the holy water which has washed Vishnu or vaishnavas feet and can destroy all the sins of age of Kali to be ordinary water, who thinks that the name or mantra of Vishnu, which destroys all evils is the same as any other sound or who takes Vishnu to be equal to anything other than him, as a hellish nature.

Bhavananda Raya made his home in Brahmagiri or Alalanath, about 12 miles of the west of Puri. Raya Ramanand was King Prataprudras governor in Vidyanagar and later was one of his ministers. According to the Bhajana-nirnaya, he was the disciple of Raghavendra Puri and grand disciple of Madhavendra Puri. SARVABHAUMA TELLS THE LORD ABOUT RAMANANDA The Lord took sanyas in the month of Magh and arrived in Puri during the month of Phalgun. After celebrating the dol yatra in Puri, Mahaptabhu delivered Sarvabhauma Bhattachrya in month of Chaitra. In the month of Baisakh, he set off on his piligimage to South India. Though Mahaprabhu had decided to travel alone, Nityananda Prabhu convinced him to take a servant, Krishnadasa, as a traveling companion. As he was leaving, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya gave the Lord four kaupins and loin-clothes, and requested Him to visit Ramananda Raya on the banks of Godavari. As Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was departing, Sarvabhauma Bhaatacharya submitted the following at his lotus feet, My Lord, you must fulfill this request of mine. In the town of Vidyanagar, on the bank of Godavari, there is a responsible government officer named Ramananda Raya. Please do not neglect him, thinking he belongs to a shudra family engaged in materialistic activities. Please take my word for it that you should meet him without fail. If anyone is fit to associate with you, it is he. No other devotee can compare with him in knowledge of the divine sentiments. He has attained the highest limits of learning as well as being experienced in the science of devotional sentiments. If you converse with him, you will recognize his exalted character. When I first met him, I could not understand that everything he said and did was transcendental. I made fun of him simply because he was a vaishnava. By your mercy I can now understand the truth about Ramananda Raya. In talking with him you also will acknowledge his greatness. Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati has commented as follows, To superficial understanding, Ramananda Raya was not a sannyasi wearing a loin-cloth. In common understanding, those who are courtiers engaged in government service are materialistic, but Ramananda Raya was in fact a learned person who was a de-facto sanyyasi, a perfected human being. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya has previously been able to recognize his natural qualities as a Vaishnava, even though he himself was not a vaishnava at that time. When he took to devotional service by the grace of Lord, he reconsidered his opinion of Ramananda and realized the extent of his qualifications, calling him an adhikari-rasikabhakta the most highly qualified authority in the matters of devotional sentiment. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya was the incarnation of Brihaspati and the court Pandita of King Prataprudra. He was so learned that even though a householder, he had sannyasis as his disciples. Nevertheless, he had been unable to recognize that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was the Supreme Lord Himself, nor was he able to identifybRamananda Raya as his most intimate associate. If he was unable to do so, then how much more difficult it would be for others! No one is able to understand the glories of Lord and His devotees without being blessed by their mercy.

Mental speculation has no value of understanding the nature of Supreme Lord. Without the Lords mercy, no person can come to know Him. One of whom the Lord gives even a tiny drop of his mercy is able to understand the nature. MAHAPRABHU MEETS RAMANANDA Mahaprabhu set off to the south, blessing the inhabitants of the land by bestowing devotion to Krishna on them. He visited Kurmasthan, delivering the Brahmin also name Kurma, and giving everyone the order to preach devotional service of Krishna. He saved Vasudeva Vipra and then went on the Singhachalam where He danced before the deity of Jiyar Nrisingha. The he went on to the Godavari River, which in his vision was the Yamuna, and the woods on the banks, Vrindavan. He joyfully crossed the river and came to the place known as Kavoor, where he bathed in the river, hoping to meet Ramanad Raya. Coming out of the water, He sat down and waited for him. At the same time, Ramanada Raya passed by with fanfare. When he saw Mahaprabhus supernatural form, he descended from his palanquin and paid his obeisances to the Lord. Though Mahaprabhu recognized him, he asked him to identify himself. Ramananda replied that he was nothing but a lowly shudra servant. When the Lord heard him speak in this humble manner, He immediately embraced him. Both the Lord and His servant felt the onset of divine emotions and both experienced the eight ecstatic transformations of prema. The Brahmins who were accompanying Ramananda were astonished to see such a display. They thought; This sannyasi is as effulgent as the Brhmajyoti. Why is he crying while embracing this shudra? The governor Ramananda is a scholar and normally very serious. Why has he suddenly become so emotional upon being touched by this sannyasi, as though intoxicated? Seeing that there were outsiders present, the Lord controlled his emotions and told Ramananda that He had been told by Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya to seek him out. Ramananda replied with humility; This is the prrof of your Mercy to Sarvabhauma Bhattachayra; you have touched me, an untouchable, simply due to his love for You. What a difference exists between us --- You are the Supreme Lord, Narayan Hmself, and I, a government servant interested in materialistic activities. Indeed, I am the lowest amongst men of the fourth caste. Even so, You were not contemptuous of my touch; neither did you fear the Vedic injunctions, which forbid one to even look upon a shudra. Your Mercy makes you touch me, even tough such an action is condemned both by scripture and society. Youe are the Supreme Lord Himself, so who can understand your intentions? Though the Brahmins had never shown the slightest interest in bhakti, they too were influenced by the sight of the Lord and began to chant the names of Krishna, their voices tremulous with divine ecstasy. Ramananda Raya said aloud that Mahaprabhu was the Supreme Lord both in akrti (form) and in prakriti (nature). The Lord immediately responded in a way that would show the greatness of his devotee.

The Lord said, You are a great devotee, indeed you are the best amongst them. All those who behold you are immediately affected so that their hearts melt. What to speak of others --- I am a mayawadi sannyasi, yet even I feel the onset of Krishna prema when I touch you. RAMANANDA COMES TO PURI When the Lord arrived in Puri, he made His permanent residence in the house of Kashi Mishra. King Prataprudra had heard about the Lord and was very enthusiastic about meeting him. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya has assured him that once the Lord had returned from his southern piligrimage, he would some how or other arrange for him to have His darshan. Unfortunately, no matter how hard Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya tried ti convince Him, the Lord insisted that he would not look upon a king. Thus all attempts to arrange a meeting met with failure. When the king heard that Ramananda wished to return to Puri in order to be close to Mahaprabhu, he was quite happy to grant him permission. He allowed him to leave his duties in the government and contued to pay him a pension. Thus Ramananda first met with the king in Cuttack, and then in Puri, before going to Kashi Mishras home to meet the Lord. Ramanada knew just how the king was eager to encounter Mahaprabhu, but rather than bringing up the matter directly, he simply glosified the king, telling Mahaprabhu how much faith he had in Him, how deep was his devotion to Krishna and how kind he had been to free Ramanada from his governmental duties so that he could serve the Lord directly. By recounting the kings virtues in this way, he was able to soften the Lords resolve. In the meantime, Nityananda Prabhu had sent one of the Lords loin-cloth to king Prataprudra as a consolation. Though this gave the king a great deal of joy, his desire to meet the Lord simply increased and he asked Ramananda to intercede on his behalf and make some kind of arrangement. When Ramananda finally approached the Lord directly, asking him to be compassionate toward the king, the Lord was not able to refuse him directly. He agreed that the king was no ordinary materialistic person. But nevertheless, the very title raja was a type of contamination that He could not overlook. So He agreed to allow the kings son to come and see Him, as the son and father are one, in a sense. Mahaprabhu said, There may be much milk in a big pot, but if it is contaminated by a drop of liquor, it is untouchable. The king certainly possesses a;; good qualities, but everything has been ruined simply by his possessions of the kingly title. If you are still very eager for the king to meet with Me, then you can bring Me his son in his place. The scripture states that ones self is reborn in the son, therefore, if his son comes, it will be equal to his meeting with me. Ramananda Raya then went to inform the king about his talks with the Lord, and according to his request, brought the kings son to see Him. RAMANANDA DURING THE LORDS LAST DAYS

Durin his lat years in this world, Mahaprabhu spent most of His time in a condition of divine ecstatic madness. He would sometimes disappear from his chambers, even though there were three barred doors through which he had to pass to go outside. Throughout the ten transformations of the Lords ecstatic madness (divyonmada) Ramananda Raya would recite verses that fit the Lords emotional state. In this way, he brought Mahaprabhu pleasure. This was Mahaprabhus life in Nilachala, passing the days and nights absorbed in the anxiety of separation from Krishna. Swarupa and Ramananda were always with Him, bringing Him ecstacy with their recitation of songs and various appropriate to his mood. The Lord took Swarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya by the shoulders and said, Listen, Swarupa and Rama Raya! Tell me what I should do, where should I go in order to find Krishna? You can tell me the best thing to do. In this way, Gauranga would tell his tale of woe to Swarupa and Ramananda and they would console Him in His grief. Swarupa would sing and Ramananda would recite Sanskrit verses, giving joy to the Lord with Krishna Karnamrita, the songs of Vidyapati and Gita-Govinda. Through Ramanada Raya and Swarupa damodara Goswami, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu joyfully announced to the world that Harinam sankirtan is the best means to attain love of God in this age of quarrel. The Lord, in the wave of jubilation, Listen Swarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya! In the age of Kali, Harinama Sankirtana is the supreme means of deliveration. In age of Kali, Krishna is to be worshipped by the congregational chanting of His holy names. This is the way that intelligent person attains the lotus feet of Krishna. Through the chanting of the Holy Name, all of ones sinful reactions are extinguished and all auspiciousness arises until finally one experiences the joy of Love for Krishna. There are two opinions about Ramananda Rayas disappearance day; some people say Jyaistha Krishna Panchami and others Baisakh Krishna Panchami.