Shri Gurudev R. D. Ranade
A Brief Life Sketch
Janma (Birth)
July 3, 1886Jamkhindi, KarnatakaSaturday, Jyeshtha Kr 4
Anugrah (Initiation)
1901Kartik Sh 14, Vaikuntha Chaturdashi
Niryaan (Samadhi)
June 6, 1957Nimbal, KarnatakaThursday, Jyeshtha Sh 10, Gangadashami
More popularly known as Gurudev, Prof. Ramchandra Dattatrey Ranade was a great Philosopher, Mystic, and Saint of the 20th Century. Born on 3rd July 1886 at Jamkhandi, a princely state, he bridged the worlds of intellectual philosophy and deep spiritual realization.
Early Life
His school education began in 1895. A pivotal moment occurred in 1899 when his friendship with Shri Kallu Bhokare deepened after Kallu saved him from drowning in a local well. This friendship became the conduit to his spiritual destiny, leading him to Shri Bhausaheb Maharaj. Kallu had already been graced by Shri Maharaj with the Divine Name.
The year 1901 brought two major events in Gurudev's life: his first marriage and his spiritual birth. On 25th November 1901, Gurudev was initiated and inducted into the Nimbargi Sampradaya by Shri Bhausaheb Maharaj.
Academic Brilliance amidst Adversity
He passed his matriculation in 1902, standing second among all students, and secured the coveted Jagannath Shankar Shet scholarship in Sanskrit. In 1903 he moved to Poona (now Pune) and was admitted to Deccan College, choosing Mathematics and English as his subjects.
However, life presented severe challenges. In 1904, the first blow fell: his father's sad demise. Though he won the Varjivandas Scholarship for Sanskrit in Inter Arts, 1907 shattered his dreams of appearing for the ICS exam. He passed his B.A. in the second class but secured the Bhau Daji Prize. From 1907 to 1909, he worked as a Dakshina Fellow at Deccan College.
Then onwards, calamities started invading. On 5th January 1909, he acquired brain T.B. A team of European doctors diagnosed that his survival was almost impossible as there were no medicines available for the disease. The only medicine he firmly believed in was the Grace of his Spiritual Teacher and meditation on the Divine Name. He lived with this terrible disease throughout his life.
Trials
Gurudev was a great Philologist and mastered languages like English, German, Greek, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, and Sanskrit. He was appointed as an English tutor in Fergusson College in 1911, and in 1913, he became a curator at Deccan College.
The year 1914 brought a severe blow—Shri Bhausaheb Maharaj departed. Yet, academically, Gurudev soared, passing his M.A. in 1914 with the examiner remarking, "the examinee knows more than the examiner," winning the Vice-Chancellor and Justice K. T. Telang Gold Medals.
In 1916, he was blessed with a son, but the joy was short-lived; the son died within a year. In 1918, his family was devastated as he lost his wife and immediately his dear mother. Battling worsening health as T.B. spread to his lungs, he retreated to Inchagiri. There, after intense spiritual fervor, God blessed him with Apostleship, conferring upon him the power to impart Divine Names.
In 1925, his daughter was born, and he built his house at Nimbal, a small village in Bijapur District, Karnataka. This house would later transform into the Ashram (Ram Prempur). In 1927, Dr. Ganganath Jha invited him to join Allahabad University.
He became the Vice-Chancellor of Allahabad University in 1945. Shri Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Gurudev were honoured on the same occasion with a D.Lit. in 1947. Gurudev led a very simple life, saying his life was his philosophy.
He left his mortal vesture at Nimbal on 6th June 1957, leaving behind a legacy of "One God, One World, One Religion."