Maharaj-ji told many stories about Samarth Guru Ramdas, the 17th century saint from central India. Maharaj-ji would then point to Ram Dass and say, "You are Samarth Guru Ramdas."
Samarth Guru Ramdas was the guru of Shivaji, the chieftain who led the formidable Maratha resistance against the iconoclastic tyrant, Aurangazeb. Samarth Guru Ramdas popularized forms of devotional worship by removing the dependency upon elaborate brahmanical rituals. His teachings inspired warriors to invoke the invincible strength of Hanuman. Samarth Guru Ramdas' influence established Hanuman worship as a part of mainstream culture throughout India.
One afternoon, Maharaj-ji had a poster picture of Samarth Guru Ramdas. He traced the outline of the figure with his finger, then turned to Ram Dass, "That's you," he laughed.
During the past thirty years Ram Dass has influenced the spiritual culture of generations. It is greatly due to his inspiration that Hanuman became established at the ashram in Taos, New Mexico. We are all grateful to Ram Dass for his ongoing support of the ashram. His availability at the Mahasamadhi bhandara this past September was particularly inspirational for devotees. We wish to express our thanks to Ram Dass for taking time from his busy schedule to visit the Taos ashram. We look forward to welcoming him again, as he plans to return for the Guru Purnima celebrations in July.
Ram Dass, thank you.
Sita Sharan