Similar to Sri Krishna devotees who lived during the medieval period in India, few Rama devotees like Tulsidas, Bhadrachala Ramadas, Samartha Ramadas and Sant Siyaram were lived in India and spread the Rama Bhakti throughout the masses. Siyaram was born during the 16th century AD at a village in the holy Varanasi City, in Uttar Pradesh, and his father was an Ayurveda doctor.
Young Siyaram used to visit the nearby temples of Lord Rama along with his mother, and would sincerely pray to Rama. Slowly Siyaram also learnt the art of making Ayurveda medicines using various medicinal herbs from his father, and he has also become a famous Ayurveda physician.
According to him, Bhakti must be interlinked along with medicines, in order to get healed from the diseases quickly, and to all his patients, before giving medicines, he used to advise them to chant the Rama Mantra, “JAI SRI RAM”, regularly. He also used to conduct spiritual discourses on Ramayan in the temples during his free time. Once while he was travelling in the mountain forests in a bullock cart, in search for Ayurveda medicines, suddenly a group of thieves appeared before him with deadly weapons, and they ordered him to give his belongings to them. At that time, Siyaram was in deep meditation on Lord Rama, and hence, he was not aware of that incident.
The bullock cart driver was very much shocked and he asked the thieves to show mercy on them. But the thieves didn’t hear his words, and when they tried to attack him with his sword, suddenly a huge crowd of monkeys were appeared on the spot, and it began to bite the thieves with its teeth. Unable to face the huge crowd of monkeys, the thieves immediately fled away from that place.
After some time, Siyaram had completed his meditation, and he came to know about the incident, from the bullock cart driver. Immediately Joyful tears were flown from his eyes, and from then onwards, he developed more and more bhakti on Rama, and began to chant the Rama Mantra for several lakhs of times in his lifetime. After his death, he has reached the lotus feet of Lord Rama, and began to permanently stay along with him.
Still now, we can find many shops with the name “SIYARAM” in most of the North Indian Cities, in order to honour the great Saint, Sri Siyaram, and most of the North Indian devotees of Lord Rama, would name their male child as “SIYARAM”.
“JAI SIYARAM”
WRITTEN BY
R.HARISHANKAR