He went on to Haridwar. He wanted to visit Vyasaghat, a memorial to sage Vyasa. There Swami Ramtirtha started growing hair in the fashion of ancient sages. He explained that he was studying scriptures created by Sage Vyasa. The hair was meant for physical orientation to Vyasa’s wisdom.
Then, he went to Devprayag and lived in a cave like before for a few days.
He used to meditate in the cave.
As time passed on Swamiji was showing definite signs of change in his behaviour. He had become very moody.
He would often fall silent and would not talk to anyone. He stopped reading books and scriptures. Sometimes he would just flip through pages without showing any interest and then would again relapse into silence. No one saw him smile, not to speak of laughing.
He had frozen into a kind of divine tranquility. No one could understand what was going on in him. He himself would not communicate.
Visibly he was not keeping well.
His disciples took decision to take him to Shimla for change of climate. There his disciples Jagatram, Narayana and Purna took care of him with great devotion.
Swamiji was heard muttering to himself, “Now I won’t speak. No hope when shall we meet again! Shall we or not? Now my disciples will have to take care of my mission.”
One day, Swamiji called Purna to him and spoke in broken tone, “Purna! You can see my condition. Now my voice and pen are going to be still. I think it is our last meeting. You must study well. You will do my work to become like Rama.’’
He ordered his disciples to erect a hut on the bank of Ganga river. The disciples complied with his wish. The hut came up and Swamiji started dwelling in it.
“I want to live by Ganga side. I won’t go anywhere now,” he announced to his disciples.
Three miles away from there Narayana Swami was living in a cave. Every Sunday he used to visit Swami Ramtirtha’s hut.
On Sunday Swami Ramtirtha told him, “Now I can’t go to any congregation or meeting. You shall represent me in those meetings. Get used to solitude in your cave. Study scriptures. Stay cheerful. Don’t cry. Remember, Rama is always with you, in your heart, body and your soul. Rama is everywhere.”
Narayana’s eyes welled up with tears. He fell at his guru’s feet. Swamiji picked him up and hugged him. He was crying.
He again spoke, “Go son, Have a nice life. Spread you knowledge all over the globe.” And he patted Narayana.
Narayana stared at his guru for a long time before departing. Evil foreboding were troubling his mind.
One day, Swamiji’s cook Bhola arrived at the cave of Narayana with a message—
“Come to meet you guruji this Sunday. Do come. Guru has written an article. You will copy it. He will want you to tell him to which magazine should it be sent to for publication. Make sure to come on Sunday.”
“I will come surely, Bhola,” Narayana promised and added, “Tell Swamiji that I will be there before sunrise”.
After Bhola’s departure Narayana wondered about the article. He was feeling uneasy.
On 17th September, 1906 Swamiji read the article he had finished. It was the morning of Saturday. The article pleased him.
He paced the ground infront of his hut for some time. Then he returned inside and started writing—
‘I salute Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesha and all the citizens of India! O death! I am waiting for you. Take me any time. I won’t be sad at the loss of this body. I know that I will get a new body. I will settle down in a body of moon rays. I will enter into cascading waters of those falls on the hills. I will flow down to give new life to trees and plants. There I will worship Creator. As sea waves I will rollick. I will become stormy wind that uproots trees. I am also the cool fragrant breeze. I have many forms in this changing world. I descended from a very high hill. I woke up the sleepers and gave life to the dead. I brought numerous beautiful faces into light from the darkness. I wiped tears off many faces. I blossomed the withered flowers. I touched many things and gave them divine beauty. And then I bowed before people and got eliminated. I melted down into nothingness. It became impossible for people to seek me out. Today I do not exist and nor does my name. My disciples are doing their jobs. They must complete those jobs…’
Swamiji was writing on feverishly. He wouldn’t care for food. He was laughing as if delirious.
Bhola hesitated before saying, “Swamiji, Today is Deepawali day. Do you know? Please take your bath. Then I will serve food.”
“Dear Bhola! Today we will swim in Ganga for a good time. We shall enjoy. Who needs food!” Swamiji declared.
He took Bhola for a swim. Swamiji oiled his body and entered into the water. He was just walking deeper and deeper into the water. Bhola saw it in concern.
He yelled, “Swamiji, please stop. Don’t go further. Current is fast there!”
“Don’t worry Bhola. I know swimming. Today I will cross the (final watery barrier mentioned in our scriptures as) Bhavsagaram.”
Swamiji chanted ‘Om’ and took a dive. He did not come up. Bhola saw a human figure bobbing away in the fast current. He screamed, “Don’t go away, Swamiji. Hold on!”
Bhola jumped into the current and tried to find Swami Ramtirtha but he had been carried by the currents far away, perhaps into the world beyond.
Bhola sat down on the bank to cry.
In the evening, a sepoy of Tehri King ran to Narayana’s cave huffing and puffing.
He said, “Come to the palace, Narayana Swami.”
“What is the matter?” Narayana asked puzzled ‘‘Swamiji got drowned and carried away by Gangaji this afternoon,’’ the sepoy revealed.
Narayana was stunned.
Then, he remembered his drowned guru and said, “It is all God’s will.”
Narayana now realised that Swami Ramtirtha had worked out himself his own departure from this world.
He had seen the signs.
Messiahs don’t die, they cast their own die.
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