ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>R&#256M T&#298RATH SV&#256M&#298 (1897-1977)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="RM,T*RATH,SVM*,Person,Person"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279R&#256M T&#298RATH, SV&#256M&#298 (1897-1977), also known as Da&#7751&#7693&#299 Sanny&#257s&#299 (different from R&#257ma T&#299rtha, Sv&#257m&#299), was a recluse who after a prolonged spiritual quest turned to the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib. Born on 31 August 1897 to Pa&#7751&#7693it B&#257lak R&#257m and Hari Dev&#299, a Gau&#7771 Br&#257hma&#7751 family of the village of Tauh&#7771&#257, in the then princely state of N&#257bh&#257, he received the name of R&#257m Prat&#257p but was rechristened Sv&#257m&#299 R&#257m T&#299rath by Sv&#257m&#299 N&#257r&#257ya&#7751 T&#299rath, an ex-Principal of Queens College at Calcutta, who initiated him into <i>sanny&#257s</i> in 1937. For his early education, R&#257m Tirath was apprenticed to a Pa&#7751&#7693it in N&#257bh&#257 from where he moved to Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 to study Sanskrit grammar with Pa&#7751&#7693it R&#257m Basant Si&#7749gh, his cousin and a famous Nirmal&#257 scholar, who later took him to the Nirmal&#257 <i>akh&#257&#7771&#257</i> at Nank&#257&#7751&#257 S&#257hib, the birthplace of Gur&#363 N&#257nak, and taught him the Sikh texts. When he came of age, he joined the Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 state army (Ris&#257l&#257 No. 2) and served for three years. He then quit the army and travelled extensively, consorting with saints and <i>s&#257dh&#363s</i>. It was during this odyssey that he met Sv&#257m&#299 N&#257r&#257ya&#7751 T&#299rath at Haridv&#257r. During the following four years he travelled through Hary&#257&#7751&#257, Uttar Pradesh and R&#257jasth&#257n, and it was during this tour that he met a Da&#7751&#7693&#299 Sanny&#257s&#299 at Vi&#347ve&#347var &#256&#347ram, in 'Al&#299ga&#7771h, who taught him Upanisads and Ved&#257nt &#346astras. In 1941, he moved into Son&#299&#257 Temple, at Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257. Now began the most productive period of his life during which he wrote eighteen books and tracts in Sanskrit Hindi and Punjabi. In Punjabi were his <i>Sarvotam Granth &#256di Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib</i> and <i>Sarvotam Dharma <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 Panth</i> &#8212 the former on Sikh Scripture declaring it to be the supreme religious text and the latter on the Sikhs, followers of this Scripture whom he describes as the very salt of the earth.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sw&#257m&#299 R&#257m 'T&#299rath died at Haridv&#257r on 12 May 1977.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">Balb&#299r Si&#7749gh Nand&#257<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>