PANDITHA RAMABAI SARASVATHI

Most of us will live a pretty ordinary lives. However, some come up every once in a while, who stir up the mundane waters of life, and do things which most considered not possible at all. One such life is Panditha Ramabai Sarasvathi, an Indian social reformer, acclaimed Sanskrit scholar and Christian missionary, famous for pioneering and championing the cause of education and emancipation of women, particularly child widows. An unthinkable task in latter half of 1800’s in India.
– “6 “…These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” – Acts 17:6b
The Berean Study Bible Notes commenting on the above verse says…“The accusation of “turning the world upside down” highlights the profound impact a faithful witness can have. Believers should strive to be agents of change in their communities. Despite opposition, God’s purposes prevail. Trust in His sovereignty and continue to share the Gospel boldly.”

Today, 29 September is the day Panditha Ramabai Sarasvathi walked into waters of baptism in 1883 in faith and obedience to her LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ. She was a studying in England at that time. Ramabai is born on 23 April 1858, Mangaluru; and was called to glory on 5 April 1922, at the age of 63 years, in Kedagaon, India. She was briefly married to Bipin Behari Medhvi between 1880 to 1882 before Bipin died. They had only one daughter, Manorama Bai. She studied at Cheltenham Ladies’ College, England; and her parents were Anant Shastri Dongre and Lakshmibai Dongre, who were Brahmins by caste.

Ramabai’s father, Anant Shastri Dongre, a learned Sanskrit scholar, intentionally broke the rigid orthodox traditions by teaching Sanskrit and the  sacred texts to his wife and their young daughter Ramabai. Ramabai was exceptional in her abilities; by the age of twelve, she had completely memorised 18,000 verses from their sacred religious texts.

Tragedy strikes a devastating blow to Ramabai, when she loses both her parents and her sister during the devastating Great Famine of 1876 to 1878, which compels Ramabai and her brother to travel all across India reciting Sanskrit scriptures.

Ramabai’s hold on Sanskrit brings her great accolades. In 1878, the University of Calcutta finds her exceptionally talented in the language after due examination, and awards her the titles, Panditha (female Sanskrit scholar) and Sarasvathi (goddess of wisdom), making her the first woman to achieve this rare honour.

Panditha Ramabai Sarasvathi’s faith in the LORD Jesus had shaped her thought and life, towards all what she had achieved. In her own words we see how deep and sound her faith in the LORD Jesus was.
– “I realized after reading the fourth chapter of St. John’s Gospel, that Christ was truly the Divine Saviour he claimed to be, and no one but He could transform and uplift the downtrodden women of India. … Thus my heart was drawn to the religion of Christ.” – Pandita Ramabai

Ramabai was a determined person to live her faith at all costs. She surely was “disadvantaged” because of her gender in an age, where women were counted the least. Added to that, she as a Brahmin had converted to Christianity. Her struggles obviously are doubled. Yet, she was unfazed and held in to the LORD Jesus, and plodded in to do a lot for the emancipation of women.
– “A life totally committed to God has nothing to fear, nothing to lose, nothing to regret.” – Pandita Ramabai

Panditha Ramabai went on to start…
– Arya Mahila Samaj in 1882, at Pune, after the death of her husband Bipin Behari Medhvi, to promote women’s education and fight child marriage.
– Sharada Sadan, a residential school supporting child widows and destitute women, was started in 1889, after her return from her travels to Britain and the United States. During the same time, she wrote her famous book “The High-Caste Hindu Woman.”
– Mukti Mission was started in the late 1890s, in Kedgaon, Maharashtra, offering a comprehensive housing, education, and vocational training to thousands of women who were orphans, widows, and blind individuals. It still continues even to this day.

Panditha Ramabai Saraswathi’s life can be summed up in these words…
– “Truth must be followed wherever it leads, whatever it costs.” – Pandita Ramabai
One life have we, and we, like Ramabai, should pour ourselves to seek the truth and hold on it with the same tenacity as did Ramabai. Allow God to fill us and use us as He pleases for His glory and for the blessing of His people. Even so the LORD Jesus help us.