Ajja, born Ramachandra Bhat in Nettar, India, was a modest farmer and family man until he underwent a spontaneous and dramatic awakening. From that day on, he declared himself “dead,” no longer the owner of his own body. He eventually abandoned his farm, his family, and all the attachments and customs of worldly life to wander the Indian countryside in ecstatic solitude. Eventually, Ajja was called back to worldly existence and began to speak about his realization, testifying to the eternal nature of the soul, the necessity to transcend the mind and all desires, and the unimaginable bliss of liberation. In the late 1990s, after prominent articles were published about him in India and in our own What Is Enlightenment? magazine, Ajja, the Jnani Saint of Puttur, became famous, attracting thousands of seekers and saints from around the world. Sadly, Ajja passed away in March 2007, at the age of 91.

In this Unbound interview, WIE founder Andrew Cohen speaks with one of Ajja's oldest devotees and trusted associates, Srinath Radha, about Ajja's life and work, his mysterious association with other saints and sages, and the extraordinary nature of his realization. We've also included some very rare and beautiful video footage of Ajja giving satsang in a small apartment in Bangalore in 1999.

To find out more about Ajja’s remarkable life and realization, read Andrew Cohen’s original What Is Enlightenment? interview with him. A brief biography of Ajja’s life plus some early photographs of him can also be found here.

more about: