Mahaprabhu Ram Lal Ji’s father, Pandit Ganda Ram Ji left for his heavenly abode in the Vikram year 1964. The event made him all the more disenchanted with family life. One day, He, again silently left for Hardwar and later to Rishikesh where He stayed at the Punjab-Sindh-Kshetra. Next to his room, there stayed a person who had just returned from his in-laws’ house. During the course of return – journey, he had developed a feeling of renunciation and so instead of going back home, he had developed a feeling of renunciation and so instead of going back home, he had come to Rishikesh in search of mahatmas where he incidentally met Shri Prabhuji. He had a nice discourse with Him on Yoga. At night, they retired to their respective rooms. Next day in the morning, Shri Prabhu ji looked towards that room but found it closed. When the room did not open for quite sometime, the people around were full of suspicion and informed the attendants of the kshetra. They came and knocked at the door but there was no response. The police was duly informed who broke open the doors and found that the man was lying dead. As his whereabouts were not known, he was cremated by the people of the Kshetra itself.
Having witnessed this incident Prabhuji contemplated, “Such incidents do take place in habitations; now in search of God, you have to leave for the woods where the terror of wild beasts i.e. lions, leopards, serpants etc. persists; you have to fearlessly proceed ahead with courage.” Impelled by such thoughts, Prabhu Ram Lal Ji moved towards Brahmapuri. After staying there for a night, He reached Vashishtha cave on the following day. There, He stayed only for a night and next day resumed His onward journey. He continued ahead for another three or four days and found that neither inhabitation nor even a fruit-free was visible. Wherever He came across a fountain or so, He had to depend only its water.
He proceeded further for another two days without food in constant quest for the great and realised souls. Then mounting a tall tree, He looked around but no dwellings were in sight. He, however, saw a lonely tree laden with beautiful fruits. He ate the fruit of that tree and drank clean water from the running spring. As soon as He drank water, His stomach was upset and He had to go for evacuation of stools. After easing Himself, He had just sat by the spring that again He had the nature’s call. As such , He had to go for evacuation of bowels so many times. Hence, on account of weakness, He had to spend whole of the night there itself. At sunrise, nimbleness returned to His body and He rose up all fresh with His attention converged on search of Mahaprabhuji. By the time He had washed His clothes and bathed himself, His appetite was also revived. He took the same fruit again which worked wonders and transmitted vigour and vitality in His body. He relaxed for a while and proceeded ahead.
Surmounting all such odds, He concentrated on Mahaprabhuji and persevered in search of great saints during the day time and at night He rested on a flat stone which He used to place on the joint branch of a tree. One night there was a storm followed by a torrential rain but He was not the least affected by it. Besides, He had been moving ahead without food or water for days and days. One day in the course of His journey, Ganga Ram, a resident of Lahore, met Him. On inquiry , He came to know that he was also roaming about in search of mahatmas. Now both of them carried on their journey for another five days. One night, from the tree where they had stayed, they happened to see fire lit at a distance of a mile or so and presuming the presence of a mahatma over there, they immediately started off for the said place. On having reached there, they found a pair of tongs stuck up near the hearth which was lit with fire. This led to confirmation that some mahatma must be living there. Hence they sat down there. Before dawn, in the brahma-muhurta, the mahatma came out of the cave and they paid their respects. The mahatma took out a lota from his arm-pit and asked them to take from it whatever they wanted. So saying, the mahatma left. Ganga Ram asked for the tobacco and charas (high potency narcotics) and got the desired items which he enjoyed to his heart’s fill. Whatever Ganga Ram demanded, he got from the lota. Next day, almost by that very time, Prabhu Ram Lal Ji again met the mahatma and had a conversation with him for some time which led him to conclude that the mahatma was only a prateekopasaka. He thought that prateekopasaka resulted in the attainment of siddhis whereas His aim was to achieve the perfect state of Yoga and hence this could not fulfill His object. He enquired of Ganga Ram whether he would stay there or accompany Him. Ganga Ram replied, Where can I go by leaving this lota ?” On healing this, Prabhuji proceeded onwards, all alone. After meeting some other saints and mahatmas for a few days, He again returned. On reaching there, He found that the enlarged mahatma, with tongs in his hand, was chasing off Ganga Ram. Prabhuji hastened towards the mahatma and asked ,”What is the matter that you are running like this?” The mahatma replied, “This rogue had absconded with the lota in the morning; on the way, he asked for something from the lota which he did not get; he has , hence, come back again. Now I don’t want to keep him with me; hence I am driving him away.” Prabhuji intervended and Ganga Ram was pardoned. The mahatma, now, asked Prabhuji to stay with him but He replied,”Prateekopasana alone is not my ambition, rather, my aim is to mount the higher planes of Yoga. Hence it is impossible for me to stay here.”
When Prabhuji found that His aim was not being fulfilled. He felt dejected. At night, when He sat in dyan-samadhi, He got the intuition that Mahaprabhuji, His Supreme Guru, would Himself be coming from the Himalayas beyond Nepal to fulfill His goal. At sunrise, Prabhuji left for the holy Vashishtha cave and after a few days, He reached back Hardwar via Brahmapuri. While at Hardwar, Jai Ram, a student of His father, met Shri Prabhuji, bowed at His feet and requested Him to take him as a discipline. Prabhuji acceeded to His request and left for Kathgodaam where they stayed in an inn. By this time, only three paise were left with Him which He gave to Jai Ram to purchase paper and ink from the market. An advertisement on a big piece of paper was written to the effect that an astrologer and a vaidya from Punjab was camping in a particular inn and those who wanted to consult him in respect of their horoscope or required treatment of their ailments, could consult Him and benefit themselves. The posters were displayed by Jai Ram at prominent places in the city. After sometime, there came a wealthy person who showed his horoscope to Prabhuji and sought astrological predications. He was fully satisfied with the forecast pronounced by Prabhuji. Thereafter, a large number of people started visiting Him for seeking astrological predictions and treatment of their diseases.
He soon became very famous as an astrologer and a vaidyaraj. The king of Kathgodaam, on hearing about Prabhuji’s glory, took Him to his palace with great honours. He and his mother, the Rajmata sought initiation which Prabhuji benevolently granted them.
After Staying there for a few days, Prabhuji wanted to move ahead. The king requested Him to stay on but He did not and one day, left towards Moradabad without informing anybody. Having come to know that Prabhuji had gone to Moradabad, the king alongwith the Rajmata reached there and implored Prabhuji to return to Kathgodam but He did not. Prabhuji sent them back with sadupdesh and gracious asheervad.