Puran Singh (1881–1931)

Swami Rama Tirtha (also known as Swami Rama Tirath and Swami Rama) (October 22, 1873 - October 17, 1906), was an Indian teacher of the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta. He was among the first notable teachers of Hinduism to lecture in the United States, traveling there in 1902. He was preceded by Swami Vivekananda in 1893, and followed by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1920. During his American tours Swami Rama Tirtha spoke frequently on the concept of 'practical Vedanta' and on education of Indian youth. He frequently spoke about the inequities of the caste system in India and the importance of education for women and the poor, stating that, "Neglecting the education of women and children and the labouring classes is like cutting down the branches that are supporting us, nay, it is like striking a death-blow to the roots of the tree of nationality." Arguing that India needed educated young people—and not missionaries—he began an organization to aid Indian students in American universities. To solve the problem of poverty in India, he suggested bringing young Indians to the U.S. for higher education, and helped to establish a number of scholarships for Indian students during his tour of America.

Two of his closest disciples were Narayan Swami and Puran Singh, who wrote biographies of Rama Tirtha. Puran Singh's "The Story of Swami Rama: The Poet Monk of the Punjab" appeared in 1924 and has been printed in English and Hindi. Narayan Swami's untitled account was published in 1935 as part of Rama Tirtha's collected works.

Paramahansa Yogananda was a great admirer of Rama Tirtha, translating many of Rama Tirtha's poems from Bengali into English, and putting some of them to music. One of Rama Tirtha's poems, titled "Marching Light", appeared in Yogananda's book of Hindu chants, Cosmic Chants as "Swami Ram Tirtha's Song".… (meer)