In the course of our lives, we come across choices, opportunities, difficulties, and crossroads. At such a time, people who believe in and have faith in Prasad, opt for it to get divine guidance.

In Ramnathi, the Prasad taken with Shri Ramnath is of only two outcomes Positive or negative. It is taken with 52 pieces of the green karmal leaf, put on the front face of the baithak of the ling.

The Prasad with Shree Shanteri, Shree Kamaxi, or Shree Betal is taken with ripened (yellow) leaf pieces, (44 for Shree Shanteri, 52 for Shree Kamaxi, and 48 for Shree Betal) of the same karmal tree. This Prasad can be taken for answers to various questions. Devotees of Shri Ramnath and Shree Shanteri take marriage related Prasad with Shri Ramnath, and those of Shree Kamaxi with Shree Kamaxi. Before the Navratri festival, Prasad is taken for the proper and satisfying holding of the Navratri festival.

First, Shree Betal is prayed to through Prasad for
a) Daya
b)Utsav celebrations to be conducted properly and
c) Rakshan (protection).
Then Shree Shanteri for a) Daya and b) Utsav celebrations to be conducted properly.Then Shree Kamaxi for the same.

After that, Shri Ramnath is asked for His assent by asking for the right hand side pakli.

The Shri Ramnath Prasad can be taken only before 11.0 am. On a Monday, Prasad cannot be taken with Shri Ramnath, and Prasad with the other Deities can be taken only after the afternoon Mahaaarti.On Panchami, Shree Shanteri Prasad cannot be taken. On Amavasya, or eclipses of the sun or moon, Prasad cannot be taken.

During certain times in a year, a chosen person, sanctified and purified by prescribed rituals like fasting, moral behavior and certain religious rites stands before and invokes the Deity, goes into a trance. The spirit of the Deity enters this person’s body and starts communicating through him. This is Awasar.

In our Temple, we have the Awasars of Shree Betal, Shree Shanteri, and Shree Kamaxi. The Awasar of Shree Kamaxi and Shree Shanteri occur during Dassera, and Mahashivratri, or whenever the Committee and Mahajans pray for the same. The Shree Betal Awasar comes mainly during the Dussera festival. During olden days, if a person felt the need of help from the Shree Betal Awasar, there was a special receipt for it. The receipt read, “Fee for Puja for special Shree Betal Awasar.” This Awasar would then occur during the Aarti, and the person in need could put his queries to the Awasar.

Through the last hundred years, the Shree Betal Awasar Patra was first Shri Sadashiv Gurav who was also the Archak of Shree Betal and then Shri Rayappa Shanbag who also functioned as a Shree Betal Pujari.

As time passed, Shri Shanbag’s behavior became unbecoming of his office, and he left Ramnathi for his hometown.

The Shree Shanteri Awasar would come on Shri Rama Keni Khandekar. Shree Shanteri Awasar would control the Shree Betal Awasar at times. This Awasar passed on to Shri Sajjan Keni, who was a grandson as well as the adopted son of Shri Rama Keni. As he was not very successful in his role as the Awasar Patra, he kept the holy coconut of the Awasar authority in front of the deity and thus the Awasar of Shree Shanteri stopped for sometime.

The Shree Kamaxi Awasar was manifesting on Shree Ramrai Bale. During a Shivratri festival, he passed away in Ramnathi, the coconut of Shree Kamaxi Awasar authority was given to Shri Yeshwant Bale who declined, leaving the coconut in front of the deity.

Thus, in the absence of all the three Awasars, the committee, after obtaining Prasad, authorized the late Shri Madhav Bhatji to give Kaul from the Shri Ramnath Chowk.

This continued till 1967, when Shri Virgincar, the President at that time, took a lot of initiative in trying to start the Awasars again. He even went to the Shree Shanteri Kamaxi Devasthan in Kumtha to consult the Shree Betal Awasar where he was told to go back to Ramnathi to find the answer.

When at last, it was established that there were no difficulties in starting the Awasar, a day was fixed after getting Prasad from Shri Ramnath. On this day, all the people who felt that they could be the “kudi” for the Awasar were asked to purify themselves and the deities were then invoked.

The Awasars then presented as follows:

The Shree Betal Awasar on Shri Ramrai Keni

The Shree Kamaxi Awasar on Shri Yeshwant Bale.

The Shree Shanteri Awasar on Shri Gopal Krishna Bhat.

When after years, Shri Yeshwant Bale expired, Shri Bhaskar Shenoy from Gangoli experienced the manifesting of the Awasar in him. This was confirmed as genuine by the Shree Kamaxi Prasad. At the same time, Shri Rajnikant Bale was also experiencing the manifestations. Shri Shenoy stopped coming to Ramnathi after 1979. In 1982, through Shri Ramnath and Shree Kamaxi Prasad.

It was confirmed that Shree Kamaxi wanted another Awasar Patra and that it should be Shri Rajnikant Bale. Thus Shri Bale started as the Awasar Patra. He did so after taking Prasad and having a Havan done to get the grace of his KulPurush, without the help of whom, the Awasar Patra cannot speak.

Shri Ramrai Keni (Shree Betal Awasar Patra) expired in 1984 and Shri Gopalkrishna Bhat (Shree Shanteri Awasar Patra) in 1996.

One Shri Narsinv Pai (Gardi), came forward saying that he is experiencing the manifestation of the Shree Betal Awasar. But after some years of bad experiences, the committee decided against his continuing as the Shree Betal Awasar Patra.

Shri Rajnikant Bale passed away in 2006.

Shri Bhairav Shanbag from Mumbai was confirmed by Prasad as the “Kudi” of Shree Shanteri Awasar.

So now Shri Bhairav is the Awasar Patra for Shree Shanteri.