Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Mahavatar Babaji


File:Babaji.jpg


 
Mahavatar Babaji is the name given to an Indian saint by Lahiri Mahasaya and several of his disciples who met Mahavatar Babaji between 1861 and 1935. Some of these meetings were described by Paramahansa Yogananda in his book Autobiography of a Yogi (1946), including a first hand telling of Yogananda’s own meeting with Mahavatar Babaji. Another first hand account was given by Sri Yukteswar Giri in his book The Holy Science. All of these accounts, along with additional meetings with Mahavatar Babaji, are described in various biographies of those mentioned by Yogananda.
Mahavatar Babaji’s given name and date of birth are not known, so those who met him during that period all called him by the title first given to him by Lahiri Mahasaya. "Mahavatar" means "great avatar", and "Babaji" simply means "revered father". Some of the encounters included two or more witnesses—discussions between those who met Mahavatar Babaji indicate that they all met the same person.

Meetings with Mahavatar Babaji , 1861-1966

Lahiri Mahasaya

The first reported encounter with Mahavatar Babaji was in 1861, when Lahiri Mahasaya was posted to Ranikhet in his work as an accountant for the British government. One day while walking in the hills of Dunagiri above Ranikhet, he heard a voice calling his name. Following the voice up the mountain, he met a “tall, divinely radiant sadhu.” He was amazed to find that the sadhu knew his name. This sadhu was Mahavatar Babaji.
Mahavatar Babaji told Lahiri Mahasaya that he was his guru from the past, then initiated him into Kriya Yoga and instructed Lahiri to initiate others. Lahiri wanted to remain with Mahavatar Babaji, who told him instead that he must return to the world to teach Kriya Yoga and that “Kriya Yoga sadhana would spread through the people of the world through his (Lahiri’s) presence in the world.”

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for this fascinating account of Babaji and Lahiri Mahashay. Legends of Babaji abound at Dunagiri too, where Lahiri Mahashay first met Babaji and was given initiation into Kriya. Mahavatar Babaji's cave is at Dunagiri in Indian Himalayas, and many can still feel abundant energies here. Spiritual seekers are most welcome to visit http://www.dunagiri.com/divinity.html for more information. We will be delighted to help in case you would like to visit/stay at Dunagiri and Mahavatar Babaji’s cave.

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  2. Really the Baba ji is a yug purush who is a planner of goodness of earth. Baba ji is immortal. "An Autobiography of a Yogi" is an encyclopedia of Adhyatmik world. Swami yoganand obliged the world by recognising the Baba ji to common Bhakts.

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