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Mahavatar Babaji is a legendary Hindu saint, yogi, and culture hero. His life was first documented by Paramahansa Yogananda in his best-selling Autobiography of a Yogi (1946) and later accounts have added to Babaji's biography, some claim him to be nearly 1,800 years old. Yogananda describes Mahavatar Babaji as the guru of Lahiri Mahasaya and an avatar. Yogananda wrote that Mahavatar Babaji is responsible for the revival, in 1861, of a spiritual technique known as Kriya Yoga, which is claimed to accelerate the spiritual aspirant's evolution. Yogananda said that Babaji was Krishna in a former lifetime,Kriyananda, Swami: Conversations with Yogananda, page 347, Crystal Clarity Publishers, 2003 Sri Durga Mata: A Paramhansa Yogananda Trilogy of Divine Love, page 50, copyright Joan Wight, 1992 and he often prayed out loud to "Babaji-Krishna."Yogananda, Paramahansa: various articles and recordings. Lahiri Mahasaya wrote in his personal diary that 'Krishna is Babaji'.Purana Purusha: Yogiraj Sri Shama Churn Lahiree, by Dr. Ashoke Kumar Chaterjee, p. 183. Yogiraj Publication, 2000. Jo Kisun so Burua Baba, transl. "The one who is Krishna is Babaji"
From Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahansa Yogananda:
- The northern Himalayan crags near Badrinarayan are still blessed by the living presence of Babaji, guru of Lahiri Mahasaya. The secluded master has retained his physical form for centuries, perhaps for millenniums. The deathless Babaji is an avatara. This Sanskrit word means “descent”; its roots are ava, “down,” and tri, “to pass.” In the Hindu scriptures, avatara signifies the descent of Divinity into flesh.
- Babaji's spiritual state is beyond human comprehension," Sri Yukteswar explained to me. "The dwarfed vision of men cannot pierce to his transcendental star. One attempts in vain even to picture the avatar's attainment. It is inconceivable.
More from Autobiography of a Yogi, on Mahavatar Babaji's life and role:
- The Mahavatar is in constant communion with Christ; together they send out vibrations of redemption, and have planned the spiritual technique of salvation for this age. The work of these two fully-illumined masters–one with the body, and one without it–is to inspire the nations to forsake suicidal wars, race hatreds, religious sectarianism, and the boomerang-evils of materialism. Babaji is well aware of the trend of modern times, especially of the influence and complexities of Western civilization, and realizes the necessity of spreading the self-liberations of yoga equally in the West and in the East.
- That there is no historical reference to Babaji need not surprise us. The great guru has never openly appeared in any century; the misinterpreting glare of publicity has no place in his millennial plans. Like the Creator, the sole but silent Power, Babaji works in a humble obscurity.
- No limiting facts about Babaji’s family or birthplace, dear to the annalist’s heart, have ever been discovered. His speech is generally in Hindi, but he converses easily in any language. He has adopted the simple name of Babaji (revered father); other titles of respect given him by Lahiri Mahasaya’s disciples are Mahamuni Babaji Maharaj (supreme ecstatic saint), Maha Yogi (greatest of yogis), Trambak Baba and Shiva Baba (titles of avatars of Shiva). Does it matter that we know not the patronymic of an earth-released master?
- "Whenever anyone utters with reverence the name of Babaji," Lahiri Mahasaya said, "that devotee attracts an instant spiritual blessing."
Post-Yogananda claims about Mahavatar Babaji
Since the publication of Autobiography of a Yogi in 1946, several teachers have claimed a direct connection to Mahavatar Babaji, and offered more background stories about Babaji. Some of these stories conflict with the details in Autobiography of a Yogi, and some contradict each other. There are different opinions on whether these stories refer to the Mahavatar Babaji that Yogananda wrote about.
Babaji and the 18 Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition by M. Govindan, builds upon Yogananda's description of Babaji by giving new details, such as Babaji's birthdate (30th of November 203 A.D.), youth, and attainment of the highest goal of physical immortality under the guidance of two great Siddha Masters of South India - Agastyar and Bogar. Govindan claims to have met Babaji in person.
Another saint who is often identified with Mahavatar Babaji is Hariakhan Baba, a teacher who lived and taught from 1861 through 1924. Babaji is discussed in the book Hariakhan Baba: Known and Unknown by Baba Hari Dasa. Several accounts were also written by an Indian holy man named Mahendra Baba, a long term disciple, who identified him as being the same person as Mahavatar Babaji. Roy Eugene Davis, a direct personal disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda and former minister of the Self-Realization Fellowship Phoenix Temple, expressed a similar conclusion in his book Life Surrendered in God: The Philosophy and Practices of Kriya Yoga.
Another teacher who is mistakenly identified with Mahavatar Babaji has a confusingly similar name, Haidakhan Babaji. He lived in northern India and taught publicly from 1970 to 1984. The spiritual teacher Leonard Orr wrote about his encounters with Haidakhan Babaji in many of his books, including Babaji: The Angel of the Lord and, together with Sondra Ray, promoted him as being Mahavatar Babaji. Since this 'Babaji' died in 1984, he cannot be the same Mahavatar Babaji from Autobiography of a Yogi, who said, "I will never leave my physical body." * 'Babaji' is a common name for saints and teachers in India - thus the growing confusion about the many different 'Babajis'.
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203 births | Hindu religious figures | Yogis
"Mahavatar Babaji"