SRI NEEM KAROLI BABA MAHARAJJI

Today is the birth celebration of Sri Neem Karoli Baba Maharajji who is sometimes referred to as the Wonder Mystic of Northern India. He was born in the village Akbarpur, which is in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, into a wealthy Brahmin family. At an early age he left home and became a sadhu, a forest holy man, who became known for his miracles and psychic powers. He preached 'love all, serve all and feed all'.

Sri Swami Chidananda, President of the renowned Divine Life Society, who passed away at the age of 93 on August 28, 2008, referred to him as "one of the most unique phenomena among the religious fraternity of Saints, Sages and holy Fakirs of Northern India".

During his life Maharajji helped build temples and ashrams and feed millions of people. He was a worshiper of the ever popular deity Hanuman and always encouraged his followers and devotees to read the Gita and the Ramayana. One of his favorite sayings was "It's better to see God in everything than to try to figure it all out."

In the late 1960's Richard Alpert, a Harvard Professor, traveled to India to find the truth about the Truth and in his quest he found Neem Karoli Baba. After spending time with the elusive sadhu saint, Alpert returned to the United States as Baba Ram Dass and wrote an account of his journey to India and the spiritual transformation he had undergone due to his meeting with Maharajji.

When the book 'Be Here Now' appeared on bookshelves in the west it became an instant success. The book served as a sort of bible for hundreds of thousands of young people who were caught up in the drug culture at that time. Many of them traveled to India to seek out the famed guru while others went from experimenting with drugs to experimenting with religions and in some cases even creating philosophies of their own.

Maharajji passed away and attained 'Mahasamadhi' in Vrindavan, which is near Agra, on September 11,1973. If you wish to learn more about him, you can go to his website. It has more than ample information about the locations of his ashrams and temples and the books written about him.

My favorite section is ... Lilas of Maharajji ... The pages here contain stories that are based on personal experiences devotees and followers have had with Maharajji. Because these stories are less formal and at times can make you laugh and cry, they have a warm and endearing quality about them that make them stick in your mind.