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.

SREE NARAYANA GURU

a saint for our times ...

Sree Narayana Guru is one the most dynamic holy men India has ever produced... He was a saint,a philosopher, a poet and a social activist... He fought for the under privileged, tore down barriers of bigotry and discrimination and opened the doors of the temples of worship and learning to millions.

He preached 'One Caste, One Religion, One God for Man'... If you have never heard of Sree Narayana Guru ... here is some background stuff on him that makes him a person of interest even in our times.

Narayana Guru was born on September 15,1854 in a small village in Kerala which is a state in southern India.During his life, he fought a caste system that was far more cruel and far more entrenched then the apartheid system in South Africa... His courage and determination inspired people like Gandhi and many others.

Narayana Guru build temples and schools where anyone from any caste could attend... He was constantly on the lookout for ways to break down barriers that separated people... At one temple he consecrated a mirror because the people could not agree on which idol they should worship.

In learning about Narayana Guru .. one of the things that impressed the most .. was his concern for the environment... Even way back then ... around 1900 ... he condemned industry for its total disregard for the land and the animals that lived there.

The fact that people would build factories and these factories would destroy the surrounding eco-system was an abomination to him.. and he spoke out against it.

Narayana Guru lived in and around Varkala, which is considered one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Sree Narayana Guru was declared a National Saint in 1911... He died in September 1928... His Samadhi Sthal ... or the place of his remains .. is located in Sivagiri .. a place that he built on a hill overlooking Varkala.

Sri Ma Anandamayi

Sri Ma Anandamayi was a poor village girl who, while she lived, became one of India's most eminent saints and luminaries. She was born in Kheora, in what is now Bangladesh, on April 30, 1896 into a poor but pious brahmin household. Her given name was Nirmala Sundari Devi which means 'Immaculate Beauty'.

Anandamayi was one of those rare individuals who was endowed with spiritual powers from the time she could remember. At a tender age, she could enter a state of inner bliss almost at will.

Anandamayi attracted followers from all walks of life. Her reach extended beyond the confines of cultures, traditions and even the borders of her own country. Among her devotees were peasants and scholars, the poor and the powerful and among them there were Christians and Muslims and anyone and everyone else who had the good fortune of crossing her path.

When Mahatma Gandhi heard about Anandamayi, he sent his right-hand man to see to her. As it turned out, he eventually became one of her most dedicated devotees.

Anandamayi was a pilgrim constantly on the go anointing all those who came to see her with a peace and love that seemed to be ever-flowing from her presence. Wherever she went crowds gathered and waited for hours just to get a glimpse of her. She was always in demand.

For those who were well-versed in spiritual matters, she was an anomaly and an enigma. They could not understand how a uneducated woman who never had a guru and never lived in seclusion, could speak the language of scholars, teach the tenants of the faith and assume yogic postures as if they were her own. However, in time they learnt to accept her as one of their own.

When I first learnt about Anandamayi, she was one those individuals who was almost to good to be true ... It was difficult to believe that some one like her had ever existed ... But as I dug into her past and learnt more about her ... I began to realize that she was someone special.

From what I was able to gather ... Anandamayi seemed to belong to no one and everyone all at the same time. She was no one's guru .. was not into organizations .. or things like schedules. Things would just happen around her. For instance .. she would arrive at a certain destination .. throngs would show up to greet her .. and the next thing you know ... chaos would breakout .. and from that chaos order would come .. eventually.

Sri Anandamayi died in Kankhal India on August 27 1982, and attained Maha Samadhi. August 29th.