Neem Karoli Baba
Encyclopedia
Shri Neem Karoli Baba or Shri Neeb Karori Baba (Hindi: नीब करौरी बाबा) (died September 11, 1973, in Vrindavan
, India
), also known to followers as Maharaj-ji, was a Hindu
guru
and devotee of the Hindu deity
Hanuman
. He is known outside India for being the guru of a number of Americans who travelled to India in the 1960s and 1970s, the most well-known being the spiritual teachers Ram Dass
and Bhagavan Das, and the musicians Krishna Das and Jai Uttal
. His ashrams are in Kainchi, Vrindavan, Rishikesh, Shimla, Bhumiadhar, Hanuman Ghar, Lucknow, Delhi in India and in Taos, New Mexico
, USA.
family and his father's name was Pundit Durga Prasad 'Vedacharya'. He was born as Pundit Lakshmi Narayan Sharma at Akbarpur
, Ferozabad district in the India
n state of Uttar Pradesh
. He was married at the age of 11 to Rambeti (daughter of Pundit Rewati Ram) and is survived by three children: Aneg Singh Sharma, Dharma Narayan Sharma and Girija Bhatele (née Sharma). He had two havelis (palatial homes) in Akbarpur, the older of which has been converted to a temple and the newer one is being preserved as his birthplace shrine. He also had another home in Agra in Gokulpura where he visited multiple times after he left his married life. He had nine grandchildren and fifteen great grandchildren.
. During this time he was known under many names including Lakshman Das, Handi Wallah Baba, and Tikonia Walla Baba. When he did tapasya and sadhana
at Bavania in Gujarat, he was known as Tallaiya Baba. In Vrindavan
, local inhabitants addressed him by the name of Chamatkari Baba (miracle baba
). He was considered by many to be a saint
.
Neem Karoli was a life-long adept of bhakti yoga
, and encouraged service to others (seva
) as the highest form of unconditional devotion to God. In the book Miracle of Love, compiled by Ram Dass
, a devotee named Anjani shares the following account:
, the author of Be Here Now
, teacher/performer Bhagavan Das, Lama Surya Das and the musicians Jai Uttal
and Krishna Das
. Other notable devotees include humanitarian Larry Brilliant
and his wife Girija, as well as Dada Mukerjee
(former professor at Allahabad University
, Uttar Pradesh
, India). Baba Hari Dass
was also a disciple who maintained one of the ashrams before heading to the USA to become a spiritual teacher. Steve Jobs
, along with his friend Dan Kottke, traveled to India in 1973 to meet Maharaj-ji, but did not arrive before the guru expired in September of that year.In her 2010 interview to ELLE magazine, Julia Roberts
disclosed that a picture of Neem Karoli Baba drew her to Hinduism and now she is practicing it along with her family.
and Larry Brilliant
founded the Seva Foundation
, an international health organization based in Berkeley California that is committed to applying the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba toward ending world poverty. One of Seva's greatest accomplishments is to have helped return eyesight to nearly 3 million blind people suffering from cataract blindness in countries like Tibet, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Cambodia and throughout Africa. The organization also has a Native American Community Health Program that works to fight an epidemic of diabetes in Native communities throughout the United States.
In the late 2000s another Foundation evolved, the 'Love Serve Remember Foundation', whose purpose is to preserve and continue the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba and Ram Dass.
Vrindavan
Vrindavan also known as Vraj is a town in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
), also known to followers as Maharaj-ji, was a Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
and devotee of the Hindu deity
Hindu deities
Within Hinduism a large number of personal gods are worshipped as murtis. These beings are either aspects of the supreme Brahman, Avatars of the supreme being, or significantly powerful entities known as devas. The exact nature of belief in regards to each deity varies between differing Hindu...
Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
. He is known outside India for being the guru of a number of Americans who travelled to India in the 1960s and 1970s, the most well-known being the spiritual teachers Ram Dass
Ram Dass
Ram Dass is an American contemporary spiritual teacher and the author of the seminal 1971 book Be Here Now. He is known for his personal and professional associations with Timothy Leary at Harvard University in the early 1960s, for his travels to India and his relationship with the Hindu guru Neem...
and Bhagavan Das, and the musicians Krishna Das and Jai Uttal
Jai Uttal
Jai Uttal is an American musician and singer-songwriter born in New York City. Often performing with his "Pagan Love Orchestra," Jai's music is influenced by his R&B roots of the 1960s and '70s and by traditional Indian music, which he first became familiar with at age 19.When he was 19, Jai moved...
. His ashrams are in Kainchi, Vrindavan, Rishikesh, Shimla, Bhumiadhar, Hanuman Ghar, Lucknow, Delhi in India and in Taos, New Mexico
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
, USA.
Early life and family
The exact details of Neem Karoli Baba's birth and early years are not known. He was born in an affluent BrahminBrahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
family and his father's name was Pundit Durga Prasad 'Vedacharya'. He was born as Pundit Lakshmi Narayan Sharma at Akbarpur
Akbarpur
navneet sachan 7827821710Akbarpur is a town and a nagar panchayat in Kanpur Dehat district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.-Geography:...
, Ferozabad district in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
. He was married at the age of 11 to Rambeti (daughter of Pundit Rewati Ram) and is survived by three children: Aneg Singh Sharma, Dharma Narayan Sharma and Girija Bhatele (née Sharma). He had two havelis (palatial homes) in Akbarpur, the older of which has been converted to a temple and the newer one is being preserved as his birthplace shrine. He also had another home in Agra in Gokulpura where he visited multiple times after he left his married life. He had nine grandchildren and fifteen great grandchildren.
Sadhu and guru
He left his home around the time when his youngest child (daughter) was eleven (1958) and wandered extensively throughout northern India as a sadhuSadhu
In Hinduism, sādhu denotes an ascetic, wandering monk. Although the vast majority of sādhus are yogīs, not all yogīs are sādhus. The sādhu is solely dedicated to achieving mokṣa , the fourth and final aśrama , through meditation and contemplation of brahman...
. During this time he was known under many names including Lakshman Das, Handi Wallah Baba, and Tikonia Walla Baba. When he did tapasya and sadhana
Sadhana
Sādhanā literally "a means of accomplishing something" is ego-transcending spiritual practice. It includes a variety of disciplines in Hindu, Sikh , Buddhist and Muslim traditions that are followed in order to achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives.The historian N...
at Bavania in Gujarat, he was known as Tallaiya Baba. In Vrindavan
Vrindavan
Vrindavan also known as Vraj is a town in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India...
, local inhabitants addressed him by the name of Chamatkari Baba (miracle baba
Baba (honorific)
Baba is a Persian honorific term used in several Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures. It is used as a mark of respect to refer to Sufi saints....
). He was considered by many to be a saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
.
Neem Karoli was a life-long adept of bhakti yoga
Bhakti yoga
Bhakti yoga is one of the types of yoga mentioned in Hindu philosophies which denotes the spiritual practice of fostering loving devotion to a personal form of God....
, and encouraged service to others (seva
Selfless Service
Selfless service is a commonly used term to denote a service which is performed without any expectation of result or award for the person performing it.-Religious significance:...
) as the highest form of unconditional devotion to God. In the book Miracle of Love, compiled by Ram Dass
Ram Dass
Ram Dass is an American contemporary spiritual teacher and the author of the seminal 1971 book Be Here Now. He is known for his personal and professional associations with Timothy Leary at Harvard University in the early 1960s, for his travels to India and his relationship with the Hindu guru Neem...
, a devotee named Anjani shares the following account:
There can be no biography of him. Facts are few, stories many.
He seems to have been known by different names in many parts of India,
appearing and disappearing through the years. His non-Indian devotees of
recent years knew him as Neem Karoli Baba, but mostly as “Maharajji” –
a nickname so commonplace in India that one can often hear a tea vendor
addressed thus. Just as he said, he was ‘nobody.’ He gave no
discourses; the briefest, simplest stories were his teachings. Usually
he sat or lay on a wooden bench wrapped in a plaid blanket while a few
devotees sat around him. Visitors came and went; they were given food,
a few words, a nod, a slap on the head or back, and they were sent
away. There was gossip and laughter for he loved to joke. Orders for
running the ashram were given, usually in a piercing yell across the
compound. Sometimes he sat in silence, absorbed in another world to
which we could not follow, but bliss and peace poured down on us. Who
he was no more than the experience of him, the nectar of his
presence, the totality of his absence...
Notable disciples
Among the most well known of Maharaj-ji's disciples were Ram DassRam Dass
Ram Dass is an American contemporary spiritual teacher and the author of the seminal 1971 book Be Here Now. He is known for his personal and professional associations with Timothy Leary at Harvard University in the early 1960s, for his travels to India and his relationship with the Hindu guru Neem...
, the author of Be Here Now
Be Here Now (book)
Be Here Now is a seminal 1971 book on spirituality, yoga and meditation by the Western born yogi and spiritual teacher Ram Dass. The title comes from a statement his guide, Bhagavan Das, made during Ram Dass's journeys in India...
, teacher/performer Bhagavan Das, Lama Surya Das and the musicians Jai Uttal
Jai Uttal
Jai Uttal is an American musician and singer-songwriter born in New York City. Often performing with his "Pagan Love Orchestra," Jai's music is influenced by his R&B roots of the 1960s and '70s and by traditional Indian music, which he first became familiar with at age 19.When he was 19, Jai moved...
and Krishna Das
Krishna Das
Krishna Das is a U.S. vocalist known for his performances of Indian devotional music called kirtan . With eight albums released since 1996, Das is perhaps the best known U.S...
. Other notable devotees include humanitarian Larry Brilliant
Larry Brilliant
Lawrence "Larry" Brilliant is an American physician, epidemiologist, technologist, author, and the former director of Google's philanthropic arm Google.org. Brilliant, a technology patent holder, has been CEO of two public companies and other venture backed start ups. From 1973 to 1976, he...
and his wife Girija, as well as Dada Mukerjee
Dada Mukerjee
Sri Sudhir Mukerjee was also known by the familiar name Dada, meaning elder brother in Hindi / Bengali . He was a Professor of Economics at Allahabad University, Uttar Pradesh, India. He is probable best known as a close devotee of Neem Karoli Baba...
(former professor at Allahabad University
Allahabad University
Allahabad University , is a premier Central University located in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Its origins lie in the Muir Central College, named after Lt...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, India). Baba Hari Dass
Baba Hari Dass
Baba Hari Dass was born in 1923 near Almora, India. He is a silent monk and guru who was classically trained in the tradition of Ashtanga Yoga. He has maintained a continual vow of silence since 1952...
was also a disciple who maintained one of the ashrams before heading to the USA to become a spiritual teacher. Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
, along with his friend Dan Kottke, traveled to India in 1973 to meet Maharaj-ji, but did not arrive before the guru expired in September of that year.In her 2010 interview to ELLE magazine, Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
disclosed that a picture of Neem Karoli Baba drew her to Hinduism and now she is practicing it along with her family.
Foundations
After returning to the United States, Ram DassRam Dass
Ram Dass is an American contemporary spiritual teacher and the author of the seminal 1971 book Be Here Now. He is known for his personal and professional associations with Timothy Leary at Harvard University in the early 1960s, for his travels to India and his relationship with the Hindu guru Neem...
and Larry Brilliant
Larry Brilliant
Lawrence "Larry" Brilliant is an American physician, epidemiologist, technologist, author, and the former director of Google's philanthropic arm Google.org. Brilliant, a technology patent holder, has been CEO of two public companies and other venture backed start ups. From 1973 to 1976, he...
founded the Seva Foundation
Seva Foundation
Seva Foundation is an international health organization based in Berkeley, California, that was founded in 1978 by public health expert Dr. Larry Brilliant. Seva is best known for their work restoring eyesight to nearly 3 million blind people suffering from cataract blindness in places like Tibet,...
, an international health organization based in Berkeley California that is committed to applying the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba toward ending world poverty. One of Seva's greatest accomplishments is to have helped return eyesight to nearly 3 million blind people suffering from cataract blindness in countries like Tibet, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Cambodia and throughout Africa. The organization also has a Native American Community Health Program that works to fight an epidemic of diabetes in Native communities throughout the United States.
In the late 2000s another Foundation evolved, the 'Love Serve Remember Foundation', whose purpose is to preserve and continue the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba and Ram Dass.
Further reading
- Das, Bhagavan (1997). It's Here Now (Are You?) Broadway. ISBN 0-7679-0009-X
- Dass, RamRam DassRam Dass is an American contemporary spiritual teacher and the author of the seminal 1971 book Be Here Now. He is known for his personal and professional associations with Timothy Leary at Harvard University in the early 1960s, for his travels to India and his relationship with the Hindu guru Neem...
(1971). Remember Be Here Now. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-517-54305-2 - Dass, Ram (1979). Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba. Hanuman Foundation. ISBN 1-887474-00-5
- Mukerjee, Dada (2001). By His Grace: A Devotee's Story. Hanuman Foundation. ISBN 0-9628878-7-0
- Mukerjee, Dada (2001). The Near and the Dear: Stories of Neem Karoli Baba and His Devotees. Hanuman Foundation. ISBN 1-887474-02-1
- Pande, Ravi Prakash (2003). Divine Reality: Shri Baba Neeb Karori Ji Maharaj. Shri Kainchi Hanuman Mandir Ashram.