Sant Sri Asaramji Bapu
Encyclopedia
Sant Shri Asharam Ji Bapu , also endearingly called "Bapu", is a self-realized Hindu
Spiritual Guru
from India
. Bapu preaches the existence of One Supreme Conscious in every human being and represents a confluence of Bhakti yoga
, Gnana yoga
and Karma yoga
. Under his guidance, an Ashram
was started in 1971 at Ahmedabad
on the historically significant place where sage Sandipani
(Guru of Lord Krishna
) used to do Yagya. As of now, the number of Ashrams have surpassed 350. A documentary video "Voice of Consciousness" showed life-sketch of Sant Asharam Bapu. Throughout his career, there have been numerous controversies surrounding his ashrams many of which include murders and concealment of black money.
in Sindh
(Un-Partitioned India) on April 17, 1941 (Gregorian calendar
). His father was a wealthy businessman.
Bapu went to school in Maninagar. His mother helped develop his interest in dhyaan-bhajan (meditation
and prayers) from his early childhood.
At a very young age Asumal lost his father, but grew more and more interested in pursuing meditation and spirituality. He finally left his family (who wanted him to get married) and traveled the country, until he went to Vrindavan
, the land of Lord Krishna. Here he was inspired to go to the ashram of the Guru, Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj
. He had to wait for 40 days in the Ashram to get a glimpse of the Guru. There he stayed and served his Guru with devotion. Lilashah Ji for testing the determination of Asumal, made him go through several hardships and tests for another 30 days before Asumal was blessed. Then Swami Sri Lilashah Ji Maharaj asked him to go back to home and continue his spiritual practices at home.
While coming back to his home, he left the train and went to Moti Koral (A place in Gujarat). He started Spiritual practice at the bank or river Narmada. A local saint Shri Lalji Maharaj was impressed by Asumal's interest to attain Self Realization. Lalji Maharaj made arrangements for Asumal to stay in Datt Kutir of Ram Niwas (Lalji Maharaj's Ashram).
When Asumal's wife and mother came to know that he was staying at Moti Koral they visited him. They asked him to come back. Asumal refused to return until he completed the Anushthan. He successfully completed the Anushthan. The whole village including Lalji Maharaj came to the railway station to see them off to Ahmadabad
. As soon as the train started moving from Miyagaun junction, Asumal jumped out and boarded a train towards Mumbai where He met Guru Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj
.
Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj
instructed Asaram to serve the humanity by staying as a householder. After Self-Realization Asaram Bapu stayed in solitude for seven years. Asaram Bapu used to give religious discourse to all those who came to meet & see Bapu. Bapu spent His solitude in various places like Disa
, Naareshwar Dhaam, the Himalayas
, Mount Abu.
in Haridwar
in Vikram Samvat 1928, & by the commands of Guru, in order to provide a good example to common householders, Bapu entered the life of a householder. It was the day of Guru Punam in Vikram Samvat 2028 when Asaram Bapu reached Ahmedabad after staying in solitude for seven years.[2]
Sant Shri Asaram Ji Bapu chose a peaceful place in the Motera village on the banks of Sabarmati river. Later on some of the devotees constructed a small room for him which is known as "Moksha Kutir". Slowly, the number of devotees coming to Motera kept on increasing and in a very short time the place became a great spiritual center. Today Motera
is the main spiritual centre for the devotees coming to Sant Sri Asaramji Ashram
.
After initial police investigation, it turned out that the person who made the allegations had already been caught on a video tape by a TV Channel A2Z News in a Sting Operation, in which his gang of people got busted and accepted in front of camera about their conspiracy of targeting Sant Shri Asaram Ji Bapu and their Ashrams, with false allegations by support of some media houses. Asaram Bapuji or any of his disciples had nothing to gain by attempting to harm this individual when he had already been caught on tape conspiring to malign the Sant.
. On 3 April 2010, the channel broadcast details of investigations and reports by government instituted special investigation commission, under leadership of Justice D K Trivedi.
Other controversies involving Asaram Bapu include tax evasion and land encroachment.
Ashram Bapu rebutted all such allegations, as Ashram is having all legal and documentation proofs of legally purchasing land and all required tax paid on time, with legal representations..
It is worth noting that one of the Indian news channel had caught Asaram Bapu himself bragging about how murders are performed in the ashram and the way it is so easy for his institution to conceal black money. However, the very next day all the videos vanished. This gives a clear indication of his political reach. [13]
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Spiritual 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...
from 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...
. Bapu preaches the existence of One Supreme Conscious in every human being and represents a confluence of Bhakti yoga
Bhakti
In Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...
, Gnana yoga
Gyan
GYAN or Gyan may refer to:* Gyan , a Sanskrit word that roughly translates to 'knowledge' in English.* Global Youth Action Network, a youth empowerment organization* Gyan , the debut album by Gyan EvansPeople named Gyan:...
and Karma yoga
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
. Under his guidance, an Ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
was started in 1971 at Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
on the historically significant place where sage Sandipani
Sandipani
Sandipani, which means "Sage of Gods", was a guru of Lord Krishna. Sandipani was a rishi/muni/saint of Ujjain, previously known as Avantipura....
(Guru of Lord Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
) used to do Yagya. As of now, the number of Ashrams have surpassed 350. A documentary video "Voice of Consciousness" showed life-sketch of Sant Asharam Bapu. Throughout his career, there have been numerous controversies surrounding his ashrams many of which include murders and concealment of black money.
Youth
Sant Shri Asharam Bapu (Bapuji), born to father Thaumal Sirumalani and mother Menhgiba, as Asumal Sirumalani. Place of birth being Berani village of the Nawabshah DistrictNawabshah District
Shaheed Benazirabad District is one of the districts in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The district was renamed in September 2008 when most of MPAs of Nawabshah demanded renaming the district to honour the late party leader...
in Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
(Un-Partitioned India) on April 17, 1941 (Gregorian calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
). His father was a wealthy businessman.
Bapu went to school in Maninagar. His mother helped develop his interest in dhyaan-bhajan (meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
and prayers) from his early childhood.
At a very young age Asumal lost his father, but grew more and more interested in pursuing meditation and spirituality. He finally left his family (who wanted him to get married) and traveled the country, until he went to Vrindavan
Vrindavan
Vrindavan also known as Vraj is a town in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India...
, the land of Lord Krishna. Here he was inspired to go to the ashram of the Guru, Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj
Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj
Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj is the guru of Sant Sri Asaramji Bapu and Sant Sri ManohardasJi Maharaj . He practiced celibacy throughout his life.- Biography :...
. He had to wait for 40 days in the Ashram to get a glimpse of the Guru. There he stayed and served his Guru with devotion. Lilashah Ji for testing the determination of Asumal, made him go through several hardships and tests for another 30 days before Asumal was blessed. Then Swami Sri Lilashah Ji Maharaj asked him to go back to home and continue his spiritual practices at home.
While coming back to his home, he left the train and went to Moti Koral (A place in Gujarat). He started Spiritual practice at the bank or river Narmada. A local saint Shri Lalji Maharaj was impressed by Asumal's interest to attain Self Realization. Lalji Maharaj made arrangements for Asumal to stay in Datt Kutir of Ram Niwas (Lalji Maharaj's Ashram).
When Asumal's wife and mother came to know that he was staying at Moti Koral they visited him. They asked him to come back. Asumal refused to return until he completed the Anushthan. He successfully completed the Anushthan. The whole village including Lalji Maharaj came to the railway station to see them off to Ahmadabad
Ahmadabad
Ahmadabad may refer to:Afghanistan* Ahmad Abad, Afghanistan, a place in AfghanistanAzerbaijan*Əhmədabad, Goranboy, Azerbaijan*Əhmədabad, Sabirabad, Azerbaijan*Əhmədabad, Tovuz, AzerbaijanIndia* Ahmedabad , a major city in India...
. As soon as the train started moving from Miyagaun junction, Asumal jumped out and boarded a train towards Mumbai where He met Guru Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj
Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj
Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj is the guru of Sant Sri Asaramji Bapu and Sant Sri ManohardasJi Maharaj . He practiced celibacy throughout his life.- Biography :...
.
Self Realization
Asumal reached Bombay (Mumbai) and met Guru Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj. Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj was very happy to see his disciple's keen interest to attain the truth. Hence, on 2nd Day of Ashvin month in Samvat 2021 at 2.30pm in the afternoon Asumal was transformed into Asaram Bapu by the blessings of Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj. After this Asaram Bapu went into samadhi for next two and a half days.Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj
Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj
Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj is the guru of Sant Sri Asaramji Bapu and Sant Sri ManohardasJi Maharaj . He practiced celibacy throughout his life.- Biography :...
instructed Asaram to serve the humanity by staying as a householder. After Self-Realization Asaram Bapu stayed in solitude for seven years. Asaram Bapu used to give religious discourse to all those who came to meet & see Bapu. Bapu spent His solitude in various places like Disa
Disa
Disa is the heroine of a Swedish legendary saga, which was documented by Olaus Magnus, in 1555. It is believed to be from the Middle Ages, but includes Old Norse themes....
, Naareshwar Dhaam, the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, Mount Abu.
Life as a Householder
Asaram Bapu met Swami Sri Lilashahji MaharajSwami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj
Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj is the guru of Sant Sri Asaramji Bapu and Sant Sri ManohardasJi Maharaj . He practiced celibacy throughout his life.- Biography :...
in Haridwar
Haridwar
Haridwar is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India...
in Vikram Samvat 1928, & by the commands of Guru, in order to provide a good example to common householders, Bapu entered the life of a householder. It was the day of Guru Punam in Vikram Samvat 2028 when Asaram Bapu reached Ahmedabad after staying in solitude for seven years.[2]
Sant Shri Asaram Ji Bapu chose a peaceful place in the Motera village on the banks of Sabarmati river. Later on some of the devotees constructed a small room for him which is known as "Moksha Kutir". Slowly, the number of devotees coming to Motera kept on increasing and in a very short time the place became a great spiritual center. Today Motera
Motera
Motera is a census town in Gandhinagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The Sardar Patel Stadium is located in Motera. This stadium is the venue for international cricket matches. From 19 January 2008 it is the part of Ahmedabad city under Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.-Demographics:...
is the main spiritual centre for the devotees coming to Sant Sri Asaramji Ashram
Sant Sri Asaramji Ashram
Sant Sri Asaramji Ashram is an ashram place, where the devotees of Asaram Bapu visit for performing their prayers and practising yoga and dhyaan...
.
Foundations
There are 350 ashrams working under the guidance of Asaram Ji Bapu. These ashrams organise spiritual and social welfare activities on a regular basis. Some of these activities include Weekly Satsang, Distribution of Rishi Prasad, Lok Kalyan Setu, other spiritual publications like Divya Prerna Prakash, free distribution of Netra Bindu (eye drops) and a device to remove Vaastu related issues. LIVE webcast of Spiritual Discourse is facilitated for more than 70 million followers (sadhaks) living worldwide through the Ashram website.Sri Yog Vedant Seva Samiti
More than 1300 Sri Yog Vedant Seva Samitis are formed under the guidance of Pujya Bapuji. These Samitis do various social welfare programs like Development of tribals, and people belonging to backward classes, Service activities in orphanages, Distribution of food-grains through ration cards, Distribution of buttermilk and water outlet service, De-addiction Campaigns, Centres for Spiritual Literature, Video Satsang Centres, Free-Food and Financial Support for extremely poor people and upliftment programmes for prisoners in Jails etc. are few among them but not limited to this list.Bal-Sanskar Kendras
Bal Sanskar Kendra or BSK for short are sessions and camps conducted for all-round and comprehensive development of children/students. BSKs are inspired by spiritual teachings of Asaram Bapu and coordinated by Bal Sanskar Kendra Dept., Shri Akhil Bhartiya Yoga Vedanta Seva Samiti, Sant Shri Asarmaji Ashram, Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India.Other News in Media and Sting Operation
In December 2009, the Gujarat Police filed an attempt to murder case against Asaram Bapu and two others.After initial police investigation, it turned out that the person who made the allegations had already been caught on a video tape by a TV Channel A2Z News in a Sting Operation, in which his gang of people got busted and accepted in front of camera about their conspiracy of targeting Sant Shri Asaram Ji Bapu and their Ashrams, with false allegations by support of some media houses. Asaram Bapuji or any of his disciples had nothing to gain by attempting to harm this individual when he had already been caught on tape conspiring to malign the Sant.
. On 3 April 2010, the channel broadcast details of investigations and reports by government instituted special investigation commission, under leadership of Justice D K Trivedi.
Other controversies involving Asaram Bapu include tax evasion and land encroachment.
Ashram Bapu rebutted all such allegations, as Ashram is having all legal and documentation proofs of legally purchasing land and all required tax paid on time, with legal representations..
CID gives Ashram Clean Chit (April, 2010)
Two children were found drowned in the river Sabaramti in 2008. But On April 8, 2010 after months of investigation and searching through records and witnesses, CID gave Sant Sri Asaramji Ashram Clean Chit and asserted that there were no black magic activities that may have anything to do with the death of the children. Most popular press amusingly stayed tongue tied about why it made earlier allegations of such practices at the Ashram.It is worth noting that one of the Indian news channel had caught Asaram Bapu himself bragging about how murders are performed in the ashram and the way it is so easy for his institution to conceal black money. However, the very next day all the videos vanished. This gives a clear indication of his political reach. [13]