Shivapuri Baba
Encyclopedia
Shivapuri Baba, also known as Swami Govindanath Bharati, was a Hindu
saint
who reportedly lived from 1826 to 1963, making him 137 years old at the time of his death.
According to the biography written by John G. Bennett
, Long Pilgrimage - The Life and Teaching of the Shivapuri Baba, Shivapuri Baba was born in the Indian State of Kerala as Jayanthan Nambudiripad in 1826 and became a seeker after truth at the age of 18.
He was one of the first spiritual teachers to travel to the West, where he met various European heads of state, as well as U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt
, before returning to India in 1915.http://literature.wnso.org/2005/life_of_the_Shivapuri_baba_Mohan.htm
He spent the last decades of his life in Nepal
, where Bennett visited him twice in the early 1960s.
master to transplant the wisdom of India to the West. He had no fewer than 18 audiences with Queen Victoria, who considered this great sage a friend. He was blessed with a very long life, which, after his awakening at the age of 50, he dedicated entirely to the spiritual welfare of others.He was also known for good well being personality because of his spiritual power and divine.
Shivapuri Baba taught that as humans we have three principal duties: first, physical duty, consists mainly in maintaining body and mind through proper livelihood, including the obligation to help one’s dependents to accomplish the same. Second, moral duty, consisting in remaining sensitive to the obligation to seek the truth 24 hours a day. Third, spiritual duty, by which he meant the worship of the Divine. He felt certain that if we attend carefully to the first two duties for a decade, we will naturally become able to fulfill the third duty. Physical discipline, he noted, brings pleasure. Moral discipline gives us serenity. Spiritual discipline yields deep peace and ultimate happiness.
Shivapuri Baba was dismissive of conventional yogic paths, because he saw in them potential distractions that might keep a person from performing the three duties. On closer inspection, his own sensible prescriptions are in fact a form of yoga.
He is said to have not been harmed by dangerous animals such as tigers or snakes in the forest. Instead, they were his "good friends" and would visit him regularly to eat what he offered to them.
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...
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...
who reportedly lived from 1826 to 1963, making him 137 years old at the time of his death.
According to the biography written by John G. Bennett
John G. Bennett
John Godolphin Bennett, was a British mathematician, scientist, technologist, industrial research director, and author. He is perhaps best known for his many books on psychology and spirituality, and particularly the teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff...
, Long Pilgrimage - The Life and Teaching of the Shivapuri Baba, Shivapuri Baba was born in the Indian State of Kerala as Jayanthan Nambudiripad in 1826 and became a seeker after truth at the age of 18.
He was one of the first spiritual teachers to travel to the West, where he met various European heads of state, as well as U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, before returning to India in 1915.http://literature.wnso.org/2005/life_of_the_Shivapuri_baba_Mohan.htm
He spent the last decades of his life in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, where Bennett visited him twice in the early 1960s.
Teaching
Shivapuri Baba appears to have been the first modern yogaYoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
master to transplant the wisdom of India to the West. He had no fewer than 18 audiences with Queen Victoria, who considered this great sage a friend. He was blessed with a very long life, which, after his awakening at the age of 50, he dedicated entirely to the spiritual welfare of others.He was also known for good well being personality because of his spiritual power and divine.
Shivapuri Baba taught that as humans we have three principal duties: first, physical duty, consists mainly in maintaining body and mind through proper livelihood, including the obligation to help one’s dependents to accomplish the same. Second, moral duty, consisting in remaining sensitive to the obligation to seek the truth 24 hours a day. Third, spiritual duty, by which he meant the worship of the Divine. He felt certain that if we attend carefully to the first two duties for a decade, we will naturally become able to fulfill the third duty. Physical discipline, he noted, brings pleasure. Moral discipline gives us serenity. Spiritual discipline yields deep peace and ultimate happiness.
Shivapuri Baba was dismissive of conventional yogic paths, because he saw in them potential distractions that might keep a person from performing the three duties. On closer inspection, his own sensible prescriptions are in fact a form of yoga.
He is said to have not been harmed by dangerous animals such as tigers or snakes in the forest. Instead, they were his "good friends" and would visit him regularly to eat what he offered to them.