Neem Karoli Baba
This baba made finding God as easy as eating laddoos & today you’re going to find out his secret.
Neem Karoli Baba was born around 1900 in Akbarpur, UP, as Lakshman Narayan Sharma.
Even as a child, people found him to be lost in meditation by the Ganga, and his passion for pursuing spirituality alone was clear even after he got married & had kids.
He permanently renounced worldly life in the late 1950s, and toured India, visiting Vrindavan, Prayagraj, Himalayas & many other places.
At each place, he lovingly cooked for & served people simple food like khichdi & dal sabji, earning him the name “Handi” Baba, alongside “Chaddar Baba” which arose from his simple attire of just a shawl & water jug.
When he was travelling through the Neeb Karori village in train, he was thrown off the station for not having a ticket, but the train wouldn’t start, and when the inspector got him back onboard, it miraculously started, earning him the name we all know him by today.
Although Maharaj-ji travelled constantly, his headquarters came to be in 1962 in the Kumaon region at the foothills of Himalayas, at Kainchi Dham ashram, 38 kms from Nainital.
Baba was a huge fan of Hanuman, some even saying that he’s a living avatar because of his built, devotion & selflessness.
His teachings were dead simple - Serve People, Love everyone, Feed the Needy, Protect the Poor … because “Sab Ek” i.e. everyone has the same divinity. He taught about detachment, saying our ego & pride are the biggest obstacles to meeting God.
To remember that, he emphasised repeating & chanting God’s name. He never spoke a word in English but attracted a huge following from the West, who all said that his mere presence was enough. Krishna Das, who is a world-renowed kirtan musician today, was his follower.
What makes him special was that Baba never referred to any scripture, passing the secrets of life by eating laddoos or offering them & other gifts to his followers.
Even after he passed away in 1973, and you should visit his Samadhi at Vrindavan, his aura continued attracting people like Steve Jobs & Zuckerberg, healing many & empowering others to start charities & social service work inspired by him.
Neem Karoli Baba’s life is so simple, yet so difficult to fit into one Reel, proving that Dharma is not about grand things, but the simple message of serving others.