1. Introduction
Is it possible by any means to see and feel God in form through our five senses? Yes, it is only through the grace of God. To bless his own children on earth, God intermittently sends greatly evolved souls (saints, yogis, enlightened beings) from His plane of existence. This article attempts to construct a brief life sketch of two God like great saints of 20th century, Sripad Babaji and Sri Sharir Baba. In section 2, I have attempted to construct, the life story of Sripad Baba from two major books[1], reminisces of several people, including the author, who came in his contacts during 1960s -1980s and several publications of Vraja Academy which Sripad Baba founded in 1978. Section 3 presents the life sketch of Shri Sharir Baba. The predominant source of this life sketch is a hand-written manuscript on the spiritual life and journey of Sri Sharir Baba, authored by Sripad Babaji in Hindi language and Transcendental Journey authored by Jnanananda Giri.[2]
2. Brief Life Sketch and activities of Sripad Baba
Who was Sripad Baba? Frankly speaking, no one knows with certainty, where Sripad was Baba born? Who were his parents? Or who was his Guru? Which spiritual or religious traditions he followed? Information on Sripad Baba’s birth and his early life is thus shrouded in mystery. There are many anecdotes about his birth and early life which may seem unbelievable to a modern mind. Many of devotees living in Vraj regions stated to me that Baba performed Kayakalp and entered into the dead body of the son of Panna Maharaj and Maharani. Some told me that Sripad Baba has been in body since the time of Guru Nanak. According to the story by a lady (herself aged at least 50 years in 1997) devotee of Mehar Baba, Smt. Singh, Sripad Baba Ji was known even to her grandfather living in Badarpur.[3] Moreover, Sripad Baba narrated her when Mehar Baba, with his close group of lady devotees was walking on a street of Vrindavan on May 29, 1923, Sripad Baba, then a boy, danced in front of the group of Mehar Baba. Another Sadhu of a repute living in Giriraj ji told me that Sripad Baba was essentially Neta ji Subhash Chandra Bose who assumed another body by performing Kayakalp and lived for long in Ayodhya too. Another person in Kanpur told me about Babji’s close relationship with a south Indian driver of Netaji who always used to trouble Sripad Baba by writing letters asking for monetary help. Sripad Baba used to oblige him, mostly asking this person to send him money.
Swami Jnanananda Giri (1930-2015), a Swiss Sanayasi and Kriya Yogi, in his autobiography “Transcendent Journey” gave brief sketch of the early life of Sripad Baba whom the former met for the first time in March 1963 in the company of a saint Bhayya ji at Swamy Akhandanad Ashram, Vrindavan.[4] Swami Jnanananda developed immense affection for and friendship with Sripad Baba, who according to his estimate was then 18 years. Believing this estimate to be correct, Sripad Baba was probably born in the year 1945. Swami Jnanananda undertook several journeys with Sripad Baba for visiting various saints and pilgrimage centers. Sripad Baba during his long association with Swami Jnanananda once revealed to him that he was born in Ballia, a small but famous city of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Later he migrated along with his parents to Kolkata. While attending school in Kolkata, Sripad Baba was once disappointed and deeply pained by the rude and shocking behavior of his teacher, who slapped his schoolmate on a trivial issue of attentively watching kite flying during study hours. This incident affected the extremely sensitive 8 year old child Sripad so much that he left the school and did not even return to the family fearing that his parents would force him to rejoin the school.
Ever since leaving his home, the child Sripad Baba depended only on prayer to omnipresent God for getting answer to all his questions and for his survival. He stayed in various Ashrams, temples, forests, hills, lake side and river banks initially in Hazari Bagh (Jharkhand) and later in Chitrakoot for some years. During this period, his Sadhana was mainly prayer driven worship of and meditation on various forms of Gods, especially Shiva Lingam. He also used to offer his manual services to the sadhus and saints living in Ashrams, temples and jungles. In the forest of Chitrkoot, he stayed for a longer period in an Ashram and studied scriptures in a Gurukul run by a spiritually advanced householder Saint. He used to serve Ashrams cows and developed loving relationships with them and other animals and birds of the jungle. During this period, he learned Sanskrit and Hindi and its dialect Avadhi with a view to recite and understand Shri Mad Bhagwat Puran, Bhagwat Gita, Ramcharit Manas and Upnishadas. In those days, his ideal was Shri Hanuman ji who found utmost meaning and satisfaction in serving Lord Ram, His family and devotees. Therefore, he loved to meditate on him and sleep in the proximity of the idol of Hanuman ji in various temples.
Others also found and met Sripad Baba wandering as nomad in various places of central India including Chhatarpur-Panna-Khajuraho-Chitrakoot region; the hills and jungles of Himalayas and pilgrimage centres in Uttarakhand; Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Vraj region, Kanpur, Agra and Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh Pune region of Mahrashtra. He occasionally visited pilgrimage centers in South and East India and various metropolises too. In these places, he met innumerable people; a number of them also became his devotees. With the passage of time, an important incident took place in the life of Sripad Baba which shook his identity (aham) completely. He felt that his being was captured by some unknown power and his activities were under its surveillance. This power used to force Sripad to follow its will. This created great inner conflict which ended only when he surrendered to the great power, treating it as the God’s command. This surrender also led to his inner transformation and birth of pure knowledge in him. Sripad Baba once reported to Swami Jnananand that Rajarshi Janak and Sharir Baba often entered into his personality during the midnight and expounded their spiritual knowledge. This was also corroborated by other people who met him during the decade of 1960s.[5] Recognizing Sharir Baba as a rare Yogi, the boy Sripad Baba seemingly stayed in his physical proximity for a little longer period in which he studied him closely through his loving observation and service. The proximity of Sharir Baba influenced the heart of Sripad Baba so much that the latter could not help giving words to the evolution of consciousness of the former in the form of a unique spiritual biography. He thus authored a spiritual biography of Sharir Baba which was hand written by Shri Badari, a devotee and probably a resident of Panna. Having sufficiently lived in the company of Sharir Baba, Sripad Baba attained to the state of complete Vairagya. In Sripad Baba’s own words, “The way Shri Ramkrishna Parmahans received the higher consciousness from Trailang Swami during his visit to Varanasi; he too received the similar consciousness by staying in the proximity of Sharir Baba.
In this state of high consciousness, Sripad Baba also visited various places sanctified by advanced yogis and various religious shrines in Himalayas. It seems that he underwent severe penance for a few years and attained Advaitic (non-dual) consciousness. He came to the realization of oneness between individual soul and universal soul. However, not much is known about the period for which he lived in Himalayas for performing spiritual practices. In the later periods, whenever some group of devotees visited various regions of Himalayas with Sripad Baba, they reported that Baba was quite conversant with the terrain, ordinary people and saints living in the area. Several saints and yogis from Himalayas also visited him when he began to live regularly in Vrindavan. They too reported about Sripad's young age sojourns in Himalayas and his miraculous powers of appearing and disappearing, his courage and adventures, his ascetic life and habits, his love for nature, his meditative trance like states, and his extreme sensitivity towards needy, poor, spiritual seekers and pilgrims. The author has seen a photo of his teen age standing in front of Badrinath Temple covered with snow. It seems Sripad Baba stayed somewhat longer in Gangotri and Badrinath region of Himalayas. Sripad Baba sometimes used to talk about his fond memory of days spent in Himalayas to a group of his close friends, namely, Shri Ambika Khare, Late Shri Mathura Prasad Shukla and Late Swamy Jnanananda Giri. Shri Ambika Khare once told me that Sripad Baba narrated him a strange experience when the latter was staying at Gomukh near Gangotri. Many a times, Sripad Baba while meditating saw good as well as bad spirits who appeared before him in physical bodies resembling saints and sadhus. However, they would soon dissolve their bodies. While good spirits dissolving the body would leave a trail of brightness; the bad ones would leave a trail of black smoke. Baba was also called Swami Ramtirth when he was living in Himalayas and in the forest situated in the vicinity of Ramtirth Asharm. Many people addressed him as Swami Ramtirth in their letters. Swami Govind Prakash, a Mahant (in charge) of Swami Ramtirth Ashram too was quite affectionate towards Sripad Baba.
Apparently, Sripad Baba completed his Vedantic Sadhana by the late 1950s and came down to the planes. Even after coming back to planes, he remained in the state of full advaitic (non-dual) consciousness. In this state, he once visited Varanasi where he went into a state of trance for three months in which a mass of light engulfed him completely. He could see the light inside as well as outside his body during all his activities performed during waking state, and even during state of dreaming or meditation.[6] Shri Badari, a devotee and probably a resident of Panna, recorded his impressions about Sripad Baba as follows, “No one could know and describe the state of God intoxicated “Balak Sant” (a boy saint); one can only say that he was exclusively for God and God belonged to him; Sripad Baba in those days used to wander in a state of Parmahansa and he loved to talk about divinity of Himalayas; whenever Badari met him, he used to feel immense happiness and extreme affection for him”.[7] Badari used to call him “Balak Sant”, as the name Sripad was non-existent then. Sometime Sripad Baba used to visit and stay in Panna for a few days. The king, queen of Panna and their daughter too were quite affectionate towards him, therefore many people used to call him prince of Panna or Chhote Baba (little saint).[8] Sripad Baba had already attained the state of pure vairagya and transcended the body consciousness, thanks to his early age proximity with Sharir Baba and his Spiritual practices, Satsang and Seva. He never rested and quickly attained ultimate realization of Gyan Marg as well as Yaj yoga by meditating on and identifying with absolute while living in Himalayas. Sripad Baba also lived in Ayodhya for sometimes and developed friendly relationship with a young sadhu Shri Lalji Maharaj. In the later years, Shri Lalji came to be known as Tapasvin Maharaj and created a big Ashram in Ayodhya.
Shri Radha-Krishna still wanted to drown him in Ras Yoga of Vraja. Probably from the early 1960, when Sripad Baba was around 15 years old, his attention got diverted towards Leelas of Radha-Krishna. As result, he engaged himself with the esoteric ras-sadhana of Vraja region. Probably around this period, Lal ji Maharaj of Ayodhya designated the multi named Baba as Sripad Baba. The name Sripad became the permanent and manifested his true personality in years to come. His engagement with the saints and sadhaks living and interested in Vraja region increased. Now, he started wandering more in Vraj region than in any other place. His most likable place in Vraja region was gavhar van (jungles surrounding Barsana hill) and Radha ji's temple. Sripad Baba exhibited a number of miracles during his stay in Vraja region which were mainly aimed at incentivizing the efforts of devotees and increasing their devotion towards their Gurus and Radha-Krishna. Sometimes, these miracles were also the outward reflections or manifestations of his inner state of consciousness. He mostly used to dwell in Radha-Krishna bhava during this period. His identification was so intense that he would be often found weeping as Radha for Krishna.
Shri Krishna embodying sixteen dimensions of personality was the cherished deity (Ishta devata) of Sripad Babaji. He had seen Shri Krishna in form as well as had the realization of formless Shri Krishna as Brahman. His experiences and realizations were similar to those realized and experienced by saint-poets of Vraja such as Surdas, Nand Das, Kumbhan Das, Swami Haridas. He used to experience and participate in Vraja Leela of Shri Krishna. He also imparted some of these divine experiences of leela to a select few. He claimed that art, ras, leelas, literature, music, poetry, philosophy originated in Vraja are the vital essence of Vraja culture. Vraja culture raised the status of immortal Vedic culture to the top of every culture. While living in Vraja, Sripad Babaji fully aligned himself with the spirit and emotional self of many past and contemporary saints of Vraja. They included, among others, Swami Haridas ji Maharaj, Rasikvar Shri Hariram Vyasji Maharaj, Rasik Bhushan Mahaprabhu Shri Harivansh ji Maharaj. He also admired and loved the living saints like Shri Prbhudatta Brahmachari, Shri Deveraha Baba, Shri Bal Mukund ji Maharaj, Bhaktimati Usha Bahan ji for their great sacrifice, hardships, tolerance and emotional upsurge towards Radha-Krishna. He opined that even opulent people respect and regard renunciation. The reason being that the Aryan tradition, that received great distinction in life, started from renunciation and terminated in the fullness of God-realization.
In his high state of spiritual consciousness, Sripad Baba also visited Bhayya ji and many other spiritual aspirants in Bareilly region. Bhayya ji was an advance devotee of Radha-Krisnna and well versed in scripture. Bhayya ji with his highly developed intuition instantly recognized Sripad ji as a great siddha. Bhayya ji narrated many of his devotees about the Sripad ji’s spiritually exalted condition and unique behaviour. Sripad ji then had very long matted hair touching almost to the ground. Besides, his whole body used to emit light and eyes used to blaze like sun. One could not look at his eyes directly even for a few minutes. He always appeared withdrawn from his surroundings. When he wanted to say something he would mostly gesture or speak only few words. Sripad Baba stayed with Bhayya ji for a few months and did not go out of his residence at all during that period. Bhayya ji was too happy to serve such an advance Yogi. He also realized his mystical influences and blessings upon his life and sadhana. Gradually, he introduced Sripad Baba to his circle of devotees and friends who were mostly devoted to Radha-Krishna and Vraja region. Some of these people, whom I know, included saint Shri Ganga Das Mauni, Late (Dr.) Somesh Upadhaya, Late Ganga Bua, Late Master Kanhiya Singh, M/s Satya ji, Baba Laxmi Narayan, Shri Dhaniram, Late Srimati Mati, etc. He also made Bhayya ji his instrument to engage with the sincere devotees of Vraja. Beside this group, Sripad Baba also contributed in the spiritual growth of several others (viz. Shri Umanath Shukla and Prabodh Chaturvedi) living in Bareilly. He helped most of them in their Sadhana without disturbing their natural tendencies or loyalty towards their Gurus and chosen deities.
During the early 1970s, Sripad Baba was painfully moved by the poor condition of Vraja Region. He observed that the physical condition of Vraja itself had become so bad that it was hardly exhibiting any features of Vraja as described in Puranas or as rediscovered by Chaitanya Maha Prabhu during the medieval period of India. The revered Yamuna River was highly polluted due to the neglect of the Government, pilgrims and even people of Vraja. There were hardly any powerful voice to protect cows, heritage buildings, sacred ponds, Parikrama roads and even temple closely associated with the personality of Shri Radh-Krishna’s Godhead. The Bhakti tradition and culture of once prosperous and reverential Brajbhumi was dying. The invaluable texts and manuscripts containing the revelations of saints and poets were scattered and thereby disappearing due to improper care and apathy; want of users and absence of dedicated adequate repository for safekeeping the same. The pride of Vraja was getting lost as a large number of inhabitant of Vraja was seeking fame and accumulating material wealth, even at the cost of selling rare earth (Vrajraj) and stones mined from Barsana and Govardhan hills. Seekers of truth, scholars, devotees and others who cherish the higher values of life were feeling helpless.
Sripad Babaji embodied all the personality traits needed by a person dedicated to the conservation of Vraja culture. He had extreme detachments towards his own bodily needs, pain, and material objects. He was quite compassionate towards poor and needy. He respected all religions and their sects and their messengers, avatars, spiritual masters and saints. He actively offered protection and services to cows. He attempted to conserve temples, tirthas, kundas, rivers, hills, religious, cultural monuments and religious texts and manuscripts of Vraja. He tried to protect the ecology and environment including rivers, flora, fauna and forest of Vraja. He actively participated in and celebrated various utsavas and mahotsavas related to the leelas of Radha-Krishna and various saints of Vraja. He was full of devotion and loyalty towards Radha-Krishna and Gopis. He loved and respected all life forms of inanimate and animate objects existing in Vraja by considering them holy since they imbibe the Radha-Krishna consciousness.
Responding to his inner clarion call and call of people cherishing the higher values of life Sripad Baba started a new phase of his life in the mid-1970s. This phase is similar to the phase of many saints and Avatars who, subsequent to their enlightenment, involved themselves with larger humanity due to their compassion or acted under God’s direction as His instrument. This is clearly visible in the activities of Shri Krishna’s life too. After Shri Krishna left Vraja, he engaged with the major political forces of the time for re-establishing the Dharma of the time and spreading the message of Gita. Shri Gautam Buddha too after the attainment of enlightenment, established/organized Sanghas for dissemination of his spiritual consciousness due to Karuna for the common masses. Babaji decided to create an organization in the name of Vraja Academy which was formally founded on the eve of Deepavali on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti on October 30, 1978. A famous historian and Padmshri awardee, Dr. Ishwari Prasad, presided over the function in which a number of dignitaries (e.g. Shri Purusottam Mantri, Minister of Devesthana, Shri Somthakur, a famous neo-lyricist of Hindi, Dr. Rameshchandra Sharma, Director, Government Museum, Mathura, Shri Prabhdayal Mittal, a famous literateur writing in Vrja language, etc.) were also present. The specific objectives of Vraja academy was set as the following:
In the year 1904, a great soul with extraordinary spiritual features descended in a blessed gross body on earth in the region of Chhatarpur, situated near world famous Khajuraho temples. Chhatarpur is also near to Panna well known for its diamond mines. From the divine existential plane a subtle body carried this soul with its causal body having all ingredients necessary for manifesting in a suitable gross body. The chosen lucky Brahmin parents prepared and gave birth to the gross body of this Jeevan Mukta, untrammeled from the impressions of the worldly life. The baby gradually began to learn the language of this world and skill of performing physical activities. The baby’s close relatives gave him a name matching paternal sacraments. Gradually the baby entered childhood by stripping of the experiences of babyhood with feeling of growing in his body and mind. With growth of baby, his revered mother was perhaps deriving satisfaction from imagining a bright materialistic future for the child. Probably, the deeply attached father of the dignified baby had some inkling of his son’s spiritual inclinations. Neither parent, however, could imagine about the child’s upcoming complete pure spiritual life devoid of any materialistic stain.
It is mentioned in the scriptures that the parents, who give birth to a Jeevan Mukta’s body get blessed; the place where Jeevan Mukta is born and live get sanctified; the places which he visits feel grateful. Plants, animal and birds which come in his contacts immensely benefit and evolve quickly. Indeed, gods also aspire to worship such a great one. Since his childhood, Sharir Baba had full, control over his five senses and body. Therefore, he was a natural Urdhvareta Brahmchari. He had also transcended the sense of identity for giving and accepting in early age. He started seeing God in everyone. People at Chhatarpur used to praise him due to his disciplined nature and behavior. People familiar with him also appreciated his divine qualities and his ideas about spiritualities. He learned gods’ language Sanskrit through the brahminical system of family education. In addition to learning Sanskrit, he might have learned other subjects and languages when he entered in adolescence. But, there is lack of evidence about the same. Seemingly, the divine consciousness began to develop silently in his mind since the very childhood. When an icy river, after encroaching high Himalayan region enters the areas of warm planes, it transform itself into free flowing water for quickly reaching its destination that is the vast sea. In the same way, super consciousness, having descended from the highest existential plane, assumed the form of contemplation and meditation in the adolescence mind of Sharir Baba. Indeed, Sharir Baba was seen since his adolescence involved in the investigation and discovery of the stages of Samadhi (meditative trance). Since his childhood, he preferred worshiping Shiva sitting in meditative posture. His eternal Guru has been Shiva who presides as Matangeshwar in the form of sacred idols and sculptured images in the historical setting of Khajuraho temples. Undeniably, Shiva himself initiated Sharir Baba as his disciple in one of the soundless nights of Shivaratri in Khajuraho temple premises.
Even before attaining youthful age, he left his home and broke all his ties of earthly relations for exploration of the highest reality. Holy city Kashi hosted this nomad for satisfying his inner urge of self-realization. He also accepted Sanyas in Kashi and lived there for some time. In a Sanskrit college of Kashi, he intellectually learned Vedas, Upanishadas, various other scriptures and Purans and compared them with his own experiences, speculations and investigations. Major conclusions of his learning were, “Soul (Atma) is witness of body; mind (man), intellect (buddhi) and life energy (pran) all reside in Soul”. Continuous thinking and reflection on these became so intense that he lost most of his external sense and became half insane. This half insanity acted as a cover that enabled him to acquire the consciousness that the body and soul are separate entities. His involvement with this consciousness also made him self-delighted. Ever since he realized the separateness of body and soul, he gave up his studies. He wandered freely in various places of Kashi without any sense of identity, cleanliness, hygiene and need of clothing. If he was found at Manikarniaka Ghat in the evening, he may be seen at Dashashwamedh Ghat in the next morning or evening in the Vishwanath temple and at a secluded spot in cremation ground at mid night, etc. Since then his language became soul’s language. Outwardly, his careless behaviour was incompatible with normalcy. However, he was experiencing a rare state of trance. In fact since then he started addressing himself as Sharir (body) as if he existed separately from his gross body. There are many such narratives in Upnishadas whose main characters hold the same state of consciousness as that of Sharir Baba. It seems that the spiritual, mental and physical states of consciousness attained in the past by great saint Dattatreya, Astavakra and Shukdeva, as described in the scriptures, have again manifested in Sharir Baba’s holy personality. Out of the seekers born during Vedic period to twentieth century, those who have followed the path of self-reflection or introspection (Gyan Marg), some have been the conscious or unconscious seekers of Samadhi. This powerful stream of seekers of Samadhi and their enlightenment have offered peace, security and nectar of love to the miserable human beings afflicted by physical and mental problems. Sharir Baba assimilated in his life the achievements and experiences of all the previous great seekers of spiritual trance and enlightened beings and manifested the same to the public in the modern scientific age of twentieth century. Proximity and affection of Sharir Baba touched the heart of the biographer with so much intensity that he could not help but to express latter’s spiritual state through this biography.
Path of full spiritual enlightenment consists of seven stages (or Bhumikas) of development of spiritual consciousness (Atmgyan) as per the ancient path of Gyana.[10] Out of these, first three stages in ascending order are Subhechcha (good wish or desire to know unknown); Vicharana (inquiry or investgation); Tanumanasi (threadlike thin mind or continuous concentration). These three stages are devoid of divine light (Bramha Prakash). Yet, a person sequentially growing (or ascending) through these stages reaches near to the perimeter of divine light (Brahma Prakash). The person grown to the fourth stage of Sattvapatti (the attainment of Sattva) and fifth stage of Asansakti (non-attachment) is able to touch the rays of divine light (Brahm Prakash). A person reaching to the sixth stage of Padartha-Bhavani (analysis of objects) consciousness is not only able to touch divine light but also enters to some extent into the same. Turiya or Turyaga is the seventh and final stage. When a person enters and remains in this stage, he is called enlightened (or Brahmasth). However, rarest of the rare person reaches to the final stage (Turyaga). The yogi residing in this state is called Brahm Vidoor. Ever since Sharir Baba began to live in the fifth stage of consciousness, the people started worshiping him. His spiritual journey however continued until he reached to the final stage of Turyaga. This state of consciousness made Sharir Baba half insane and even careless about his basic bodily requirements such as food, shelter, clothing and hygiene. He started living in himself as a witness to the external world. He never fell from this state of consciousness. He was mostly found as an insane person on the road side of Kashi with his body covered in ragged thick bed-sheet.Once, King of Chhatarpur with his courtesans and servants went to Kashi for a pilgrimage. While he was passing through bank of Bhagirathi River, his secretary suddenly saw Sharir Baba in such an abject condition. Thereafter attention of entire group got diverted towards Sharir Baba. They approached him with respect but started thinking about him with empathy and surprise. No one understood the reason behind such a state of his insanity. The king affectionately included Sharir Baba in his group and brought him back to Chhatarpur. The people earlier known to Sharir Baba looked at him with curiosity, amazement, sympathy and some even with contempt with understanding his inner state of sublime consciousness. It was almost impossible for them to know that Sharir Baba had become witness to the external world due to his mind merging into the highest level of consciousness.
In this half-insane state, Sharir Baba also undertook pilgrimages like a Parivrajak. He visited Himalayan region in the Uttarakhand. It is unknown which types of trance he underwent during this visit. But, it is certain that he remained in a pure devotional state during darshan of the daity of Shri Badrinath dham. He also journeyed, through the inaccessible paths, to Shri Kedarnath and Gangotri, which are the holy place for mediation and the place of birth of Jahanvi Bhagirathi River respectively. He also went on to Mansarovar and Yamunotri which are most beautiful places the mother earth on the highest altitude of Himalaya. Having traveled to Uttarakhand, he went to Bhavbhoomi Vraj. There, he also performed internal pilgrimage on the Rasik Path of Vraj-badhuti in the divine association of Shri Krishna. There some mystical dimensions to these journeys as well but they remained invincible and inexplicable. Sharir Baba also travelled to Rajasthan to view various holy places and temples. He went to the temple of Govind Dev ji at Jaipur - the city of grand temples and historical buildings. There, he had darshan of the lively idols of Shri Radha-Krishna who reflect the sentiments of a large number of devotees offering their devotion every day in the mornings and evenings. Thereafter, he travelled to the state of Gujarat for a darshan of Dwarikadhish (Shri Krishana) at Dwarka city. In medieval period, the famous devotional poet and Shri Krishna’s ardent devotee Meera Bai dissolved her body into the idol installed in the temple of Dwarkadhish. In the divine spirit of Shri Krishna, Sharir Baba danced on the beaches of Dwarka. During this period, he was exuberant with joy and sea too exhibited his divine mood with its sound and tides.
Having finished these journeys, Sharir Baba came back to Chhatarpur due to his inner prompting. Like a Muni living in his soul, he wandered in various streets and lanes, halting for a while on holy spots in Chhatarpur and its surrounding areas. Once, he dwelled for six months in silence and inert state in a temple of Mote (fat) Hanuman ji situated in the outskirt of Chatarapur. If someone puts food or water in his mouth he would gulp, otherwise remained inactive. Sometimes, he would appear lifeless or unconscious. Hearing this from others, the king of Chhatarpur visited to see him. He arranged to respectfully place Sharir Baba in the picturesque atmosphere of Narayan Garden situated in the premises of his own beautiful palace. Living in room in Narayan Garden, Sharir Baba would be found sometimes conscious, sometimes unconscious and other times half insane or crazy. During this period, some devotees and curious persons began to visit him. Surprisingly, he could understand instantaneously the desires, intentions and feelings of these people without them expressing the same. Sharir Baba would respond to these people in his own mystical verbal language or body language. However, very few could understand his language. Most of the people would interpret his response as per their faith and feelings and marvel at the capability of Sharir Baba.
The devotees and watchmen living nearby Sharir Baba saw him in miraculous conditions. Watchmen of the palace working in night shifts saw many times glittering subtle beings entering in the room of Sharir Baba and latter conversing with them in unfamiliar languages. People often heard bizarre sounds, including mixer of various ragas, in his room, mostly during late night to early morning and sometimes even afterwards. These occurrences and experiences of various devotees are the evidence of the ancient science of Nada yoga as described in the scriptures which manifested through Sharir Baba. In his silent half insane state, it seems, he used to travel in astral planes of the creation. Sometimes devotees observed Sharir Baba in various types of bodies.
As people started recognizing and getting benefitted from the divinity of Sharir Baba, vast masses from different locations and cities began to visit him since morning till night. From the richest to rank poor with their silent desires and worries would visit Sharir Baba for his blessings and fulfillments of their desire. They would feel secure and obliged after approaching him. Baba could read and express the devotee’s mental states and offered appropriate solutions to their problems in his mystic language. Gradually, Sharir Baba became more expressive and talkative. As a witness and guardian of soul, what he used to discuss about internal and external matters, it was beyond the understanding of ordinary mind and intellect. When he used to become mute and remain silent for weeks, his body and his behavior used to express his internal emotions regarding external creations. The author, Sripad Baba, closely witnessed and benefitted from this state of Sharir Baba. Gradually, Sharir Baba became more uninhibited. He showed no aversion towards rotten materials, urine and stools lying strewed around him on the floor of his room. Sometimes, Sharir Baba would even paste these rotten objects on his body and not be bothered about people’s opinion about himself. In this state of consciousness, Sharir Baba started calling himself a body. This is indeed 6th stage (bhumika) of Gnan Marg which is called Padarthbhavani and the person reaching to this stage is called Brahmviduriyan.
Seeing Sharir Baba in such a state, the people visiting him for the first time got confused many times thinking whether they were viewing a saint or a madman. The logical prejudiced mind tried to judge a person with the help of its past memories and experiences. Therefore, it can never understand a spiritually evolved person residing in higher states of consciousness. To understand and benefit from such a person, one has to approach him without one’s ego centric perceptions and prejudices. Once a person decides to dissolve his opinionated mind and intellect into the higher consciousness of the great one, he becomes eligible for seeking a new life based spiritual principles. When time arrives, the seeker gets fulfilled in the protection of such a great man. A seeker cannot imagine how much satisfaction and happiness he can derive by merging his streams of water like frivolous mind into the sea of consciousness of the great man. The seekers who are able to adopt this holy method are really blessed. Their one pointed attention and loyalty are indeed appreciable. The proximity of Sharir Baba was really holy. However, people used to get scared seeing his unholy state of being. They often questioned to themselves “why such a holy person surrounds himself with unholy dirty objects?” Some people with extreme devotional temperament always found proximity of Sharir Baba to be always divine and blissful. For them, all the foul smell emanating from the rotten objects transformed into fragrance.
Proximity of Sharir Baba, like a Kalptaru (desire fulfilling tree) used to fulfill the desires of people instantaneously. He used to react even to the slightest desires of persons approaching him as the way body reacts to the touch of electric current. The people having his darshan experienced bliss and peace of mind. To his devotes, Sharir Baba used to communicate his love and blissful state through his silence and unfettered smile. He would sometimes remove the obstacles of a person by hurling a word of abuse, showing his anger or hearting him physically. His heart was so pure that even the dirtiest heart connecting him would get purified. His nature was such that if someone offered him a gift with a reverence, he would keep that with heartfelt emotion and enthusiasm. He used to keep all the gifts including perishable food and clothing under his exclusive control. He would allow abundant food items offered by devotees to perish but not distribute to anyone. Off course, when he was in super conscious state without any awareness of physical world, the rats and dogs would feast on the food items. Even snakes have been seen slithering on his body but he did not bother to remove them. Sometimes, he would converse with birds, rats and cats. His body occasionally suffered from severe fever and great pains and contacted disease but he refused to take any medicine or treatment. He always remained in the state of equanimity and treated everyone including animals and birds with undifferentiated love and care.
The Mother Nature with its three qualities (tamas, rajas, and satva) used to look after Sharir Baba and act according to his wish. As per the scriptures, “Nature herself takes care of the gross body, energy and subtle body and their corresponding activities of Jivan Mukta established in state of Turia Samadhi”. In Shrimad Bhagwat Gita, Shri Krishna described this as “Guna Gunevu Vartante”. He was seen limited by his body to the ordinary mind. Yet, due to his consciousness identified with the body of entire cosmos, he acted in realty as witness, maintainer, and sustainer of all the bodies. At the same time, he also consumed through all the bodies. The consciousness of ordinary individual soul (Jiva) is shackled in eight bondages. These bondages are Ghrina (Hate), Lajjaa (Shame), Bhaya (Fear), Shanka (Doubt), Jugupsaa (censure/reproach), Kula (family tree or class), Jaati (cast, creed, nationality, religion) and Sheela (Modesty). When Jiva is freed from these chains, he is called Sadashiva (Universal consciousness - Free soul/God). Sharir Baba was free from all the bondages which bind the individual soul (Jiva) to the Maya. He had no attachment to his body and would be mostly unaware of people present in his surroundings due to his blissful state. In such situations, clothes covering his body would frequently slip of. Despite this, Sharir Baba would not feel awkward in the presence a large number of visitors and devotees. Even girls, young women and cultured families would not hesitate or feel shy in approaching him in this naked or half naked condition. For them, the body of Shari Baba was and temple of their chosen deity. He was so holy that it could make others holy by his touch or compassionate glance. They always found Sharir Baba absorbed in universal soul. Therefore, there was no place for any personal thought in his mind.
Having lived for 8-9 years in the room of Narayan Bagh, where he was installed like God by the king of Chhatarpur and his associates, Sharir Baba one day left the palace premises. He sat under a tree for a day and thereafter stayed in a house of Mohammadan following the religion of Islam. Mohammadan’s home became the house of Khuda for nine months period during which Sharir Baba stayed and a large number of devotees from all walks of life visited for his blessings. Thereafter, Sharir Baba stayed for two and half to three years in a vacant lonely place away from the market. Finally, he got shifted to the premises of a Shiva temple adjacent to a pond situated in the outskirt of Chhatarpur. How his body shifted to this place remains an enigma as his bodily and external activities had ceased in those days. He was living in the earthly body yet he was sojourning in astral planes. He used to display his inner experiences or mood through his facial expressions or movements of fingers. These expressions also used to convey the meanings of his profound mystical experiences. Due to the gradual manifestation of Turia stage, he frequently gave impression to ordinary people that he was senseless or dead. As a result, several people mistook Sharir Baba as dead or almost dead in the absence of any bodily activity. However, they were pleased to find him surprisingly alive in their next visit. This was in fact the characteristic feature of Turia state of consciousness in which Sharir Baba was dwelling those days. A yogi who could identify himself with his consciousness would know the meaning of his expressions. His heightened consciousness also contributed in spiritualizing the astral world.
By eradicating the impressions of the memories of earthly life, Sharir Baba had reached to the shore of Sta-Chit-Anand. Whatever was remaining in the form of body was waiting for the ordained time of his departure from the physical world. It is mentioned in the scriptures that “Jeevan Mukta after attaining Brahmvidvaristh Turyaga can remain alive only for 17 days or 19 days or maximum 21 days”. Reason is that his Prarabdh becomes quite weak, accumulated impressions of Karma does not remain and Kriyaman stops creating impressions. Hence in the absence of any ego created by the reactions of Karma, the body too stops functioning. A few months before his Mahasamadhi, he lived for 90 days only by drinking milk and water. His body had become so weak that pain was clearly visible in his body. Sometimes, his relatives and friends belonging to his early days got worried seeing painful state of his weak body. However, he remained unaffected by the pain and remained in the blissful state of Samadhi. Sripad Baba visited him on July 12, 1965 one day before the auspicious day of Gurupurnima. Despite his painful physical state of body, Sripad Baba found him as blissful and agile as he had found him in a previous visit when he worshipped and performed his arati. Sharir Baba in his unclear language indicated to Sripad Baba that former would shortly give up his body.
When Sripad Baba next time visited Sharir Baba, he found latter’s body quite sick. Seeing this, he became quite sad and sat in his close proximity. He felt that Sharir Baba would soon depart this earthly plane by giving up his body that had been temple of God for long. This feeling made Sripad Baba quite worried and sad despite knowing that Sharir Baba would now live in the eternal divine word. As expected, Sharir Baba, while sitting in lotus posture, attained Mahasamadhi on August 2, 1965 during the golden hours (2.5 to 3.5 AM) of night. He broke away his relation with earthly body and merged in the supreme consciousness. Sharir Baba is immortal, ever lives in immortal soul. He came from immortal, lived in immortal and passed on immortal after living for a brief period in the gross body subject to decay and death.
Is it possible by any means to see and feel God in form through our five senses? Yes, it is only through the grace of God. To bless his own children on earth, God intermittently sends greatly evolved souls (saints, yogis, enlightened beings) from His plane of existence. This article attempts to construct a brief life sketch of two God like great saints of 20th century, Sripad Babaji and Sri Sharir Baba. In section 2, I have attempted to construct, the life story of Sripad Baba from two major books[1], reminisces of several people, including the author, who came in his contacts during 1960s -1980s and several publications of Vraja Academy which Sripad Baba founded in 1978. Section 3 presents the life sketch of Shri Sharir Baba. The predominant source of this life sketch is a hand-written manuscript on the spiritual life and journey of Sri Sharir Baba, authored by Sripad Babaji in Hindi language and Transcendental Journey authored by Jnanananda Giri.[2]
2. Brief Life Sketch and activities of Sripad Baba
Who was Sripad Baba? Frankly speaking, no one knows with certainty, where Sripad was Baba born? Who were his parents? Or who was his Guru? Which spiritual or religious traditions he followed? Information on Sripad Baba’s birth and his early life is thus shrouded in mystery. There are many anecdotes about his birth and early life which may seem unbelievable to a modern mind. Many of devotees living in Vraj regions stated to me that Baba performed Kayakalp and entered into the dead body of the son of Panna Maharaj and Maharani. Some told me that Sripad Baba has been in body since the time of Guru Nanak. According to the story by a lady (herself aged at least 50 years in 1997) devotee of Mehar Baba, Smt. Singh, Sripad Baba Ji was known even to her grandfather living in Badarpur.[3] Moreover, Sripad Baba narrated her when Mehar Baba, with his close group of lady devotees was walking on a street of Vrindavan on May 29, 1923, Sripad Baba, then a boy, danced in front of the group of Mehar Baba. Another Sadhu of a repute living in Giriraj ji told me that Sripad Baba was essentially Neta ji Subhash Chandra Bose who assumed another body by performing Kayakalp and lived for long in Ayodhya too. Another person in Kanpur told me about Babji’s close relationship with a south Indian driver of Netaji who always used to trouble Sripad Baba by writing letters asking for monetary help. Sripad Baba used to oblige him, mostly asking this person to send him money.
Swami Jnanananda Giri (1930-2015), a Swiss Sanayasi and Kriya Yogi, in his autobiography “Transcendent Journey” gave brief sketch of the early life of Sripad Baba whom the former met for the first time in March 1963 in the company of a saint Bhayya ji at Swamy Akhandanad Ashram, Vrindavan.[4] Swami Jnanananda developed immense affection for and friendship with Sripad Baba, who according to his estimate was then 18 years. Believing this estimate to be correct, Sripad Baba was probably born in the year 1945. Swami Jnanananda undertook several journeys with Sripad Baba for visiting various saints and pilgrimage centers. Sripad Baba during his long association with Swami Jnanananda once revealed to him that he was born in Ballia, a small but famous city of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Later he migrated along with his parents to Kolkata. While attending school in Kolkata, Sripad Baba was once disappointed and deeply pained by the rude and shocking behavior of his teacher, who slapped his schoolmate on a trivial issue of attentively watching kite flying during study hours. This incident affected the extremely sensitive 8 year old child Sripad so much that he left the school and did not even return to the family fearing that his parents would force him to rejoin the school.
Ever since leaving his home, the child Sripad Baba depended only on prayer to omnipresent God for getting answer to all his questions and for his survival. He stayed in various Ashrams, temples, forests, hills, lake side and river banks initially in Hazari Bagh (Jharkhand) and later in Chitrakoot for some years. During this period, his Sadhana was mainly prayer driven worship of and meditation on various forms of Gods, especially Shiva Lingam. He also used to offer his manual services to the sadhus and saints living in Ashrams, temples and jungles. In the forest of Chitrkoot, he stayed for a longer period in an Ashram and studied scriptures in a Gurukul run by a spiritually advanced householder Saint. He used to serve Ashrams cows and developed loving relationships with them and other animals and birds of the jungle. During this period, he learned Sanskrit and Hindi and its dialect Avadhi with a view to recite and understand Shri Mad Bhagwat Puran, Bhagwat Gita, Ramcharit Manas and Upnishadas. In those days, his ideal was Shri Hanuman ji who found utmost meaning and satisfaction in serving Lord Ram, His family and devotees. Therefore, he loved to meditate on him and sleep in the proximity of the idol of Hanuman ji in various temples.
Others also found and met Sripad Baba wandering as nomad in various places of central India including Chhatarpur-Panna-Khajuraho-Chitrakoot region; the hills and jungles of Himalayas and pilgrimage centres in Uttarakhand; Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Vraj region, Kanpur, Agra and Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh Pune region of Mahrashtra. He occasionally visited pilgrimage centers in South and East India and various metropolises too. In these places, he met innumerable people; a number of them also became his devotees. With the passage of time, an important incident took place in the life of Sripad Baba which shook his identity (aham) completely. He felt that his being was captured by some unknown power and his activities were under its surveillance. This power used to force Sripad to follow its will. This created great inner conflict which ended only when he surrendered to the great power, treating it as the God’s command. This surrender also led to his inner transformation and birth of pure knowledge in him. Sripad Baba once reported to Swami Jnananand that Rajarshi Janak and Sharir Baba often entered into his personality during the midnight and expounded their spiritual knowledge. This was also corroborated by other people who met him during the decade of 1960s.[5] Recognizing Sharir Baba as a rare Yogi, the boy Sripad Baba seemingly stayed in his physical proximity for a little longer period in which he studied him closely through his loving observation and service. The proximity of Sharir Baba influenced the heart of Sripad Baba so much that the latter could not help giving words to the evolution of consciousness of the former in the form of a unique spiritual biography. He thus authored a spiritual biography of Sharir Baba which was hand written by Shri Badari, a devotee and probably a resident of Panna. Having sufficiently lived in the company of Sharir Baba, Sripad Baba attained to the state of complete Vairagya. In Sripad Baba’s own words, “The way Shri Ramkrishna Parmahans received the higher consciousness from Trailang Swami during his visit to Varanasi; he too received the similar consciousness by staying in the proximity of Sharir Baba.
In this state of high consciousness, Sripad Baba also visited various places sanctified by advanced yogis and various religious shrines in Himalayas. It seems that he underwent severe penance for a few years and attained Advaitic (non-dual) consciousness. He came to the realization of oneness between individual soul and universal soul. However, not much is known about the period for which he lived in Himalayas for performing spiritual practices. In the later periods, whenever some group of devotees visited various regions of Himalayas with Sripad Baba, they reported that Baba was quite conversant with the terrain, ordinary people and saints living in the area. Several saints and yogis from Himalayas also visited him when he began to live regularly in Vrindavan. They too reported about Sripad's young age sojourns in Himalayas and his miraculous powers of appearing and disappearing, his courage and adventures, his ascetic life and habits, his love for nature, his meditative trance like states, and his extreme sensitivity towards needy, poor, spiritual seekers and pilgrims. The author has seen a photo of his teen age standing in front of Badrinath Temple covered with snow. It seems Sripad Baba stayed somewhat longer in Gangotri and Badrinath region of Himalayas. Sripad Baba sometimes used to talk about his fond memory of days spent in Himalayas to a group of his close friends, namely, Shri Ambika Khare, Late Shri Mathura Prasad Shukla and Late Swamy Jnanananda Giri. Shri Ambika Khare once told me that Sripad Baba narrated him a strange experience when the latter was staying at Gomukh near Gangotri. Many a times, Sripad Baba while meditating saw good as well as bad spirits who appeared before him in physical bodies resembling saints and sadhus. However, they would soon dissolve their bodies. While good spirits dissolving the body would leave a trail of brightness; the bad ones would leave a trail of black smoke. Baba was also called Swami Ramtirth when he was living in Himalayas and in the forest situated in the vicinity of Ramtirth Asharm. Many people addressed him as Swami Ramtirth in their letters. Swami Govind Prakash, a Mahant (in charge) of Swami Ramtirth Ashram too was quite affectionate towards Sripad Baba.
Apparently, Sripad Baba completed his Vedantic Sadhana by the late 1950s and came down to the planes. Even after coming back to planes, he remained in the state of full advaitic (non-dual) consciousness. In this state, he once visited Varanasi where he went into a state of trance for three months in which a mass of light engulfed him completely. He could see the light inside as well as outside his body during all his activities performed during waking state, and even during state of dreaming or meditation.[6] Shri Badari, a devotee and probably a resident of Panna, recorded his impressions about Sripad Baba as follows, “No one could know and describe the state of God intoxicated “Balak Sant” (a boy saint); one can only say that he was exclusively for God and God belonged to him; Sripad Baba in those days used to wander in a state of Parmahansa and he loved to talk about divinity of Himalayas; whenever Badari met him, he used to feel immense happiness and extreme affection for him”.[7] Badari used to call him “Balak Sant”, as the name Sripad was non-existent then. Sometime Sripad Baba used to visit and stay in Panna for a few days. The king, queen of Panna and their daughter too were quite affectionate towards him, therefore many people used to call him prince of Panna or Chhote Baba (little saint).[8] Sripad Baba had already attained the state of pure vairagya and transcended the body consciousness, thanks to his early age proximity with Sharir Baba and his Spiritual practices, Satsang and Seva. He never rested and quickly attained ultimate realization of Gyan Marg as well as Yaj yoga by meditating on and identifying with absolute while living in Himalayas. Sripad Baba also lived in Ayodhya for sometimes and developed friendly relationship with a young sadhu Shri Lalji Maharaj. In the later years, Shri Lalji came to be known as Tapasvin Maharaj and created a big Ashram in Ayodhya.
Shri Radha-Krishna still wanted to drown him in Ras Yoga of Vraja. Probably from the early 1960, when Sripad Baba was around 15 years old, his attention got diverted towards Leelas of Radha-Krishna. As result, he engaged himself with the esoteric ras-sadhana of Vraja region. Probably around this period, Lal ji Maharaj of Ayodhya designated the multi named Baba as Sripad Baba. The name Sripad became the permanent and manifested his true personality in years to come. His engagement with the saints and sadhaks living and interested in Vraja region increased. Now, he started wandering more in Vraj region than in any other place. His most likable place in Vraja region was gavhar van (jungles surrounding Barsana hill) and Radha ji's temple. Sripad Baba exhibited a number of miracles during his stay in Vraja region which were mainly aimed at incentivizing the efforts of devotees and increasing their devotion towards their Gurus and Radha-Krishna. Sometimes, these miracles were also the outward reflections or manifestations of his inner state of consciousness. He mostly used to dwell in Radha-Krishna bhava during this period. His identification was so intense that he would be often found weeping as Radha for Krishna.
Shri Krishna embodying sixteen dimensions of personality was the cherished deity (Ishta devata) of Sripad Babaji. He had seen Shri Krishna in form as well as had the realization of formless Shri Krishna as Brahman. His experiences and realizations were similar to those realized and experienced by saint-poets of Vraja such as Surdas, Nand Das, Kumbhan Das, Swami Haridas. He used to experience and participate in Vraja Leela of Shri Krishna. He also imparted some of these divine experiences of leela to a select few. He claimed that art, ras, leelas, literature, music, poetry, philosophy originated in Vraja are the vital essence of Vraja culture. Vraja culture raised the status of immortal Vedic culture to the top of every culture. While living in Vraja, Sripad Babaji fully aligned himself with the spirit and emotional self of many past and contemporary saints of Vraja. They included, among others, Swami Haridas ji Maharaj, Rasikvar Shri Hariram Vyasji Maharaj, Rasik Bhushan Mahaprabhu Shri Harivansh ji Maharaj. He also admired and loved the living saints like Shri Prbhudatta Brahmachari, Shri Deveraha Baba, Shri Bal Mukund ji Maharaj, Bhaktimati Usha Bahan ji for their great sacrifice, hardships, tolerance and emotional upsurge towards Radha-Krishna. He opined that even opulent people respect and regard renunciation. The reason being that the Aryan tradition, that received great distinction in life, started from renunciation and terminated in the fullness of God-realization.
In his high state of spiritual consciousness, Sripad Baba also visited Bhayya ji and many other spiritual aspirants in Bareilly region. Bhayya ji was an advance devotee of Radha-Krisnna and well versed in scripture. Bhayya ji with his highly developed intuition instantly recognized Sripad ji as a great siddha. Bhayya ji narrated many of his devotees about the Sripad ji’s spiritually exalted condition and unique behaviour. Sripad ji then had very long matted hair touching almost to the ground. Besides, his whole body used to emit light and eyes used to blaze like sun. One could not look at his eyes directly even for a few minutes. He always appeared withdrawn from his surroundings. When he wanted to say something he would mostly gesture or speak only few words. Sripad Baba stayed with Bhayya ji for a few months and did not go out of his residence at all during that period. Bhayya ji was too happy to serve such an advance Yogi. He also realized his mystical influences and blessings upon his life and sadhana. Gradually, he introduced Sripad Baba to his circle of devotees and friends who were mostly devoted to Radha-Krishna and Vraja region. Some of these people, whom I know, included saint Shri Ganga Das Mauni, Late (Dr.) Somesh Upadhaya, Late Ganga Bua, Late Master Kanhiya Singh, M/s Satya ji, Baba Laxmi Narayan, Shri Dhaniram, Late Srimati Mati, etc. He also made Bhayya ji his instrument to engage with the sincere devotees of Vraja. Beside this group, Sripad Baba also contributed in the spiritual growth of several others (viz. Shri Umanath Shukla and Prabodh Chaturvedi) living in Bareilly. He helped most of them in their Sadhana without disturbing their natural tendencies or loyalty towards their Gurus and chosen deities.
During the early 1970s, Sripad Baba was painfully moved by the poor condition of Vraja Region. He observed that the physical condition of Vraja itself had become so bad that it was hardly exhibiting any features of Vraja as described in Puranas or as rediscovered by Chaitanya Maha Prabhu during the medieval period of India. The revered Yamuna River was highly polluted due to the neglect of the Government, pilgrims and even people of Vraja. There were hardly any powerful voice to protect cows, heritage buildings, sacred ponds, Parikrama roads and even temple closely associated with the personality of Shri Radh-Krishna’s Godhead. The Bhakti tradition and culture of once prosperous and reverential Brajbhumi was dying. The invaluable texts and manuscripts containing the revelations of saints and poets were scattered and thereby disappearing due to improper care and apathy; want of users and absence of dedicated adequate repository for safekeeping the same. The pride of Vraja was getting lost as a large number of inhabitant of Vraja was seeking fame and accumulating material wealth, even at the cost of selling rare earth (Vrajraj) and stones mined from Barsana and Govardhan hills. Seekers of truth, scholars, devotees and others who cherish the higher values of life were feeling helpless.
Sripad Babaji embodied all the personality traits needed by a person dedicated to the conservation of Vraja culture. He had extreme detachments towards his own bodily needs, pain, and material objects. He was quite compassionate towards poor and needy. He respected all religions and their sects and their messengers, avatars, spiritual masters and saints. He actively offered protection and services to cows. He attempted to conserve temples, tirthas, kundas, rivers, hills, religious, cultural monuments and religious texts and manuscripts of Vraja. He tried to protect the ecology and environment including rivers, flora, fauna and forest of Vraja. He actively participated in and celebrated various utsavas and mahotsavas related to the leelas of Radha-Krishna and various saints of Vraja. He was full of devotion and loyalty towards Radha-Krishna and Gopis. He loved and respected all life forms of inanimate and animate objects existing in Vraja by considering them holy since they imbibe the Radha-Krishna consciousness.
Responding to his inner clarion call and call of people cherishing the higher values of life Sripad Baba started a new phase of his life in the mid-1970s. This phase is similar to the phase of many saints and Avatars who, subsequent to their enlightenment, involved themselves with larger humanity due to their compassion or acted under God’s direction as His instrument. This is clearly visible in the activities of Shri Krishna’s life too. After Shri Krishna left Vraja, he engaged with the major political forces of the time for re-establishing the Dharma of the time and spreading the message of Gita. Shri Gautam Buddha too after the attainment of enlightenment, established/organized Sanghas for dissemination of his spiritual consciousness due to Karuna for the common masses. Babaji decided to create an organization in the name of Vraja Academy which was formally founded on the eve of Deepavali on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti on October 30, 1978. A famous historian and Padmshri awardee, Dr. Ishwari Prasad, presided over the function in which a number of dignitaries (e.g. Shri Purusottam Mantri, Minister of Devesthana, Shri Somthakur, a famous neo-lyricist of Hindi, Dr. Rameshchandra Sharma, Director, Government Museum, Mathura, Shri Prabhdayal Mittal, a famous literateur writing in Vrja language, etc.) were also present. The specific objectives of Vraja academy was set as the following:
- To promote cultural and bhakti tradition of Vraja;
- To study man-environment relationship in spiritual perspective;
- To act as a catalyst for cultural and spiritual growth;
- To develop an education system embodying the principals of ancient Gurukul system of education and ancient Indian ethos
- To foster learning and teaching of Sanskrit language and literature;
- To prepare a curriculum of education for infusing spiritual consciousness into the existing system of education.
- To synthesize the sublime elements of conventional Vedic Upnishadic education system with the modern developments in the field of natural and social sciences.
- To undertake and sponsor research on Vraja (Indian) culture;
Under the aegis of Sripad Baba, Vraja Academy organized a number of seminars, symposiums, and workshops on various cultural and spiritual themes. These included Maharas and its Spiritual Significance in October 1984, Swami Haridas and His Humanistic Values in March 1985, International Conference on Environment in 1988, International Workshops and Symposium on Pilgrimage Traditions in October 1990 & 1991, Vrindavan Heritage Conservation and Eco-Environment in April 1994. Sripad Babaji also organized several seminars on Education in Kumbh Melas (viz. Education for Future in March 1989, Integral Development of Humans through Education in February 1995). Sripad Baba’s personality and his selfless work attracted the attention of India’s top educationists, bureaucrats, politicians and statesman, artists, saints and selfless workers. Among the top politicians of the country, Shri Chenna Reddy, Shri Narsimha Rao, ex-prime minister of India, Venkatraman, ex-President of India, Shri Karn Singh, Shri Natwar Singh, Ex- Minister of External Affairs, Shri Atal Bihari Bajpayi, Ex-Prime Minister of India contributed greatly to the cause of Sripad Baba. A few months before his death, Sripad Baba ji presided over a meet of some heads of states in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Baba identified four major lacuna in our present education system which are: a) it is devoid of Indian values, ethics and spirit of scientific enquiry and at best based on intellectual knowledge; neglecting acquisition of knowledge through other higher faculties (viz. occult); b) it is mostly driven by acquisition of information but does not emphasise or create ambience for the development or refinement of the instruments (or faculties) of knowledge acquisition; c) it creates a little skill for self-employment or proper employment in jobs; d) lacks even academic rigour and spirit of scientific (intellectual) enquiry as evident in modern western traditions and institutions. To remove these lacunas, Babaji wanted to make accessible to the masses the true import of Vedas and the knowledge, spiritual or material, inscribed therein. As the modern education imparted through contemporary Universities is bereft or devoid of such knowledge, he planned to establish a new University for the purpose. Since the knowledge inherent in Vedas is consciousness-based, he named the proposed University as Shaswat Bharati: An University of (Eastern) Consciousness. Sripad Babaji also wanted to infuse Vraja culture, the epitome of Vedic culture, into the modern Indian education system. He therefore proposed to establish the University at Vrindavan with its several centers of "spiritual and cultural regeneration" located in various parts of the globe. His dream project did not materialize during his lifetime due to his sudden demise on December 31, 1996. As per the vision of Dr. S. K. Dubey, Sripad Babaji is looking for a worthy person to carry out this dream project with his divine blessings and help[9].
3. Biography of Sharir Baba
In the year 1904, a great soul with extraordinary spiritual features descended in a blessed gross body on earth in the region of Chhatarpur, situated near world famous Khajuraho temples. Chhatarpur is also near to Panna well known for its diamond mines. From the divine existential plane a subtle body carried this soul with its causal body having all ingredients necessary for manifesting in a suitable gross body. The chosen lucky Brahmin parents prepared and gave birth to the gross body of this Jeevan Mukta, untrammeled from the impressions of the worldly life. The baby gradually began to learn the language of this world and skill of performing physical activities. The baby’s close relatives gave him a name matching paternal sacraments. Gradually the baby entered childhood by stripping of the experiences of babyhood with feeling of growing in his body and mind. With growth of baby, his revered mother was perhaps deriving satisfaction from imagining a bright materialistic future for the child. Probably, the deeply attached father of the dignified baby had some inkling of his son’s spiritual inclinations. Neither parent, however, could imagine about the child’s upcoming complete pure spiritual life devoid of any materialistic stain.
It is mentioned in the scriptures that the parents, who give birth to a Jeevan Mukta’s body get blessed; the place where Jeevan Mukta is born and live get sanctified; the places which he visits feel grateful. Plants, animal and birds which come in his contacts immensely benefit and evolve quickly. Indeed, gods also aspire to worship such a great one. Since his childhood, Sharir Baba had full, control over his five senses and body. Therefore, he was a natural Urdhvareta Brahmchari. He had also transcended the sense of identity for giving and accepting in early age. He started seeing God in everyone. People at Chhatarpur used to praise him due to his disciplined nature and behavior. People familiar with him also appreciated his divine qualities and his ideas about spiritualities. He learned gods’ language Sanskrit through the brahminical system of family education. In addition to learning Sanskrit, he might have learned other subjects and languages when he entered in adolescence. But, there is lack of evidence about the same. Seemingly, the divine consciousness began to develop silently in his mind since the very childhood. When an icy river, after encroaching high Himalayan region enters the areas of warm planes, it transform itself into free flowing water for quickly reaching its destination that is the vast sea. In the same way, super consciousness, having descended from the highest existential plane, assumed the form of contemplation and meditation in the adolescence mind of Sharir Baba. Indeed, Sharir Baba was seen since his adolescence involved in the investigation and discovery of the stages of Samadhi (meditative trance). Since his childhood, he preferred worshiping Shiva sitting in meditative posture. His eternal Guru has been Shiva who presides as Matangeshwar in the form of sacred idols and sculptured images in the historical setting of Khajuraho temples. Undeniably, Shiva himself initiated Sharir Baba as his disciple in one of the soundless nights of Shivaratri in Khajuraho temple premises.
Even before attaining youthful age, he left his home and broke all his ties of earthly relations for exploration of the highest reality. Holy city Kashi hosted this nomad for satisfying his inner urge of self-realization. He also accepted Sanyas in Kashi and lived there for some time. In a Sanskrit college of Kashi, he intellectually learned Vedas, Upanishadas, various other scriptures and Purans and compared them with his own experiences, speculations and investigations. Major conclusions of his learning were, “Soul (Atma) is witness of body; mind (man), intellect (buddhi) and life energy (pran) all reside in Soul”. Continuous thinking and reflection on these became so intense that he lost most of his external sense and became half insane. This half insanity acted as a cover that enabled him to acquire the consciousness that the body and soul are separate entities. His involvement with this consciousness also made him self-delighted. Ever since he realized the separateness of body and soul, he gave up his studies. He wandered freely in various places of Kashi without any sense of identity, cleanliness, hygiene and need of clothing. If he was found at Manikarniaka Ghat in the evening, he may be seen at Dashashwamedh Ghat in the next morning or evening in the Vishwanath temple and at a secluded spot in cremation ground at mid night, etc. Since then his language became soul’s language. Outwardly, his careless behaviour was incompatible with normalcy. However, he was experiencing a rare state of trance. In fact since then he started addressing himself as Sharir (body) as if he existed separately from his gross body. There are many such narratives in Upnishadas whose main characters hold the same state of consciousness as that of Sharir Baba. It seems that the spiritual, mental and physical states of consciousness attained in the past by great saint Dattatreya, Astavakra and Shukdeva, as described in the scriptures, have again manifested in Sharir Baba’s holy personality. Out of the seekers born during Vedic period to twentieth century, those who have followed the path of self-reflection or introspection (Gyan Marg), some have been the conscious or unconscious seekers of Samadhi. This powerful stream of seekers of Samadhi and their enlightenment have offered peace, security and nectar of love to the miserable human beings afflicted by physical and mental problems. Sharir Baba assimilated in his life the achievements and experiences of all the previous great seekers of spiritual trance and enlightened beings and manifested the same to the public in the modern scientific age of twentieth century. Proximity and affection of Sharir Baba touched the heart of the biographer with so much intensity that he could not help but to express latter’s spiritual state through this biography.
Path of full spiritual enlightenment consists of seven stages (or Bhumikas) of development of spiritual consciousness (Atmgyan) as per the ancient path of Gyana.[10] Out of these, first three stages in ascending order are Subhechcha (good wish or desire to know unknown); Vicharana (inquiry or investgation); Tanumanasi (threadlike thin mind or continuous concentration). These three stages are devoid of divine light (Bramha Prakash). Yet, a person sequentially growing (or ascending) through these stages reaches near to the perimeter of divine light (Brahma Prakash). The person grown to the fourth stage of Sattvapatti (the attainment of Sattva) and fifth stage of Asansakti (non-attachment) is able to touch the rays of divine light (Brahm Prakash). A person reaching to the sixth stage of Padartha-Bhavani (analysis of objects) consciousness is not only able to touch divine light but also enters to some extent into the same. Turiya or Turyaga is the seventh and final stage. When a person enters and remains in this stage, he is called enlightened (or Brahmasth). However, rarest of the rare person reaches to the final stage (Turyaga). The yogi residing in this state is called Brahm Vidoor. Ever since Sharir Baba began to live in the fifth stage of consciousness, the people started worshiping him. His spiritual journey however continued until he reached to the final stage of Turyaga. This state of consciousness made Sharir Baba half insane and even careless about his basic bodily requirements such as food, shelter, clothing and hygiene. He started living in himself as a witness to the external world. He never fell from this state of consciousness. He was mostly found as an insane person on the road side of Kashi with his body covered in ragged thick bed-sheet.Once, King of Chhatarpur with his courtesans and servants went to Kashi for a pilgrimage. While he was passing through bank of Bhagirathi River, his secretary suddenly saw Sharir Baba in such an abject condition. Thereafter attention of entire group got diverted towards Sharir Baba. They approached him with respect but started thinking about him with empathy and surprise. No one understood the reason behind such a state of his insanity. The king affectionately included Sharir Baba in his group and brought him back to Chhatarpur. The people earlier known to Sharir Baba looked at him with curiosity, amazement, sympathy and some even with contempt with understanding his inner state of sublime consciousness. It was almost impossible for them to know that Sharir Baba had become witness to the external world due to his mind merging into the highest level of consciousness.
In this half-insane state, Sharir Baba also undertook pilgrimages like a Parivrajak. He visited Himalayan region in the Uttarakhand. It is unknown which types of trance he underwent during this visit. But, it is certain that he remained in a pure devotional state during darshan of the daity of Shri Badrinath dham. He also journeyed, through the inaccessible paths, to Shri Kedarnath and Gangotri, which are the holy place for mediation and the place of birth of Jahanvi Bhagirathi River respectively. He also went on to Mansarovar and Yamunotri which are most beautiful places the mother earth on the highest altitude of Himalaya. Having traveled to Uttarakhand, he went to Bhavbhoomi Vraj. There, he also performed internal pilgrimage on the Rasik Path of Vraj-badhuti in the divine association of Shri Krishna. There some mystical dimensions to these journeys as well but they remained invincible and inexplicable. Sharir Baba also travelled to Rajasthan to view various holy places and temples. He went to the temple of Govind Dev ji at Jaipur - the city of grand temples and historical buildings. There, he had darshan of the lively idols of Shri Radha-Krishna who reflect the sentiments of a large number of devotees offering their devotion every day in the mornings and evenings. Thereafter, he travelled to the state of Gujarat for a darshan of Dwarikadhish (Shri Krishana) at Dwarka city. In medieval period, the famous devotional poet and Shri Krishna’s ardent devotee Meera Bai dissolved her body into the idol installed in the temple of Dwarkadhish. In the divine spirit of Shri Krishna, Sharir Baba danced on the beaches of Dwarka. During this period, he was exuberant with joy and sea too exhibited his divine mood with its sound and tides.
Having finished these journeys, Sharir Baba came back to Chhatarpur due to his inner prompting. Like a Muni living in his soul, he wandered in various streets and lanes, halting for a while on holy spots in Chhatarpur and its surrounding areas. Once, he dwelled for six months in silence and inert state in a temple of Mote (fat) Hanuman ji situated in the outskirt of Chatarapur. If someone puts food or water in his mouth he would gulp, otherwise remained inactive. Sometimes, he would appear lifeless or unconscious. Hearing this from others, the king of Chhatarpur visited to see him. He arranged to respectfully place Sharir Baba in the picturesque atmosphere of Narayan Garden situated in the premises of his own beautiful palace. Living in room in Narayan Garden, Sharir Baba would be found sometimes conscious, sometimes unconscious and other times half insane or crazy. During this period, some devotees and curious persons began to visit him. Surprisingly, he could understand instantaneously the desires, intentions and feelings of these people without them expressing the same. Sharir Baba would respond to these people in his own mystical verbal language or body language. However, very few could understand his language. Most of the people would interpret his response as per their faith and feelings and marvel at the capability of Sharir Baba.
The devotees and watchmen living nearby Sharir Baba saw him in miraculous conditions. Watchmen of the palace working in night shifts saw many times glittering subtle beings entering in the room of Sharir Baba and latter conversing with them in unfamiliar languages. People often heard bizarre sounds, including mixer of various ragas, in his room, mostly during late night to early morning and sometimes even afterwards. These occurrences and experiences of various devotees are the evidence of the ancient science of Nada yoga as described in the scriptures which manifested through Sharir Baba. In his silent half insane state, it seems, he used to travel in astral planes of the creation. Sometimes devotees observed Sharir Baba in various types of bodies.
As people started recognizing and getting benefitted from the divinity of Sharir Baba, vast masses from different locations and cities began to visit him since morning till night. From the richest to rank poor with their silent desires and worries would visit Sharir Baba for his blessings and fulfillments of their desire. They would feel secure and obliged after approaching him. Baba could read and express the devotee’s mental states and offered appropriate solutions to their problems in his mystic language. Gradually, Sharir Baba became more expressive and talkative. As a witness and guardian of soul, what he used to discuss about internal and external matters, it was beyond the understanding of ordinary mind and intellect. When he used to become mute and remain silent for weeks, his body and his behavior used to express his internal emotions regarding external creations. The author, Sripad Baba, closely witnessed and benefitted from this state of Sharir Baba. Gradually, Sharir Baba became more uninhibited. He showed no aversion towards rotten materials, urine and stools lying strewed around him on the floor of his room. Sometimes, Sharir Baba would even paste these rotten objects on his body and not be bothered about people’s opinion about himself. In this state of consciousness, Sharir Baba started calling himself a body. This is indeed 6th stage (bhumika) of Gnan Marg which is called Padarthbhavani and the person reaching to this stage is called Brahmviduriyan.
Seeing Sharir Baba in such a state, the people visiting him for the first time got confused many times thinking whether they were viewing a saint or a madman. The logical prejudiced mind tried to judge a person with the help of its past memories and experiences. Therefore, it can never understand a spiritually evolved person residing in higher states of consciousness. To understand and benefit from such a person, one has to approach him without one’s ego centric perceptions and prejudices. Once a person decides to dissolve his opinionated mind and intellect into the higher consciousness of the great one, he becomes eligible for seeking a new life based spiritual principles. When time arrives, the seeker gets fulfilled in the protection of such a great man. A seeker cannot imagine how much satisfaction and happiness he can derive by merging his streams of water like frivolous mind into the sea of consciousness of the great man. The seekers who are able to adopt this holy method are really blessed. Their one pointed attention and loyalty are indeed appreciable. The proximity of Sharir Baba was really holy. However, people used to get scared seeing his unholy state of being. They often questioned to themselves “why such a holy person surrounds himself with unholy dirty objects?” Some people with extreme devotional temperament always found proximity of Sharir Baba to be always divine and blissful. For them, all the foul smell emanating from the rotten objects transformed into fragrance.
Proximity of Sharir Baba, like a Kalptaru (desire fulfilling tree) used to fulfill the desires of people instantaneously. He used to react even to the slightest desires of persons approaching him as the way body reacts to the touch of electric current. The people having his darshan experienced bliss and peace of mind. To his devotes, Sharir Baba used to communicate his love and blissful state through his silence and unfettered smile. He would sometimes remove the obstacles of a person by hurling a word of abuse, showing his anger or hearting him physically. His heart was so pure that even the dirtiest heart connecting him would get purified. His nature was such that if someone offered him a gift with a reverence, he would keep that with heartfelt emotion and enthusiasm. He used to keep all the gifts including perishable food and clothing under his exclusive control. He would allow abundant food items offered by devotees to perish but not distribute to anyone. Off course, when he was in super conscious state without any awareness of physical world, the rats and dogs would feast on the food items. Even snakes have been seen slithering on his body but he did not bother to remove them. Sometimes, he would converse with birds, rats and cats. His body occasionally suffered from severe fever and great pains and contacted disease but he refused to take any medicine or treatment. He always remained in the state of equanimity and treated everyone including animals and birds with undifferentiated love and care.
The Mother Nature with its three qualities (tamas, rajas, and satva) used to look after Sharir Baba and act according to his wish. As per the scriptures, “Nature herself takes care of the gross body, energy and subtle body and their corresponding activities of Jivan Mukta established in state of Turia Samadhi”. In Shrimad Bhagwat Gita, Shri Krishna described this as “Guna Gunevu Vartante”. He was seen limited by his body to the ordinary mind. Yet, due to his consciousness identified with the body of entire cosmos, he acted in realty as witness, maintainer, and sustainer of all the bodies. At the same time, he also consumed through all the bodies. The consciousness of ordinary individual soul (Jiva) is shackled in eight bondages. These bondages are Ghrina (Hate), Lajjaa (Shame), Bhaya (Fear), Shanka (Doubt), Jugupsaa (censure/reproach), Kula (family tree or class), Jaati (cast, creed, nationality, religion) and Sheela (Modesty). When Jiva is freed from these chains, he is called Sadashiva (Universal consciousness - Free soul/God). Sharir Baba was free from all the bondages which bind the individual soul (Jiva) to the Maya. He had no attachment to his body and would be mostly unaware of people present in his surroundings due to his blissful state. In such situations, clothes covering his body would frequently slip of. Despite this, Sharir Baba would not feel awkward in the presence a large number of visitors and devotees. Even girls, young women and cultured families would not hesitate or feel shy in approaching him in this naked or half naked condition. For them, the body of Shari Baba was and temple of their chosen deity. He was so holy that it could make others holy by his touch or compassionate glance. They always found Sharir Baba absorbed in universal soul. Therefore, there was no place for any personal thought in his mind.
Having lived for 8-9 years in the room of Narayan Bagh, where he was installed like God by the king of Chhatarpur and his associates, Sharir Baba one day left the palace premises. He sat under a tree for a day and thereafter stayed in a house of Mohammadan following the religion of Islam. Mohammadan’s home became the house of Khuda for nine months period during which Sharir Baba stayed and a large number of devotees from all walks of life visited for his blessings. Thereafter, Sharir Baba stayed for two and half to three years in a vacant lonely place away from the market. Finally, he got shifted to the premises of a Shiva temple adjacent to a pond situated in the outskirt of Chhatarpur. How his body shifted to this place remains an enigma as his bodily and external activities had ceased in those days. He was living in the earthly body yet he was sojourning in astral planes. He used to display his inner experiences or mood through his facial expressions or movements of fingers. These expressions also used to convey the meanings of his profound mystical experiences. Due to the gradual manifestation of Turia stage, he frequently gave impression to ordinary people that he was senseless or dead. As a result, several people mistook Sharir Baba as dead or almost dead in the absence of any bodily activity. However, they were pleased to find him surprisingly alive in their next visit. This was in fact the characteristic feature of Turia state of consciousness in which Sharir Baba was dwelling those days. A yogi who could identify himself with his consciousness would know the meaning of his expressions. His heightened consciousness also contributed in spiritualizing the astral world.
By eradicating the impressions of the memories of earthly life, Sharir Baba had reached to the shore of Sta-Chit-Anand. Whatever was remaining in the form of body was waiting for the ordained time of his departure from the physical world. It is mentioned in the scriptures that “Jeevan Mukta after attaining Brahmvidvaristh Turyaga can remain alive only for 17 days or 19 days or maximum 21 days”. Reason is that his Prarabdh becomes quite weak, accumulated impressions of Karma does not remain and Kriyaman stops creating impressions. Hence in the absence of any ego created by the reactions of Karma, the body too stops functioning. A few months before his Mahasamadhi, he lived for 90 days only by drinking milk and water. His body had become so weak that pain was clearly visible in his body. Sometimes, his relatives and friends belonging to his early days got worried seeing painful state of his weak body. However, he remained unaffected by the pain and remained in the blissful state of Samadhi. Sripad Baba visited him on July 12, 1965 one day before the auspicious day of Gurupurnima. Despite his painful physical state of body, Sripad Baba found him as blissful and agile as he had found him in a previous visit when he worshipped and performed his arati. Sharir Baba in his unclear language indicated to Sripad Baba that former would shortly give up his body.
When Sripad Baba next time visited Sharir Baba, he found latter’s body quite sick. Seeing this, he became quite sad and sat in his close proximity. He felt that Sharir Baba would soon depart this earthly plane by giving up his body that had been temple of God for long. This feeling made Sripad Baba quite worried and sad despite knowing that Sharir Baba would now live in the eternal divine word. As expected, Sharir Baba, while sitting in lotus posture, attained Mahasamadhi on August 2, 1965 during the golden hours (2.5 to 3.5 AM) of night. He broke away his relation with earthly body and merged in the supreme consciousness. Sharir Baba is immortal, ever lives in immortal soul. He came from immortal, lived in immortal and passed on immortal after living for a brief period in the gross body subject to decay and death.
[2] Chapter 4 of this book
[5] Refer to the reminiscences of Swami Hitadas in this book, p.
[6] Swamy Jnananand once proposed SB to visit Varanasi with him. SB
however politely refused to visit Varanashi since he was scared of being taken
over by this state of trance again.
[7] Shri Badari wrote author’s
introduction in the
Sharir Baba’s biographical manuscript authored by Sripad Baba
[8] Incidentally a saint and Bhajan singer,
Mukund Hari Maharaj ji, of Vrindavan used to call him “Little Khuda or God”.
[9] Dr. S. K. Dubey (2001), Kumbh City Prayag, Prelude, Centre
for Cultural Resources and Training, New Delhi
[10] A
Sanskrit scripture Varaha Upanishad, Chapter 4, explains in detail all
the seven stages of consciousness.
