Babaji is known as the immortal yogi of the Himalayas, who has been living for hundreds of years, still having the appearance of a young man. His body remains unchanged, unaffected by the passage of time and does not need food.
He has overcome his mortal condition and withdrew from the world, but he rarely appears only to certain persons, who are blessed by his presence.
His disciple, Lahiri Mahasaya said that:
"when someone pronounces with awe babaji's name,
he draws a spontaneous spiritual blessing."
Even more so, for those who choose to be shown to them, the grace with which they are blessed is unimaginable.
He has the power to become visible only to those who considarea. It can appear and disappear at will.
Yoaganada describes in his book how Babaji could understand and speak any language, even though he had never assamilated or taught it.
The Master manifested amazing capabilities on various occasions, as it is with the following happenings:
"One night his disciples were seated around a huge, burning bush to celebrate a Sacred Vedic ceremony. Suddenly, the great guru took a blazing wood and gently hit him in the shoulder on a bald (disciple) that was close to the fire.
- It's cruelty, Master! protested Lahiri Mahasaya
that was present.
- Would you have liked to have seen him burn alive under your eyes, according to his destiny?
With these babaji words, he put his healing hand on the disfigured shoulder of that baldness.
- On this night I saved you from a terrible death. The karma-ica law (of destiny) is satisfied by this little burn.
Another time the holy congregation was troubled by the arrival of a stranger who had managed to climb, with amazing determination, on the mountain wall almost inaccessible, to the glade where the Master's group was.
- Sir, are you, of course, the great Babaji?
Man's face was illuminated by an inexpressible devotion.
- For months I have been looking for you tirelessly, through these rocky peaks. Please receive me as a disciple.
Since the guru did not answer anything, the man showed a huge chasm underneath the plateau.
- If you refuse, you jump into the abyss. Life has no value to me if I am unworthy of your guidance to God.
- Jump in this case! said babaji coldly. I cannot accept you into your current state of spiritual evolution.
Without a word, man plunges into the abyss. Then Babaji sent the shocked disciples to look for the stranger. When they returned with the broken body, the Master placed his divine hands on the head of the dead man who opened his eyes and humbly knelt at the feet of the almighty guru.
- Now here you are ready to become my disciple.
Babaji affectionately smiled at the revived one:
- You have courageously endured a formidable test, from now on death will no longer have power over you: you are part of our immortal group. After that, he pronounces the usual phrase: Dera danda uthao, the signal of departure and the group disappeared."
Babaji is considered a siddha, that is, a perfect human being, who manifests extraordinary capabilities and powers.
As described in the Upanishads, it is considered to be siddha a being who has attained perfection. Such a being reached the state of jivanmukta (freed in life), but also that of paramukta (supreme liberation – absolute dominion of death). This level of evolution corresponds to the definitive liberation from the karma-ice bonds of the cycle of successive reincarnations. As a result, it is freed from the need to reincarnate, and if it does, it is only to help others.
It comes into the world as an avatar, a divine model worth following, which brings with it the blessing and the supreme divine grace that pours out on all mankind.
An avatar is not subject to physical laws or other conditionings of any kind. He has exceeded all his limits and conditionings, so that, as in the case of Babaji, he does not need food or other material needs, he may or may not show himself to those in this plane, he is beyond time and space, he has total access to the truth.
"Babaji's spiritual level lies beyond the power of human understanding," Sri Yukteswar said.
"The narrow vision of man cannot penetrate to his transcendent brightness. In vain we try to visualize the status of an avatar, he is unimaginable."
Paramahansa Yogananda describes her master very well from this point of view in her book "Autobiography of a Yogi":
"The rocky corners of the northern Himalayas, near Badrinarayan, are still blessed to this day by the living presence of Babaji, the guru of Lahiri Mahasaya. The hermit Master retains the same physical form for centuries, perhaps even millennia. The immortal Babaji is an avatar (Sanskrit term meaning "descent" – derived from the root ava, "down" and tri, "to pass")." In the Scriptures of India, the avatar signifies "The Incarnation of Divinity."
He also speaks of Babaji's spiritual mission as that of a Mahavatar (Supreme Avatar), through the fact that he brought back to mankind a valuable technique that leads the aspirants to spiritual liberation, but also through the formation of valuable disciples who made this teaching known and accessible to anyone.
We are not left with much information about his life, but according to a disciple of his, it is assumed that he was born in the year 203 d.Hr on November 30, in a small village called Paranegipettai, in the province of Tamil Nadu in southern India. Also from this we know that the astral moment in which he was born coincides with the one in which he came into the world and Krishna, another great divine avatar, considered the incarnation of God on earth. It is about the moment of the ascension of the star Rohini, on July 20, 3228 î.Hr, the date of birth of Krishna.
He came to a family with high spiritual preoccupations. His father was a priest in the Muruga or Kartikeya tempul, near their home. The fact that he came to such an environment allowed him to flourish spiritually and reach exceptional spiritual achievements. He reached full spiritual realization, thus fulfilling his mission for which he incarnated, namely that of supporting mankind on his way to perfection, to know God.
His mission was materialized by the fact that the science of Kriya yoga came to be known and practiced throughout the world through his disciples whom he formed and guided in this regard.
Among them we mention Sir Yukteswar and Sir Yogananda, whose work was significant and with an overwhelming impact.
His parents gave him the name Nargaraj, which means "king of snakes" , alluding to the ability to master the kundalini energy, which is also known as "the power of the serpent" . But, he remained known as Babaji, which means "revered father" .
He is also known by various other names, such as Mahamuni, Tryambaka Baba, Shiva Baba and Badua Baba, Babaji Maharaj.
His life followed an unexpected course, which directed his steps towards finally getting to know his spiritual masters.
Thus, at the age of 5 he was kidnapped and sold as a slave to a merchant in Calcutta. However, he released him to a momendat. He left his master and the "chance" made him meet a group of yogis dedicated to spirituality, with a great aspiration and love for God. He remained with them for 10 years, inspiring him in his spiritual practice and knowledge. During this time he studied sacred writings such as the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Puranes.
In his travels of other spiritual brothers he reached a special place, where he would get to know his master. They went to South India, crossed by boat to the island of Sir Lanka and continued their journey through a difficult road, hardly reaching the holy town of Kartargama, in the north of the island. Nagaraja decidedly overcame all the difficulties he faced on this trip because he felt in his soul that it was important to reach his destination. This was a place where he had incarnated in another existence and, as this time, he had a dharma to fulfill here.
It is a place where until recently it was reached with great difficulty and only those with special qualities managed to do all the way. Now, of course, that there are accessible roads right from large surrounding settlements.
Those who arrive here discover a place where unusual things happen, which seem to defy the laws of fizcii. Countless miracles happen, the entire settlement being dominated by an atmosphere full of mystery. The very name of the city describes the special state that we feel here. Its name comes from the word "katir", which means brightness or light, and "kama", which means love.
Katagama is where Nagaraja meets his first master, Bhogarnatha. He remained for a while with his master, who recognized in his disciple the potential he had, which led him to reveal advanced yoga techniques, including the "kaya kalpa" method, through which he came to keep his body young forever. He followed the teaching of his master and practiced assiduously while standing next to him.
After a while Bogarnatha urged him to go to Coutrallam in Tamil Nadu, to the great sage Agastya to continue his spiritual journey with him. Agastya taught him powerful pranayama techniques that led him into higher states of consciousness.
After a while he also directed him to another master. Nagaraja heeded Agastya's advice and went on to the famous temple in the Himalayas, Badrinatha, where he met Badrunatha and continued to practice and study seriously. He then retired to a cave, where he practiced in solitude until he reached perfection. He is said to have reached the state of enlightenment at the age of 12 and physical immortality at 16.
Babaji guided his disciples in his own unique way to know God on a very rapid path of deliverance.
Among them we can mention: Lahiri Mahashaya, Swami Pranavananda, Swami Shriyukteshwar, Hamsa Swami Kevalananda, Paramahamsa Yogananda, Paramahamsa Hariharananda, Shankara - the reorganizer of the Swami Order and Kabir - the famous Indian saint and poet. It is said that his mission was also to assist the great pofeti in fulfilling their dharma.
It was Lahiri Mahasaya that the science of spiritual liberation Kriya Yoga began to spread again throughout the world.
"Kriya Yoga that, through you, I give to the world in this nineteenth century," Babaji told Lahiri Mahasaya, "is the same science that, many thousands of years ago, Krishna offered to Arjuna and which was later known by Patanjali, by Jesus, by St. John, St. Paul and other disciples."
Yogananda has also contributed a lot to the spread of Kriya Yoga science in the world, in particular, through her well-known book "The Autobiography of a Yogi".
The great sage Babaji addressed Yogananda in this way:
"You are the one I chose to spread the message of Kriya Yoga in the West. A long time ago I met your guru Yukteswar at a Kumbha Mela; I told him then that I would send you to him for training. "
Babaji guides in continuity from the subtle with love and wisdom the steps of those who aspire to be one with the divine.