Chapter 1
This is a story of Neem Karoli Baba, a mystic from North India, who had impacted and inspired many individuals with his teachings and blessings. India is a land of spiritualism and meditation, and people across the world visit India in search of spiritual healing and inner peace.
A Baba, who never differentiated between rich and poor and treated everyone with same love and admiration, Steve Jobs of Apple, visited the ashram of this Baba when he was going through a rough phase in his life. The influence of this Baba changed his life and provided him with the courage to continue with his journey of life.
On the advice of Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, visited the ashram of Baba when he was going through a rough phase with Facebook. Mark’s initial program was for one day, but due to bad weather, he spent an extra day there. After visiting the ashram, Mark Zuckerberg has progressed ahead with his journey successfully.
Julia Roberts visited Baba’s ashram many times that transformed her life. Many Indian politicians, businessmen and the common man from India and abroad visited the ashram of Neem Karoli Baba and surrendered themselves in devotion.
His simplicity towards life and devotion towards God, made him do miracles that were impossible for a human. Larry Page of Google and Jeffery Skoll of E-Bay had also visited Baba’s ashram.
Chapter 2
Born in 1900, as Lakshman Das Sharma, at Akbarbur village of Uttar Pradesh, India, in the family of Durga Prasad Sharma. By the age of eleven, he had already selected the path of a wandering monk and meditated at Bhawania in Gujrat.
A fascinating incident about how Lakshman Das Sharma, became popularly known as Neem Karoli Baba. Once he had boarded a train and sat in the first-class compartment without any ticket. The ticket collector arrived, and not finding a valid ticket, he pulled the brake chain, ridiculed and forced Lakshman Das Sharma off the train near the village of Neem Karoli.
The ticket collector and the driver found that the train refused to start though the equipment was normal. After several attempts to start the train, someone suggested the ticket collector allow the sadhu back on the train.
Lakshman Das Sharma agreed to board the train on two conditions, the railways should treat sadhus in a better way and a promise to build a station named Neem Karoli. The train started after he boarded it, that day onwards Lakshman Das Sharma became famous as Neem Karoli Baba.
Chapter 3
Neem Karoli Baba was far from any publicity, people were attracted by his divineness. Dressed up in a blanket and dhoti, he lived a simple life and devotee of Lord Hanuman. His teachings are spread across the world by many of his disciples.
One day Baba was in Delhi at the Birla Mandir, and many people were visiting him. One worried man came to meet him. On seeing him, Baba instantly said that “Don’t worry, your brother would be released from jail soon and would become premier of country, don’t waste your time here and prepare to welcome your brother”.
The man wondered, his brother was captured in a Pakistan prison under a death sentence that could be implemented any day. A few days later, this man’s brother was not only released but also became the premier of Bangladesh. He was the brother of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman.
During Kumbh Mela of 1966, Baba was sitting with his disciples in their tent beside the river Ganges. It was a cold morning and everyone around wanted to have a cup of tea. Baba understood their thoughts and ordered to prepare tea.
The disciples informed that they do not have milk for preparing tea. Baba smiled and said, “Take a bucket, go to the Ganges and fill the bucket with water after taking the permission that, I am taking one bucket of milk from you O Ganges, and I promise it to return the next day”.
The disciple followed the order and returned with a bucket full of water. Baba ordered him to cover the bucket, keep it aside. After some time Baba ordered to prepare tea for everybody. To everyone’s amazement, the bucket was now filled with milk. The next day as promised a bucket of milk was immersed in the Ganges.
Chapter 4
One day, the driver of Baba said humbly to him that the car does not have petrol, so if Baba plans to leave for any destination the tank requires filling. Baba said he does not wish to go anywhere that evening. Suddenly in the middle of the night, Baba ordered his driver to take out the car to visit Almora.
The driver followed his orders but said the car do not have enough petrol to reach the Almora. After about five kilometres the car stopped at a dark place with no one around. Baba calmly requested his driver to bring three can of water from a nearby pond and put it in the tank. The driver said this would damage the car, but followed the orders.
Baba said calmly now drive the car, to the amazement of the driver, the car not only started but ran throughout the night and returned Baba to his Ashram in the next morning.
Former Indian president V.V Giri was a disciple of Baba. One day his wife was sick and was admitted to Shri Ram Manohar Lohia hospital. She was not responding to treatment, and the medical team was worried. The president remembered Baba, an hour later, he received a phone call from Baba himself.
The president told Baba that her wife is very ill and not responding to treatment. To which Baba said that she would be fine by 2 AM. That evening the doctor called on the president and regretted that his wife might not survive. The president reached the hospital at night and saw his wife lying in the hospital bed almost lifeless.
Around 2 AM, fractional movement in her arm was observed. The doctors were bewildered, a sudden shake in her body woke her up, and she was sitting in her bed an hour later. She was discharged the next day from the hospital.
Chapter 5
One day Baba went to a shop to shave his beard. He used to shave his beard only when it has grown long. During shaving, the barber said, that his only teenage son is missing from last three years. He had searched for him everywhere but could not find him. Barber was about to cry, Baba said your son would soon be back.
The barber humbly replied everyone says he would return, but when to this Baba looked at the barber and said he wished to go to the toilet. Barber said only half of the beard was shaved, let me shave the beard completely, but Baba removed the towel, he returned after a few minutes back and completed his beard.
The next day around noon, the barber received a knock on the door, and his son was standing there. He was so happy to see his son back. Upon arrival, his son said he worked as a helper in a hotel far from that place.
Last day when he was washing dishes, a man with a half-shaved beard arrived and told him that everyone in his house is worried and gave him money and told him to return to his house. The barber was amazed to hear the incident.
One evening sitting at the ashram, Baba ordered to prepare a large quantity of poori (an Indian bread), and sabzi (a mixture of vegetables) in large quantities. The disciples started preparing poori and sabzi, by the night they had prepared a large quantity of it.
The disciples asked Baba that these pooris would go waste as everybody has already eaten. Suddenly they heard a loud noise in the road passing in front of the ashram. Disciples rushed there to find a bus had met with an accident and had blocked the road.
Subsequently there was a traffic jam, there were women and children stranded. Baba ordered to feed the stranded passengers with poori and sabzi, and also ensured that women and children’s were provided shelter in the ashram.
Chapter 6
One day Baba reached a house of an elderly couple in Fatehgarh in Uttar Pradesh. They were delighted and served him food and laid down a bed and blanket for him to rest for the night. After having food Baba laid down in the bed. The elderly couple felt guilt, as they were unable to take proper care of Baba as he visited them suddenly.
During the night, they observed that Baba was in pain throughout the night, and it seemed that something is bothering him during his sleep. In the morning, Baba woke up and folded the blanket gave that to the couple and told them to immerse the blanket in the Ganges. Before leaving, Baba said that your son would be back soon.
The elderly couple did accordingly and immersed the blanket in the Ganges. A month later, their son returned to their house. Their son was fighting the Japanese army near the Burma border during the Second World War.
One night a month earlier, Japanese soldiers suddenly attacked their camp firing throughout the night. He thought that some bullet might get him as well, but somehow the bullets keep missing him. Later in the morning, he found that all his friends were dead and somehow managed to return home.
Chapter 7
One day Baba was wandering through the streets, suddenly few policemen arrived and took Baba in custody and locked him in prison. When the officer in charge returned from his duty late in the night, he was informed, about the arrested person. He glanced at the person and left for his house.
The next morning when the officer in charge reached the police station, guards informed, that the person they had caught, came out of his cell and roamed in the terrace with the prison cell locked. He can come out of the cell and then return to the cell at his wish. The policemen guarding the cell became frightened.
The officer in charge was amazed, he released Baba from the prison and took him to his house and offered food and apologised to him for the conduct of the policemen.
One day the news of the death of Govind Vallabh Pant reached Baba. Baba said that this news is false. Govind Vallabh Pant was very sick those days and admitted in a hospital in critical condition. Doctors had given up hope, but miraculously he survived and regained back his health.
Chapter 8
Neem Karoli Baba Ashram in Kaichi, situated about 20 km from Nainital, is a place of peace and tranquillity. Baba spent most of his life in this ashram and devoted it to serving people.
On 11th September 1973, while travelling to Kaichi from Agra Baba experienced pain in his chest. The disciples embarked at Mathura station and admitted Baba in a hospital.
The doctor gave him injections and placed an oxygen mask over his face and said he was suffering from a diabetic coma. Baba pulled off the oxygen mask and other monitoring equipment and asked or water.
As soon the water was poured in his mouth slowly he left his body chanting the name of God. His face became peaceful and the signs of pain disappeared. He was dead a few moments later.
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