There are no historical records of Mahavatar Babaji’s birth and life. However, this article summarizes what is known about Babaji and his connection to Kriya Yoga.
Mahavatar Babaji’s Early Life
Records suggest he was born around 200 AD in Parangipettai, a small coastal village in Tamil Nadu, South India. He was an extraordinary boy, clearly skilled in Kundalini Yoga, likely from a past life. When Babaji was five years old, someone kidnapped and sold him as a slave to a shopkeeper in Calcutta. Fortunately, the shopkeeper was kind and set him free, telling him to go wherever he wished. Babaji then joined a group of wandering yogis who deeply loved God.
For the next ten years, Babaji traveled across the subcontinent with this group of sadhus. During this time, he studied the sacred scriptures of Hinduism, such as the Vedas, Upanishads, and Puranas. In Katargama, Babaji met his guru, Bhogarnatha, and practiced intense sadhana under his guidance. Bhogarnatha gifted Babaji with many powers, including the secret to preserving his body in a youthful state for thousands of years. This explains why Babaji still looks like a young boy despite his age.
After completing his studies, his guru sent him to the Himalayan temple of Badrinatha. The murti of Lord Vishnu there bears a striking resemblance to Babaji. There’s also a painting of a yogi in the temple that looks like him, and the place is filled with holy vibrations.
What Makes Babaji a Mahavatar?
Mahavatar Babaji is both ageless and eternally young. He sometimes appears in form, and at other times, he remains formless. Supreme and unparalleled, Babaji is beyond all saints, yogis, and sages. He assumes a luminous, compassionate form to connect with those who seek a relationship with him.
Babaji revived the ancient spiritual technique of Kriya Yoga. When he initiated his disciple Lahiri Mahasaya into Kriya, he said, “The Kriya Yoga I am giving to the world through you in this nineteenth century is a revival of the science Krishna gave to Arjuna millennia ago. It was later passed to Patanjali and Christ and their disciples.”
Mahavatar Babaji is a deathless avatar. In Sanskrit, the word “avatar” means “descent” (from ava, “down,” and tri, “to pass”). It signifies the descent of Divinity into flesh. Babaji remains in deep meditation in the forests, caves, and snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas. Yet, he watches over earnest seekers on their spiritual journeys toward God.
Babaji transcends worldly distinctions like caste, religion, culture, or geography, moving freely through the vast canvas of divinity. He generally speaks Hindi but can communicate in any language, even telepathically. He has chosen the simple name Babaji, meaning “revered father.” His disciples have also given him titles like Mahamuni Babaji Maharaj (supreme ecstatic saint), Maha Yogi (greatest of yogis), Trambak Baba, and Shiva Baba (titles of Shiva avatars). Does it matter if we do not know the patronymic of a master released from the limitations of earthly existence?
Lahiri Mahasaya once said, “Whenever anyone utters Babaji’s name with reverence, they attract his instant spiritual blessing.”
Babaji’s Link to Kriya Yoga
Paramahamsa Yogananda brought Mahavatar Babaji to public attention in the 1950s when he traveled to the United States to teach Kriya Yoga. In his famous book Autobiography of a Yogi, Yogananda described how Babaji passed advanced Kriya techniques to his disciple, Lahiri Mahasaya. These techniques were then passed down to Yogananda through his teacher, Swami Shriyukteshwar. Until then, only a few yogis and sadhus in India knew about Mahavatar Babaji.
Since Yogananda’s passing, Mahavatar Babaji has continued to impart Kriya Yoga and other spiritual techniques to enlightened masters like Paramahamsa Vishwananda. Many Kriya Yoga traditions now offer courses in both India and the West. Most of them teach a technique that involves chanting mantras in the seven chakras. In Bhakti Marga, Atma Kriya Yoga, which Babaji gave to Paramahamsa Vishwananda for the welfare of the world, focuses on Self-Realization and devotion to God. It is one of the most powerful Kriya techniques available today.
May Babaji bless your spiritual practices and guide you on your path to enlightenment. If you seek his blessing, simply chant his name three times, and he will be with you.