Mata Rupa Bhawani

Mata Rupa Bhawani (c. 1621- c. 1721 birth name: Alakheshwar, also known as Sharika Ansha Roopa) was a Kashmiri mystic poet. She was a 17th-century Hindu saint who lived in present-day Kashmir.

She was the daughter of Pandit Madhav Joo Dhar, a resident of Khankah-i-Shokta, Safa Kadal, Srinagar in the early 17th century. He introduced her to the practices of yoga.

Oral and written legend has it that Madhav Joo Dhar was an ardent devotee of Mata Sharika (Kali's). He visited her temple daily at Hari Parvat to pray for hours. In 1620, on the first day of Navratra, pleased by his devotion, Mata Sharika gave him a boon. Madhav Joo Dhar asked for a daughter, and Alakheshwar was born to Joo's wife on Poorna Amavasya in the month of Jeth (Jyeshta) in 1621. The exact year of her birth varies in a different account between 1620 and 1624. Alakheshwar followed her father in pursuit of God and spirituality.

Rupa Bhawani's descendants, from her paternal side, called Sahibi Dhars, have carried her message and memory forward. They have been observing her nirvaan ceremony with great piety and devotion at Safa Kadal, the place where she was born and also attained nirvaan, and at Waskura in Baramulla district which the graced for many years after the initial tapasya at Khanqahi Sokhta, Wusan near Ganderbal, Manigam in the same area, and Chashma-i-Sahibi, adjacent to the renowed Chashma-i-Shahi on Zabarwan hills in Srinagar district.

Brought up with affection, and respect, Rupa Bhawani was married to a learned youngman, Pandit Hiranand Sapru, at an early age with great pomp and show.

Even after her marriage at an early age, she often visited Hari Parvat to perform her Sadhana at midnight. This raised questions about her, as a woman out on her own. Her mother-in-law and husband mistreated her. Roopa Bhawani was, however forced to forsake Grihast as her in-laws, including Pandit Hiranand, could not reconcile to her spiritual bent of mind and the meditative spells she had got used to at her father's abode. Ultimately, she left her in-law's house in the pursuit of God.

Alakheshwar performed her Sadhana in solitude at Cheshma Shahi, Manigam and Vaskura. These places, including her birthplace at Safa Kadal, are now famous as Ropa Bhawani Asthapanas.

The First Miracle

Her estrangement with the in-laws accentuated after a miracle which her mother-in-law failed to comprehend. It is recorded that at a special yagnya performed at the Sapru's place, the kulguru of Dhar's could somehow not give a satisfactory account of his capabilities. Not that he was not learned, but the other Brahmins present made fun of him. He could not put up with this. Feeling humiliated, he wanted to leave unnoticed without partaking of the prashad. And that is why and how the Mata's first miracle took place. While the kulguru was trying to get away, he was accosted by Rupa Bhawani. She requested him not to go away like that. "It is not appropriate to go away without taking food" she told him adding "you, Sir, seem to be very tired. Why don't you have a bath in the river (Vitasta) and feel fresh and then take food?" The kulguru could not refuse. He had the bath as advised, and while coming back he was accosted againg by Rupa Bhawani. She gave him a full glance, welcoming him to the dinner. This glance transformed lhe Brahmin into a well-versed and confident guru. Bowing to the Bhawani, he partook of the food, and after that recited a full poem in praise of the Mother spontaneously, winning applause from one and all, including those who had tried to humiliate him only a few hours earlier.

This miracle of the Bhawani invited strong reaction. Her mother-in-law got infuriated, she provoked her son and made it impossbile for Rupa Bhawani to live in her house. And this brought about the Sanyas of the Mata. She returned to her father's place, bared her heart to him. Consoled and encouraged by the father Rupa Bhawani started her meditation in right earnest. However, finding regular meditation somewhat difficult in a grahast, she shifted to Wusan, Manigam, Waskura, Chashma- i-Sahibi, etc. in that order, creating ashrams at every spot holding spititual discourses, attracting devotees, Hindus and Muslims alike, and performing miracles. A real sanyasin, she was the mother to all irrespective of caste or creed.

The great old chinar tree on the bank of Sindh river in Manigam, the culmination of a half-burnt branch planted by the Mata with her bsnign hands was, till some year back, standing as a mute but living witness to her spirituality. A devastating fire in Manigam was extinguished by her through a mere glance. Fish cooked for Shivaratri in the house of Pandit Lal Chand in Manigam started crawling over to the wall when it was learnt that the fish had been cooked in spite of her presence in the house. A potter's son got his eyesight back on completing the digging of a well at Waskura at her bidding. A shankh-shaped spring in Chashma-i-Sahibi appeared in the Zabarwan hill area when Rupa Bhawani shifted there, giving the hillock its name.

Mahanirvaan

Mata Rupa Bhawani attained mahanirvaan at her father's place, where she spent her last days. It was the Saptami of Magha Krishna Pakshya in Samvat 1777. The day is since known as Sahib Saptami, observed by all the Hindus in Kashmir.

Websites:

Works by or about Rupa Bhawani

Bhagwan Gopinath Ji

Bhagwan Gopinath (3 July 1898 - 28 May 1968), born Gopinath Bhan, also called Bhagwan Gopinath Ji, was a mystic saint of early 20th century Kashmir in India. He has been called a jivanmukta (liberated soul) and his spiritual state has been described as Shambhavi avastha (state of Shiva). Contemporary saints of his times have also called him an Aghoreshwar. It was sometime during 1946–1956 that he came to be called as Bhagwan by his devotees. 

Though not much is known about who his spiritual master was, he is known to have remarked that one can consider Bhagvad Gita as one's spiritual master. In his teachings, he regarded the practice of "self-enquiry" (atma vichara) as highly effective in helping a seeker attain self-realization. He considered lust and ego as impediments in one's spiritual development and extolled the virtues of honesty and truthfulness. He wouldn't differentiate between religions and regarded Hindus and Muslims to be one and the same. During various periods of his life, he spent considerable time meditating at various shrines in Kashmir as he considered it spiritually beneficial and would recommend the same to spiritual seekers.

Bhagwan Gopinath was born in a Kashmiri pandit family of Bhans, in a locality called Bhan Mohalla, in the city of Srinagar in Kashmir, on Friday 3 July 1898, which corresponds to Ashad, Shuklapaksh, Dvadashi (Ashada 19th, Vikrami 1955) per Hindu lunar calendar. His grandfather, Pandit Lachhman Joo Bhan was a wazir wazarat (deputy commissioner) of revenue department in the Dogra regime of the then-princely state of Kashmir. His father, Pandit Narayan Joo Bhan dealt in the business of cashmere wool and devoted much of his time to spiritual pursuits. He is known to have donated all his ancestral inheritance to his step-mother. Bhagwan Gopinath’s mother, Haar Maal, was the daughter of Pandit Prasad Joo Parimoo who was an initiated disciple of a local saint. His brother disciples used to call him Jada Bharata. Hindu scriptures like Yoga Vasistha were regularly taught and discussed in religious gatherings at their house. Prasad Joo had initiated his younger daughter, Zapaer Ded, into Japa Yoga and eventually in her fifties, she was recognised as a saint. On one occasion, while Pandit Prasad Joo Parimoo was meditating at the shrine of the deity of Mata Kheer Bhawani in Kashmir, he is said to have had a vision of the deity who expressed her desire to be born in his family as his daughter. Soon thereafter, Haar Maal was born who eventually got married and gave birth to Bhagwan Gopinath.

There have been some unconfirmed reports that Swami Vivekananda, who happened to be in Kashmir during 1898, had paid a visit to the Bhans' family on occasion of Bhagwan Gopinath’s birth. Some maintain that he stopped just short of entering their house while waiting at a nearby tailor’s shop on 3 July, where he got the American flag stitched, to be hoisted next day on 4 July, which was probably when he even wrote the poem To The Fourth of July.

He had two brothers and two sisters. While his elder brother, Pandit Govind Joo Bhan, remained celibate throughout his life; the younger one, Pandit Jia Lal Kak, got married but remained issueless and would spend much of his time at religious services. Both his sisters lost their husbands at an early age. The elder one, Smt Deva Mali, after bearing two daughters and the younger one, Smt Janaki Devi, after bearing two sons and two daughters. For the most part, towards the later part of his life, Bhagwan Gopinath was looked after by his elder sister and her two daughters: Smt Kamla Ji and Smt Chanda Ji.

After having given up his ancestral home in favour of his step mother, Pandit Narayan Joo Bhan, along with young Gopinath who at that time must have been around 10 years old, started moving around, living at various rental accommodations. His mother died when he was 12 years old and his father died when he was around 30 years old. However, all along these years from 1909 till his final days in 1968, his family changed their residence eleven times with period of stay at these places varying sometimes from a year and a half to eleven years at a stretch.

He completed his education till middle grade from a local Christian missionary school called Tyndale Biscoe School, which used to be situated at Fateh Kadal locality of Srinagar back then. Here he must have learnt languages like Sanskrit, Persian, Urdu and scripts like Sharda and Devanagari. Some of his close devotees, at times, had heard him speak English too.

Employment

Since his early years, he had expressed reluctance in taking up any form of employment. However, given their financial circumstances, his family insisted upon him to take up some kind of employment. To begin with, during 1912, for a brief while he assisted his maternal uncle in the business of cashmere wool (called pashmina in local language). Then, for a period of three years, he took up the post of a compositor with Vishi Nath Printing Press. Thereafter, he started a grocery store at a place called Sekidafar. Sometime during 1920, he moved the store to a locality called Chaayidob in Srinagar. He ran the grocery store for ten years till about 1925 before taking to his spiritual pursuits full-time.

Spiritual Inclination

In his younger years, he would recite by heart the sacred Hindu hymns like Bhavani Sahasranama, Indrakashi Strotam, Panchastavi, Vishnu Sahastranam, Shiv Mahimna Strotam, Shivastrotavali, Guru Gita and vaaks (poetic couplets) composed by some local saints. However, he had a marked interest for Bhagvad Gita and had kept a copy of the book close to where he would sit for his meditation right till his last day. He had memorised all these texts probably in his younger years. During his early years, young Gopinath would accompany his maternal uncle, Pandit Bhagwan Das Parimoo, who was a devotee of Sharika Bhagwati (the deity of the shrine of Hari Parbat), on annual or biannual trips to the holy spring at Pokhribal to desilt it from all the accumulated offerings of devotees. As a leader of a group of young men, he would often organise trips to local shrines like Kheer Bhawani, Mattan, Mahadev and Vicharnaag.

Since his days in middle grade, he would often visit some of the local saints like Swami Zanakak Tufchi of Habbakadal locality and Swami Baalak Kaw, a jatadhari sadhu, at Sekidafer locality. He would also press Swami Baalak Kaw's feet at times. Yet another saint that he is known to have paid regular visits to was Swami Jeevan Sahib. He would also visit Swami Narayan Joo Bhan of Bodhgeer locality in Kashmir. He would regularly attend gatherings of these saints discussing spiritual and philosophical topics on vedanta, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and Kashmir Shaivism. During his employment days at the grocery store, while manning the cash counter at the store, he would often be found engrossed in meditation. Sometimes he would spend whole night at the store while being absorbed in meditation.

Spiritual Master

No one knows for sure as to who Bhagwan Gopinath’s spiritual master (guru) was. Some of his relatives were of the opinion that he received spiritual initiation from his own father while his younger sister, Janaki Devi, was of the view that Swami Baalak Kaw was his spiritual master. However, few years before his death, a devotee enquired of him as to who his guru was. In response to this, Bhagwan Gopinath is said to have pointed towards Bhagvad Gita and remarked that any one its 700 verses can be considered as one’s spiritual master. S. N. Fotedar, his principal biographer, who was associated with him for over two decades, tried to lay his hands on all the evidence he could in this regard and finally settled with the opinion that Swami Zanakak Tufchi was his spiritual master. This was later corroborated by the testimony of Pandit Baalji Wangnoo who was the younger brother of Swami Aftab Joo Wangnoo. Swami Aftab Joo Wangnoo was an initiated disciple of Swami Zanakak Tufchi. Although Mr Fotedar got convinced with this idea, he was not able to establish it conclusively as an accepted fact particularly amongst Bhagwan Gopinath's devotees at large. Based on Bhagwan Gopinath's comments about Bhagvad Gita, majority of his devotees, including some religious writers, consider him to have been self initiated.

Spiritual Practice

Although Bhagwan Gopinath's family tried to convince him to get married and take up the worldly life, he chose to live a life of celibacy and did his spiritual practices, all the while living at various localities of Srinagar in Kashmir. The tenure of his spiritual practice can be divided into the following three stages:

Initial Stage (1908–1930)

From his younger years, Bhagwan Gopinath would devote much of his time attending religious gatherings of singers (called bhajan mandalis) singing glories of God and deities of Kheer Bhawani and Hari Parbat shrines. He would also attend religious plays (called rasa-lilas) and gatherings of religious men (called satsang) discussing spiritual topics. Based on some of his relics and hymns found written in his own handwriting, dedicated to Maha Ganesh, Hindu Mother Goddess, Lord Narayana, Lord Shiva and his spiritual master, his devotees believe that he had practised a form of spiritual practice called sanatana panchang upasana (also called panchayatana puja) in the beginning of his spiritual journey, which consist of worshipping these four deities and one's spiritual master. From the age of 22 years, he is said to have started the daily practice of circumambulating the shrine of Hari Parbat in Srinagar. He was often found meditating for long hours at the shrine courtyard while smoking his pipe (called chillum in local language). He is said to have had a vision of the deity of the shrine of Hari Parbat, Mata Sharika Bhawani, at the age of 25. Hereafter, he is believed to have gradually veered towards the practice of meditating on God without a form (called nirguna upasana in Hinduism).

Intermediate Stage (1931–1937)

During this period, he is known to have resorted to extreme measures of sense control which involve self-abnegation methods like fasting for months together (having just a cup of tea a day) while taking huge quantities of food at other times. During this time, he confined himself in a dark room with a lamp that used to be lit up at all times. He would often be found lying on bed while facing the wall. He did not allow very many people in his room during this period. Whole room and his bed used to be covered with a lot of dust and one could find cobwebs and spiders around the room but he wouldn't bother cleaning it or let anyone else clean it. A rat is said to have nibbled a hole into one of his heels during this time though he is said to have been oblivious to its pain. His only constant companion in the room besides the burning lamp was his pipe. During this time he would take intoxicants like opium and sometimes vomit a lot of blood. His whole body had swollen and had become weak. On one occasion his sister reminded him of the financial difficulties they were going through but he is said to have responded by saying (translated here into English) "our boat is in the middle of ocean right now, either we would reach ashore safe or drown". Some religious writers think he might have practised some form of tantric spiritual practice like pranabhasya during this time. After seven such years of his spiritual practice, his devotees affirm that he had become, what they call in Hinduism, a siddha purusha (one who attains spiritual powers) as it was right after this period that people started flocking him to get their worldly problems solved.

Final Stage (1938–1968)

During this stage, he is a said to have practised some technique of meditation that would seemingly help him control elements (called tattva) like fire and water out of the total 36 such elements enumerated in Kashmir Shaivism. He started the practice of blowing air at live charcoals in his fire pot (called kanger in local language) sometimes for hours together. He was found talking to and directing invisible people at times. Various parts of his body like his shoulders and knees were seen shuddering at times. He spiritually initiated a Sikh disciple who had come to see him from some other state and lived at his home for 3 months. He also initiated Pandit Maheshwar Nath Zutshi of Mallapore locality of Srinagar by offering him his pipe. He also started the practice of transfixing his gaze on water filled in a tumbler kept inside a brass basin filled with water. This brass basin was placed over an earthenware pot which too was filled with water. It was also during this time that majority of his miracles were recorded and people started flocking him, seeking solutions to their worldly problems. It was sometime during the period between 1946–56 that he came to be called as Bhagwan by his devotees. He regularly visited the shrines of the deities of Mata Sharika Bhagwati and Mata Ragnya Bhawani during this period. Sometime after 1957, on every Sunday afternoon, musical concerts were held at his place by known local musicians who would play local and Indian classical music for him. Some of the other shrines visited by him during the initial and final stages of his spiritual practice were Jwala Jiat Khrew, Bhadrakali at Handwara, Jyestha Bhagwati at Srinagar, Gupt Ganga near Nishat Bagh, Tushkaraja Bhairav at Srinagar and Amarnath.

Philosophy

Bhagwan Gopinath, being an introvert, was a man of few words and had a straightforward demeanor. He is known to have always shunned publicity and covered himself with anonymity. As such, various religious commentators along with his devotees have found it difficult to classify his spiritual journey into a particular school of Indian philosophical thought. Its widely believed that he must have followed the tenets of trika doctrine of advaita (non-dual) Kashmir Shaivism (in which, the Goddess Bhairavi-Aghoreshwari is enthroned above God Bhairava and is the main ideal of worship) with jnana (knowledge), iccha (will) and kriya (action) having had a dominating influence on him.

Once, while explaining the inter-relation of various spiritual disciplines in realising God, he said: " think of Brahman (God without a form) as a tree and if one sits on any one of its branches (various spiritual disciplines), the same goal will be reached in each case." He once remarked: "Omkara (Hindu Symbol) is the "throat" of Godhead and nothing is possible without it". A couple of his pen-drawings have been found in which he has drawn the symbol Omkara (in Sharada script) surrounded by the names "Rama" and "Shiva" probably indicating that God (in the form of Omkara) can be realised through either path. Once, while visiting the shrine of Amarnath, he is said to have remarked: "Shiva is dancing everywhere" and afterwards, was seen in a joyful mood the whole day.

He would keep incense sticks burning in flames instead of letting them smoulder as he had an affinity for light sources. Sometimes he would also keep the oblations, offered in the fire pot, burning in flames and also referred to it as the "feet" of Lord Narayan. He would refer to his legs as mere "logs of wood" and the body as "food" for the God of death (Mahakal) and as such didn't consider physical body as the end-all be-all of human existence.

He wouldn't advise anyone to give up one's family and household in pursuit of self-realisation but guided people only if they practised celibacy.

Gathering from various hymns written by him, it is evident that he had an inclination towards Bhakti tradition as well, which is also indicated by his fondness for Indian classical music and the pictures of Guru Nanak and Ramakrishna that adorned his walls.

Final days

A couple years before dying he was often heard remarking that he had grown old and this to some of his devotees was him dropping hints about his final days being imminently close. On the morning of 28 May 1968, as a part of his daily routine, he washed his face, tied his turban and smeared his forehead with a saffron mark (called tilak in Hinduism). All throughout the day, many people had come to visit him. Later-on in the noon, some sadhus (wandering monks) too had come to visit him. He used to give alms to these visiting sadhus (some of whom he would call as mere jugglers in ochre robes) who, on their journey to Amarnath shrine, would stop-over at his place. On this day too, he gave these sadhus whatever money he had in his cloth purse. He is then said to have gone into a state of meditative trance (called samadhi in Hinduism) till about 5:30 pm when he asked for some water and was helped to drink a tumbler full of sweet water. He died at about 5:45 pm and his recorded last words were Om Namah Shivaya (the mantra of Lord Shiva). On his death, Swami Nand Lal, is said to have remarked that Kashmir was being rocked by an earthquake. He is also said to have predicted Bhagwan Gopinath's death a week in advance.

Teachings

Bhagwan Gopinath never taught in a formal way. However, he would, from time to time, make statement either in response to questions of devotees, or on his own while being amongst them. Being a man of few words, he would usually use short sentences and one had to lend a curious ear to decipher their contextual meaning. A few of such of his statements, translated here into English, which his devotees recognise as his teachings, are as follows:

·         One should cultivate and preserve the three virtues of righteous moral conduct, viz straightforwardness, honesty and purity in thought, word and deed.

·         Self realisation comes when one bids farewell to ones ego.

·         Lust is the biggest impediment in ones spiritual development.

·         Keen intellectual contemplation and self scrutiny help one to realise all aspects of God.

·         Serious spiritual seekers should not be afraid of taking on the road which is fraught with difficulties of self-realisation.

·         One should rise above the narrow division of religion, caste or creed and make peace with all humanity.

·         One can consider Bhagvad Gita as ones spiritual master.

·         Sincere spiritual efforts and guru’s grace lead a seeker to self-realisation.

·         A seeker must surrender onto guru’s feet with all his heart and soul.

·         One should always contribute to charity to not let greed settle in.

Websites:

Bhagwan Gopinath Ji

Swami Nand Lal Ji Maharaj

Swami Nand Lal Jee Maharaj was born in 1902, at Gurguri Mohalla of Zaina Kadal Srinagar, Kashmir. His Father Sehaz Koul was a Land Lord. It is said that Sehaz Koul was so wealthy that he used to lend money to Maharaj Gulab Singh, the King of Jammu & Kashmir. Swami Nand Lal Jee lost his mother at a very young age. His father, Sehaz Koul got remarried and Nand Lal Jee got a stepmother. Sehaz koul was too busy to give enough time to his son. This disturbed Nand Lal Jee and he left his home for ever. It was his early teen age. After that nobody knew anything about Nand Lal Jee for about twenty years.

After leaving his father’s house Nand Lal Jee wandered about for some time and then joined a group of people who were going to Sharda Temple (Now in POK), In those days the pilgrims of Sharda Temple stayed at Zeni Pora, Sopore Kashmir. Swami Nand Lal Jee stayed at various places as Bumy, Sharda Mata Temple (Now in POK), Resh Peer Mandir in Sopore. In Resh Peer Temple Swami Nand Lal Jee met Swami Lal Jee Maharaj who accepted him as his Disciple and gave him Guru Mantra. Swami Nand Lal Jee took the Guru Mantra and began to work hard to achieve heights in Yog Sadhna. Six Months later, Swami Lal Jee visited Sopore again but could not find Nand Lal Jee there. He asked people about Swami Nand Lal Jee and was informed that young Swami Nand Lal Jee was seriously ill.

Swami Lal Jee asked people to bring Nand Lal Jee to him. Swami Nand Lal Jee was brought to Swami Lal Jee on the back of a person as he was too ill to walk himself. Actually Swami Nand Lal Jee had a very attack of Black Motion. Swami Lal Jee gave Swami Nand Lal Jee Some Prashad to eat which worked wonder. In a few days Nand Lal Jee got well. People asked Swami lal Jee the reason of illness of Nand Lal Jee for which Swami Lal Jee replied that Nand Lal Jee had worked very hard to get some desired heights of Yog Sadhna. Too much hard work took on his health and he got ill. In fact he achieved all that in only six months which I myself achieved in six years. He will get a second attack of similar kind in his life and that will be his end of life. In fact the same thing happened with Swami Nand Lal Jee at the end of his life which he left Kashmir and went to Delhi where he left for his heavenly abode in the house of his Disciple Sh. Sadu sahib.

Websites:

Swami Nand Lal Ji Maharaj

Documentary Film on Swami Nand Bab Sahib

Swami Kral Bab Maharaj

Swami Kral Bab Maharaj emerged from a normal family living in Kashmir, in a village called Kralgund, situated on the Kupwara-Hundwara road, at a distance of 15 Kilometers from Sopore Town of Kashmir Valley. The family gave him a name as Bhagwan Dass, which meant as (Servant of God), but who new that one day this sant will signify his name and will become true Bhagwan’s Dass. They never ever have thought that Bhagwan Dass would really be the person who will not only be followed by thousands of people but will be worshipped by those.

The same Bhagwan Dass when took Adyatmik Path and went to his Guru Swami Nand Lal Jee, and introduced himself as Bhagwan Dass, Swami Nand Lal Jee gave a significant look to the person as he saw the Sant in him and his esteemed adyatmik vision gave him his vision and so he named him as “KRALBAB”, (which not only signifies sant from Kralgund, but in Kashmiri “KRAL’ Means Potter, who prepares utensils from clay, i.e, He provides the perfect shapes to the Clay), and said that this sant should be called as “KRALBAB” instead of “Bhagwan Dass”. This was the day when Swami Kralbab came into existance, and the same became present day’s Swami Kralbab Maharaj.

Swami Kralbab Maharaj spent his life through Kralgund, Venkura (Qalanderpora, Baramulla), Tikkar (Kupwara), Houshur (Badgam, Srinagar), Gadi (Udhampur, Jammu), and his lots of time was spent at Venkura (Qalanderpora), Baramulla. “Venkura”, the name is derived from Maharaj Venkat, the same is situated on the Mountain Peek with Mata Ganga being Virajmaan there with all her Gaity and Respect. The place is known by “Ganga Asthapan” also and is situated at the top of the Venkura Mountain within the Venkura Village. Maharaj Venkat who was also religiously sound worshipped Mata Ganga at this place. It has beautiful and elegant Mata Ganga’s kund where it is believed that Maa Gange is herself Virajmaan.

This pious soul was born in the month of Falgun on Puranmashi in the year 1928 at Kral Gund, a small village of Handwara Distt. Kupwara Kashmir. Kral Gund is at a distance of 15 Km, to north of Sopore Kashmir. His father Shree Sansar Chand Jee was a devotee of lord Shiva and his mother, Smt. Kudmall was a simple religious lady Sansar Chand Jee left for his heavenly abode when Kral Bab Maharaj was only 8 years old. He was brought up by his elder brother Rughnath Jee and his mother. The actual name of Kral Bab Maharaj was Bhagwan Dass. He was called by the name of Bagh Lal by all. Bagh Lal was very simple by nature, besides working in the fields, he helped his mother in her domestic work. Bagh Lal was so simple by nature that sometimes people made fun of him which often upset his mother, Kudmall and made her worried about him.

At early stage of his life Bagwan Dass used to gaze at the sky for hours together. It seemed that he was exploring the sky for some purpose. Seeing such strange behavior his mother Kudmall got sure that her son had some special quality in him. Being a religious lady Kudmall was sure that Bhagwan Dass was a pious soul who had come to this world to complete some job left unfinished in his previous life. She was in a fix what to do for him. During that period a Patwari from Anantnag Kashmir came to Kral Gund on posting and settled in the house of Sansar Chand as it was the only Hindu Family in the village. Patwari was a devotee of Lord Vaishno. He used to chant Vedic Mantras, hymns of Ramayan and Mahabarta aloud which attracted Bhagwan Dass and he began to spend most of his spare time in the company of Patwari, who told him the stories of Ramayana, Mahabarta and from other religious books. Now Bhagwan Dass looked a different personality. His mother Kudmall noticed this difference. She thought that the company of Patwari brought this change in her child so she requested the Patwari to show Bhagwan Dass the path of truth and the Patwari gave a Jap Mantra to Bhagwan Dass who was 11 - 12 years old. This was the first step towards the spiritual life of Bhagwan Dass.

Bhagwan dass was totally changed now. His Kul Guru Anand Jee noticed this change in Bhagwan Dass and he being a Purohit of his family felt his duty to help Bhagwan Dass to overcome the hardships of spiritual path which Bhagwan Dass was walking upon. This was the second step towards his spiritual life. Bhagwan Dass was now always busy in reciting the Mantras given by Patwari. When ever he got time, he would sit in a corner and recite the Jap Mantras in his heart with his eyes closed. During this period a Patwari was transferred to Gureze. He took Bhagwan dass with him as he got much time to boost his spiritual power. As time passed Bhagwan Dass got more and more engaged in going ahead on the path he had chosen. On coming back from Gureze, Qazi Gopi Nath a munsif engaged Bhagwan Dass as his domestic servant. His simple behavior and shyness made him popular among the family members of Qazi Gopi nath. It was this place where Bhagwan Dass met saint Shridhar Joo Mastana who had great spiritual powers by which he used to help the needy persons. Qazi Gopi Nath was a follower of Shridhar Joo Mastana and often invited him for food. Shridhar Joo Mastana gave some food from his Thali to Bhagwan Dass which gave a new heights to the spiritual powers of Bhagwan Dass. His secret got exposed to Gopi Nath Jee. Bhagwan Dass never wanted to be in news among masses so he left the job and came back to his mother. After some time Bhagwan Dass met Swami Nand Lal Jee who accepted him as disciple. Meanwhile Kudmall fell ill. Bhagwan Dass had to come back from the holy Ashram of his Guru Maharaj. He stayed with his mother till her last breath. After the death of Kudmall, Bhagwan Dass spent most of his time at the lotus feet of Swami Nand Lal Jee Maharaj. After the death of Swami nand Lal Jee Maharaj at New Delhi in his house of Sh. Sadu Sahib on ----1968. Bab Maharaj never wanted that the Holy Ashram of his Guru maharaj to be discussed by the masses, so he decided to establish as Ashram of his own. After one and a half year Bab Maharaj raised an Ashram at Venkura (Baramulla). Under the pious, pure and spiritual guidance of Bab Maharaj the Venkura Ashram became very famous in very short time and disciples of Bab Maharaj multiplied. In the year 1975 Bab Maharaj laid foundation stone of an Ashram at Gadhi Udhampur which he called as Thak Pend [Resting Place]. Swami Kral Bab Maharaj left for heavenly abode on 18 September in the year 1990.

Websites:

Swami Kral Bab Maharaj

Vidoe of  Swami Kral Bub Ji Maharaj

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Sathya Sai Baba (born Sathyanarayana Raju; 23 November 1926 – 24 April 2011) was an Indian guru, a spiritual leader, and philanthropist. 

Sai Baba's purported materialisations of vibhuti (holy ash) and other small objects such as rings, necklaces, and watches, were considered by his devotees as signs of his divinity. Innumerable reports of miraculous healings, resurrection, clairvoyance, bilocation have been attributed to Sai Baba by devotees.

The Sathya Sai Organisation, founded by Sai Baba "to enable its members to undertake service activities as a means to spiritual advancement", has over 1,200 Sathya Sai Centres (branches) in 126 countries. Through this organisation, Sai Baba established a network of free hospitals, clinics, drinking water projects, auditoriums, ashrams and schools.

Almost everything known about Sai Baba's early life stems from the hagiography that grew around him, narratives that hold special meaning to his devotees and are considered by them to be evidence of his divine nature. According to these sources, Sathya Narayana Raju was born to Meesaraganda Eashwaramma and Peddavenkama Raju Ratnakaram in the village of Puttaparthi, to a Raju family, in what was the Madras Presidency of British India. His birth, which his mother Eashwaramma asserted was by miraculous conception, was also said to be heralded by miracles.

Sai Baba's siblings included elder brother Ratnakaram Seshama Raju (1911–1985), sisters Venkamma (1918–1993) and Parvathamma (1920–1998), and younger brother Janakiramaiah (1931–2003).

As a child, he was described as "unusually intelligent" and charitable, though not necessarily academically inclined, as his interests were of a more spiritual nature. He was uncommonly talented in devotional music, dance and drama. From a young age, he was alleged to have been capable of materialising objects such as food and sweets out of thin air.

On 8 March 1940, while living with his elder brother Seshama Raju in Uravakonda, a small town near Puttaparthi, 14 year old Sathya was apparently stung by a scorpion. He lost consciousness for several hours and in the next few days underwent a noticeable change in behaviour. There were "symptoms of laughing and weeping, eloquence and silence." It is claimed that then "he began to sing Sanskrit verses, a language of which it is alleged he had no prior knowledge." Doctors concluded his behaviour to be hysteria. Concerned, his parents brought Sathya back home to Puttaparthi and took him to many priests, doctors and exorcists. One of the exorcists at Kadiri, a town near Puttaparthi, went to the extent of torturing him with the aim of curing him; Sathya seemingly kept calm throughout the torture.

On 23 May 1940, Sathya called household members and reportedly materialised sugar candy (prasad) and flowers for them. His father became furious at seeing this, thinking his son was bewitched. He took a stick and threatened to beat him if Sathya did not reveal who he really was, the young Sathya responded calmly and firmly "I am Sai Baba", a reference to Sai Baba of Shirdi. This was the first time he proclaimed himself to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi—a saint who became famous in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Maharashtra and had died eight years before Sathya was born.

In 1944, a mandir for Sai Baba's devotees was built near the village of Puttaparthi. It is now referred to as the "old mandir". The construction of Prashanthi Nilayam, the current ashram, began in 1948 and was completed in 1950. In 1954, Sai Baba established a small free general hospital in the village of Puttaparthi. He won fame for mystical powers and the ability to heal. In 1957 Sai Baba went on a North Indian temple tour.

In 1963, it was asserted that Sai Baba suffered a stroke and four severe heart attacks, which left him paralysed on one side. These events culminated in an event where he apparently healed himself in front of the thousands of people gathered in Prashanthi Nilayam who were then praying for his recovery.

On recovering, Sai Baba announced that he would one day next be reborn as an incarnation named Prema Sai Baba in the neighbouring state of Karnataka. He stated, "I am Shiva-Sakthi, born in the gotra (lineage) of Bharadwaja, according to a boon won by that sage from Siva and Sakthi. Siva was born in the gotra of that sage as Sai Baba of Shirdi; Shiva and Sakthi have incarnated as Myself in his gotra now; Sakthi alone will incarnate as the third Sai (Prema Sai Baba) in the same gotra in Mandya district of Karnataka State." He stated he would be born again eight years after his death. He died at the age of 84.

In 1968, he established Dharmakshetra or the Sathyam Mandir in Mumbai. In 1973, he established the Shivam Mandir in Hyderabad. On 19 January 1981, in Chennai, he inaugurated the Sundaram Mandir.

In March 1995, Sai Baba started a project to provide drinking water to 1.2 million people in the drought-prone Rayalaseema region in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. In April 1999 he inaugurated the Ananda Nilayam Mandir in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

In 2001 he established another free super-speciality hospital in Bangalore to benefit the poor. 

On 28 March 2011, Sai Baba was admitted to the Sri Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospital at Prashantigram at Puttaparthi, following respiration-related problems. After nearly a month of hospitalisation, during which his condition progressively deteriorated, Sai Baba died on Sunday, 24 April at 7:40 IST, aged 84.

His body lay in state for two days and was buried with full state honours on 27 April 2011. An estimated 500,000 people attended the burial, among them the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi (India's Present Prime Minister), as well as other political leaders and prominent figures.

Sai Baba's death triggered an outpouring of grief from followers who included Indian politicians, movie stars, athletes and industrialists. Most remembered him as a pious, selfless person who worked to help others with the billions of dollars donated to his charitable trust.

Political leaders who offered their condolences included the then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Dalai Lama. The Hindu newspaper reported that "Sri Sathya Sai Baba's propagation of spiritualism and preaching of Hindu philosophy never came in the way of his commitment to secular beliefs.

The Government of Karnataka declared 25 and 26 April as days of mourning and Andhra Pradesh declared 25, 26, and 27 April as days of mourning.

Sathya Sai Organisation:

The Sathya Sai Organisation (or Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization) was founded in the 1960s by Sai Baba. The first Sai Centres were started in India under the name of the "Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi". The Sathya Sai Organisation originated "to enable its members to undertake service activities as a means to spiritual advancement." The official mission of the Sathya Sai Organization is "to help its members realize the innate divinity within".

The Sathya Sai Organisation publishes an official monthly magazine named Sanathana Sarathi, published by the Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust. The English translation of the word Sanathana Sarathi means 'Eternal Charioteer'.^]

Sai Baba stated that the main objective of the Sathya Sai Organisation "is to help man recognize the divinity that is inherent in him. So, your duty is to emphasize the One, to experience the One in all you do or speak. Do not give any importance to differences of religion or sect or status or colour. Have the feeling of one-ness permeate every act of yours. Only those who do so have a place in this Organization; the rest can withdraw."

The Sathya Sai Organisation reports that there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centres in 114 countries. However, the number of active Sai Baba followers is hard to determine. Estimates vary from 6 million up to nearly 100 million. In India itself, Sai Baba drew followers predominantly from the upper-middle-class, the urban sections of society who have the "most wealth, education and exposure to Western ideas." 

Sai Baba founded a large number of schools and colleges, hospitals, and other charitable institutions in India and abroad.

Institutions, Projects and Other Works:

Educational Institutions

Sai Baba's educational institutions aim to impart character education along with excellence in academics with emphasis on human values and ethics.

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (Deemed to be University), established in 1981, called Sri Sathya Sai University for some years, of which Sai Baba was the Chancellor, has four campuses, one at Puttaparthi for men, one at Whitefield, Bangalore for men, one at Anantapur for women, and one at Muddenahalli for men.

Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School

The Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School was founded by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on 15 June 1981 in 'Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Giri' complex of Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi. This is a boarding school with separate hostel for boys and girls. The school caters to classes I to XII of the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi [CBSE]. For 2014, it was ranked in the top 10 CBSE schools of India.

Others

Sathya Sai Baba chaired the Sri Sathya Sai loka Seva institutions, Alike and Muddenahalli Karnataka from Madiyal Narayana Bhat, Currently it is headed by U Gangadhar Bhat. In addition, a Sathya Sai Baba University and Medical School also a hospital and research institute are being constructed on over 200 acres (0.81 km²). Baba said that the campus will be modelled after Puttaparthi and will infuse spirituality with academics.

Hospitals and medical care

The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust runs several general hospitals, two speciality hospitals, eye hospitals and mobile dispensaries and conducts medical camps in rural and slum areas in India.

Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital, Whitefield

The Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital, Whitefield was opened in Whitefield, Bangalore, in 1977 and provides complex surgery, food and medicines free of cost. The hospital has treated over 2 million patients.

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Puttaparthi

The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Puttaparthi is a 300-bed facility which provides free surgical and medical care and which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narasimha Rao on 22 November 1991. The hospital was financed and its construction supervised by Isaac Tigrett, founder of the Hard Rock Cafe and House of Blues.

The hospital is equipped 11 surgical theatres, five intensive care units, two cardiac catheterisation laboratories, medical and surgical wards, and a 24-hour emergency unit. "Leading doctors specialising in the fields of Cardiology, Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Urology, Ophthalmology etc. come from different parts of the World on their own and render their services free of cost."

The hospital has a unique history of its own. On 23 November 1990, during his birthday discourse, Sri Sathya Sai Baba while talking about the inability of healthcare access to the poor declared within one year a tertiary care hospital will come up in the village of Puttaparthi, which will provide high-end care completely free to all the patients. The hospital was constructed in a record time of exactly one year and the first cardiothoracic operations were carried out successfully.

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Whitefield

After the success of the first super speciality hospital, the Karnataka government offered Sai Baba 53 acres of land to establish another super speciality hospital in Whitefield.

The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Whitefield is a 333-bed hospital, which was inaugurated on 19 January 2001 by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. The estimated cost of this second hospital was Rs 2000 million. The hospital has provided free medical care to over 250,000 patients.

Drinking water supply projects

Anantapur

In November 1995, Sai Baba expressed his concern about the lack of drinking water in Rayalseema. In March 1995, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust commenced work on a project to supply pure drinking water to villages in the district of Anantapur. The project was completed in 1996 supplies water to 1.2 million people in about 750 villages in the drought-prone Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh.

Chennai

The Chennai drinking water project, completed in 2004, supplies water to Chennai through a rebuilt waterway named "Sathya Sai Ganga Canal". Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi praised the Chennai water project and Sai Baba's involvement. Other completed water projects include the Medak District Project benefiting 450,000 people in 179 villages and the Mahbubnagar District Project benefiting 350,000 people in 141 villages. In January 2007, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust said it would start a drinking water project in Latur, Maharashtra.

Telugu-Ganga Project

The Telugu-Ganga project is a water supply scheme implemented by Andhra Pradesh, India to provide drinking water to Chennai city in Tamil Nadu. The source of water is the river Krishna in Andhra Pradesh and the Poondi reservoir near Chennai is the destination with water planned to be routed through a series of interlinked canals.

The water initially supplied by the canal was disappointing, delivering less than 500 million cubic feet (14×10⁶ m³). In 2002, Sri Sathya Sai Baba announced a scheme of restoration and lining of the canal; as his own undertaking. With an extensive rebuilding of the canal and several reservoirs, the project was completed in 2004, when Poondi reservoir received Krishna water for the first time. The supply of water to Chennai city in 2006 was 3.7 billion cubic feet (100×10⁶ m³). After the re-lining and reconstruction, the Kandaleru-Poondi part of the canal was renamed Sai Ganga.

Odisha

In 2008, two million people in the state of Odisha were affected by floods. As a relief measure, the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization built 699 houses as part of their first phase in 16 villages by March 2009.

Educare

Sai Baba's Educare programme seeks to found schools throughout the world with the goal of educating children in the five human values. According to the Sai Educare site, schools have been founded in 33 countries, including Australia, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Peru. The Times of Zambia states, "The positive influence of Sathya Sai is unprecedented in the annals of education in Zambia. Sai Baba's education ideals as embodied in his human values-based approach in education are an eye-opener to educationists in Zambia."

In Canada, the Fraser Institute, an independent Canadian research and educational organisation, ranked the Sathya Sai School of Canada as one of the top 37 elementary schools in Ontario.

Spiritual media

On 23 November 2001, the digital radio network Radio Sai Global Harmony was launched through the World Space Organization, United States. Michael Oleinikof Nobel (distant relative to Alfred Nobel and one of the patrons for the radio network) said that the radio network would spread Sai Baba's message of global harmony and peace.

Recognition

A 1999 stamp devoted to the Sri Sathya Sai Water Supply Project.

On 23 November 1999, the Department of Posts, Government of India, released a postage stamp and a postal cover in recognition of the service rendered by Sai Baba in addressing the problem of providing safe drinking water to the rural masses.

Ashrams and Mandirs

Puttaparthi, where Sai Baba was born and lived, was originally a small, remote South Indian village in Andhra Pradesh. Now there is an extensive university complex, a speciality hospital, and two museums: the Sanathana Samskruti or Eternal Heritage Museum, sometimes called the Museum of All Religions, and the Chaitanya Jyoti, devoted exclusively to the life and teachings of Sai Baba; the latter has won several international awards for its architectural design. There is also a planetarium, a railway station, a hill-view stadium, an administrative building, an airport, an indoor sports stadium and more. High-ranking Indian politicians such as the former president A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Andhra Pradesh former chief minister Konijeti Rosaiah and Karnataka chief minister B. S. Yeddyurappa have been official guests at the ashram in Puttaparthi. It was reported that well over a million people attended Sai Baba's 80th birthday celebration, including delegates from India and 180 other countries.^]

Sai Baba resided much of the time in his main ashram, Prashanthi Nilayam (Abode of Highest Peace), at Puttaparthi. In the summer he often left for his other ashram, Brindavan, in Kadugodi, Whitefield, a town on the outskirts of Bangalore. Occasionally he visited his Sai Shruti ashram in Kodaikanal.

Sathyam, Shivam, Sundaram

Sai Baba established three primary mandirs (spiritual centres) in India. The first mandir, founded in Mumbai in 1968, is referred to as either the "Dharmakshetra" or "Sathyam". The second centre, established in Hyderabad in 1973, is referred to as "Shivam". The third, inaugurated on 19 January 1981 in Chennai, is called "Sundaram". The Dharmakshetra was established on the occasion of the first world conference (of SSSO). Many people from various of parts of the world attended the conference which was held at Bharatiya vidya Bhavan campus at versova, Bombay. It consists of various service centers for devotees like a hospital and eye care center. The educational center consists of various training centers. As a part of Bal Vikas the technical training is provided freely to the children from poor backgrounds by the youth wing of the organization.

Characteristics, beliefs and practices of devotees

Sai Baba claimed to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, and his followers considered him to be the Avatar of Shiva. Sai Baba of Shirdi was known to combine Islamic and Hindu teachings; still Charles S. J. White, of The American University at Washington D.C., noted of Sathya Sai Baba in 1972, that "there is no discernible Muslim influence." Stephanie Tallings, in The Harvard international Review, noted Sai Baba’s following is drawn from people of all religions, ethnicities, and social classes. Lawrence A. Babb, of the Amherst College in Massachusetts, labelled Sai Baba movement as a cult in the 1980s, calling it "deeply and authentically Hindu..." and noted, " The most striking feature of this cult, however, is the extremely strong emphasis given to the miraculous." However, a scholarly review claims Babb misapplies the word “cult”, responding, "the so-called 'cult' of Satya Sai Baba seems to possess all such characteristics which are, according to the author, central to a religious movement." Deborah A. Swallow, of the University of Cambridge, referred to it as a cult and said that the "ritual and theology, then, unlike Sai Baba [of Shirdi]'s, is distinctly Hindu in form and content." But John D. Kelly, a professor of anthropology at the University of Chicago, wrote about Hindu missions in Fiji that the Sathya Sai Organization (which is part of the movement) rejected the label Hindu. According to Kelly, they see their founder as the "living synthesis of the world's religious traditions" and prefer to be classified as an interfaith movement. But he observed that Sai Baba mission is a Hindu mission as active as Christian or Muslim missions. In a 2001 scholarly book Tulasi Srinivas, notes, “The Sathya Sai global civil religious movement incorporates Hindu and Muslim practices, Buddhist, Christian, and Zoroastrian influences, and "New Age"-style rituals and beliefs.’ And in the appendix of the book (p. 349) lists 10 scholarly authors/researchers in both Europe and America who all refer to it as a New Religious Movement (NRM).

Sai Baba was known for his quote "Love All, Serve All. Help Ever, Hurt Never." Internationally, his devotees gather daily, or weekly on Sundays or Thursdays or both, for devotional songs, prayer, spiritual meditation, service to the community (Seva), and to participate in "Education in Human Values" (SSEHV) known as "Bal Vikas" (Blossoming of the Child).

Followers believed in seeking the spiritual benefit of Sai Baba's darshan, scheduled for morning and afternoon each day. Sai Baba would interact with people, accept letters, materialise and distribute vibhuti (sacred ash) or call groups or individuals for interviews. Devotees considered it a great privilege to have an interview and sometimes a single person, group or family was invited for a private interview for answers to spiritual questions and general guidance.

Websites:

International sai Organization

Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam