Full Story of Neem Karoli Baba Ji

Introduction

• Neem Karoli Baba, also known as Maharaj-ji, was one of India’s most revered saints. His life is filled with divine grace, simplicity, and countless miracles. Millions of devotees across the world consider him an incarnation of Lord Hanuman.

Devotee:

• Steve Jobs
• Mark Zuckerberg
• Julia Roberts
• Ram Dass (Richard Alpert)

Early Life (🌺)

• There is no single "100% verified" record regarding the birth date and age of Neem Karoli Baba (Shri Lakshman Das Maharaj Ji). His biography is mostly based on accounts from disciples, tradition, and experiences.
• Neem Karoli Baba was born around 1900 in the village of Akbarpur in Uttar Pradesh. His real name was Lakshman Das Sharma. From childhood, he displayed extraordinary spiritual power.
• In 1911, Shri Lakshman Das Maharaj Ji left his home and disappeared without a trace. The whole family was worried, all the relatives, even his father-in-law, were worried, but no one knew what had happened.
• Because a person tends to delve deeper into the field they are interested in and move towards that path, his inclination was more towards the spiritual realm. He served at an ashram in Rajkot, Gujarat, and completed his penance successfully. When an ordinary householder transforms into a renunciate, his name in his householder life was Lakshmi Narayan Sharma. Seeing his abilities, he was declared the successor, but after some time, Maharaj Ji sought permission from the Mahant (head priest) and left that place. Now he comes from Rajkot to a village called Baniya, also in Gujarat, where he establishes a Hanuman temple.

Renunciation (🕉️)

• Near the Hanuman temple in Rajkot, there is a pond, and he decides to undertake a difficult penance. He stands in the pond for hours performing penance. Shri Lakshman Das Maharaj Ji would enter the pond and spend hours there chanting and meditating. And what happened was that the bus drivers and other people would come there and talk to him, even asking for food and drinks. So, people would sometimes make such demands of Shri Lakshman Das Maharaj ji, even though he was standing in the water and didn't have anything with him. But someone said, "Baba ji, we want to eat jalebis," so he just moved his hand, reached behind him, and gave them a packet. As these stories gradually spread, people started gathering around him, and his reputation grew. His influence in the spiritual realm increased. He left his home in 1911 and lived in Bhagwaniya until 1917, where he continued his worship, chanting, and penance. There, people started calling him Talaiya Baba.
• He hadn't yet become Baba Neem Karoli. One day, Maharaj ji told the villagers, "I am going to meet Mother Ganga." The people took it as a normal statement—but his words carried a different meaning. He saw the river not as water, but as a mother. When he reached the Ganga Ghat (today's Panchal Ghat), he sat down directly on the ghat, closed his eyes, and became absorbed in meditation. According to his devotees, at that time he said, "Mother has come." People saw that the Ganga's water suddenly became calm, and an unearthly coolness and vibration spread. Maharaj ji greeted Ganga as his mother and said, "Now let's go." Shri Lakshman Das Maharaj ji, in simple clothes, with nothing in his hands, absorbed in silence and detachment, quietly boarded a train without a ticket. No identification, no pretense. A ticket checker came on the train. He asked Maharaj ji, "Show me your ticket." Maharaj ji smiled, but said nothing. The ticket checker understood, "He doesn't have a ticket," and forcibly made him get off the train. There was a forest and neem trees near the station. Maharaj ji sat peacefully under a neem tree. After some time, the train was given the green signal, but—the train didn't move an inch. Everyone was surprised. The railway department's team of technicians, drivers, and guards tried everything, but the train wouldn't move. They applied full steam, but nothing worked. Local people said, "The Maharaj (holy man) who was made to get off the train is no ordinary man." They pointed out, "He is sitting under a neem tree." British officers were summoned. The officers and other people approached the neem tree to plead with the Maharaj. They said to him, "We made a mistake, please get back on the train." As soon as the Maharaj stepped into the compartment, the train started moving on its own. No engine was started. The village where this incident took place was named "Neem Karoli." After that, people began to know the Maharaj by the name Neem Karoli Baba.
• At a very young age, he left his home and family and embarked on the path of asceticism. There are nearly 700 stories of his miracles, and he continues to perform new miracles.
• It is said that he performed many amazing miracles, and that is why people started calling him Neem Karoli Baba.

Miracles (⚡)

• Numerous miracles have been attributed to him:
• Reading people's thoughts
• Healing the sick
• Manifesting food and money at the right time
• Protecting devotees from a distance
• Even today, people visiting his ashrams experience deep peace and spiritual energy.

Major Ashrams (🕍)

1. Kainchi Dham, Uttarakhand
2. Vrindavan Ashram
3. Lucknow Ashram
4. New Mexico (USA) Ashram

• Kainchi Dham has now become a major spiritual centre worldwide.

Global Recognition (💡)

• When Steve Jobs was struggling early in life, he visited Kainchi Dham.
• He later told Mark Zuckerberg to visit the same place.
• This brought global recognition to Neem Karoli Baba.

Teachings (🌼)

• Neem Karoli Baba’s core teachings were simple:
• “Love everyone, serve everyone, remember God, and tell the truth.”
• His message was universal — a path of love and selfless service.

Mahasamadhi (🕯️)

• Neem Karoli Baba Maharaj Ji passed away on September 11, 1973, in a hospital in Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh) after falling into a diabetic coma. He was returning to Kainchi by night train from Agra, where he had gone to see a heart specialist due to chest pain. He and those travelling with him disembarked at Mathura railway station, and Maharaj Ji left his mortal body in Vrindavan.
• However, his presence is still felt strongly by millions of devotees.

Other :

• In the late 2000s, another foundation was established, called the "Love Serve Remember Foundation," whose purpose is to preserve and promote the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba and Ram Dass.
• After returning to the United States, Ram Dass and Larry Brilliant founded the Seva Foundation, an international health organisation based in Berkeley, California, dedicated to applying Neem Karoli Baba's teachings to alleviate poverty worldwide. One of Seva's greatest achievements is that it has helped restore the sight of over 3.5 million blind people suffering from cataracts in countries such as Tibet, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and throughout Central and South America and Africa. The organisation also has a Native American Community Health Program that works to combat the diabetes epidemic in Native communities across the United States.
• Dedicated to all devotees, may Maharaj Ji's grace be upon everyone. Jai Shri Ram, Jai Hanuman, Jai Neem Karoli Baba Ji.