Neem Karoli Baba

Hanuman Ka Bhakt - The Devotee of the Monkey God

In the hills of Uttarakhand, a simple blanket-wrapped figure would appear and disappear like morning mist, leaving behind transformed hearts and impossible stories. Neem Karoli Baba moved through the world as if the laws of time and space were mere suggestions, feeding hundreds from empty pots, appearing simultaneously in distant places, and pointing seekers toward love with the playful authority of a cosmic child. His teaching was not in words but in presence—a love so fierce and unconditional that it shattered every concept of what a guru should be.

Chronological Timeline

c. 1900 - Born as Lakshman Das Maharaj in Akbarpur village, Uttar Pradesh, into a Brahmin family
Early 1920s - Leaves home for spiritual wandering, abandoning conventional life completely
1920s-1930s - Years of intense sadhana in the Himalayas, practicing austerities and devotion to Hanuman
1935 - Thrown off a train at Neeb Karori village for traveling without a ticket; the train cannot restart until he boards again
1940s-1950s - Establishes pattern of appearing at various locations, gathering devotees spontaneously
1958 - Kainchi Dham ashram established in the Kumaon hills, becomes his primary seat
1962 - First Western devotees begin arriving, including future teachers like Ram Dass
1967 - Ram Dass (Richard Alpert) meets Maharaj-ji, transforming both Eastern and Western spiritual landscapes
1970 - Vrindavan ashram established, deepening his connection to Krishna consciousness
1972 - Taos, New Mexico ashram founded by Western devotees
September 10, 1973 - Takes mahasamadhi at Vrindavan hospital, his body remaining warm for hours
1974 - "Be Here Now" published, introducing millions to his teaching through Ram Dass
1980s-present - Global sangha continues to grow, with ashrams and devotees worldwide

The Journey from Seeker to Sage

The spiritual hunger burned in Lakshman Das from childhood, manifesting as an inexplicable pull toward the divine that made ordinary life impossible. Born into a respectable Brahmin family, he showed early signs of spiritual intensity—spending hours in temples, drawn to sadhus and holy men, displaying a devotion to Hanuman that seemed to come from lifetimes of practice. His family's attempts to arrange his marriage and settle him into conventional life only intensified his inner fire. The young man who would become Neem Karoli Baba simply walked away from everything—home, caste obligations, social identity—with nothing but an unquenchable thirst for God.

The quest and the practices led him deep into the Himalayas, where he undertook the classical path of the wandering sadhu. For years, he practiced severe austerities, living in caves, fasting for extended periods, and maintaining silence for months at a time. His devotion to Hanuman became the central axis of his sadhana—he would spend entire nights chanting the Hanuman Chalisa, sometimes hundreds of times, until the boundary between devotee and deity dissolved. Unlike many seekers who follow prescribed methods, his practice was guided by an inner compass that led him to exactly what was needed. He learned to live on almost nothing, to find God in every circumstance, and to surrender so completely that his personal will became transparent to divine will.

The guru-disciple relationship in Maharaj-ji's case was mysterious—he never spoke of having a human guru, though he clearly received transmission from the great tradition. Some say he was initiated by a Hanuman temple priest, others that Hanuman himself was his guru. What's certain is that his realization came through pure devotion (bhakti) rather than intellectual study or formal initiation. He embodied the truth that love itself can be the guru, that complete surrender to the divine can accomplish what years of technique cannot. His relationship with Hanuman was so intimate that devotees often couldn't tell where Neem Karoli Baba ended and the monkey god began.

The teaching emerges not through any decision to become a guru, but through the natural overflow of his realization. In the 1940s and 50s, he began appearing at various locations throughout northern India—sometimes at temples, sometimes by roadsides, sometimes in people's homes—always unexpectedly, always bringing exactly what was needed. His method was revolutionary in its simplicity: he taught through love, through feeding people, through being present with whatever arose. There were no formal discourses, no systematic teachings, no hierarchy. People were drawn by something indefinable—a quality of unconditional acceptance that made everyone feel like his favorite child.

Daily life of the realized was a continuous demonstration that enlightenment doesn't require withdrawal from the world. Maharaj-ji's routine, when he had one, centered around the simple activities of daily life elevated to sacred art. He would wake before dawn, often found sitting in meditation or chanting. His days were filled with receiving visitors, sharing meals, and attending to the practical needs of his ashrams. He ate simply but with great enjoyment, often feeding others before himself. His relationship with his body was playful—he would sometimes eat enormous quantities of food, other times fast completely, as if demonstrating that the realized being is not bound by ordinary physical limitations. His humor was legendary; he would tease devotees mercilessly, play practical jokes, and laugh with the abandon of a child, showing that enlightenment includes rather than transcends human joy.

Core Spiritual Teachings

His essential realization was that love is the ultimate reality—not love as emotion or attachment, but love as the very fabric of existence. "Love everyone, serve everyone, remember God" became his core teaching, but this wasn't mere sentiment. For Maharaj-ji, love was a force that could transform matter, transcend time and space, and reveal the divine presence in every moment. He embodied the Bhakti tradition's highest understanding: that the heart's complete surrender to God is both the path and the goal. His realization was that separation from the divine is an illusion maintained by the mind, and that love dissolves this illusion more effectively than any other practice.

Key teachings and practices emerged not as formal instructions but as lived demonstrations:

Seva as Sadhana: Service to others was his primary prescription for spiritual growth. He taught that serving others, especially feeding them, was direct service to God. His ashrams were always open, meals were always available, and no one was ever turned away. This wasn't charity but recognition—seeing God in every person who appeared.
The Hanuman Path: His devotion to Hanuman provided a complete spiritual method. Through Hanuman, he taught the power of surrender, devotion, and selfless service. The Hanuman Chalisa became a central practice for his devotees, not as mere recitation but as a way of embodying Hanuman's qualities of strength, devotion, and egolessness.
Presence over Technique: Unlike gurus who taught complex meditation methods, Maharaj-ji's teaching was his presence itself. Being near him was the practice. He demonstrated that enlightenment is not something to be achieved but something to be recognized in this moment.
The Guru Within: While devotees saw him as their guru, he consistently pointed them toward the divine presence within themselves. "I am not the guru, God is the guru," he would say, using his form to awaken their recognition of the formless.
Radical Acceptance: His teaching method included accepting people exactly as they were while simultaneously transforming them through love. He never asked anyone to change their lifestyle, religion, or beliefs, yet people were naturally transformed by his presence.

His teaching methodology was revolutionary in its informality. He taught through:

Leela (Divine Play): Every interaction was a teaching, often disguised as ordinary conversation or playful teasing
Miraculous Presence: His ability to appear in multiple places, know people's thoughts, and manifest material needs demonstrated that love transcends physical limitations
Silent Transmission: Much of his teaching happened in silence, heart to heart, beyond the realm of words
Practical Mysticism: He showed that the highest spiritual realization could be lived through the simplest activities—eating, sleeping, caring for others

Stages of the path according to Maharaj-ji were beautifully simple:

Recognition of Suffering: Understanding that seeking happiness in external things leads to disappointment
Turning Toward Love: Beginning to serve others and remember God
Surrender: Letting go of personal will and trusting divine will
Service: Finding God through serving others, especially those in need
Realization: Discovering that love, service, and remembrance of God are not practices but expressions of one's true nature

The Lineage and Legacy

The immediate sangha that formed around Neem Karoli Baba was unlike traditional guru-disciple relationships. Rather than formal initiations, people were drawn into his orbit through love and stayed through transformation. His most famous Western devotee, Ram Dass (Richard Alpert), became a bridge between Eastern wisdom and Western seekers, but hundreds of Indian devotees also carried his teaching forward. Notable disciples included Dada Mukerjee, who managed many practical affairs; Siddhi Ma, who became a revered teacher in her own right; and numerous Western devotees who established centers worldwide. What united them all was not adherence to doctrine but embodiment of his essential teaching: love everyone, serve everyone, remember God.

The teaching stream that flowed from Maharaj-ji profoundly influenced both Eastern and Western spirituality. In India, he represented the continuation of the ancient Bhakti tradition while making it accessible to modern seekers. His emphasis on service over ritual, love over dogma, and presence over technique resonated with people seeking authentic spirituality beyond religious formalism. In the West, through Ram Dass and other devotees, his teaching became foundational to the spiritual awakening of the 1960s and 70s. His influence can be seen in the integration of Eastern wisdom with Western psychology, the emphasis on service as spiritual practice, and the understanding that enlightenment is compatible with ordinary life.

Contemporary relevance of his teaching has only grown stronger with time. In an era of spiritual materialism and guru scandals, his emphasis on selfless service and egoless love provides a clear alternative. His teaching addresses modern suffering by pointing toward connection rather than achievement, service rather than self-improvement, and love rather than technique. For contemporary seekers overwhelmed by choices and methods, his simple formula—love, serve, remember—offers a complete path that can be practiced by anyone, anywhere.

Distortions and clarifications have inevitably emerged around his teaching. Some have commercialized his image, selling his blessing without embodying his love. Others have created rigid organizations around his informal teaching. The authentic teaching emphasizes that Maharaj-ji's form was a vehicle for formless love, not an object of worship. His miracles were expressions of love, not displays of power. His informality was not casualness but the freedom that comes from complete surrender. The real teaching is not about believing in Neem Karoli Baba but about discovering the love that he embodied within oneself.

The Sacred and the Human

The personality of the master was a delightful paradox—simultaneously childlike and ancient, playful and profound, completely ordinary and utterly extraordinary. Maharaj-ji related to each person exactly as they needed, appearing as a loving grandfather to some, a mischievous friend to others, and an awesome spiritual presence to those ready for that transmission. His teaching style was completely spontaneous—he might ignore someone for days, then shower them with attention; he might answer profound questions with jokes or respond to casual comments with life-changing insights. His compassion was fierce and unconditional, accepting everyone while seeing through all pretense.

Miracles and siddhis surrounded Maharaj-ji like a natural atmosphere, but he treated them as expressions of love rather than spiritual achievements. Devotees reported countless instances of his appearing in multiple places simultaneously, knowing their thoughts before they spoke them, manifesting food and money when needed, and healing through his presence. He would sometimes eat enormous quantities of food to take on devotees' karma, or fast completely to demonstrate freedom from physical needs. His attitude toward these abilities was playful—he used them to serve others and deepen their faith, never for personal aggrandizement. When asked about miracles, he would often deflect attention back to love and service.

Tests and teaching moments were woven into every interaction. Maharaj-ji might send someone on an apparently pointless errand that turned out to be exactly what they needed, or ignore their spiritual questions while addressing their unspoken emotional needs. He had a genius for creating situations that revealed people's attachments and then loving them through the dissolution of those attachments. His tests were always expressions of love, designed to free people from limitations rather than prove their worthiness.

The embodied divine was perhaps most evident in how Maharaj-ji approached his final illness and death. Even while his body was failing, his love remained undiminished. He continued to serve others, to joke and play, to demonstrate that the realized being is not identified with physical form. His mahasamadhi was as much a teaching as his life—showing that death is simply another expression of divine will, to be met with the same love and surrender as everything else.

Transmission Through Words

On the essence of spiritual life: "Love everyone, serve everyone, remember God, and tell the truth. These are not four different things—they are one thing. When you love everyone, you naturally serve them. When you serve everyone, you remember God. When you remember God, you can only tell the truth."

On spiritual practice: "The best form to worship God is every form. See God in everyone—this is the highest spiritual practice. Feed people, serve people, love people—this is better than sitting in meditation for hours."

Showing his humor and humanity: "You think I'm a saint? I'm just a simple man who loves God. You think I perform miracles? Love is the only miracle. You want to know the secret of happiness? Stop wanting to be happy and start making others happy."

A teaching story he often used: "A man came to me asking for God. I told him, 'God is everywhere.' He said, 'But I can't see Him.' I said, 'Then serve the people you can see, and you will find the God you cannot see.' He went away disappointed, wanting something more exotic. Later he returned, having spent years serving in hospitals and orphanages. 'Now I see God everywhere,' he said. I told him, 'You always could—you just needed to love enough to open your eyes.'"

His advice for contemporary seekers: "Don't get lost in techniques and methods. The spiritual path is very simple: love more, serve more, remember God more. If you do these things, everything else will take care of itself. Don't worry about enlightenment—just love everyone you meet."

On the goal of spiritual life: "The goal is not to become something you are not, but to remember what you have always been. You are love itself, temporarily forgetting your true nature. My job is not to give you something new, but to help you remember what you already have."

His essential message: "Sub ek—all one. Everything is God, everyone is God, every moment is God. When you really understand this, not just in your head but in your heart, then you will love everyone naturally, serve everyone joyfully, and remember God constantly. This is the whole teaching."

The Living Presence

Approaching Neem Karoli Baba's teaching today requires understanding that he was not interested in creating followers but in awakening lovers—people who could embody the same unconditional love he demonstrated. His teaching remains vibrantly alive because it points toward something eternal: the love that is our deepest nature. Sincere seekers can still receive his transmission by practicing his simple formula with genuine commitment, serving others without expectation, and opening their hearts to the divine presence that pervades all existence.

What remains eternally relevant in his message is the recognition that love is both the path and the goal, that service to others is service to God, and that the divine can be found in the most ordinary moments of life. The cultural forms may change, but the essence—love everyone, serve everyone, remember God—transcends all boundaries of time, culture, and religion.

The invitation Neem Karoli Baba extends to contemporary seekers is beautifully simple: stop seeking and start loving. Stop trying to become enlightened and start serving those around you. Stop looking for God in exotic places and start recognizing the divine presence in every person you meet. His teaching is not something to understand but something to live, not a philosophy to study but a love to embody. In a world hungry for authentic spirituality, his message remains as fresh and transformative as morning dew: the love you seek is the love you are, and the God you worship is the God you serve in everyone you meet.