Maharaj Nib Karori 5 .. महाराज निब करोरी

One of the greatest saints of this century, Yogiraj Devraha Baba, referred to the event of Baba's death as unrealistic and told his devotees, "Baba's death was not a reality. He has played with death many times. Where can he go? He is alive and will ever remain so." The stories that follow support this statement, for they all take place after Baba's Mahasamadhi. People who were with him while he was in his physical body and those who never met him are still experiencing his care and protection. Many continue to have his darshan in form and in dreams.



1.  Saving Bhagwan Singh's Life


Baba took care of Bhagwan Singh from the time he lost his parents in childhood. Baba invested him with the sacred thread with his own hands, appointed him the priest of the Hanuman temple in Vrindavan, and later gave him the opportunity to serve as the head priest of Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple in Lucknow. The news of Baba's Mahasamadhi had made Bhagwan Singh feel like an orphan once again. Baba was everything to him—his father, mother, and guru. When the kalash containing Baba's remains arrived in Lucknow, his grief was so intense that he thought of ending his life. He made a plan to do this the following day by jumping off the Hanuman Bridge into the Gomti River. The kind-hearted and compassionate Baba could not bear this.

The next morning when Bhagwan Singh finished the adoration of Hanuman ji, a tall sadhu wearing saffron cloths came into the temple. Pointing to the string of beads around Bhagwan Singh's neck, the sadhu asked, "Where did you get this string of beads?" Bhagwan Singh told him that Baba Neeb Karori had given it to him. Then pointing to the kalash, the sadhu asked, "What is inside?" When Bhagwan Singh told him that Baba's remains were contained in it, the sadhu said, "A lie, it is all a lie. I know Baba Neeb Karori very well. I have come directly from Amarkantak. I saw Baba there wearing sackcloth." The sadhu told Bhagwan Singh that he had asked Baba where he had left his blanket. Baba replied, "I left it in Kainchi. I wanted to pray in seclusion."

Bhagwan Singh was confused. How could Baba be alive when the pot containing his ashes was right in front of him? Hearing what the sadhu had seen with his own eyes shook his resolution to put an end to his life. Speaking exactly like Baba, the sadhu then said, "I want to take a bath. Put some soap and water." Bhagwan Singh brought a new cake of soap and putting the water before him, offered him his bath. The sadhu asked him to bathe him. As Bhagwan Singh was about to apply soap to his body, the sadhu refused it saying, "Sadhus do not use soap." Bhagwan Singh felt that the contradictory remarks of the sadhu were again like those of Maharaj. Singh said that he had brought the soap at the sadhu's request and that he would certainly use it for him. While he was giving him a bath, Singh felt that the sadhu made the same childlike movements that Maharaj made when given a bath. After the bath Singh gave the sadhu food and then as he was about to depart, asked him "Where are you staying? Where can I meet you?" The sadhu replied, "I am staying at the Hanuman temple in Aminabad. The priest there takes good care of me. You can come to see me whenever you have time."

After closing the temple in the afternoon, Bhagwan Singh went to the Hanuman temple in Aminabad to meet the sadhu again that same day. He could not see him anywhere in the temple, so he asked the priest about him and described the physical features of the sadhu in detail. The priest said that there was no sadhu of that description staying there. When Bhagwan Singh said that the sadhu had told him that he was looking after him, the priest said it was all a lie. This opened Bhagwan Singh's eyes. He then believed that Baba Neeb Karori came to him in the form of that sadhu to stop him from putting an end to his life.

2.  A Fruitful Blessing


In 1976 Bhuvan Chandra Tewari was in charge of the Roadways station at Lohaghat and was also a traffic inspector. One night Baba appeared in his dream and said, "Tewari, you have not performed the shradh [a ritual offering for the ancestors] for your father? Come, let me help you." Immediately the scene changed. He saw himself at his house in the village of Ghugoli. He had all the things needed for the shradh and was performing the ceremony before Baba. However, he had forgotten to bring a piece of cloth to cover the rice balls that were to be offered. Baba suggested he cover them by spreading some cotton on them. After the ceremony was over, Baba picked up some cotton, placed it on Tewari's head by way of a blessing, and then left. The dream ended.

The next day the Roadways regional manager, Jafar, came for inspection and asked Tewari to go to Tanakpur Road with him. Jafar and his wife sat in the front of the staff car with Mishra, the driver, and their son and Tewari occupied the backseat. On the way their car was involved in a head-on collision with an army vehicle at a place called Supala. The chassis of the staff car was dented in many places, but the body of the car was not damaged at all. The people sitting in the car had a narrow escape from death, and they all received injuries. Jafar's wife fractured her foot. Tewari escaped with a minor injury on his head at the place where Baba had put the cotton in his dream two days ago. Medicine was applied to the cut, and then it was covered by placing cotton over it.

3.  An Unknown Guest

In 1973 Braj Kishore Tandon of Haldwani was sitting with Baba in Kainchi when Baba said to him, "You get your son married." Tandon replied, "I am ready, provided you promise to attend the marriage." Baba gave his consent with a smile. In September of the same year, Baba took Mahasamadhi.

A couple of years later Tandon got his son married. At the reception the groom was sitting on a beautiful sofa in the middle of a big pavilion at the bride's home. His friend was sitting with him, and some women and children stood in groups behind him. Just then an old man wearing a blanket appeared and sat by the side of the groom's friend. Many people noted the presence of the old man, but none dared to say anything to him. The bride's party thought that he was a member of the groom's family, and the groom's party thought that he might be related to the bride's family.

When the photographs of the bridegroom and the women and children around him had been taken, the old man got up and went towards Tandon. Jeevan Chandra ji, a friend of Tandon's, suggested that some money be given to the old man on such an auspicious occasion. At his suggestion, Tandon gave the old man a five-rupee note. The old man would not accept it and said, "Give it to the beggar," who was standing nearby. While the two men diverted their attention to the beggar, the old man went away. Suddenly it occurred to them that the old man was none other than Baba Neeb Karori, who had fulfilled his commitment in that form. His order to give money to the beggar was an indication of his presence. They searched everywhere for him, but he had disappeared. It was Baba's divine lila that when the print of the photograph was received, Baba's face was out of the shot, but half of the blanket that he was wearing was seen lying on the sofa.

4.  A Promise Fulfilled

One day in Kainchi, Baba told a devotee that he would bring him a Shivling and a special conch with clockwise grooves (generally the grooves are counter-clockwise) from the Narmada River. The devotee accepted Baba's words and did not feel the need to remind him of it. After Baba's Mahasamadhi the devotee felt that there was no possibility of receiving those things. However, one day a young sadhu came and gave him a Shivling and a conch, saying that they had been sent for him. The devotee believed that Maharaj came in the guise of that sadhu to fulfil his commitment.

5.  Cancer Cured

In 1988 Shrimati Rama Joshi's health was down due to a stomach disorder. She finally had to be admitted to Medical College, Allahabad, where doctors examined her carefully and performed an endoscopy to see the inside of her stomach. All the doctors unanimously diagnosed cancer and conducted a biopsy. Dr. Nathani was to operate on her and suggested an early operation, without waiting for the biopsy report. The family was very concerned about her condition. Her husband wrote many letters expressing his worries to Baba, and prayed to him for his blessings.

It happened that Dr. Nathani had to leave Allahabad on some urgent work, delaying the operation for four days. Meanwhile Rama's nephew Sagar saw Baba in his dream. Baba was playing marbles the way children do, but he was throwing the marbles behind himself not in front. The family did not understand the meaning of the dream at the time, but Rama's health showed unexpected improvement. When the doctor returned, his attention was drawn to her improved condition, and he decided to perform another endoscopy. He found no trace of cancer this time. Rama was discharged from the hospital, and she returned home. Only then was the meaning of Baba throwing marbles behind himself understood.

6.  Baba In the Form of a Sadhu

A meeting of the Vrindavan ashram trust was going to be held in Vrindavan, and Devkamta Dixit ji, one of the trustees, had to get there a day early in order to attend. For certain reasons he did not want to attend the meeting and decided not to go. On the morning of the meeting a sadhu came and sat on the front lawn of his house. When Dixit ji asked him where he had come from, the sadhu replied that he had come from Vrindavan. Dixit ji said, "I had to attend a meeting of the trust of my guru's ashram in Vrindavan today, but I did not go." At this the sadhu said, "You must go for the work of your guru."

Dixit ji went inside to fetch something to give to the sadhu, but when he returned, the sadhu had disappeared. The thought came to him that Baba Neeb Karori himself had come in the guise of the sadhu to guide him. He got everyone to search around, but the sadhu was not to be found anywhere. Dixit ji immediately left for Vrindavan by the 9 a.m. train and attended the meeting of the trust in the evening. Afterwards he realized that his presence was essential, for some decisions on crucial matters were taken that day.

7.  As a Kitchen Worker

In 1983 arrangements for the 15 June consecration day ceremony were being made in Kainchi. There was a lot of activity in the ashram, and devotees from all over India as well as from other countries poured in to attend. A worker came three days before the function and asked the manager if he could work for the basic salary. Since a lot of help was required, the manager took him in at once and gave him the duty of cleaning the kitchen utensils. He worked hard day and night and impressed all who saw him. He greeted everyone with affection and respect and worked without rest. He did the job that had previously been done by three people.

The ceremony was celebrated in a grand manner on 15 June, and about 20,000 people ate prasad. After the bhandhara was over, the devotees started leaving the ashram. Four days later most of them had gone. One day the worker left before sunrise, leaving the bedding and other things given to him for his use in good order. He did not even ask for his wages. Sri Ma said that Maharaj often playfully asked her, "Will you recognize me if I come as a blind man? Will you know me if I wash utensils?"

8.  In the Form of an Ordinary Man

On one occasion Devkamta Dixit ji decided to travel from Lucknow to his home in Kanpur by minibus. He wanted to sit in the front seat, but since a man was already sitting there, he took a seat behind him. The man looked at him and smiled. Dixit ji did not understand the reason for his smile and thought that the man might have guessed his desire to sit in the front seat. When the bus was about to start, the man left his seat and got out of the bus. Dixit ji immediately occupied the seat in order to reserve it for him. On the way to Kanpur the bus met with an accident on a bend. Four of five people died and many more were injured. Dixit ji only received a minor injury on his head. He was given first aid in the hospital and then discharged. The man who was sitting in the seat that Dixit ji had originally occupied was dead. Dixit ji firmly believed that Baba was the man who provided him with his seat and thus saved his life.

9.  In the Form of a Tonga Driver

In 1982 a high-ranking Sikh army officer and his wife stopped at Kainchi on their way to Ranikhet. The officer was very impressed with the beauty and cleanliness of the ashram and asked me who looked after its management. When I told him that the responsibility lay with Sri Ma, he expressed his desire to meet her. I took him to her, and during his conversation with Sri Ma, his eyes fell on Baba's photographs, which were hanging on the wall. He gazed at them in surprise. At last he asked Ma who the person in the photograph was. When he was told that they were photographs of Baba Neeb Karori and that he had taken Mahasamadhi in 1973, he unhesitatingly said, "What are you saying? I have come from Jalandhar, and I saw him driving a horse-drawn carriage there. My attention was particularly drawn to him." Baba obliged him by giving him darshan before sending him to Kainchi ashram.

-Rajida

10.  In the Form of a Taxi Driver

One of Baba's American devotees from Chicago came to India in 1971. He stayed in Nainital and went to Kainchi to meet Baba every day for eleven days. In 1982 he came again to India on business and learned from some Americans in Delhi that Baba had another ashram in Vrindavan. When he arrived in Vrindavan, he had Sri Ma's darshan and narrated the following experience in english, which Kehar Singh ji translated to Sri Ma: "One night in 1976 I was returning home to Chicago by plane. After landing, I came out of the airport and hailed a cab. I was surprised to see that the driver of a cab standing nearby was exactly like Baba in physique and appearance. I gazed at him, dumbfounded. Meanwhile the cab pulled away. I asked my driver to follow it, but the cab driver in front drove faster and disappeared after two turns. I take it as Baba's grace upon me that even after having mingled with the Eternal Spirit, he gratified me by giving me darshan in that way."

11.  A Doubt Dispelled

My wife has had Baba's darshan many times, even after his Mahasamadhi. One day while she was returning home after bathing in the Ganges, she saw Baba alone in a rickshaw going towards Triveni (the confluence of three rivers). However, it was not possible to stop him or follow the rickshaw in the crowd. She told me about this when she got home, but thinking it was probably a case of mistaken identity, I did not attach any importance to it.

Many months later we went to Kanpur to meet someone on our way back from Nainital. While shopping in the market, my wife saw Baba passing by in a white car. He was sitting by the driver, wrapped in a blanket. She drew my attention to him by gesturing towards the car, but I did not get the opportunity to see him properly before the car moved on. I only saw that a well-built man wearing a blanket was sitting by the driver. Once again I did not agree with my wife that the man was Baba himself.

That same evening we took a rickshaw to the bus station in Kanpur so that we could return to Lucknow. My wife saw Baba sitting alone in a rickshaw coming towards us from the opposite direction. Drawing my attention to him, she said, "Don't say that this is not Baba." I saw Baba from close quarters and was amazed. I was at my wits' end since I could not get our rickshaw or his to stop. I did not even bow to him.

Vijay Choudhry, Allahabad

12.  A Boon-bestowing Sadhu

One evening in April 1982 G.L. Sah and his wife were returning to Nainital from Almora when their car's brakes failed. It became difficult to control the car, and on every bend, Sah was afraid of crashing into something coming from the opposite direction. He said nothing to his wife because he did not want to alarm her, but he was not paying much attention to what she was saying. She did not understand the reason for his indifference and was surprised that he was driving erratically.

While they were passing Baba's small temple in the valley of Kakrighat, she saw a sadhu standing by the road. He was looking towards them with his hand raised in a boon-bestowing gesture. The incline of the road was not as steep there, so Sah decided to try to stop the car by crashing it against the rocks. Just as he was about to do so, the axle broke and the car came to a halt. Leaving the car in the care of a local shopkeeper, they got a lift to Nainital in a truck that same night.

In the house of the family with whom they were staying, Sah's wife saw a photograph of Maharaj, whose appearance was the same as that of the sadhu they had seen at Kakrighat a few hours before. Upon enquiry they were told that the photograph was of Baba Neeb Karori and that he had left his body nine years previously. They were also told that the Kakrighat temple had been built by Baba. The couple was surprised that even though they did not know Baba, he blessed them by giving darshan and saving them in that perilous situation. By Baba's act of grace they became devoted to him. They attended the celebrations at Kainchi on 15 June and narrated this experience.

13.  A Boy's Prayer

Radhay Shyam had been suffering from psoriasis on his feet for many years and had spent a lot of money on medication, including treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi. He was disappointed because there had been no improvement.

In 1985 he went with his brother and grandson to attend the bhandara held in Vrindavan on Anant Chaturdashi, the anniversary of Baba's Mahasamadhi. Radhay Shyam's grandson went into Baba's kuti alone, and in the solitude of that room, he joined his hands together in salutation before Baba's big photograph on his takhat. The boy humbly requested Baba to cure his grandfather's disease. Baba had said, "Anyone who comes before my photograph is seen by me." He was pleased with the boy's prayer. The boy saw a beam of light emerge from the photograph, take the shape of a hand, and touch his head. At the same time he heard a very clear voice coming from the photo saying, "Go, all will be well." The incident frightened the boy, who went running to Radhay Shyam, telling him everything. Radhay Shyam's feet gradually improved, and within ten months of this incident, the psoriasis was gone.

14.  Darshan to Ramnath

A few years after Baba's Mahasamadhi, Ramnath, a devout worshipper of Hanuman ji and long-time devotee of Maharaj, felt he was unable to concentrate on the Hanuman Chalisa while he was chanting it in his house. Getting up, he went to the nearby Hanuman temple and tried to concentrate on the Chalisa again but still found he could not. He returned home and after collecting a few things, went to Vrindavan ashram. There he recited the Hanuman Chalisa at the Hanuman temple with great pleasure for two days. On the third day he suddenly had the desire to visit Kainchi.

When he went to Kainchi ashram, the Guru Purnima festival was being celebrated. At about four in the afternoon, he was sitting by Baba's takhat in the temple compound when to his surprise, he saw Baba on the roof of the Hanuman temple, wearing a blanket. The sight of Baba made him speechless, and he doubted his own eyes. He lowered his head for some time, but when he looked at the roof again, the same scene was visible before him. Then he rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands and looked again. This time he saw Baba wearing a white dhoti. He could not believe himself. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. When he glanced up at Baba again, he saw him wearing a blanket. He then got up and took a few steps in the opposite direction. When he turned around to look up, Baba had disappeared. Ramnath's darshan lasted for more than half an hour.

15.  Go to Kainchi

Four years after Baba's Mahasamadhi, Shrimati Reva Sah was alone in her house in Nainital one day when she suddenly heard Baba's voice saying, "Why don't you go to Kainchi? Go, go to Kainchi." When she woke up the next day, she heard the same thing, "Go, go to Kainchi. Recite Hanuman Chalisa." She went to Kainchi, sat before Baba's murti, and recited the Vinaya Chalisa and the Hanuman Chalisa. When she finished singing these hymns, she bowed before Baba's murti. When she raised her head, she saw Baba in place of his murti. Dumbfounded and terrified, she left her seat and went from the temple into the ashram. Even there, whenever she glanced at any of Baba's photographs, she saw Baba in bodily form.

16.  Maharaj Ji's Handwriting In a Magazine

During Navaratra in October 1984 Sarvadaman Singh, who Maharaj called Inder, was performing the religious ceremony of Shat Chandi Yagna for nine days in the yagnashala of the ashram. He had some copies of Kalyan, a monthly magazine, with him, which he intended to read in his spare time. One day when he was reading one of the magazines, he saw "Ram, Ram" written in Baba's handwriting in it. Surprised, he showed it to the other devotees, who agreed that it was undoubtedly Baba's handwriting.

During his lifetime, Baba use to go to his devotees' houses without their knowledge and write "Ram, Ram." Even after Baba's Mahasamadhi devotees find "Ram, Ram" written in his handwriting in their sacred books. Thus Baba makes his presence known.

17.  Darshan to a Young Man

One day in 1982 Kishori Lal Sah's wife and son stopped to visit the Kainchi temples on their way from Almora to Nainital. After having darshan of Baba's murti, Sah's wife went inside to see Sri Ma, and Sah's son remained standing at the temple. However, he did not see Baba's murti, but Baba himself standing, not sitting, there. (Baba's murti in Kainchi is in a cross-legged seated position.) Sah's son had seen Baba's murti before but had no faith in Baba's unique powers. He was stunned. To bring himself back to "reality," he roamed about in the temple compound and then returned to Baba's temple. He still saw Baba standing there. He then went into the room where his mother was talking to Sri Ma and lay down on the floor. When Sri Ma asked him the reason for this, he told them about his experience.

18.  An Extinguished Lamp Relights

In June 1976 Hotridutt Sharma of Aligarh arrived in Kainchi at 9 a.m. along with his guru-bhai (guru brother) to worship the consecrated murti of Baba. Hotridutt Sharma began the worship methodically, using incense, an earthen lamp, and other offerings. All the devotees present became filled with emotion and were so focused on Baba that they lost awareness of their surroundings. Meanwhile the diya (earthen lamp) somehow blew out. As soon as it happened, Hotridutt opened his eyes and thought that the incident was an ill omen, which suggested that Baba had not accepted his puja. He at once reached for the matches, and just as he was about to strike a match to relight the lamp, the lamp lit by itself. Ishwar Chandra Tewari of Kanpur and another devotee also witnessed the event. Hotridutt was pleased and felt that his worship was accepted.

19.  Money for Vrindavan Ashram

One day after coming to north India on his travels, Sevanand ji, a swami from Madras, passed Maharaj ji's ashram while walking around Vrindavan on parikrama (a pilgrimage route circling the sacred town of Vrindavan). Baba pulled him out of the crowd and entrusted him with the work of his temple and ashram. The swami worked sincerely and without any self-interest, but not being educated, he never maintained any accounts.

Soon after Baba left his body, the trustees wanted to know the financial details of the ashram. Sevanand had no money in hand, nor did he have any documentation. Whatever money he received, he used for the ashram, which had no bank account during Baba's time. Though Baba was always pleased with him, Sevanand could not satisfy the trustees in this matter. Hurt, he wanted to be relieved of his work. The only ashram property that he had with him was the Ramayana, which he gave back to the trust. When they turned the pages of the returned book, currency notes fell out of it. The money received in this way paid for Baba's thirteenth day Mahasamadhi ceremony, and the remainder was used to open the first bank account of the Vrindavan ashram.

20.  Hanuman's Darshan In Human Form

One day my gurudev, Sri Swami Girdhari Lal Bhaktamal, went with a group of his disciples to the temple of Gore Dau ji on Parikrama Marg in Vrindavan. A religious ceremony was being held, and during the course of a reference to Hanuman ji, an idea flashed in my mind. 'Everyone says that Hanuman ji is immortal but nobody says that they have ever seen him. It is natural if a dead person is not seen, but it is strange that an immortal one has not been seen by anyone.' I expressed my thoughts to the swamis, but their answers did not satisfy me.

My gurudev asked my fellow disciples to go to Neeb Karori Baba's ashram to have Hanuman ji's darshan. On their return he asked me to go as well. I saw a beautiful temple just in front of the entry to the ashram, but I did not see a murti of Hanuman ji there. Sitting comfortably in the center of the room, facing the open doorway, was a large man wearing a dhoti and a blanket. I assumed that he was the manager of the ashram and that he was waiting for the murti to be brought so that it could be installed. On my return I told Guru Maharaj everything that I had seen. My fellow devotees, who had returned from the temple, expressed their surprise that I had not seen the huge murti of Hanuman ji in the temple. Gurudev said, "It was the grace of Hanuman ji that he gave you darshan in human form."

A few years later I was visiting my brother R.S. Yadav and saw a photograph in his house of the same man as I had seen in Baba Neeb Karori's ashram. He looked exactly the same and was dressed in the same way. I pointed to the photograph and told my brother that I had seen him somewhere before. He was very happy to hear the full account of my experience in 1984 and went on to tell me that the photograph was of Baba Neeb Karori, who people recognize as an incarnation of Hanuman ji. He added that Baba left his body in 1973 and that the huge murti of Hanuman ji had been installed in that temple sometime in 1970.

My brother also narrated two similar experiences of his friend, Brihaspatidev Triguna Vaidya, another devotee of Baba Neeb Karori. On 24 September 1973 Triguna ji went to Baba's ashram in Jaunapur, Delhi, to have prasad on the thirteenth day after Mahasamadhi. After bowing before Hanuman ji's murti, he raised his head and saw Baba standing there in place of the murti. He was astonished at the sight and offered pranaam again. When he looked up the second time, he saw Hanuman ji's murti.

The second incident took place sometime after 1976. Triguna ji went from Delhi to visit Kainchi and stood outside the big marble temple, in which he saw a huge murti of Hanuman. He did not know that he was standing outside Baba's temple. For as long as he stood there, he had the darshan of Hanuman ji and not Baba. On returning to Delhi, he told my brother about the big marble temple with the murti of Hanuman ji. My brother told him that, in reality, Baba Neeb Karori's murti was in that temple. These events completely removed my doubts.

-Amar Singh Yadav

21.  An Incurable Disease

In 1981-2 Nandlal ji had been suffering from an incurable disease. Although he had undergone treatment in Haldwani, there was no improvement, so he had to go to Delhi. There he tried many treatments, but his condition remained the same. The doctors were not able to find the cause of the disease even though all kinds of tests were undertaken, including a spinal tap. If anyone suggested a medicine to him, he tried it.

One day while his wife was home alone, crying with sadness and worry about Nandlal's ill health, she meditated on Baba and had a vision of him standing by Hanuman ji's murti in Vrindavan. Raising his index finger, Baba said to Hanuman ji, "Will you cure Nandlal or not?" She was filled with happiness by the momentary glimpse of Baba, and she became confident that her husband would recover. From that very moment a miraculous change started taking place in Nandlal ji's condition. Within a span of two days, he was completely cured.

22.  Come to Kainchi

A few years before the incident mentioned above, Nandlal ji had fallen sick. After a thorough examination, the doctor in Haldwani diagnosed TB. Though Nandlal ji was getting older, he had always been healthy, so he did not believe the doctor's diagnosis. His wife advised him to get checked up at the Bhowali Sanatorium before taking the medicines and injections recommended by the doctor. They went to Bhowali, and after a thorough examination, the doctors confirmed the diagnosis and treatment offered by the first doctor and recommended some additional medicines.

Before their homeward journey, Shrimati Nadlal expressed a desire to visit Kainchi. Nandlal ji had not been to Kainchi after Baba's Mahasamadhi, for he thought that Baba was gone. When they arrived at the ashram, they saw Sri Ma, who made them sit near Baba's takhat near Radha kuti. Both of them bowed before Baba's photograph and heard Baba's familiar voice clearly saying, "Why do you not come to Kainchi? Do come." When Nandlal ji told Sri Ma of their experience, she told them that it was a sign of Maharaj's immense grace and asked them not to worry. She went on to say, "You will be cured soon. You had stopped coming to Kainchi, so Baba had to do this lila."

When Nandlal ji's brother-in-law in Delhi got the news of his illness, he brought Nandlal ji there for better treatment. He consulted a well-known specialist and showed him the reports from the Haldwani and Bhowali doctors. The specialist told him that the reports were incorrect. He asked Nandlal ji not to take the medicines or have the injections. He prescribed a simple cold remedy to be taken for three days. With this simple treatment, Nandlal was completely cured.

23.  Saved In a Storm

A wealthy man and his whole family were on holiday in Nainital. After having visited all the surrounding places, they were ready to return to Delhi when the man heard about the beauty of the Kainchi temples. Instead of returning to Delhi on the day they had planned, they stayed an extra day so that they could visit. He and his family went to Kainchi on 6 June 1982.

A truck full of firewood was being unloaded at the ashram's gate when they arrived, and devotees were carrying the wood on their shoulders into the ashram. Inspired by a sense of service, he and members of his family helped to carry the wood. Once inside they visited all the temples and had prasad from the kitchen. The family also had the darshan of Sri Ma, who told them about Baba. She gave them a photograph of Baba and asked them to keep it with them always. They were impressed by the stories of Baba's diving lila, and after visiting the temples once more, they returned to Nainital.

In Nainital the children wanted to enjoy a boat ride on the lake, so they got into two boats. The boatmen had hardly gone half way across the lake when a terrible storm broke out. The boatmen, being novices, got frightened, and the oars fell from their hands into the lake. The family was terrified. At that time of distress the head of the family suddenly remembered Baba. Taking out the photo that he had received from Sri Ma, he prayed to Baba to save them. The storm immediately subsided, and a strong wind blew the boats towards the bank. They got out and ran to their cars for shelter. The storm raged again, and big hailstones rained down while they sat safely in the car. The next day they returned to Kainchi ashram, and after expressing their gratitude before Baba's murti, they narrated their experience to the people in the ashram.

24.  Baba's Voice

Dr. S.R. Sarraf and his wife, who was also a doctor, lived in Bhopal. They did not know about Baba, but in 1980 a well-built sadhu, wearing a dhoti and a blanket, appeared in front of them while they were practising meditation and yoga. He ordered them to go to Kainchi, near Nainital, and then disappeared at once. Since they had never heard of Kainchi, they went to Nainital, and after making enquiries there, they arrived at Kainchi ashram. In Baba's murti, they saw the same form and appearance as that of the sadhu they had seen in Bhopal. During this darshan they heard Baba's voice telling them to go and have darshan of Badrinath. On their return from Badrinath, they again stopped at Kainchi and heard Baba's voice, this time telling them to go home. Before leaving, they met Sri Ma in the ashram and narrated their experiences to her.

25.  Instruction In a Dream

In 1984 P.K. Chopra consulted Sher Singh, Executive Engineer of Housing Development, Dehradun, about the construction of the dome of the Hanuman temple in Rishikesh. At that time Sher Singh expressed his desire to give ten bags of cement towards the work but later forgot about his promise. One day the cement ran out at the temple. Although Sher Singh had never seen Baba, he appeared in Singh's dream that night. Sher Singh said that he saw a well-built man shaking him by the shoulder saying, "Send cement immediately to the temple." He woke up, remembered his promise, and at once gave money for the cement.

26.  A Delivery of Wheat

On 30 April 1975 I woke up from a dream in which I had seen Maharaj. He said, "There is no wheat in Kainchi ashram. Send it there at once." There was a rainstorm while Baba was instructing me, so I expressed my helplessness to him. At this Baba said loudly, "Get up! If it is beyond your control, it is under mine. Go to work. The wheat must reach there by the 3rd of May."

I got up and went to my farm early in the morning to get the wheat harvested and filled into bags. The only problem I had was finding a truck to send those bags to Kainchi. Suddenly an empty government truck on its way to Haldwani came and stopped in front of my farm. I talked to the driver and asked him to take the bags of wheat to Nandlal ji in Haldwani, who would then forward them to Kainchi. He agreed, but would not accept any money for his service. Nandlal ji also got a truck without delay and sent the bags of wheat on to Kainchi ashram. On the night of 2 May, Vinod Chandra Joshi, the manager of the ashram, informed Sri Ma that the wheat flour in the stores was completely finished. Sri Ma assured him that Maharaj would provide somehow and that he was not to worry. The wheat was delivered on the 3rd of May.

-Kailash Chandra Saxena, Bareilly

27.  A Life Saved

In 1973 Bhavan Chandra Tewari was working at the Roadways station in Pithoragarh. His wife and mother lived in the village Ghumoli, Almora. One day a buffalo gored his wife's thigh with its horn. As she was badly injured, and unable to stop the profuse flow of blood, the villagers took her to a government hospital in far off Chaukhutia.

Tewari saw Baba in a dream the same night saying: "Tewari, your wife is alright. Don't worry, your wife is alright." Tewari woke up and could not understand what Baba was talking about. The next day when he received the news of his wife's accident, Baba's words from the previous night rang in his ears, so it did not unduly disturb him. He immediately left for home and then learning of his wife's condition from his mother, went to the hospital. There he met Dr. Jagdish Chandra Choudhry, who he knew from his school days. The doctor told him that his wife's life was saved only by the grace of God and not by his treatment. Her wound was so deep that it could not be stitched, and she had bled profusely.

When his wife was brought to the hospital, the whole staff was present, just as if they had been waiting for her. It so happened that the director of Medical Health for Uttar Pradesh was planning to visit the next day, so the hospital had been thoroughly cleaned. The instruments in the operating room were all ready. As soon as Tewari's wife arrived, her treatment began without any delay. The next day they received notification that the director's visit was cancelled. Instead, an American devotee of Baba's, Dr. Larry Brilliant of the World Health Organization, arrived unannounced and also helped with her treatment. It was by Baba's grace that she was saved.

28.  A Command to Worship Lord Shiva

Bhairav Dutt Tewari lived in a house opposite the Kainchi ashram. One night Maharaj gave him darshan in a dream and instructed him to worship Lord Shiva on Krishna Chaturdashi (the fourteenth day of the dark nights of Shravana). Tewari narrated his dream to Sri Ma, who explained to him that Baba had commanded him in a dream for his own welfare and that he must perform the worship at Kainchi temple. Meanwhile Sri Ma left for Vrindavan. As destiny takes its course, the mind also acts accordingly. Tewari did not attach much importance to Baba's instruction and considered it only a dream. On Chaturdashi, instead of performing the worship, he went to Pithoragarh, where he died.

29.  Baba Arranges Everything

In 1987 Shri B.B. Singh, Shrimati Shanti Devi, their eighteen-year-old son Raju, and their twenty-eight-year-old daughter Suman were traveling by bus from their home in Mainpuri to Meerut. On the way their bus met with an accident at Chachena Canal in the district of Etah. Many passengers were injured. Raju suffered serious head and hand injuries and was lying unconscious. Suman had minor injuries, but she was more worried about her brother's condition. She remembered Baba Neeb Karori.

Although Baba had left his body fourteen years before this incident, he came in bodily form at Suman's call. Wearing half of his dhoti around his lower body and the other half covering his upper body, Baba was walking here and there near Raju and said to Suman, "Be quiet. Everything will be arranged just now." After consoling her anguished heart, he disappeared. Just then a jeep came along the road and stopped. A gentleman got out of it and spoke to Suman sympathetically. Having learned of all the circumstances, he drove them back to Mainpuri where Raju received emergency treatment in a nursing home. As soon as he was better, he was taken to Agra for special treatment and soon recuperated.

30.  A New Blanket on Baba's Murti

In the winter on 1988 only the manager, the watchman, the storekeeper, the priest, and some other employees were at Kainchi ashram to perform the daily rituals and to take care of the ashram. On 19 January, after the morning worship was over, Trilok Singh cleaned and locked the temples as usual. The main door to Maharaj ji's temple was left open for people to have darshan, but the entrance door was locked. After his meal, Trilok Singh rested in his room, and Vinod Chandra Joshi, the manager, went down to the ashram farm to manage affairs there. Amar Singh was in the temple forecourt to receive visitors and had a full view of Maharaj ji's temple.

At four in the afternoon Trilok Singh unlocked the entrance door to Baba's temple to prepare for the evening worship as he always did. He was surprised to see that the blanket on Baba's murti was different from the one he had seen covering him at the time of the morning worship. Looking closer, he discovered that the new blanket was on top of the one he was wearing in the morning. This raised many doubts in his mind.

In Kainchi Baba's murti is dressed in a dhoti and blanket since that is what Baba always wore. Whenever Vinod changed the other deities' clothing, he changed Baba's dhoti and blanket as well. Vinod had not changed anything that day, and he would not have put one blanket on top of another. When Vinod returned from the farm, Trilok told him about the change. Vinod went into the temple and found that it was a completely new blanket, different from the other blankets that he used for Baba. When they asked Amar Singh, he said that the entrance door had remained locked throughout the day. Where Baba got the blanket remains a mystery, but it is still preserved in the ashram.

31.  An Offering of Kachauris

One of the mothers from Bhowali used to come to Kainchi every Tuesday when Baba was there to offer him kachauris [stuffed deep-fried bread]. The kachauris were simple and made with love. Baba ate them with relish and called the woman Kachauri Mai. In September 1973, thinking that Baba was no longer alive, she discontinued her routine. However, in February 1976 she had a dream in which she was standing with the empty plate on which she used to offer her kachauris to Baba. Baba took the empty plate from her and said, "You have not brought kachauris. You think I am not alive. I still live at Kainchi. You must bring kachauris." The woman woke up and decided to continue her previous routine again starting the next Tuesday.

On that Tuesday it was snowing all over the hills. Taking the kachauris with her, she reached Kainchi, where all the rooms of the ashram were locked and only the temples were open. She saw that the door on the northeast side of Baba's kuti was ajar. She pushed it open further with her hand, and with one foot inside the doorsill and the other outside, she just glanced over at Baba's takhat. She was wonderstruck when she saw Baba sitting on it in human form. Both his hands were placed on the takhat, and his feet rested on the floor as if he were waiting for someone. She ran out, all the way back home, and remained in an unbalanced state of mind for about three months. Finally Sri Ma persuaded her to start her routine again. She recovered from her shock and once again began offering kachauris.

32.  Accepting an Offering

As mentioned above, Kachauri Mai offered kachauris regualarly to Baba's murti in Kainchi on Tuesdays. However, on the first Tuesday of February 1988 she offered them at the Hanuman temple constructed by Baba in Bhumiadhar instead since she could not go to Kainchi. The next day, Wednesday, she went to Kainchi with her offering of kachauris.

Being winter, it was quiet and lonely in the temple. The morning worship was over, and the priest, Trilok Singh, was sitting in the courtyard cleaning the temple utensils in the sun. He saw Mai coming and finished his work quickly in order to offer the kachauris she was bringing for Baba. Thinking that Trilok Singh would follow her, Kachauri Mai went directly to Baba's temple. She carefully placed the container of kachauris on the charity-offering box at the northern gate of the temple, and since Trilok Singh had not yet arrived at the temple, she began her circumambulation. She had hardly reached the back of the temple when she suddenly heard the sound of the container falling onto the marble floor. She rushed at once to the north door. Trilok Singh also heard the sound and came running to the temple to find out how Mai had dropped the container. Both of them reached the door of the temple together and were amazed to see the container intact on the charity box. Neither of them had opened the container, but its tightly fitting lid was lying open. Some kachauris were scattered in front of Baba and some were still in the box.

33.  In the Guise of an Old Woman

After the Navaratra in March/April 1980, many devotees traveled from Haldwani to the village of Neeb Karori with Sri Ma. According to Sri Ma's instructions, Hanuman ji was to be ceremoniously anointed with sindur (when the Hanuman murti is made of stone, it is anointed with sindur, an orange powder mixed with jasmine oil) the next day on Hanuman Jayanti. This duty was assigned to Vinod Chandra Joshi, manager of Kainchi ashram, and Pandit Kishori Raman Acharya of Vrindavan.

The next day the temple was cleared and decorated. Pandit ji arrived a little before noon. However, he had forgotten to tell the workers about the things that were needed for the puja offerings, so they were not ready. Pandit ji regretted his mistake, but there was no way out. The articles were not available in the local shop, and it was not possible to get them from anywhere else so quickly. In the absence of the necessary offerings, it was not possible to perform the rituals, so they decided to worship the deity by reciting mantras only.

Vinod and the devotees sat before Hanuman ji's murti, and Pandit ji and I sat at the door of the temple. Just then a heavily-built, ordinary-looking village woman passed through the crowd carrying a big cloth bundle. She came and sat between Pandit ji and me. Without speaking to anyone, she took out all the things needed for the worship—a coconut, red cloth, red thread, and uncooked milk—and gave them to Vinod. Unable to understand who the old woman was, we all looked at her in surprise. It was very unusual. A woman living in this rural area would not know the intricacies of the Hindu rituals or possess everything needed to carry them out, nor were these things available within a radius of ten kilometers.

After the worship of Hanuman ji, aarti was performed, and the singing of the Hanuman Chalisa began. The old woman stood up and went out. Some women who had come with Sri Ma from Haldwani asked her to partake of prasad at the bhandara, but she said she had brought prasad with her. Taking out puri and vegetable from her bundle, the old woman gave some to all the women present. She also told them that she had come from about seven kilometers away and soon disappeared amongst the large crowd. Nobody knew where she went. The inhabitants of Neeb Karori village said she must have come from some other place. Nobody had ever seen the woman before, even in distant villages.

-Rajida

34.  

Sri Ma's Visit to Akbarpur

In January 1983 Sri Ma went with ten devotees to Neeb Karori, Baba's place of sadhana. While staying there Sri Ma had the desire to visit Baba's birthplace, the village of Akbarpur. It was a sudden decision to go in such cold winter days. She and the devotees left for Hirangau by train on the 17th, and from there they went to the village. Sri Ma was not known to anyone in Akbarpur, and since no prior information was sent, no one was there to receive her. There was no appropriate place to stay in the village, and in the prevailing circumstances, it was very difficult for them to make their own arrangements.

Nevertheless, Baba had said that all that is auspicious would be with Sri Ma, and in keeping with his words, his grace began to flow and provide for her. Shri Ram Sanehi came to know of Sri Ma's arrival and extended hospitality to her and the accompanying devotees. An old man who had come with Sri Ma happened to ask Ram Sanehi, "Do you ever see Baba in your dream?" Nodding in affirmation, Ram Sanehi said, "Sometimes."

"When did you see him last?"

Ram Sanehi replied with a smile, "Last night."

"What did he say?"

He hesitated to reply, but when pressed he said, "Laxmi Narain (Baba's name in Akbarpur) said, 'Sri Ma is coming. Extend all hospitality. Don't let us down.'"

After tea Ram Sanehi took everyone to Dak Bangalia, the place where Baba used to live, since Sri Ma wanted to stay there. The house had remained closed for the last fifteen years, and Shyam Sunder, a teacher of young offenders at Itawa Jail, kept the keys. Since he was on duty, Ram Sanehi was helpless, but Baba's lila came into play again. Shyam Sunder said that since noon he had had a great desire to return home, although there was nothing that required his presence there. He became so restless that he left work and got on a mail train. The mail train did not usually stop at Hirangau, so he got a ticket for Tundla, a station ahead. Amazingly, the train made an unscheduled stop that day at Hirangau, and Shyam Sunder got off.

On reaching home, Shyam Sunder came to know that Sri Ma had arrived. He had Dak Bangalia opened for her, and a light bulb was somehow installed with a borrowed connection. It was late by the time the bangalia was cleaned, but gradually the atmosphere started getting festive. Food was prepared, and when they were about to eat, many people arrived on the porch with musical instruments. Without any encouragement they began to sing devotional songs of Mira, Surdas, and Tulsidas and continued singing until 1:30 a.m. This was unusual because there was neither a temple in the village nor any devotional activity. The two local men had no idea who the singers were, and by the time it was morning, they were not to be found.

The next morning, having put all their luggage in bullock carts, the party of devotees went towards the Firozabad-Agra Road via Nagau. Perhaps it was not acceptable to Baba that Sri Ma should leave without having prasad. On the way Ram Shankar Yadav, Roadways Inspector, was standing in front of his house in Nagau as if he had been waiting for them. He offered pranaam to Sri Ma and then took everyone inside. He offered prasad to Sri Ma and the devotees and provided fresh milk for everyone to drink. He then took the party to the main road, where a bus arrived within moments that had exactly twelve vacant seats for them—all in continuous rows. In this way Baba took care of Sri Ma on her first visit to his birthplace.

35.