YOGANANDA’S PARAMGURU BABAJI a.k.a.. THE MAHAYOGI
Lineage: Babaji--Lahiri Mahasaya--Yukteswar Giri--Yogananda
Where to begin when writing about such a figure? Probably with certain basic facts that spring from studying Yogananda’s famous autobiography. Lahiri Mahasaya had his first contact with the Mahayogi in 1861 near Ranikhet in the Himalayas. He described the Mahayogi as young looking. In 1920 not long before Yogananda was due to leave for America, the Mahayogi appeared to him. The Mahayogi, fifty-nine years later, still looked young! There are massive differences between life in India and life in America even today, but in 1920 just getting to America meant a long boat trip. Yogananda was worried that by living in another land, he might lose himself in what he had heard was a very materialist culture. So he had resolved to pray for clear divine permission to take the journey to the other side of the world and teach yoga to folk brought up in different spiritual and philosophical traditions. He states that he was ready to die praying, rather than get no response from God. This prayer was so strong that he was sobbing and suffering within a few hours of entreaty. His prayer was answered by the arrival of the Mahayogi at his front door. I hesitate to paraphrase, but basically Yogananda was told that he had been chosen to spread the message of kriya yoga in the West. I may not be alone in forgetting that Yogananda was a human like the rest of us, imperfect and prone to doubts and fears. This encounter is described in pages 384 to 386 of the autobiography. The Mahayogi reminded Yogananda that he had told Yukteswar Giri that he would send him someone who would later disseminate yoga in the West.
MY EXPERIENCES WITH THE LINEAGE
Like many people interested in spirituality I was enthralled by what I read in the famous autobiography written by Yogananda. I was brought up by agnostic intellectuals, so I know how important proof is when assessing accounts of extraordinary phenomena. In addition I have traits which rebel against any doctrine which is puritanical. Those reservations were not as strong as my wish to know what an advanced human can do, for instance, by acting in ways that some still call miraculous, though that term may soon become obsolete, as more of us tap into our bigger potential.
Though, for many years, I had sometimes felt guided by teachers from the lineage, it was not until around 2005 when, I believe, the Mahayogi entered my life in a clear fashion. I was sitting on the floor, about to do a simple ritual using a candle when a figure appeared to my right, seated cross legged. This was a featureless, human shape whom I instantly knew to be the Mahayogi. He simply told me telepathically to stop the ritual. My response was to ask him why I should stop what seemed like a useful little practice. To be honest I do not remember what the purpose of the little ritual was. The figure to my right disappeared, but in my mind’s eye, I then saw an old Indian woman crying, telling me I had great work to do in India. My ancestry on my father’s side is half-Indian but he grew up in Mauritius and was raised in a Christian household. He later rejected any form of religion.
In November 2018 during a ten day silent retreat for team members at Mandala Yoga Ashram in Wales, I read Marshall Govindan’s story of how he came to the kriya yoga path. I then read his book entitled Babaji and the 18 Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition. In 2019 I read Heidi Wyder’s book simply called Kriya Yoga. This made me aware of another branch of the lineage which ran through Lahiri Mahasaya’s son and grandson. From around the spring of 2019 I think that the Mahayogi took more of an interest in me and helped me with song-writing. In the spring of 2020 when the ashram had to shut its doors owing to lockdown, I strongly felt the presence of Lahiri Mahasaya urging me to use an even paced, one breath version of the mrityunajaya mantra for myself and to share with others. Although with many mantras and especially bija mantra combinations on the chakras, the idea is usually to stop that mental chatter, which can distract someone from their practice, I sometimes open myself up to images or words, which may come from the being addressed in the mantra. The mrityunjaya mantra is great for giving the chanter a wider perspective; like a bird gliding in the mountains and seeing what is going on below.
As described in the first introductory video I believe it was the Mahayogi who told me to create online courses about mantras, chakras and the five elements. Recently I feel that I am being urged to hold lessons where people can discuss the life of Yogananda, using not only the famous autobiography as source book, but also the great work by J. Donald Walters entitled 'The Path'. Walters was a student of Yogananda in America and he wrote very vivid and revealing anecdotes about his teacher in 'The Path'. On Friday October 20th 2023, I spent three hours feeding a fire, while reciting the mrityunjaya mantra. Though the fire was indoors, the atmosphere built as I watched the golden yellow flames form their impermanent peaks and chanted those wonderful sounds invoking the presence, the intelligence of Shiva. Later on my focus was very sharp and I sang and drummed, feeling, as I often do, during or after chanting to Shiva, that my spirit was as much floating around the mountains and caves where the holy Kailash stands, as it was sitting in a small room in the English midlands.
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