The saint who was a few centuries
old: Sacha Baba Girnari
From a historical point of view, the story of the Sacha lineage starts at the
beginning of the 20th century. At that time, there lived a great saint whose
origin and name were unknown. He was so old that some people affirmed that he was 250
years old, while others thought he was more than 400 years old. He had no
ashram, for he constantly travelled around India, and his disciples were to be
found all over the country. However, he frequently went to stay on the Girnar
mountain in Gujarat, and that is why he became known as “Sacha Baba Girnari”,
i.e. “the Father of Truth from the Girnar Mountain,” or the “great saint from
the Girnar mountain”. He was also more simply called “Girnari Baba”. It was said
that he was the incarnation of Devarishi Narada. His spiritual stature and
powers were so great that he drew huge crowds and inspired great devotion. His
disciples came from all levels of the society, from the humblest to Maharajahs,
from illiterate people to intellectuals, from the poorest to the richest. And
all these men and women gathered at his feet wherever he stayed temporarily.
Girnari Baba meets Kacha Baba
One day, while he was on the Girnar mountain, he wondered who the greatest saint
in the world was. The answer to this question came as a vision where he saw that
it was a saint who was living in Jalhupur near Benares. He immediately set off
to find him. He did indeed find him. According to tradition, this meeting took
place in 1906.However Girnari Baba was intrigued to see that the great saint was
reciting a mantra for the purpose of dissolving the world. The destruction of
the world! So Girnari Baba asked him why he, his illustrious host was doing
that. Kacha Baba replied that humanity had completely degenerated, and was now
only a shadow of itself, so deeply it had fallen into ignorance of divine wisdom
while only spending its time enjoying worldly pleasures, which inevitably caused
great suffering in the form of diverse illnesses and problems. So, out of
compassion, to avoid man’s falling more deeply into such a negative and painful
situation, he wanted to dissolve the world, after which a new one would appear,
and in which true virtue and love would rule the life of each human being. But
Girnari Baba did not see things that way. He knew that Kacha Baba possessed
immense powers which could progressively transform men and bring them to live
according to virtue and love as Kacha Baba desired. He therefore told the
latter," If you transfer your power to me, then I will transform humanity little
by little and bring men to God without it being necessary to destroy the world.”
The gigantic task of bringing
humanity to God
Kacha Baba did not give an answer this request right away, but submitted Girnari
Baba to a series of trials which lasted several years, to see if he had the
necessary qualities to lead such a mission. When, after these long years, Kacha
Baba saw that Girnari Baba had succeeded in all the tests, he told him that
after few days, he Kacha Baba would die, and on that occasion would transfer
his powers to him. What he said did indeed happen, and his powers were
transmitted to Girnari Baba. He was thus ready to carry out the gigantic task
which he had planned – that of bringing humanity to God. But who was Kacha
Baba, to be given such vast powers which allowed one to destroy the world, or
transform it? It is said that he was the incarnation of Lord Vishnu Himself. He
won great fame at the time and is still well-known today.
Kacha Baba, a life dedicated to
serving men
Kacha Baba was an extraordinary saint. Although he deplored the degenerate state
of humanity, he had profound love for all beings. He had an ashram in Jalhupur
and was surrounded by disciples. All his life, he worked ardently to raise the
consciousness of the entire humanity. His work concerned both the material and
spiritual well-being of men, for like all true saints, he knew that one had to
live a balanced life by giving each thing the right importance. He was blind, but
people say that he moved around like everybody else, as if he did not have that
disability. He had no need at all for for a guide or a walking stick to find his
way.
He was given the name Kacha Baba
because he ate only raw food. The story is told that one day he asked a man to
bring him some food. This man went home and asked his wife to quickly prepare
some delicious food for the great saint. After some time, as the food took a
long time to come, Kacha Baba went to the man’s home and the man then
understood, but a bit too late, that Kacha Baba only wanted uncooked food. He
therefore gave him the food he wanted. A few moments later, the man’s wife
discovered that her kitchen was filled with many delicious dishes which had
appeared out of nowhere !
Girnari Baba and the
transformation of men
After Girnari Baba had received Kacha Baba’s powers, he continued his spiritual
work all over India where he constantly travelled. Not only did he work for the
spiritual upliftment of the people, but also for the improvement of living
conditions in India and in the whole world. Many years before the Second World
War, Girnari Baba told certain political leaders that a great spiritual
transformation was about to begin and that it was necessary for men as well as
nations to turn to God. He explained to them that life in our physical world was
only the shadow of life in the spiritual world. Consequently, if men did not
follow spiritual truth, there would be no harmony between these two worlds, and
this would result in ignorance concerning divine wisdom with its consequences
such as disorder, wars, illnesses, poverty and the whole range of suffering
which unfortunately afflict man here below. Unfortunately, what he said was not
taken seriously enough.
Invisible work
It must be stressed here that a Master does not need to travel physically from
country to country to touch the entire humanity. He does this quite simply from
the high spiritual planes on which humanity is one being. This is done through
instant inner harmonization with these planes, and consequently, it will never
be a spectacular thing which disciples or the average man can see.
The Gayatri Mantra.
It is said that Girnari Baba used the
Gayatri Mantra a great deal for the training of his disciples. It dates from the
times of the Vedas and possesses great transforming powers. But one cannot reduce
the spiritual food a true Master gives his disciples to just one instrument,
important though it may be. Indeed, in a way the Master is like a mother who
brings up her child; there is, of course, the basic food for the family, but
depending on the child’s health or his period of growth, she also gives him many
other types of specific food which play an important preventive and curative
role in his health and growth.
The sadhana (spiritual practice)
Let us remember that most of what a Master does for his disciple is not known by
the latter, for the Master always works for the welfare of his student on high
planes. The only thing he notices from time to time, provided that he follows
his sadhana (spiritual practice) correctly, is that added to the usual slow
progress, there is some unexpected progress. Naturally, the student should not
think that only his sadhana brings about this result. His sadhana does indeed
help him to make progress, but it is not the most important factor for
enlightenment.
However, if this sadhana had not
existed, there would have been no progress at all, for its purpose is
essentially to prepare the student by raising his consciousness to the minimum
required, and by purifying his subtle bodies so as to receive safely, the
powerful energy which his Master will pour upon him when the “soil” is ready.
One could therefore say, like mathematicians, that a sadhana followed carefully
is a necessary condition, but is not enough where the essential stages of
spiritual progress are concerned. Maharajji has declared several times that in
order to attain realization, the student must do his sadhana perfectly and at
the same time have a deep inner connection with his Master. This sadhana and
heart to heart connection with the Master is like, in a way, the work of farmers
who till the soil before planting.
The well-being of the people
Girnari Baba also cared a lot about poor people, and so he enjoined Maharajas
and those who had any power at all to see to the well-being of the people they
were in charge of. He was goodness itself. For example, during the Ardh-Khumba
Mela in 1936 and the Maha-Khumbha Mela in 1942 in Allahabad which gathered
millions of pilgrims as it usually did, there were crowds which came everyday to
Girnari’s temporary camp. They came for the free meals, and among this large
number of people, some asked for blankets, since the Khumba Mela is usually held
in January or February when it is very cold in Allahabad. What is strange is
that the divine Master managed to feed all those people and give out blankets to
all those who asked for them, while no one knew where he got the money from to
buy those things. The story is also told how he went to a region in India
which had been suffering from drought for a very long time, causing devastating
famine. Girnari Baba spoke to the people there, gave specific advice and made it
rain regularly so that this region became prosperous.
A great Siddha
Eminent saints in India acknowledged
that he was a great Rishi and Siddha. That is perhaps one of the reasons why he
was chosen to be president of the Fakiri Parliament, which was an assembly of
Hindu and Muslim saints whose aim was to instill spiritual values into society. He presided over the destiny of this prestigious assembly for about
twenty-five years until he left this world. Having foreseen the Second World War
which was about to start off, he tried to shorten the period it would last for,
and lessen its effects on the whole world.
Kulanandji
In 1936, a young man named Kulanandji who had just finished school, came to ask
him to help him find a job. He came with his uncle Shrikant, a disciple who had
been with Sacha Baba Girnari for a long time. To the young man’s request, the
Master replied that if he stayed with him he would have a marvelous job. He
therefore stayed and soon became an excellent disciple. It is said that his
spiritual progress was rapid. He was so loving and helpful to everyone that he
was highly appreciated by Sacha Baba Girnari and his fellow disciples. When his
parents asked him to go back home to get married and live a non-religious life,
he answered that he had decided to become a brahmachari and that his whole life
would be dedicated to God and all men. He had to face many trials, but he
overcame all of them.
A great avatar
Something surprising happened the same day Kulanandji went to meet Sacha Baba
Girnari for the first time. The Master, seeing the young man coming towards him,
got up and embraced him. This was unusual, for in general a Master never gets up
to go and meet a visitor. Something happened later on one day, which could give
some indication as why the Master had done so. While the Master was with his
disciples that day, one after the other they asked him questions about what they
had been in their last life. The Master, from whom nothing is hidden, answered
each one. But only one disciple had not asked anything, and that was Kulanandji.
When the Master mentioned that to him, Kulanandji replied that this question had
never crossed his mind. Then the Master let him know that he had been a great
avatar in his past life...
The mahasamadhi of Sacha Baba
Girnari
Later on, he became the Master’s personal attendant. Consequently, he was with
him all the time and accompanied him on his many trips around the country. It is
said that his confidence in the Master and his devotion were unequalled.
However, on 16th June 1944, while they were both in Varanasi (Benares), Girnari
Baba left his body, for he considered that his role in the mission he had
started on Earth was finished, and he knew this mission would soon be in
good hands.
I will be with you for ever!
This was a great loss for all his disciples, and especially for Kulanandji whose
heart was broken by this event. But Kulanandji had seen all the miracles his
Master had worked and was hoping so much he would come back to life that he did
not want him to be buried right away. As he did not stop crying over the loss of
his Master, the latter appeared to him and told him that he was always with him
and that he was indeed the Atma of his beloved disciple. It was true that he had
left his physical body, but he would continue to teach and guide him, and also
watch over him. Kulanandji therefore found peace of mind once more.
In the abode of Yogis
Six months later, his Master appeared to Kulanandji in a vision and recommended
that he go and complete his spiritual training in the Himalayas. He obeyed and
settled in a cave in Deoprayag on the road to Badrinath, one of the most sacred
pilgrimage sites in India.In those mountains, known to be the country of eminent
saints, Kulanandji followed very strict spiritual practice, and in less than
three years, reached a very high degree of perfection. One must add to this the
fact that he incorporated all the powers of his Master and so became the
incarnation of Sacha Baba. That was why Swami Kulanandji was later known as
“Sacha Baba”, and has been called by that name ever since. However, in order to
distinguish him from his Master Sacha Baba Girnari, we will call him Sacha Baba
Kulanandji in all our articles.
Sacha Baba Kulanandji leaves the
Himalayas
In 1947, Sacha Baba Kulanandji was divinely instructed to carry on the spiritual
transformation of the world that his Master had started. He therefore came down
from the Himalayas and travelled all over India for seven years to see and
understand how people actually lived. He saw how they suffered from so many
hardships. He was so touched that as soon as he arrived at Jagannath temple in
Puri, which was the end of his journey, from his soul spontaneously sprang a
song which he sang:
Prabhu Aap Jago, Paramatma Jago,
Mere Sarva Jago, Saravatra Jago,
Dukhaantak Khel Kaa Ant Karo.
Sukantak khel prakash karo.
Wake up Blessed One ! Beloved One
wake up
Wake up my very own, wake up my all,
Wake up in the whole world, Wake up in every heart,
End this era of pain and sorrow,
Light up the era of joy and bliss.
It was Sacha Baba’s soul invoking
God. Then he went to the seaside nearby. There he saw a scene of unbelievable
beauty, for Lord Vishnu was there in all His glory, in radiant light which
covered the whole world.
An ashram in Allahabad
In 1953, Sacha Baba Kulanandji founded an ashram in Allahabad called Sacha
ashram, near Triveni Sangham, a confluence of three of the most sacred rivers in
India: the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. Indeed, in a vision,
his Master had told him to found an ashram in Allahabad and have the mantra
Prabhu Aap Jago chanted there, for, as his Master explained, this song which
he had chanted for the first time at the Jagnnath temple in Puri was in fact a
very powerful mantra which was to be used for the spiritual awakening of the
entire humanity. After the foundation of the ashram, when everything was ready
in 1960, the mantra was indeed chanted for twelve years straight. This cycle ended
in 1972 and was marked by a great religious festival during which one of the
most sacred and powerful fire ceremonies, the lakschandi Mahayagna was
organized. The aim of this ceremony was to awaken humanity and contribute to
bringing peace and harmony in the world during that period of cold war and very
dangerous international tension.
An instrument for all
However, the Prabhu Aap Jago mantra is still sung daily in all the
ashrams of the Sacha lineage during religious ceremonies and by disciples in
their daily sadhana, for it is an excellent means of contributing to the
awakening of humanity. All people of goodwill everywhere in the world can use it
to participate in this magnificent undertaking. In this way, one can work
towards the awakening of all beings as well as one’s own at the same time.
Some aspects of Sacha Baba
Kulanandji’s work
The work that Sacha Baba Kulanandji carried out during his whole life was
gigantic, and it went from the training of excellent disciples to the raising of
the consciousness of humanity through work on the spiritual planes. It is not
known either by the general public how much he did to eradicate famine in India.
In a way, he also reduced the distance between man and God by special work on
the inner planes. In fact, not only had Sacha Baba been a great avatar in a past
life, but he was also one in this life, and time will bear witness to the
immense work he accomplished.
Sacha Baba Kulanandaji teachings
for his disciples
One of the first things he insisted on was that his disciples should remain in
society while carrying out their sadhana. Concerning this he said, “It is the
destiny of each individual to work”. He thought it was not honest in a
hard-working country like India, to definitively go away to a forest or a cave
under the pretext that one was trying to find God. According to him “each of
man’s actions should be united to God” and so even in the middle of daily
action, in one’s work, one’s family, one progresses spiritually, for then
everything is done for God and not out of personal interests. It may be stressed
here that the divine Master did not exclude short spiritual retreats form time
to time, but he did not want seekers to indefinitely cut themselves off from the
world. Quoting the Bhagavad Gita, he often said “Perfection in action is
yoga” thus stressing spiritual perfection which is reached through right and
entirely selfless action, always dedicated to God. This is the very basis of
Karma Yoga. However, his teachings went beyond this particular path, for he was
also a being of profound devotion and perfect love for all beings. In fact, like
all accomplished Masters, he was at the junction of all paths which he had
united within himself through his high spiritual state.
Spiritual faculties belong to God
He also warned the disciple against catering to his ego, in particular when some
of his spiritual faculties start working. He reminded him that these faculties
belong to God and not to the disciple who only benefits from them. If he thinks
that they are his and that he has become an important person, then not only will
he lose everything but this will also put an end to his spiritual growth. His fall
will be that of one who is unable to resist the temptation of pride.
An alchemist of souls
Sacha Baba Kulananandji had an extraordinary effect on each disciple because he
was the living incarnation of God. There are many wonderful stories like the one
about Shri Hans Raj Maharajji who came to him as a simple patient to be healed
of a devastating illness which had been sapping his strength for a long time,
and who became enlightened on the very next day after coming to the Master.
There is also this teacher who was looking for a spiritual Master and who
hurried to meet Sacha Baba when he was told about him. When the Master saw him
coming, he said, “Close your eyes” and the teacher obeyed. A bright light then
appeared to him, lasting for about fifteen minutes. When he opened his eyes at
last, important changes had taken place in his consciousness, and he became an
ardent disciple of the Master. Sacha Baba was a true divine alchemist who
possessed the key to the soul of each living being who came to him. He turned it
when he judged the time was right, for he could read each person like an open
book.
God's Great Plan
Going beyond his disciples, he saw the great Plan of God which includes the
entire humanity and has always brought men towards more perfection in all
domains down the ages. He had especially come down from the high planes to
participate in a powerful way in the accomplishment of this great Plan.
The mahasamadhi of Sacha Baba
Kulanandji
According to a popular saying, all good things must come to an end. Perhaps in
this way God wants to incite us to keep on going forward rather that getting
attached to a particular situation, however marvelous it may be, as long as we
have not yet returned to our Heavenly father’s house. So one September day in
1983, disaster struck his disciples and all those who love true spirituality
when just after the Janmasthami festival which celebrates the great avatar Shri
Krishna’s anniversary, and which was also Sacha Baba’s, the great saint left our
world definitively after a short illness which had not at all seemed serious.
Everyone was at first stupefied, then became despondent. Maharajji and the other
disciples organized the funeral rites in homage of the incarnation of God who
had so brilliantly illuminated our horizons.
He had taken care of the future
He left behind him excellent disciples, certain of whom created ashrams to carry
on the teachings and ideals of love, light and universal brotherhood of their
Master. The torch of the Sacha Mission was taken up by Maharajji so as to
continue this work of awakening hearts and consciousness. You can read more
about his work, and that of those who help him in this formidable task on this
site and which is entitled “Shri Hans Raj
Maharajji”.
