Mahavatar Babaji
Mahavatar Babaji | |
|---|---|
Mahavatar Babaji meditating in the lotus position – a drawing from Autobiography of a Yogi, commissioned by Paramahansa Yogananda and based on his own meeting with Babaji | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Unknown |
| Known for | Kriya Yoga |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| School | Yoga |
| Religious career | |
Disciples | |
Mahavatar Babaji (IAST: Mahāvatāra Bābājī; lit. 'Great Avatar (Revered) Father') is a legendary immortal yogi and guru, who is said to be living in the Himalayas. He is said to have taught multiple revered historic yogis, including Lahiri Mahasaya (1828–1895). Babaji first became recognized through the writings of Paramahansa Yogananda, who devoted a chapter of his Autobiography of a Yogi to Babaji and founded Self-Realization Fellowship, a modern yoga movement that Babaji is associated with. The cave where Babaji met Lahiri Mahasaya, located near Ranikhet, is now a tourist attraction and place of pilgrimage in India.: 170
There is little historical information about Babaji. According to Yogananda, Babaji has intentionally kept his birthplace and birthdate a secret.