Baba all through his life was always associated with spirituality. He did not follow any spiritual belief blindly. His rational mind just did not accept anything superfluously. Hereasoned and tried to find out more about any spiritual faith by reading more about it. He often entered into lengthy discussion with his GURU on topics rainging from Karma , life after death , discussion on ancient scriptures etc. In his lifespan that spread across 69 years he was very fortunate to have secured the blessings of spiritual Gurus who from time to time whose teachings and not only stood behind him and guided him but also gave him the inner strength to sail through extremely precariousl situations. I believe all thes spiritual masters whom I have attempted to introduce in t he passage below played a pivotal role in baba’s life at different periods of his life . My family I belive is idebteted to the blessing and guidance we all received from them. To a very large extent they still continu to shape our thiking and attitudes towards life and will continue to inspire us to act and behave in a righteous manner.
Mahayogi Gagangiri Maharaj
Mahayogi Gagangiri Maharaj was born as Shripad at the Maharashtrian village of Mandure, sometime in the year 1912. After the death of his parents, he left home at a very young age and joined the Shri Chitranand Maharaj Ashram in Uttar Pradesh. Gagangiri Maharaj spent most part of his childhood and teenage life with his guru in the mountains of the Himalayas.
In the years that followed, Maharaj took a pilgrimage to many different parts of the country and finally became accessible to his followers in the year 1950. He made the town of Gaganbad his residence and thus, Maharaj came to be known as Gagangiri.
During the many pilgrimages he took with other sages and holy men, he learnt several religious practices, most importantly those of Yoga and occult (also known as Tantra Vidya in Hindi).
It is believed that Maharaj was blessed by a saint when he was in penance in the Himalayas, near the Badrika Ashram.
Over the next few years, he did penance at different places and it is believed that his continuous penance took him on a path of self righteousness and self realization. This allowed him to touch the lives of people around him, through the simple devices of Yoga and meditation.
His life was an example of that of a perfect Yogi, one who practiced on the banks of river or in rough mountain weather, sleeping in inhumane conditions, and keeping the desires of the mortal body under complete control.
Gagangiri Maharaj passed way in 2008. When news of his demise was made public, thousands of people thronged the ashram to catch a final glimpse of their favorite Yogi. He made his last appearance with the faint glow and happiness that always radiated from his face.
Buddhadev Maharaj & Bhagvad Gita
Buddhadeve maharaj was an ascetic who had a large following both in india and abroad. He fervently preached the teachings of the Bhagwad Gita to his disciples. I vividly remember that baba used to recite the Bhagwad Gita with him at his ashram near Thane. he also constructed a hermitage for him at the shipayard at Ghodbunder where every evening all his followers would gather and take teachings from their Guru. The discussion that baba used to have with buddhadev maharaj often aroused great interest wthing his other followers. In my childhood I remember visiting Buddhadeve maharja’s aashram for the Guru Pournima celebrations which were held at Mahisagar a town near Ahmedabad on the banks of the river Mahi.
The Bhagvad Gita is an ancient Hindu scripture dedicated to the dialog between Lord Krishna and Arjun during the Mahabharata. The book is considered as a practical, insightful guide to life and is often treated as a guidebook for those wishing to learn more about Hinduism as way of life.
The book references different forms of Yoga, Karma, and reincarnation and has been highly praised by eminent personalities such as Robert Oppenheimer and Herman Hesse.
There are a total of 18 chapters in the Gita, dealing with a different aspect of life. Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna how knowledge is important than action but duty is also important and it must be carried out without any expectations of the results. This also forms the premise for Karma Yoga.
Though originally written in Sanskrit, the Gita has been translated into every Indian language and also, English.
Thought leaders have claimed that the Gita has the power to change anyone’s philosophy of life and is highly recommended as a must read scripture.
Sukyo Mahikari
Sukyo Mahikari was originally established by Kotama Okada as a non-profit spiritual organization, whose membership numbers now exceed more than one million worldwide. The movement was started in 1963. Mahikari is a Japanese word, which means “true light”.
Okada claims that God appeared in his dream and asked him to cleanse the world. It was, according to Okada, a revelation that set the path for his life. The religion practices light energy and seeks to develop feelings of peace and harmony in all its members.
Although the religion is one among several new religions of Japan, it draws significantly from the teachings of other religions. The Mahikari foundation has helped extensively in areas hit with natural calamities or war on a number of occasions.
It has a large cult like following although it would be incorrect to say that it is a cult. It is much a religion like any other.